Avery reached over and touched her hand. “I’m sorry. I wish your childhood had been better. My mother was so kind and sweet. I thought all mothers were supposed to be that way.”
“Unfortunately, you lost your mother too soon,” Rachel said sympathetically. “And I was lucky to have Julie and Gordon as my parents for all those years. They were wonderful to me and amazing grandparents to Jules.”
“I’m glad you had them,” Avery said.
After eating, they cleaned up the kitchen and sat together on the sofa. Rachel curled up next to him. It was nice to have someone she felt safe with beside her after all she’d been through this past week.
“I hate going back to that hotel with the press hanging around. It’s so cozy and quiet here,” she said.
“Then stay.” Avery kissed her temple. “We’ll watch movies all night, order in pizza, and have a slumber party.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.
She laughed.
Avery’s eyes lit up. “Better yet, let’s sneak back into the hotel, have you pack a bag, and we’ll head out of town for the night. It’s still early in the day. We can be in San Francisco in an hour-and-a-half. We’ll book a hotel and explore the city. How does that sound?”
“Are you kidding? That’s crazy,” Rachel said. But she thought it sounded wonderful. Just to pack up and leave and forget about all that was going on here.
“That’s the whole point,” he said. “To be crazy and have a little fun. We don’t have to be here until Monday morning. Don’t you want to forget about all this insanity for a few hours?”
“I do,” she said, turning serious. “But it wouldn’t feel right. I’ve always been the good person who’s done the right thing. And leaving right now, when we’re on the the brink of finding out who the poor little deceased girl is seems wrong.”
Avery sighed. “I know. I just thought that getting away for a night might take the stress out of all this, at least for twenty-four hours.”
She smiled up at him, placing her hand gently on the side of his face. “It would be nice. But it’s nice just being here with you, too. You might be able to talk me into those movies and pizza, though.”
He dropped his lips on hers, and Rachel felt the warmth of his kiss fill her entire body. At that moment, she no longer cared about propriety or the fact that she’d only known Avery for a few days. She wanted to feel the warmth of someone next to her, the touch of his hands on her, and the closeness of his body. So, when Avery lifted her up and carried her to his bed, she didn’t protest. Rachel happily let nature takes its course.
They spent the afternoon and evening alternating between making love and watching movies from the eighties that they both remembered as teenagers. They ordered pizza and ate it in bed, then stayed up late into the night. Neither one spoke of the murder case, neither one spoke of the fact that she lived in Tallahassee and he lived in Casita. They let that all go by the wayside and just enjoyed each other and their time together.
***
Sunday morning Rachel and Avery woke up late and snuggled under the covers, both not wanting to begin a new day and go back to reality. Finally, reluctantly, Rachel got up and showered, and so did Avery. They drank coffee at his kitchen counter, and he made her scrambled eggs and toast.
“I could get used to this,” he said with a grin as the two ate their breakfast.
Rachel felt that she could get used to it, too, but was afraid to say so. They hadn’t known each other long enough to make any commitments, and they lived so far apart. But she didn’t regret their night together. For the first time in years, she’d felt close to a man who she trusted, and it had felt good. She was now ready to face whatever Monday brought.
“You’re quiet. What are you thinking?” Avery asked.
She smiled. “This is nice. All of it. It’s a shame it has to end.”
He bent toward her and kissed her lightly. “We have one more day. It doesn’t have to end.”
She laughed lightly. “No, I suppose it doesn’t have to. But I should go back to the hotel today and work. I still have a daughter to put through college no matter what we learn on Monday.”
He nodded. “I suppose I have a newspaper to work on, too.”
“Do you ever work there?” she teased.
He shook his head. “No. Not really.” They laughed.
After dragging breakfast on as long as they could, Avery finally drove Rachel back to the hotel. There were no press vans in the parking lot.
“Where do you think they all went?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Wouldn’t Jeremy have called us if something important had happened?”
“Maybe they got tired of waiting for something to happen,” Avery suggested.
He walked her inside the hotel and rode up the elevator with her. There was no police officer on her floor, which was a relief to Rachel. The last thing she wanted was for one of Jeremy’s men to tell him she hadn’t come back to her room last night.
Avery followed her into the room just to make sure there wasn’t someone lurking in there. “Why don’t you turn on the television and see if there’s any breaking news on this story,” he said.
Rachel sat on the edge of the bed and turned on the TV. She flipped through a few channels until she saw a news conference in progress. She gasped.
“What is it?” Avery asked, coming to sit beside her.
She pointed at the screen. “All the reporters are
