Ann shook her head and sighed. She ought to be grateful. She analyzed the emotions that were rampaging through her. Gratitude wasn’t among them. Nope. Jealousy was at the top of the list.
“Well, you’ll just have to get over this in a big hurry,” she muttered, pouring vinegar and water into a bucket and heading for the windows that faced the Atlantic.
Filled with trepidation, Hank approached Todd’s house in Coconut Grove later that night. He knew that his encounter with Todd in the morning had been little more than polite chitchat compared to the cross-examination Liz was likely to subject him to. He wasn’t sure he was up to it.
Ever since Tracy’s phone call, he’d been tempted to head straight back down to the Keys. He didn’t like the sound of this boy she was going out with. He guessed the kid’s hormones were in overdrive and he wasn’t one bit sure that all his advice had equipped Tracy to deal with him. His stomach knotted at the thought of the jerk laying a hand on that sweet, innocent kid. After the hell her old man had put her through, she deserved never again to be touched except with love and respect.
He wasn’t aware that he’d been sitting in the car for some time until he heard Kevin shouting at him.
“Hey, Hank, come on! Dad said you’d help me with my pitching. It’s only a little while till dinner.”
Hank mustered a grin, grabbed the baseball mitt he’d thrown in the back and climbed wearily from his truck. At least it would provide a reprieve from Liz’s inquisition.
“Okay, kid, let’s see what you’ve got.”
Todd came out moments later and joined them on the wide sweep of lawn. “Sorry I missed you at the office. Feeling any better?”
“I’m great.”
“Right.”
Hank shot him a vicious look, then turned pointedly to Kevin. “Try a curveball. You remember where I told you to put your fingers.”
The ball zipped toward him with surprising speed and accuracy, landing in his mitt with a solid thud. Kevin’s grin split his freckled face. “How’s that?”
“Not bad, kid. You’ve been practicing.”
“Every night. At least when Dad gets home in time. Liz tried to catch for me one night, but she was pretty bad,” he confided. His tone and his face registered his disgust. “Girls!”
Hank laughed. “Yeah, kid, I know just what you mean.”
“I heard that,” Liz called, poking her head out the front door. “People who make unkind remarks about the cook get steaks that are the consistency of shoe leather.”
Hank immediately adopted a suitably contrite expression and jogged over to plant a kiss on Liz’s forehead. “Sorry. Present company excepted, of course.”
“Thank you.” She glanced toward Kevin. “And you?”
Kevin grinned at his stepmother. “Sorry, Liz.”
She nodded in satisfaction. “Good. Then dinner’s ready.”
Hank made the first cut into his thick, juicy steak with the enthusiasm of a half-starved man. He lifted the bite to his mouth, savored the aroma, then bit into it slowly. It was delicious, with just a hint of mesquite in the flavor. He swallowed and the image of Ann’s disapproving expression flickered alive in his stupid brain. Guilt stole in. The second bite wasn’t nearly as flavorful as the first. The third practically choked him. He determinedly ate another and then another, forcing himself to finish the entire steak.
When he looked up from his meal at last, he caught Todd and Liz exchanging an amused glance.
“Did you enjoy your steak?” Todd inquired with contrived innocence.
“Terrific.”
“I have another piece in the kitchen,” Liz offered sweetly.
“No, thanks. I’ve had plenty.”
“More salad?” She held out the bowl.
Hank reached for it, then stubbornly jerked back his hand. “No.”
“Are you sure? You’ve hardly eaten a thing.”
He took a deliberate sip of the excellent full-bodied wine. “Guess I just wasn’t as hungry as I thought.”
“Aren’t you feeling well?” Liz persisted, her eyes filled with concern.
“I’m fine. Dinner was superb.”
“How about some apple pie?”
Hank was cheered by the prospect. Apples were healthy. Not even Ann could find anything to object to there.
“Maybe with some vanilla ice cream on top?” Liz suggested.
His mouth watered. “Terrif—” he began, then recalled Ann’s speech about the fat content of ice cream as she’d given him a bowl of frozen yogurt. “No. I’ll take it plain.”
Damn. She wasn’t within fifty miles and she was still ruining his appetite. Fortunately before Liz could make too much out of his refusal, the phone rang. “I’ll get it,” she said. “Kevin, how about bringing the dishes into the kitchen.”
When the two of them had gone, Todd said quietly, “It’s worse than you’ve admitted, isn’t it?”
“Don’t you dare start gloating again.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. I’ve waited a long time to witness the fall of the mighty lecher. Are you in love with her?”
“Absolutely not. You know how I feel about love. It doesn’t exist.”
“Methinks thou does protest too much.”
Hank glared. “Think whatever you want.”
“Well, what are you going to do about it?”
“Not a damn thing,” he insisted stubbornly.
“But…”
The ringing of his cell phone interrupted Todd’s protest. It was Tracy.
He almost knocked over his chair as he stood and answered the phone. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice raw with panic.
All he heard were muffled sobs.
“Tracy, where are you?”
“At a gas station.”
“Where?”
“In Key Largo.”
“Are you okay?” He closed his eyes and forced himself to ask gently, “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“No, I’m just so mad.” She choked back another sob. “Hank, he was just as big a creep as you said he was. Why didn’t I listen to you?”
Hank’s heart finally began beating again. “Because you wanted to believe in the guy. Trusting someone isn’t a sin. It takes a lot of experience, though, before you can
