“This is Hank’s adventure,” Ann told her. “We’ll just have to see what he has planned when we get there.”
The possibilities made her increasingly anxious. She hated the long, tedious drive, hated the faster pace of Miami, worried about the crime and wasn’t crazy about allowing her children loose in that environment. She also had this nagging feeling that Hank’s patience was at an end and that he was plotting something for the two of them. That very nearly panicked her. It was what she’d claimed to want, but now she felt uncertain, as if taking that next step in their relationship would commit them to a direction in which she wasn’t at all prepared to go with her life.
“Well, I want to go shopping,” Tracy said.
“Me, too,” Melissa said.
“I’ve been saving up for a new outfit.” Tracy looked over at Ann, suddenly sounding shy. “Would you help me pick it out? You always look so great. You have your own sense of style. You don’t just follow everybody else.”
Feeling as though her heart would burst at the compliment, Ann smiled back. “I’d love to help you find something really special. With your coloring, you can wear all the hot new colors that are in this year. You don’t know how lucky you are.”
“Who cares about shopping?” David protested. “I want to go to the basketball game and eat a dozen hot dogs.”
“Me, too,” Melissa chimed in, bouncing excitedly in her car seat.
Ann chuckled. “What about you, Jason?”
“I don’t see why we have to go at all.”
“Aren’t you excited about any of the things you could do in Miami?” she persisted.
“I’ve been there. It’s no big deal.”
“When did you ever go to Miami?” Tracy scoffed.
“Me and some guys went a couple of years ago, smart mouth.”
“Sure.”
“We did. It’s not so hot. Just a lot of people. I like it better in the Keys.”
“Well, don’t let Hank hear you say that,” Tracy warned. “You’ll hurt his feelings.”
“Nothing would hurt that guy’s feelings. He’s about as sensitive as a block of cement.”
“Jason,” Ann said very quietly, deciding things had gone far enough. “Hank wants this weekend to be special for all of you. Can’t you at least try to meet him halfway?”
The request was met by silence. Ann sighed. Fortunately Melissa, Tracy and David more than made up for Jason’s lack of enthusiasm. David made sporadic attempts to get Jason to talk about what he’d seen on his last trip to Miami, but eventually even he gave up and let Jason sulk.
Despite his teasing challenge about his driving speed, Hank never got too far ahead of them. She followed more closely as he led them off the highway and into Coconut Grove. Ann recognized part of the route. It was the same way she had gone to see Liz after she and Todd had married. There was something wild and seductive about the dense foliage, the spread of banyan trees and thick undergrowth. Despite their proximity, the houses maintained their privacy. Although she preferred the wide expanses of sky and water in the Keys, the intimate atmosphere here had a certain primitive appeal to it that made her blood begin to race. It stirred fantasies of jungle adventures and sensual romance.
When Hank turned into a driveway that was practically hidden, she had to swallow hard against the strong emotions that were stirring in her. She felt like the uncertain heroine in some Gothic novel first arriving at the mysterious, secluded mansion of the hero, wondering what was in store for her future. She turned off the engine and sank back in the seat, trying to regain her composure as the kids scrambled from the car.
“Annie,” Hank said quietly. Her guilty gaze shot up to meet his questioning eyes. “Are you okay?”
“Just fine,” she said with forced bravado, getting out of the car. “The kids were wondering what you had planned for the weekend.”
“Tonight I thought we’d go for dinner and a little shopping, then to the Miami Heat game at the arena. How does that sound?”
“Busy.”
He laughed, then kissed her soundly. “We’ll find time just for us. I promise.”
She flushed as her pulse ran wild. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Maybe not,” he said with another of those damnable winks. “But I meant it just the same. Now come on in and let me show you around.”
The house was spectacular. Ann recognized Todd’s architectural touch: clean lines, wide sweeps of glass and cool, Spanish-style tiles and stucco walls. There was a huge fireplace in the living room.
Amused, she glanced at Hank. “In Miami?”
He grinned. “It’s the one thing I’ve always envied from northern winters. It’s worth it on the few nights a year here when it’s cold enough to use it.” He slid his arms around her waist. “It’s also very romantic, don’t you think?”
Her heartbeat skipped at the seductive look in his eyes. An image of a dozen different women sipping wine in front of that fireplace made her shiver. As if he’d read her thoughts, his embrace tightened. “Never before, Annie.”
She gazed up at him disbelievingly.
“I swear it,” he said. “I know you think I’ve been quite a rake. To be perfectly honest, there’s some truth to my reputation, but there’s never been anyone in my
