“No, we haven’t. And we need to. Before anything else happens.”

“Anything else. Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”

Erin laughed at his predictably witty reply. His humor had attracted her from the first night they met, and it made whatever they were doing easier than it would be otherwise. “You’ve got to let me go so you can drive us home.”

“In a second.” He held her for another full minute before he released her to climb back to her own seat. “Jenny probably thinks we’re getting busy out here.”

“Hopefully, she’s entertaining her guests and not paying attention to what we’re doing.”

He steered the truck toward the long driveway that took them past the greenhouses on the way to the main road. “Oh, she’s paying attention.”

“What do you mean?”

“She watches over you like a mother hen. No harm shall come to you under her watch.”

“She’s more my sister than my friend. I think she’d kill for me.”

“So noted. I vow to never give her a reason to kill for you.”

Though his tone was joking, she believed the underlying sentiment was sincere.

Chapter 8

They rode the rest of the way to the lighthouse in silence tinged with anticipation, at least for Erin. She had no idea what to expect. Would they pick up where they’d left off before Luke’s call, or would there be awkwardness now that they’d had hours to think about what’d nearly happened earlier?

As if he knew she was spinning, he reached for her hand.

The heat of his hand around hers calmed and soothed her. He released her only so she could open the gate for him when they arrived at the lighthouse property. After he drove the truck through, she closed and locked the gate, sealing them off from the rest of the island for the night.

“I can’t remember the last time I did this,” she said.

“Did what?”

“Brought a man home with me for the night. It’s been… years.”

“I’m honored to be spending tonight and this week with you.”

“I’m far too old to be nervous, but I am. I don’t want to be, but I can’t seem to help it.”

“There’s nothing to be nervous about. We’re just hanging out, having fun.”

“That’s what I thought, too. Until…” Whatever truth serum had her spilling her guts to him dried up at the thought of telling him everything.

He parked the truck outside the lighthouse and shut off the engine, casting them into darkness. “Until what?”

“You walked into Jenny’s tonight, and I was so incredibly happy to see you. It… It stopped being casual for me. I’m not sure that’s what you want—”