Just dropped my parents at the hotel. Are you around?

She waited several minutes, and when he didn’t reply, she headed home. Halfway there, she executed a U-turn and went to his house instead. Her heart pounded so hard she wondered why she didn’t pass out. He was upset about what’d happened at dinner, and understandably so, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the future they’d dreamed of together. Those dreams had her turning into the driveway that led to Martinez Lawn & Garden, even if she wasn’t entirely sure she’d be welcome.

The house was dark except for a single light glowing in the living room. Jenny parked her car and got out, heading for the porch on trembling legs.

“What’re you doing here?”

His voice in the dark startled her. “I came to see you.”

“Why?”

Jenny followed his voice to the rockers on the porch. “Because I wanted to see if you’re okay.”

“I’m great, so you don’t need to stay. You should go spend time with your folks while they’re here.” His voice was so cold, so devoid of the emotion she’d come to expect from him that it made her shiver despite the warm summer night. In the silence that stretched between them, the only sound she could hear was that of crickets chirping. “Go, Jenny. There’s nothing for you here.”

His words sliced through her recently healed heart with the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel. She bit back a gasp from the pain that gathered in her chest and radiated through her entire body. If she walked away from him now, she sensed she’d never see him again.

Because never seeing him again simply wasn’t an option, she moved toward him rather than away. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark, so she was able to see the white shirt and khakis. Moving quickly, before she could change her mind, she slid onto his lap.

He stiffened in resistance. “What’re you doing?”

She put her arms around him and laid her lips on his. “This.” Turning her head, she kissed him again. “And this.” With her hand cupping his cheek, she ran her tongue over his bottom lip and felt his resistance begin to give way.

He turned his face. “Don’t.”

“Why not? I love you. Why wouldn’t I kiss you and touch you and be with you when you’re upset?”

“Because!” The single word burst free with the power of a gunshot blast. “This is my life. Right here. I was fooling myself to think I could have you, too. It’s not fair. You’ve been through so much. You don’t need this.”

“Is that what you think? That your mother’s illness is too much for me?”