‘Is it vegetarian?’

‘It is, actually.’

She shrugged. ‘I could eat.’

Peach shifted uncomfortably, dripping on the carpet. The room was dark. He noticed her glance at the light switch, and he leaned over with long arms and turned on the lamp. He gestured at the bed. ‘You can sit down for the same price.’

‘Okay.’

‘I was about to swear that I have no evil intentions, but since you’re the one who showed up in my motel room, shouldn’t that be your line?’

Her lips twitched in a small smile. It was hard not to like this man. She sat primly on the end of the bed and put the two damp medical files next to her. His eyes studied the files curiously, but he didn’t ask about them.

‘You’re soaked,’ he said. ‘I have an extra blanket in my trunk. Do you want it?’

‘No, I’m okay. Thanks, though.’

Cab eased back into the chair and picked up his glass of wine. ‘So.’

She knew he was waiting for her to explain. She didn’t know what to say or even why she’d decided to come here. The arrival of the pizza gave her more time. Cab answered the door, paid the boy with what looked like a fifty dollar bill – no change – and propped open the white box on the table in front of him. He put a triangular slice on a paper plate and handed it to her, and when she took a bite, she decided she was ravenous. They finished more than half the pizza in silence.

He watched her the whole time, but his curious stare didn’t bother her. His blue eyes were smart and ironic; so was his funny little grin. He was unusually handsome. Being so much younger than he was – at least ten years, probably fifteen – she didn’t feel any attraction to him, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate a man who was very cute. It wasn’t just his movie star looks. He projected an aura of being utterly comfortable in his own skin. As if he took the world seriously and himself not at all.

Of all the things she had to say, she finally said: ‘So how tall are you?’

Cab threw back his head and laughed. She had the impression that he liked her, too. ‘When I wear three-inch stilettos, I’m six-foot-nine,’ he said.

She giggled. ‘Well, you’re tall even without them.’

‘A little.’

‘I suppose you’re wondering—’

‘Why you’re here? Yes.’

‘I saw your car from the highway,’ she said.

‘And so you just decided to say hi?’

‘Not exactly,’ she admitted.