He drew in a breath. “I’m not happy with you.”

She waited silently.

“You probably couldn’t have told me,” he conceded. “I would have been forced to kill Luka and that would have created a lot of problems.”

“You wouldn’t have killed him.”

“Okay, I wouldn’t have, but I would have thought about it.”

He led the way into the kitchen and set the casserole dish on the counter. They faced each other.

“I really am sorry,” she said sincerely. “It was so horrifying. I totally panicked. And with us on the bus...”

“I get it.”

“Then why have you been so mad at me? You haven’t called or anything.”

“I have had a lot to think about.”

“Like?”

He pulled two beers out of the refrigerator, took the tops off both of them and handed her one. They walked into the family room and took their familiar seats on the large sectional sofa. Familiar but not exactly what she’d been hoping for, she thought ruefully. A few kisses and a suggestion they retire to the bedroom had been more in line of what she’d been thinking of, but maybe they should talk first.

“Lissa mostly,” he said. “Lissa and Luka. She’s growing up.”

“She’s seventeen. That’s how old I was when I lost my virginity.”

He winced. “Can we not phrase it that way?”

She hid a smile. “How old were you?”

“Fifteen.”

“Wild man.”

The corners of his mouth turned up. “She was sixteen, so older. It was nice.”

“Fast?”

He grinned. “Very.” The smile faded. “I just wanted to protect my daughter.”

“You do. I know you had the condom talk and Luka isn’t the type to take advantage.”

“I know, but it’s difficult. She’s my little girl.” He took a drink of his beer. “She doesn’t want to go away to college. That’s what all the acting out has been about. She wants to stay here and go to community college.”

“Why would that be a problem?”

“She thought I was trying to get rid of her.”

Ellen set down her beer and slid close to Keith. She put her arms around him. “I’m sorry. That must have been hard for you to hear. But you know that’s on her, not on you. You’ve never done anything to make her think that.” She felt a flicker of temper. “It’s her stupid mother.”

His arm came around her. “We shouldn’t talk badly about her.”

“You shouldn’t, but I can call her the bitch she is. She never even phones her own daughter. It makes me so mad. I want to slap her.”

He leaned back against the sofa, pulling her with him. She felt the tension ease in his body.

“Thanks for looking out for us.”

“Always. We’re friends and Lissa’s a great kid who deserves better.” She glanced at him. “It’s actually your fault for picking that woman in the first place. Was it because of her boobs?”

He muttered something under his breath. “It wasn’t her boobs. I fell in love with her.”