It had been a depressing exercise, Carolyn thought as she started along the dark lane. Watching all that billing and cooing going on around her as she sat alone without even Bethany for company. She’d found herself lying there wondering what was wrong with her. She was average in looks, with a nice face, shoulder-length blond hair and . . . well, all right, she could stand to lose a few pounds, but she was average. Why didn’t she have someone to love her too? Of course, then the heckler, the voice in her head that sounded like her ex-husband, had helpfully listed all her faults. It was a never-ending list and had taken up most of the day.

“Depressing,” Carolyn muttered, moving automatically to the edge of the road as she heard a vehicle approaching from behind. Unfortunately, she moved too far to the side, and her heels promptly sank into the grassy verge and nearly sent her splat onto her face. Managing to stay upright by doing a little dance that took her right out of one shoe, Carolyn sighed and bent to pull it out of the dirt. She then cursed under her breath when her purse promptly slid off her shoulder and dropped into the dirt.

“Pretty lady, what are you doing walking? You should have called down for a ride. Come, get in, we have room.”

Carolyn froze at that voice and didn’t need to look to see that she was shooting the moon at a vanload of resort guests. It just had to be the case. It was her kind of luck. Sighing, she pulled her shoe free, grabbed up her purse and slung it back over her shoulder as she straightened and turned to the van. Her smile was a bit forced when she saw it was Adam beaming at her from the driver’s seat. That just figured. With Beth’s words ringing in her ear the last person she wanted to see was the first she did.

“Don’t they ever let you go home, Adam?” Carolyn asked with a forced smile.

“Two drivers are sick. I am working overtime. Overtime pays well,” he said with a grin. “Come get in. We will take you down. You can sit in the front with me.”

Carolyn hesitated, but then limped around the van to the passenger-side door with one shoe on and one off. She was running a little late and would get there faster with a ride. Mind you, it was going to be uncomfortable making small talk with Adam while Bethany’s words were ringing in her head. Good Lord, he really didn’t look more than twenty-one or twenty-two.

Shaking that thought away, she opened the door and climbed in, smiling at Adam as she did.

“There, see? It’s all good,” Adam said cheerfully, sending the van moving forward again as soon as she’d settled in the seat and tugged the door closed.