“I don’t think I can, babe. I’ve got all these invoices—”

Grace kissed the words right off his lips, going for broke with a kiss designed to remind him of what would be waiting for him at home. “Please?”

“Aww, baby, what am I supposed to say when you ask me like that?”

“How about, ‘Yes, Grace, I’d love to go home and sleep with you tonight.’”

He smiled and kissed the end of her nose. “Yes, Grace, I’d love to go home and sleep with you tonight.”

“Excellent.”

He squeezed her tight before he released her. “You’re full of beans tonight.”

“I’m lonely for you.”

When they were both standing, he embraced her again, kissing the top of her head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to neglect you.”

“Have you been hiding out here?”

Perplexed by the question, he said, “Hiding from you?”

“Not from me, but from something else maybe?”

“I’m not hiding, Grace. I’m working. I promise.”

“Okay.”

“Let’s get out of here.”

She waited while he shut down all the equipment and locked everything up. Outside, she watched him glance at the motorcycle with a bit of trepidation. “How about I drive?” she asked. “I can bring you back in the morning before work.”

“Are you sure?”

“You’re exhausted, Ev. Let me drive you home.”

“I won’t say no to that.”

“You need to do something about this landscaping.”

“I’ve got my friend Alex Martinez coming tomorrow.”

“Is he related to the Martinez Garden people?”

“One of their sons. I went to school with him and his brother Paul. Alex is a master gardener. He worked for a time for the National Conservatory in Washington. He came back to the island after his mother got sick, because Paul needed help running the business.”

“Is his mom Marion Martinez?”

“Yes, I think that’s her name. Do you know her?”

“I haven’t met her, but her sons come into the pharmacy. Nice-looking guys.”

“So now you’re checking out the customers, Ms. Ryan?”

Grace smiled at his proprietary tone. “I might be madly in love with my sexy boyfriend, but I’m not blind or dead.”

He leaned across the console to nibble on her neck. “Madly in love, huh? That boyfriend of yours is one lucky bastard.”

“I keep telling him that, but sometimes I wonder if he knows it.”

“He knows, baby. You don’t ever need to wonder about that.”

“I was kidding, Evan.”

Resting his head on her shoulder, he said, “I know.”

At home, Evan took a shower and shaved while Grace brushed her teeth and changed into a nightgown. Listening to him in the shower, she realized how much she’d missed sharing their home in the last week. Nothing was the same without him around.