“Didn’t he get married a couple of years ago?” she asked.

“Yeah. Didn’t work out.”

“I hadn’t heard that.”

“It was a bad scene. She was hooked on prescription drugs, and he didn’t know it. He’s been through a nightmare, the poor guy.”

“God, that’s awful.” And it made what she’d been through seem not so significant.

“He’s doing a lot better since he’s been here with Laura and the rest of the family.” Adam put an arm around Abby and kissed her temple. “I’m starving. I thought you’d never get here.”

“You didn’t have to wait.”

“Yes, I did. I told you I would in the note.”

“It was nice of you.” Cal wouldn’t have waited. He was impatient, always in a hurry and didn’t like to be kept waiting.

“What’re you thinking?” Adam asked as he held her chair for her.

“That Cal wouldn’t have waited for me.”

Adam settled in the seat next to her rather than across from her. “That would’ve been his loss. You look gorgeous this morning. Almost as gorgeous as you looked last night.” As he said the last part, his hand landed on her knee and moved up until Abby stopped him from going any farther.

“Will you put the glasses back on?”

He seemed surprised by her request. “You like them?”

“Uh-huh. They make you look smart.”

“I am smart,” he said with an arrogant, teasing smile as he slid them back on.

His intelligence, Abby thought, was every bit as sexy as what he’d done to her in the hotel room last night. She covered his hand on her leg and wrapped her fingers around his, sharing a smile with him. Neither of them could seem to look away. Abby’s insides fluttered with awareness of him and pride in herself for reaching out to take what she wanted.

“Morning, folks,” the waitress said. “Coffee?”

She tore her gaze off him and looked up at the young woman. “Please.”

“Me, too.”

Abby paid attention to every detail as he stirred cream and sugar into his coffee and ordered fried eggs over easy, turkey bacon and rye toast. She’d barely glanced at the menu but asked for an egg-white omelet with vegetables and wheat toast.

“How’s the project going?” she asked when they were alone again.

“It’s going. I enjoy the challenge of figuring out what the client needs and making the computer give it to them.”

“That sounds like a very simplified explanation for complicated work.”

“It can be, I suppose, but it’s not complicated to me. It’s my second language, the only thing I’ve ever been any good at.”

“Not the only thing,” Abby said as a blush swept over her.