As You Wish (The Summerhouse 3)

Looking at each other, they laughed. It seemed that the old men had been playing them against each other. Their shared amusement cleared the air.

Olivia took a breath. “Ace’s name is Kyle Chapman and his mother is dying of ovarian cancer. His father is the town’s only doctor, and between patients and his wife, he can’t care for the child. And besides,

Ace needs Letty.”

“That poor boy. He’s so young.”

“You’re not going to look at him with pity, are you?”

“No,” Kit said. “I’m going to—” He turned his head away.

When she heard his breath catch in his throat, Olivia reached out and took his hand. “I think we need to act as normal as possible.”

“Maybe tie the two of them up in a tree with purple yarn?” He looked back at her and when he held her hand tighter, she pulled it away. They were too alone in a beautiful setting to risk touching.

“I vote that we give the children the best summer they ever had,” she said.

“Lavish them with gifts? Christmas every day? That sort of thing?” he asked.

“Absolutely not! First of all, we need to get them back for tying us up and I think the attic is haunted and Old Thomas is from a planet called Zenos.”

With each word, Kit’s smile widened. “I like how you think. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. Didn’t I see a tea shop in town? Let’s drink a gallon and eat pounds while we come up with some scary things to do to those brats. And I want to order some bikes.”

“Can you afford them?” Olivia put her hand up. “Let me guess. You’re rich.”

He stood up and held out his hand out to her. “That’s just one of many bad things about me. Did you bring your script? Can I play Wickham and run off with the girl?”

“Lydia is an idiot.” Taking his hand, she stood up.

He leaped off the rock, then put his hands on her waist, and swung her down to the ground. “Remind me to call my dad to tell him he’ll have a couple of visitors in January.”

“Would they really do that? You can’t imagine what it would mean to my father. Do you have to take a Jeep to get to the pyramids?”

“Ha! They’re across the road from Mena House Hotel. There’s a highway that runs right past the pyramids.”

“He’ll be disappointed.”

“Don’t worry. There are lots of places that will fascinate him. Egypt is magic.” He opened the truck door for her and she got in.

Kit walked around the back of the truck so she wouldn’t see his smile. Friends, he thought. That’s what she wanted them to be. And if that’s what she needed right now, he’d give it to her.

As for him, he’d found the woman he loved and would always love—and he was going to do whatever it took to get her. He’d just take his time, go as slowly as she needed him to.

And when the time was right... He smiled. She wouldn’t know what hit her.

Chapter Seventeen

“That’s what he told you?” Kathy asked. “That he planned to get you no matter what he had to do?”

“He didn’t tell me then what he was thinking, but he did on our honeymoon.”

“You mean recently.”

“Yes,” Olivia said. “Very recently.”

Elise and Kathy were silent as they thought about what they were hearing. All that Olivia was telling them happened long ago. Even if they hadn’t been told of their love now, it was easy to see where the young couple was headed. Yet they had spent their lives apart.

“When did you turn from friendship to passion?” Elise asked. “Some moonlit night? You saw naked Kit under a tree and you were so overcome with lust that you couldn’t contain yourself?”