He tried to smile as he leaned over to brush a kiss across her nose. “It’s okay. It’s nice to have someone care about my safety.”
“Of course I care.” She threw her arms around him and held him tightly. “Please call me when you get there, no matter what time it is. I hope Trevor is okay.”
He returned the embrace. “Yeah, me, too.”
She walked him to the door. He kissed her lingeringly, stood for a moment looking at her with hungry eyes, then stepped out of her house. “I’ll call you, JoJo.”
Her eyes pricked with tears as she closed the door behind him. She wasn’t sure exactly why she felt like crying. Maybe in sympathy for the fear he was obviously suffering from. Maybe in release from a day filled with surprises and emotional turmoil. Maybe because she’d miss him. And because she was still afraid to believe...
She put away the leftover pizza, stored the photo book in a safe place and straightened the rumbled sheets on her bed with trembling hands. Her thoughts were still with Adam. She worried about him driving so late and in such an anxious frame of mind. Should she have offered to go with him, to share the driving? Her parents and Maddie would’ve made sure Simon was well cared for in her absence. She had several things on her calendar for these last two weeks in Georgia, but maybe she shouldn’t have worried about those. Then again, she didn’t know what she’d have done when they arrived in South Carolina. She suspected Adam would be very busy with his job for t
he moment.
The job he’d offered to leave for her, she reminded herself, sinking to the side of the bed. For her and Simon.
He hadn’t said he loved her. Maybe it was too soon. Maybe he didn’t know if he did, in which case her concern about his headfirst dive into such a life-changing relationship was justified. And maybe it was too soon for either of them to be certain. And yet...
And yet she had no doubt. She was so in love with Adam Scott that she was dizzy. For her, the fairy tale was real. She’d fallen in love at first sight, just like in the stories. And then, after putting that early infatuation behind her and moving on with her life, she’d fallen in love all over again while spending time with him and their son. The only thing was, she wasn’t sure if her fairy tale would have a happy ending. Maybe she’d guarded her heart behind a prickly hedge, but Adam had barricaded his with solid armor. Was he really ready to take the risk of letting someone in? Could he take his armor down completely?
Staying up wouldn’t help her answer any of these questions, so Joanna figured she might as well go to bed. Her bare foot brushed against something soft on the floor. Looking down, she spotted a flat leather pouch sticking out from under the bed. It must have fallen when Adam dropped his duffel. Hoping it didn’t hold his driver’s license, she bent to pick it up.
A few moments later, she sat on the bed again, unsure of whether her knees would support her if she tried to rise. The tears she’d managed to hold off earlier cascaded down her cheeks as she gently traced the creases in the frayed photo of her own face. This wasn’t a new print. This had been packed away in his few possessions—in his favorite memories—for six years.
Returning the photo and Simon’s drawing to the pouch, she held it to her chest for a moment before setting it aside and drying her tears.
* * *
ADAM LOOKED AT the stack of contracts, to-do lists, memos and bills on the desk in front of him and took a deep breath before diving under. He was way behind in his work. And even farther behind in Trevor’s work, which he was doing his best to handle while the boss was getting back on his feet.
Three days after the wreck, everyone at Wind Shadow was doing their best to keep the resort running smoothly. They were successful for the most part. Still, Trevor’s absence was keenly noticed. In his easy, laid-back way, Trev managed to accomplish more in eight or ten hours than most people could get done in twenty-four. Adam was just trying to keep up his end until Trev returned, which would be in a couple days if it were up to Trevor, a good six weeks according to his doctors. Adam predicted reality would be somewhere in the middle.
Tamar tapped on the door. “Unless you need anything else tonight, Adam, I’ll head out.”
“No. Go get some rest, Tamar. You’ve put in long hours today.”
As loyal and dedicated as everyone else who worked for Trevor Farrell, she merely smiled. “You need some sleep, too. No offense, but you’re starting to look like ten miles of bad road.”
Chuckling, he rubbed a hand over his face. He likely did look a little rough. But he’d do his job and Trevor’s for as long as necessary. At least until he was sure both Trevor and Wind Shadow would get by without him. And then he had a new life of his own to start.
At least, he hoped he did. He’d spoken with Joanna a few times during the past three days, letting her know that Trevor would recover and that Adam would be tied up for a while in the meantime. He’d told her she should go ahead with the move as planned and he’d be out as soon as he was able. Because he’d been so busy and so much in demand here, the conversations with her had been brief. Unsatisfying. It hadn’t escaped his notice that she still hadn’t given him an answer about whether she actually wanted him to follow her to Seattle.
She wanted him, he reminded himself, scrubbing a hand again over his weary face. She couldn’t deny that. As he remembered, much to his tired body’s discomfort, she had practically ripped his clothes off that last time. After that—well, after that, neither of them had made any attempt to hold back.
But sex, no matter how good, wasn’t the ultimate goal with Joanna. As much as he found it hard to believe himself, he wanted more this time. A lot more. He wanted it all.
Maybe he’d call her tonight. After he’d waded through a few more stacks of paper. “New paperless society, my butt,” he muttered, drawing a pile toward him.
Hearing someone in the doorway, he asked without looking up, “Forget something, Tamar?”
“Tamar has gone home. You’ll have to settle for me.”
He looked up so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. “JoJo?”
Her smile was a little crooked when she came into the room. “I think Maddie’s impulsiveness may have finally rubbed off on me.”
He walked around the desk to meet her. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy to see you. I think.”
She lifted her eyebrows in question. “You think you’re happy to see me?”