First Time in Forever (Puffin Island 1)

Emily bit her lip. “Lizzy—”

“I’m too old for the beach,” Agnes said calmly. “I’m too old to be brushing sand out of my shoes and out of the house. We are going to stay indoors and have fun. It’s been a long time since I’ve had the pleasure of young company.”

To refuse would be insulting to Agnes, but to accept would mean being alone with Ryan.

“She isn’t used to strangers.” She realized how ridiculous that was as an excuse, when Lizzy had virtually been raised by strangers.

Lizzy must have thought it, too, because she climbed onto the sofa next to Agnes. “I want to stay.”

Deprived of excuses by the excuse herself, Emily gave a helpless shrug.

“If you’re sure—”

Agnes smiled. “I can’t think of anything I’d like more. Don’t rush. We’ll still be here when you get back, and nothing is going to happen.”

Lizzy inched closer to Agnes. “Sometimes there are men with cameras.”

Agnes’s mouth tightened. “Not on my property, pumpkin.”

As she left the house, Emily felt Ryan’s hand on her back.

“You told my grandmother the truth?”

“Yes. Was that a mistake?”

“No. And you have no reason to worry about her safety. If Puffin Island were ever invaded, Agnes would lead the defense. She raised two children of her own and then took on three grandchildren. Lizzy is in good hands.”

She tried to ignore the warmth of his hand. Tried to forget how those hands had felt as they’d moved over her body. “Four. You’re forgetting to include yourself.”

“I was part of the management team.” His smile made her heart beat faster.

Her level of awareness was a constant hum beneath the anxiety about being responsible for Lizzy. “It’s the first time I’ve left her.”

“I know.” He stopped and eased her to one side so that a family loaded down with beach gear could pass them. “Raisin

g a child isn’t about locking them away until they’re eighteen and then pushing them out of the door. It’s about giving them the tools to be independent. You should be pleased she was happy to stay with Agnes. She could have been clinging to you, especially after what happened. But we both know that this isn’t all about Lizzy. You’re looking for an excuse to avoid me.”

“That isn’t true.”

“No? So look me in the eye.”

“We’re in public.”

“I know and I promise not to rip your clothes off. Now look at me.”

“What happens when people don’t do what you want them to do?”

“If it’s something that matters to me, I’m persistent.”

Was he implying that she mattered to him? The thought of it made the blood rush from her head. Normally she was a calm, logical thinker, but whenever she was this close to him her thoughts scattered. “You have to back off, Ryan. I can’t think when you say things like that.”

“Good. You need to think less, not more.” He took her arm and guided her across the street away from the bustle of the busy harbor, to the relative calm of Main Street with its attractive buildings and colorful storefronts. They walked past several sea and surf shops and a few high-end boutiques catering to the wealthy set who had fallen in love with the beauty and relative seclusion of Puffin Island. Emily had seen the lavish summer houses dotted around the island, from colonial homes to elaborate beach houses. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, the place had an eclectic, cosmopolitan feel.

“Where are we going?”

“I’m going to buy you an ice cream.”

“A—what?”