First Time in Forever (Puffin Island 1)

nocks on the door, I’ll kill him with my bare hands. Even if I didn’t already hate them after everything they printed about Mike’s accident, I wouldn’t let anything happen to Lizzy. I already love her.”

“I trust you, Lisa. It isn’t you, it’s me. I have a problem with letting go.” Over a glass of wine, she’d told Lisa the truth about Lizzy’s identity, but she hadn’t shared the story about Katy. “I want to be there the whole time to protect her.”

“Are you really worried the photographers will come here?”

“Every day that passes makes it less likely. Ryan thinks the trail will have gone cold. That they’ve lost interest.”

“So leave her with me,” Lisa urged. “Go on a date. Have a night of wild sex. Believe me, if that is ever an option for me, I’ll be dropping the twins with you!”

A wild night of sex.

Was she the only person in the world for whom sex had never been wild?

Feeling inadequate, Emily shook her head. “That isn’t going to happen.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

TWO DAYS LATER Ryan was on his way to deal with a problem at the marina when he saw Emily walking hand in hand with Lizzy toward the section of the harbor reserved for the boat tours. The child was talking nonstop, and Emily was listening attentively, occasionally nodding and interjecting.

He compared it to the first day when she’d sat in the Ocean Club staring at Lizzy as if she were a bomb that might detonate at any moment.

Instead of using the path down to the marina, Ryan diverted and joined them on the waterfront. “Taking a trip?”

“Yes.” Lizzy was so excited she was almost dancing. “We’re going on the boat. I swam on my own yesterday for the first time, and now Emily is taking me to see the puffins before they fly away for the winter.”

It was impossible not to respond to that excitement. Also impossible not to wonder how much of a treat it would be for Emily.

“Sounds like fun.” He cast a look at Emily and saw shades of pale under the bright smile. It was her skin color that made up his mind. “Why don’t I take you myself?”

Emily shook her head. “That’s not necessary. I know you’re busy.”

Ryan thought about the meeting he had scheduled with the multimillionaire yacht owner who wanted to negotiate the fee for using the Ocean Club facilities. He’d been looking forward to the cut and thrust of a negotiation that would end in him taking a generous chunk of the guy’s money, but the anticipation was clouded by the thought of what might happen if Emily had a panic attack while Doug was in the middle of the bay. “Doug crams as many people on the boat as he can to make money. Sometimes the kids can’t even see properly. You’d be more comfortable with me.”

“There isn’t—”

“I want to go with Ryan! Please?” Lizzy was visibly excited at the proposed change of plan, and Ryan drew Emily aside. He breathed in the scent of blossoms and lemons and wondered why he was doing this to himself.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“A boat trip? Yes. I promised.”

And she would never break a promise, he knew that.

“Then let me take you.”

“No, but thank you for offering.”

“Are you refusing because of what happened in the pool?”

Her gaze skidded to his and away again. “I’m refusing because this is a child-centered day, and you have better things to do with your time.”

He certainly had other things to do with his time. Whether they were better or not, he wasn’t sure. “I can manage one boat trip, Emily. I’ll make sure you’re both safe, and you can wear life jackets the whole time. You’ll be happier, I promise.” He saw her gaze flicker to the tourist boat where Doug was taking money from people as they boarded. The boat was filling up, and he knew that it was going to be at full capacity. “With me, if you discover you hate it, or if she hates it, we can turn around any time and come back to the harbor. You can’t do that with Doug.”

“I thought you sailed a flashy racing boat.”

“I do, but I’ll borrow Alec’s sloop. It’s a traditional wooden boat. You’ll love it.”

Her expression told him she didn’t think there was anything to love about boats. “Lizzy isn’t too young for that type of boat?”