First Time in Forever (Puffin Island 1)

“Lunch? Oh, my goodness, I hadn’t realized it was so late.” Flustered by the knowledge that her next encounter with Ryan was going to be so soon, Emily scrambled to her feet. “We just called to drop off Cocoa. We’ve taken up too much of your time.”

“The one thing I have far too much of is time, so someone taking some of it is my idea of a good turn. I enjoyed talking to you. I hope you’ll come again.”

“We will. And thank you for mending Andrew.” Emily glanced out of the window again and saw that Ryan was standing with his back to them. Eyeing those broad, powerful shoulders, she wondered if she could make her escape out of the back door so she didn’t have to face him.

The last time she’d seen him he’d—

And she’d—

Holy crap.

Scrambling for her shoes and her purse, she called for Lizzy.

“Is there a fire?” Agnes’s tone was mild. “I get the distinct impression you’re not happy to see my grandson.”

“He’s been very kind, but he’s already done enough.”

More than enough. He’d made her feel things she’d never felt before, and right now she wasn’t in the mood to confront that.

“Kind?” Agnes looked at her curiously. “I’ve heard him described as selfish, ambitious, focused and damn nosy—most frequently by his youngest sister. Kind isn’t a word I hear too often.”

She wasn’t sure what word she’d use to describe the man who had been ruthlessly focused on nothing but her pleasure the night before.

Thinking about it made her cheeks heat, so that by the time Ryan strolled into the house, she looked as if she’d been sunbathing without protection.

“Ryan.” Agnes brushed the crumbs from her lap. “You missed the cookies.”

“My loss.” He stooped to kiss his grandmother on her cheek, and Emily felt her throat close as she witnessed the genuine affection between them.

His childhood must have been hard and his loss overwhelming, but he’d grown up surrounded by this easy warmth and love.

“Lizzy and I were just leaving.”

He straightened, squeezed Agnes’s shoulder and turned to look at Emily. For a moment his gaze lingered on hers, and then he smiled. “I’ve rearranged my afternoon so I can take you out for lunch.”

“Lizzy had a large breakfast, and—”

“Alone.”

“Alone?”

The air was heated by a tension that was only present when he walked into a room.

“Good idea. Everyone needs a little adult time.” Agnes was brisk. “Lizzy and I will sit here and sort through Rachel’s old books and toys. It’s a job I should have done a decade ago, but I’ve been putting it off.”

Lizzy appeared in the doorway, Cocoa at her heels. “Can we play?”

“With the toys? Of course. You will decide what we keep and what we give away. Do you like books?”

Lizzy nodded slowly. “Emily has been reading to me.”

“Good. Because I have more books than the library.”

It was one thing to let Lizzy play in a different room, something else entirely to leave her alone with someone. Emily shook her head. “I can’t.”

“She’s safe here with me.” Agnes spoke quietly. “We’re not going to leave the house.”

Lizzy was holding Andrew tightly. “I’m not allowed to go to the beach.”