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  “I got it from a reliable source that it is, and I was lucky to get two rooms, which surprised me with this being the weekend heading into the Fourth of July. Ready to go inside?” He gave her a slow grin.

  Excitement flowed through Monique. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

  When Lyle and Monique had unpacked, they met back downstairs. He was standing at the bottom stair the moment she descended.

  “How’s your accommodations?” he asked, tucking her arm in the fold of his and leading her out the door.

  “Simply beautiful. Thanks for inviting me here with you.”

  “You’re welcome, and thanks for coming.”

  “Where to first?” she asked, glancing around when they stepped outside into the sun.

  “I thought we would take a stroll through that waterfront park we passed and then grab lunch at one of those sidewalk cafes nearby.”

  “Sounds like a great idea.”

  Hand in hand they walked through Chambers Waterfront Park, a pleasant swath of luscious greenery between Bay Street and the Beaufort River. Monique appreciated the wide walkways and swinging benches, thinking it was the perfect place for strolling or for sitting and catching a breeze off the nearby water.

  A short time later, while sitting on a park bench enjoying the view of the river, Lyle answered her questions about his seminars and explained whether he preferred being in the classroom versus in the hospital treating patients.

  “I prefer being in the hospital treating patients,” he said, turning her hand over in his and looking down at how small it was. “But it’s good meeting with other physicians and researchers to discuss the latest medical breakthroughs in the area of heart disease. It’s not enough that we treat more heart patients but what’s really important is that we support research to make sure whatever methods we use are affordable and practical. Health care costs have skyrocketed in recent years.”

  Monique nodded, fully understanding what he meant. Her mother’s medical expenses had been extremely high, and she and Arnie had appreciated the fact that her father had maintained good health insurance on both him and their mother.

  “The reason for the seminar” Lyle was saying, “is education. As physicians we need to return to our communities and work with whatever volunteer groups that are out there to support projects that encourage people to make the right lifestyle choices for a healthier heart.”

  The overall impression Monique got from listening to Lyle was that he was a dedicated physician. “How did you decide on a career in the heart field versus another medical field, Lyle?” That was something she’d often wondered about.

  “My dad,” he said simply. “When we were in high school, my father suffered a light heart attack. That episode scared me and my brothers to death. Before then we assumed Jeremiah Montgomery was invincible, made to last forever, and there was nothing that could or would ever get the old man down. That year we discovered differently, and the thought of losing the one person in our lives who was constant and kept things normal sent us into a tailspin.”

  Lyle didn’t say anything for a few seconds, as if remembering that difficult time. “Luckily, he listened to the doctor and made lifestyle changes, but it made me realize that something as fragile as the human heart, and how well you took care of it, was the key to determining your longevity. I decided to dedicate my life to finding out everything I needed to know and to help others who want to live longer to do so.”

  “And how is your father doing?” Monique asked and then watched as a huge smile spread over his face.

  “Pop is doing great. With Carrie happily married, he’s finally begun devoting time to himself. There’s a lady he’s seeing now, and although Logan and Lance don’t think it’s all that serious, me and Carrie do. Time will tell. As far as I’m concerned, it’s about time he gets some real happiness in his life.” He released her hand and stood. “Ready for lunch?”

  Monique sighed, missing the warmth where his hand had been holding hers and realized they’d been sitting there on the bench talking for almost an hour. She smiled up at him. “Hungry, are you?

  “Yes. Dinner last night was great, but I missed breakfast and my stomach is letting me know it.”

  She nodded. He was right. Dinner last night was great, and she had thoroughly enjoyed his company. When he returned her back home, he had walked her to the door then kissed her on the cheek before leaving. On the drive over from Hilton Head, she had entertained more than a few thoughts that in time maybe their relationship could move beyond friendship, but now she wasn’t so sure how she felt, or if that’s what she really wanted. She was attracted to him, that was a gimme, but how did he feel about her? What if the attraction was one-sided?

  They stopped walking, and Lyle leaned forward to look into her eyes. “You okay?”

  “Yes, why do you ask?”

  “Because you’ve gotten quiet on me.”

  “Umm, I was wondering about something.”

  “What?”

  “Why you don’t have an important person in your life. And please don’t give me the excuse of having too much work, because I don’t think a man’s plate is ever too full for a woman if he’s interested.”

  He chuckled. “Now you sound like the old Lance Montgomery, spouting off some of his playa’s theology.”

  “Well?”

  “Well, the truth is that although I date occasionally, I haven’t found that particular woman with that certain spark I’m looking for.”

  She was curious. “What kind of spark?”

  “It’s hard to explain.”

  What Monique needed at that moment was an explanation. For some reason, she wanted to understand exactly what he meant. She stopped walking and leaned against a black rail. “But I want you to explain.”

  “All right, then,” he said, lowering his voice a notch. He took a step toward her and reached out and slowly caressed her arms with his fingertips. The sensations his touch was causing were immediately overwhelming, and the eyes staring into hers made them more intensely so. She could feel a light breeze flowing over her skin, but more than anything she felt, all the way down to her toes, the rush of heat flowing through her body from Lyle’s touch. The spark.

  “Feel it?” he asked, his tone of voice lower still.

  “Yes,” she said, as if snagged by his steady gaze.

  “So can I.” He then released her hand and stepped back and smiled. “Now let’s go enjoy our lunch.”

  Monique drew in a deep breath as she walked beside him. Just that quick, with a touch that still had her toes tingling, something had changed, and she couldn’t help wondering whether or not she could handle that change.

  As far as Monique was concerned, Lyle had opened a Pandora’s box that was better left closed. But then she couldn’t fully fault him since she had asked. But instead of explaining, he had shown her and she could still feel the results.

  “You’re not eating. Aren’t you hungry, Nicky?”

  She glanced up, and the moment their eyes met she felt a slight tremor pass through her. Then there was that dimpled smile. And if those things weren’t bad enough, the sound of her name from his lips was like a gentle wave washing over her.

  “Evidently not as much as you were,” she said, eyeing his plate. It was clean. She wondered how he could still have such a hearty appetite after discovering “the spark.” As he’d alluded earlier, she had barely touched her food. Finding out a man could cause such havoc within your body with a mere touch was sort of nerve-wracking, to say the least.

  His smiled widened at the exact moment he winked. “I have to make sure I have my strength for later.”

  That got another reaction out of her. “Later? What happens later?” she asked.

  “We’re going dancing at that nightclub on the corner. Remember?”

  How could she forget? Especially since it had been her idea when they’d passed the establishment earlier. “Yes, I remember. Did you bring your dancing shoes?”

&nbs
p; “No, but I can handle the slow numbers.”

  Monique swallowed, wondering if she could handle them. Just the thought of being in his arms, barely moving around a dance floor, while their bodies rubbed against each other was too much to think about. She didn’t know if she should pretend a headache and stay in her room for the rest of the night or just roll with the flow. She quickly weighed her two options and decided to just roll with the flow. She was here to have fun.

  “And since we’re planning to have a late night, maybe we should go back to the inn and take a nap.”

  Monique glanced up. She knew he hadn’t meant it the way it sounded. They would be taking separate naps, but still his words were rather intimate to her ears. Way too intimate.

  Lyle glanced across the table at the woman who was trying to look every which way but at him. She was the same woman who had haunted his dreams for years—at least until he heard she had gotten married. After that he forced thoughts of her from his mind, thinking it wasn’t right to fantasize about someone else’s wife.

  But she no longer belonged to anyone, so he was free to pursue her, and a trickle of anticipation ran through him. He intended to make sure that she understood that this weekend belonged to them, just as he’d made sure she understood she possessed “the spark” he desired in a woman.

  It was hard to believe that even after eighteen years there were certain things about her that hadn’t changed, things he had fallen in love with. And it had always been more than a physical attraction for him. He always admired her zest for life as well as her keen intelligence. And then there was that degree of loyalty within her that you seldom found in people these days. Her concern for her friend attested to the fact that she was someone who cared deeply for others, especially those who meant something to her.

  He looked deep into her eyes. “Ready to go?”

  She took a deep breath and blew it out before saying, “Yes, I’m ready.” He studied her a moment longer before standing.

  She stood up as well. “Is anything wrong?”

  He shook his head and chuckled. “No, Nicky, everything is fine.”

  22

  Shannon slept in late, waking past noon. She quickly showered and, with nothing planned for the rest of the day, she slipped into a sundress and flat sandals before heading downstairs to see what Faith and Monique were doing.

  She still found it amazing that her body was humming in sexual satisfaction nearly twenty-four hours after the fact. Just what kind of lovemaking had Adam laid on her? Not that she had any complaints, mind you. The man was a master at tuning up a woman’s body the same way he tuned up cars. Somehow he’d known it was time for her to get a service check, and not only had he tuned her up, but he’d done a great job of replacing her spark plugs as well. It seemed her entire body was now sensitive to the touch, as potent as a magnet, and all revved up for more sexual pleasure of his making.

  She frowned when she came back to the thought that had consumed her lately: Adam Corbain could become her obsession. No man had ever gotten to her like that. It was up to her not to let that happen. She may become his obsession, but hell would freeze over before he became hers.

  A few moments later she found Faith sitting outside on the patio sipping wine and reading a book on the wicker sofa, totally entranced. Shannon hated disturbing her, but she wanted to make sure Faith and Monique weren’t still so worried about her.

  “That book’s interesting?”

  Faith almost bolted upright out of her seat. She threw her hand over her chest as if to calm her heart and said, “Shannon, you scared me to death!”

  Shannon smiled apologetically and stared at her friend with interest. “Just what kind of book is that?”

  “A thriller. A serial killer who calls himself the Hilton Head Slicer is going around killing women who’re vacationing on the island. The lady at the bookstore on the strip recommended it. I’ve been reading all morning and only have a few chapters left. Do you want to read it when I’m done?”

  Shannon strolled over and dropped down into the chair across from where Faith sat. “No, thank you. I have a book of my own that I need to start reading. A Man Before His Time. It’s a book written in the seventeen hundreds by Alexander Hamilton on the economic problems of their day.”

  Faith sat back and looked at her. “Do you ever consider reading a book just for pleasure?”

  Shannon grinned. “No, reading does not give me pleasure. When it comes to what gives me pleasure, I can write my own book.”

  Faith chortled, leaning back in her seat. “I’m sure you can if you still have the brains to do it. According to you, they were almost screwed out.”

  “You make it sound like a bad thing.”

  Faith said teasingly, “Hey, girlfriend, I ain’t mad at ya.”

  Shannon laughed before saying, “Maybe I should be mad at myself, but I’m not. Too much afterglow for that. But I wanted to assure you and Monique that I am okay. Adam was as much of a gentleman as he could be under the circumstances.”

  She then glanced around. “And speaking of Monique, where is she?”

  “Beaufort.”

  “Beaufort? What she’s doing in Beaufort?”

  “She went there for the weekend with Lyle Montgomery. She won’t return until sometime tomorrow evening,” Faith said.

  “Ha!” Shannon exclaimed, bouncing around excitedly in her seat. “I knew it! I just knew something was going on between them and that ‘he’s just a friend’ stuff was for the birds.”

  Faith gave her a pointed look. “You can’t really say that, Shannon. Right now they’re just friends, but it could escalate into more if that’s what the two of them want. But don’t assume it has to move in that direction.”

  Shannon made a face. “I know, I know, but I want her to be happy. Although she’s been seeing other men, I don’t think she’s gotten over losing Paul.”

  “He’ll be a tough act to follow,” Faith said, studying the contents of her wineglass and thinking just what a sweetheart Paul Grier had been. Not only had he been a wonderful husband to Monique, but he’d also been a good friend to her, Cely, and Shannon. When it came to the friendship the four shared, there hadn’t been a jealous bone in his body—unlike Virgil’s. Her ex had envied the close friendship she, Cely, Shannon, and Monique had shared and resented the fact that Faith might be sharing too much information about their personal business with them. In the end, she could understand his concern, considering what she’d found out.

  “So what are your plans for this afternoon?” Shannon asked.

  “Mmm, don’t have any,” she said, trying not to remember Shane’s invitation to come over to his place again. She would see him for her tennis lessons on Monday, and as far as she was concerned, that was soon enough. Too much of Shane Masters wasn’t a good thing. “I might go to the clubhouse and practice my tennis strokes and later take a walk on the beach when the crowd thins out. What’s yours?”

  Shannon shrugged. “Do like you’re doing now and read a bit. I plan to stay in tonight. Adam invited me over to the garage tomorrow.”

  “They’re open on Sundays?”

  “I don’t think they are on a regular basis, but he’s working on this one particular car.”

  “Are you going?”

  Shannon shrugged. “I haven’t decided yet. I think he intends to put me to work.”

  Faith smiled. “It might be fun doing something out of the norm. Doing something wacky every once in a while isn’t bad,” she said, wondering if she should take her own advice.

  Memories flooded Shannon’s mind. “Trust me. I’ve been doing a number of things that’s out of the norm with Adam.”

  23

  Anna walked out onto the porch and found Zach standing with his back to her as he looked out over the waterways through the marshland. They had spent most of the day on the water, and when it had gotten too hot, they headed back to shore.

  They’d played cards, checkers, and had even watched a DVD movie
he had rented before finally throwing something together for dinner. Since then they had showered, and she figured with nothing else to do they would hang out here and enjoy each other’s company. Tomorrow she would pose for the portrait Zach was doing of her, which would probably take most of the day—he wanted to finish it before they left the island. And once their families arrived, there wouldn’t be any more private time in which to do it.

  He evidently heard the sound of her feet on the wooden floor. When he turned, his eyes softened. “Come here. I want you to see something.”

  She quickly crossed the porch to where he was standing. “What is it?”

  “That,” he said, pointing toward the marshlands and thick underbrush.

  She squinted her eyes and saw it, the setting of the sun, and it was so beautiful that she held her breath. The sun appeared as a huge ball of orangey red fire slowly descending into the ocean. The clouds in the sky appeared to be holding still for this majestic departure.

  “Have you ever seen anything so beautiful, Zach?” she asked in a quiet voice.

  “Truthfully, I have.”

  Anna glanced up to find him staring at her in a way that made her pulse race.

  “You’re more beautiful than a sunset, Anna,” he said in a husky voice, reaching out to lift strands of hair away from her face. “You’re so beautiful that each time I see you, you take my breath away.”

  His words played through her mind like notes from a well-strung instrument, softly touching parts of her that had never been touched before. She couldn’t believe he had said such a thing and truly meant it. She knew he dated a number of beautiful women, and for him to say she was beautiful to the point of taking his breath away was a compliment she would always cherish.

  “Thank you, Zach.”

  He reached out, and his hands settled on her shoulders as he held her gaze. “You don’t have to thank me,” he said, before reaching up and releasing the knot that held her hair up, making it tumble wildly around her shoulders.