Uncharted Waters (11 page)

“Just how serious is Kevin's asthma?” Drew asked as he broke off a piece of bread and dipped it into peppered olive oil.

Alison tried not to notice the way the candlelight flickered in his eyes. She tried even harder to quiet her heart because it was jumping around in her chest like a fish in a hot skillet. “He has what the doctors refer to as ‘intrinsic' asthma. That basically means his asthma is active most of the time. There is no specific stimulus such as allergies or exercise. Ever since he was a baby, he's been sensitive to lots of different things: additives in food, pollution in the air, even citrus foods.”

“I didn't know his was intrinsic. That's a tough break.”

“He's actually a very healthy little boy. The only problem is that his lungs stay inflamed most of the time, so he can easily be triggered into an attack.”

“What about medication?”

“He's on two different preventative medications that work by keeping inflammation down and keeping the body from reacting so severely. They're called corticosteroids and are inhaled.”

“So what caused him to have the attack this evening?”

“He didn't respond to the medicine the way he should have, the way he usually does. But that's very rare.” Alison could still see her child gasping for breath. It had been one of the most terrifying moments of her life.

“How often does that happen?”

“Not often, thank goodness.” She drank a little bit of the wine, felt her nerves begin to settle. “This was his third trip to the emergency room in the last two years.”

“You're sure it's okay for me to take him fishing...”

“I've always been a firm believer that it would be
worse for him to go through life missing out on things like that. Already, I have to limit his exercise, on the outside chance that labored breathing could bring on an attack.”

“What if he has an attack out on the water?”

“There are precautions I can take for a half-day trip. I'll make sure he takes his oral meds right before he leaves. Then I'll pack his inhaler, along with an extra just in case something happens to the first one.”

“If it's any consolation, I kept my EMT certification up after I left the Navy.”

For the first time Alison realized that if there was anyone in the world she trusted with her son's life, it was Drew Evans. “Even if you hadn't, I know he's safe with you.”

As if on cue the waiter brought their food. Grilled snapper marinated with key lime juice, Puerto Rican rum and pureed mangoes. Alison thought she'd never smelled anything so delicious in her life. For several minutes an easy silence fell between them as they delved into their food.

“How are we going to handle the other thing?” Drew asked after a moment.

Alison looked up from her plate, a little jolt of dread twisting in her stomach. “What other thing?”

“You know.” He cleared his throat. “The kiss.”

Her heart did a couple of hard thumps. Getting kissed by Drew Evans was kind of like a tiny island getting hit by a category-five hurricane. “I don't think that's an issue, is it?”

“Only if you want it to be.”

“I don't.”

“Neither do I. I mean, since we're just friends.”

“I don't want it to affect our friendship.” She shot
him a sober look. “I mean it. We've been through a lot together.”

“Yes, we have.”

“I don't want it to change anything between us. I don't want us to be uncomfortable with each other. I don't understand exactly what happened—”

“I was out of line.”

“I overreacted,” she said simultaneously.

“It takes two to tango, Alison.”

Her gaze met his. “I haven't been with anyone since Rick died,” she blurted, then, mortified that she'd said something so incredibly personal, she lowered her head and put her face in her hands. “I can't believe I just said that.”

Drew shifted in his chair, then looked out over the water. “What happened today wasn't your fault,” he said after a moment. “It was my fault. I kissed you because I wanted to. You're attractive, Alison.” He shrugged. “I've noticed. But I respect you too much to put you in that kind of position.” When she didn't respond, he added, “You didn't do anything wrong.”

Spreading two fingers, she peeked at him with one eye. “So you don't think I'm an idiot or a lost cause?”

“I think you're a terrific person.”

The heat in her cheeks began to recede. “But I kissed you back.”

Surprising her, he reached out and took her hand, his gaze seeking hers. “You're healing. You're human. You've been alone for four years. That's a long time.” He shrugged. “I just happened to be there. It was a spontaneous, impulsive, instinctive thing. You don't have to feel bad about that.”

She looked into his eyes, and in their blue depths Alison saw understanding and empathy and
deep-rooted respect that moved her a lot more than it should have. It made what had happened between them all right, and she felt as if a boulder had been lifted from her shoulders.

“I'm glad we cleared the air,” she said.

“Me, too.”

Feeling lighter than she'd felt all day, she laughed. “Do you remember the time you and Rick and I went camping in the Smoky Mountains?”

“Right before you two got engaged. It rained the entire time.”

“And that black bear wandered into our campsite in the middle of the night?”

“How could I forget?” Drew chuckled. “I didn't know Rick could run so fast buck naked.”

“I think the bear was more scared than he was.” She giggled. “It was hard to tell, they were both running so fast.”

“I think it was those red boxers I was wearing that finally scared it off.”

Alison laughed so hard, tears squeezed from between her lashes. “Both of you were determined to keep me safe. And I slept through the entire ordeal.”

“Yeah, Rick and I definitely knew how to handle Gentle Ben.”

Alison wiped her eyes. “It's strange thinking back on those days now.”

“It seems like such a long time ago.”

“You know, back when I first met Rick, and the three of us used to hang out, I used to have a crush on you.”

Drew stopped chewing, watching her carefully, then swallowed hard. “You're kidding?”

“I thought you were the hottest thing since Matt Damon.”

“Now, there's a tough act to follow.”

“In the beginning, you were one of the reasons I went out with Rick.” Remembering the early days of her relationship with two men she'd loved, but in very different ways, she smiled. “I didn't know Rick would be the one.”

“He was a good man, Alison, and he was crazy about you.”

“I know. God, Drew, I loved him so much. I still miss him.”

“Me, too.” His gaze met hers with a seriousness that cut. “I'm sorry I wasn't there for you after...the accident.”

She'd spent the last four years wondering why he'd run away to South Florida, but didn't press him about it. She knew Drew well enough to know he'd had his own demons to slay. From what she'd heard from some of Rick's Navy friends, Drew had spent a lot of months blaming himself. At the time, Alison had been so immersed in her own grief, she hadn't stopped to wonder how the accident had affected the man who'd been looking into Rick's eyes when he'd fallen on that terrible night.

“I wasn't the only one grieving,” she said. “It took me a while to realize that.”

He looked away. “I should have been there for you.”

“You did what you had to do. I don't begrudge you that in any way, Drew. Everyone deals with grief differently. That's okay.”

“You know I'm here for you now. Kevin, too.”

“Of course I do.” Reaching across the table, she squeezed his hand. “And it means a lot to me.”

“Me, too.”

Alison smiled, but it felt sad on her face. And she knew she was only trying to mask the lingering grief that squeezed her heart every time she thought of Rick. She hadn't wanted to think of him tonight, but even after four years sometimes the grief sneaked up on her. Like an early frost on trees not yet ready to shed their leaves.

Drew raised his glass in a toast. “It's good to see you smiling, Alison. I've missed that.”

She picked up her glass. “Here's to new beginnings.”

“And old friendships rekindled,” he said and clinked his glass against hers.

* * *

It was after midnight when Drew parked the truck outside Alison's house. He'd told himself a dozen times during the drive from the restaurant that he wasn't going to tempt fate by walking her to the door. They had mutually agreed to maintain their relationship on a friendship-only basis and he damn well intended to abide by that.

But Drew knew the feat was easier said than done. He was attracted to Alison whether he liked it or not. Had been since the moment he'd laid eyes on her six years ago. He might want to keep their relationship on a completely platonic level, but his hormones weren't happy about it.

“Would you like to come in for a quick cup of coffee?” Alison asked, swinging open the truck door. “I've got decaf.”

Drew set his hands on the wheel and tried hard to
keep his eyes off her legs as she slid off the seat. “Ah, well, I've got an early morning tomorrow.”

“Oh. Sure. I understand.” She reached for the door. “Well, then, good night.”

“I'll walk you halfway up.”

“It's not necessary.”

Feeling like an idiot for not opening her door and helping her out of the high-clearance truck, he unlatched his own door, crossed around the front of the vehicle and met her on the sidewalk.

“What time will you be here tomorrow to pick up Kevin?” she asked.

She was standing so close, he could smell the sweet scent of her perfume. Drew sucked in a breath, keenly aware of her essence filling his lungs. Aware too that his body was on high alert and if he wasn't careful he was going to do exactly what he'd promised himself he wouldn't.

“Seven o'clock too early?” he asked.

“No, that's fine. We're early birds.”

Even though it was dark he could see the hint of moisture on her lips. Her hair shone like luminescent silk beneath the sodium vapor streetlight. He stared at the flyaway wisps, wondering if her hair would be as soft as it looked.

“Mommy! Drew!”

The little voice jerked him from his reverie with all the finesse of a foghorn. Drew and Alison turned simultaneously to see Kimberly and Kevin standing on the front porch, waving. Kevin was wearing his Spider-Man pajamas and an impish grin that stretched from ear to ear.

“What on earth is he doing up?” Alison muttered to herself, glancing down at her watch.

The patter of bare feet punctuated her question. Drew looked up to see Kevin running down the sidewalk like a marathoner about to make the broad jump. “Drew!”

The little boy was heading straight for him, but Alison intercepted him by grasping his arms and swinging him around to face her. “My goodness, you're in a hurry,” she said, wrestling him into her arms and giving him a smacking kiss. “What on earth are you doing out of bed at this hour, young man?”

“I don't know, Mommy. I just woke up, and I was thirsty so Aunt Kimberly brought me some water and then when she was reading that Harry Potter book to me, we saw Drew's truck through the window, and I remembered I didn't get to show him my Zoomer 57 Skyeagle.” He squirmed in Alison's arms and turned to look at Drew. “You wanna see it now, Drew?”

There was no way Drew could have witnessed the moment and said no. He didn't know a damn thing about kids, had never been around them in his life. All he knew was that this child was precious and sweet, and Drew wanted more than anything to make him happy.

Remembering a television commercial he'd seen for the popular toy, he asked, “You got the Mach II replica or the Screamer?”

Kevin loosened his arms and slid from Alison's grasp. “I got the Mach II.”

Drew tried to look impressed. “You put it together yourself?”

“Mostly, but Mommy helped. I mean, she helped a little.”

Alison looked from boy to man as if they were
speaking a foreign language. “I don't know a Screamer from a Mach II.”

Drew grinned. “It's a guy thing.”

She smiled back, then turned her attention to her son. “It's late, kiddo, so don't keep him too long, okay? Show him your Zoomer 57 Skyeagle and then I want you in bed.”

“'Kay.” Darting over to Drew, Kevin took his hand and tugged him toward the house. “C'mon!”

Walking toward them from the porch with her purse slung over her shoulder, Kimberly knelt and reached out to her nephew. “Kiss for your aunt first, big guy. I've got to go home.”

Without missing a beat, Kevin dropped Drew's hand, dashed over to Kimberly and kissed her in the general vicinity of her mouth. “Next time we'll stay up late and watch scary movies,” he said.

“Sure we will.” Smiling, Kimberly winked at Alison.

“I hope we didn't keep you up too late,” Alison said to her sister.

“You didn't.” Turning to Drew, Kimberly stuck out her hand. “It was nice meeting you.”

Since Kevin already had a hold of his right hand, Drew took her hand with his left. “Likewise.”

“Don't forget what I said.”

“I wouldn't dare.”

He caught Alison's look and was relieved when Kevin pulled him toward the house. He wasn't sure how Alison would feel about her protective older sister threatening him with bodily harm, but the thought made him smile nonetheless. He supposed Kimberly didn't understand that he and Alison were just friends.

As Kevin chattered and tugged him through the front
door and then toward his bedroom, Drew assured himself that since he and Alison had made it clear where they stood, he didn't have anything to worry about. A quick look at the toy. A cup of coffee. Then he was out of there.