Falling for a Stranger (14 page)

"My friends aren't mean. Well, Lizzie is a little mean," Megan amended. "But that's because she likes Eric, and Eric likes me."

Ria laughed at the smug expression on Megan's face. There was nothing like a little male attention to build a woman's ego.

"At least, he used to like me," Megan said, a little doubt in her voice. "He hasn't seen me yet. He asked me to text him a photo, but I said no."

"Good, because we have a rule about texting photos, don't we?"

Megan made a little face at her. "What does it matter if I send my friend a picture of me? He knows what I look like."

"Because, it's not that simple. I know you don't understand why I'm being so careful, but it's one thing to look at you and another to have a photo of you that could get into the wrong hands."

"Eric is just a kid. He's harmless. He's never even been out of California."

"Did you tell him you've been out of California?"

"No, I'm not stupid," Megan retorted. "I even pretend not to understand what they're saying in Spanish class."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it. No photos, okay?"

"I already said no," Megan said grumpily. "Relax already."

Ria could barely remember what it felt like to be relaxed.

"And I was the one who was trapped on that island, not you," Megan reminded her. "So I know what's at stake. But it was a long time ago, and I don't want to live my whole life being afraid of every shadow."

"Then let me be afraid of the shadows. You just concentrate on your life." She paused. "I was thinking last night about college. I would like you to go, Megan. I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention. I hope you haven't missed some important admission tests."

"It doesn't matter, Ria. I won't be able to get into a university. My grades are okay this year, but we told them that I was home schooled, and we don’t have transcripts for all of my high school years."

Ria frowned. Megan was right. She was a bright girl, but it would be difficult to create an educational background for her.

"It's fine," Megan continued. "I don't have to go to college. I should get a job anyway and help you pay for stuff."

"Maybe community college," Ria suggested. "It won't be a problem to get in there. You can do two years there, establish your educational credentials and then transfer."

"I suppose."

"We'll talk more about it. I want you to be able to do whatever you want in life."

"If I'm ever free to do it," Megan grumbled.

Ria wanted to tell her that she would be free one day, but how could she make that promise? Instead she said, "Your mom loved school. She was a straight-A student."

"But she didn't finish college. She met my dad, fell in love, and had me."

"And she was very happy about that choice. Don't ever doubt that Megan."

Megan sighed, her eyes filled with pain. "I miss her and Dad. Will it ever stop hurting?"

"Probably not, but you'll learn to live with it." She took a breath. "We can talk about her more, if it would help."

"Really? Because you don't usually like to talk about her."

"I just didn't want to make you sad. And maybe I didn't want to make myself sad."

"What happened between you?" Megan asked suddenly. "I didn't even know I had an aunt until I was ten years old. I didn't know I had a grandfather until we went to his funeral that same year. I asked Mom, but she said she wasn't close to her family. That's it. That's all she would say. But then suddenly she's calling you and telling you our problems and begging you to help."

"We were sisters, no matter the distance or the time."

"But what happened? And don't tell me nothing," Megan warned.

"I'll tell you the whole story, but not right this second." She ignored Megan's groan. "I have to go to work."

"It's Monday. Why are you working; it's your day off."

"I'm covering the office today. Janine has some personal business." She paused. "My family drama is not earth-shattering. It just involved a lot of angry people and hurt feelings and disappointment, and it happened a long time ago. I will tell you everything one day."

"Fine," Megan said, her sullen expression returning. "I won't hold my breath."

Ria stood up. "Okay, you're going to hate what I'm about to say next, but I have to say it anyway. I don't want anyone here while I'm gone. You can stay home, but no one comes over until I'm back."

"Everyone is at school."

"Yeah, but you have open lunch, and I can see your friends coming over to say hello, so tell them that you're going to the doctor or something. Whatever excuse you want. But no visitors."

Megan sighed. "I don't know what the big deal is. They're my friends. I see them every day. And they've all been in this apartment before. There's nothing here that would make anyone suspicious."

"This is just another one of those rules you have to follow."

"Fine. But I still get to do the all-night party after the prom, right?"

Ria had been fighting that battle for a couple of weeks and had finally given in. Megan's group of friends was renting a hotel room for the night, because according to Megan and her best friend, Lindsay, that's what everyone did. Finally, Ria had said yes rather than risk pushing Megan into doing something stupid and more dangerous.

"You can still do the after party," she agreed.

Megan looked relieved. "Good." A sparkle of mischief filled her eyes, "Maybe you should go out on a date Saturday night, too."

"I don't think so," she said, as she grabbed her keys and bag.

"Why not? Drew is hot."

"Drew and I are not dating."

"He wants to date you. He told me so in the car."

She frowned. "What else did he tell you?"

"Not much. How come you never told me about him?"

"There was nothing to tell," she said quickly.

"He's the guy, isn't he?" Megan asked with a gleam in her eyes. "You said you started something with someone that you couldn’t finish. It was him, wasn't it?"

"Yes," she admitted. "But I'm no longer interested in Drew."

"Are you sure? I thought I interrupted something last night."

"Megan, please, let it go," Ria said, feeling uncomfortable with the conversation. "I don't want to talk about Drew, especially with you."

"I'm the only one you can talk to, and I don't see why you can't go on a date. It's been over a year and a half. We're supposed to be living a normal life. I hate that you're always working or staying home because of me."

"Don't worry about me, Megan."

"You gave up a lot for me. I want you to be happy, too."

"Maybe I could go out with someone new, someone that I meet now. But Drew is part of my past, and I've told him so many lies, there's no way I can untangle them all. Plus, I can't risk a connection to the island and that's where I met Drew."

"You met him on the island?" Megan asked in surprise.

"Yes, right before we left." She held up her hand to stop any further questions. "I'm leaving now. Remember, no visitors."

Megan made a face at her and tossed her crumpled napkin in her direction. "Go to work."

"Don't forget to—"

"Lock the door after you. I've got it."

Ria left the apartment, pausing in the hall until she heard the dead bolt slide into place, then she headed to work.

* * *

Drew worked seven a.m. to four p.m. on Monday, flying shore patrol, searching for disabled vessels and possible threats to homeland security. As he flew over the bay, he was reminded of his sailing lesson with Ria, and how different the view of the city had looked from the water. Ria had been different on the boat, too. She'd been relaxed, happy, two emotions that had quickly vanished with the urgent phone call from Megan.

He still couldn’t believe Ria was now raising a sixteen-year-old, but he was beginning to understand that her situation was much more complicated than he had initially imagined. He wasn't sure what he was going to do about her, but after their kiss at the end of the night, he knew there was no way in hell he was going to just walk away, not with so many unanswered questions.

After work, he headed down to the marina, to meet up with Aiden and Burke, and to drop off his check for his share of the boat.

He couldn't help looking for Ria when he got to the docks, but she was nowhere in sight, and the boat she'd used the day before was in its slip. No surprise, really, it was almost five o'clock on Monday; there were few boats left on the bay.

When he hopped on to the
Eleanor
, he found Aiden alone on the boat. He was sitting on the bench and seemed to be lost in thought.

He hadn't seen his brother this contemplative in a long time. "Hey. Is everything okay?" he asked, sitting across from him.

Aiden straightened. "Yeah, it's all good. Or it will be if you brought your share of the money."

"I've got it. Where's Burke?"

"He gave me his check earlier today. One of his crew fell through the roof on a fire last night and ended up in the hospital with a broken leg. Burke wanted to spend some time at the hospital."

"Understandable."

"Sure."

"Okay, what's wrong?" Drew asked, as Aiden once again seemed to lose track of their conversation. "You're never this quiet. Are you having second thoughts?"

"Not exactly."

"What does that mean?"

Aiden met his gaze. "Sara is pregnant. She told me last night. It wasn't planned, but it's great news."

"Okay," he said, not sure what else to say since Aiden's words didn't match his expression. "That's wonderful. You're going to be a father."

"What the hell do I know about being a father? I spent most of my own life trying not to follow my father's lead."

"I think something locks in when you have a kid. You just do what you have to do. You're going to make a great dad. But what's even better is that you're going to have a kid with the woman you love. You're starting a family."

"I do love Sara. Sometimes, I can't believe I didn't see how phenomenally great she was at fifteen."

"Sara was shy, and she always had her nose in a book back then. I remember her sitting on her porch reading while the rest of us were playing tag in the street. You two were universes apart back then."

Aiden ran a hand through his hair and let out a sigh. "Am I crazy to buy a boat when Sara is pregnant?"

He shrugged. "Without knowing your finances, I can't answer that."

"It won't kill my bank account, but it will take a hit. I thought we would have more time, but we weren't careful enough."

He grinned. "Big surprise."

Aiden smiled back. "What can I say—Sara is hot."

Drew conceded that point. "Look, about the boat, if you don't want to do this now—"

"We have to do it. I told Grandpa last night and that grumpy old man got all choked up when he knew the boat would stay in the family. I don't want to let him down."

"I might be able to kick in a little more cash," Drew suggested. He didn't have a wife or kids to worry about.

"No, it should be equal partners. It will be fine. I'll figure it out," he said. "I just have a lot to figure out."

"Are you definitely done with smokejumping?"

"I thought I was, but maybe I should reconsider. Or I should think about Burke's offer to join the department here in the city."

Drew didn't know what Aiden had gone through in his job, but he did know that smokejumping was dangerous and grueling work, and he could totally understand why his brother would want a change. "What about construction?" he asked.

"Uncle Kevin has been great, but he has a lot of people on his crew. I don't know if there's enough work." He paused. "Sara has a good job, but she'll probably want to be home with the baby. And I want her to be able to do that if she wants to. I'm supposed to be the provider."

"You'll make it work," Drew said, having every confidence in his brother. Aiden might be a rebel and a little on the reckless side, but he also had a strong work ethic and was extremely loyal to family and friends. "You won't let Sara down."

"I hope not."

As Aiden finished speaking, his phone rang. "It's Sara." He answered the phone. "Hey, babe." His expression paled as he listened. "That doesn't sound good. I'll be right there."

It was the second time in two days that Drew watched someone take what was obviously a disturbing call. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Sara isn't feeling well. Apparently, the baby is making her nauseous." He frowned. "Damn. I'm supposed to take the checks to Grandpa tonight."

"I'll do it for you."

"That would be great." Aiden handed over his check and Burke's. He glanced around the boat. "I still think this will be a good investment in the long term."

"So do I. And your kid is going to love it, too."

Aiden smiled. "My kid—never thought I'd use those words."

"How do they feel?"

"They're not sounding as terrifying as they were a few minutes ago."

"Tell Sara, congratulations," Drew added as Aiden headed off down the dock.

He followed more slowly, deciding to stop in at the yacht club before heading home. Once inside the building, he headed down the hall to the main office. He saw Ria locking the door, and his heart skipped a beat. Every time he saw her, he felt like he took a punch to the stomach.

Surprise flashed in her eyes. "What are you doing here, Drew?"

"I had to meet my brother at the boat. But I figured I'd stop in here before I left and see if you were around."

"I'm just heading home."

"How's Megan? Has the swelling gone down?"

"It was better this morning. Hopefully by tonight there will be even more improvement."

"Is she still in pain?"

"Not too bad. She stayed home from school, but that was because she didn't want anyone to see her face. I checked in with her at lunch, and she felt well enough to babysit for our neighbor tonight, so I think she's on the mend."

"I'm surprised you let Megan babysit." From what he'd seen Ria kept a tight hold on Megan.

"It's just next door and only until eight."

"It sounds like you're free then," he said, latching on to an impulsive idea. "Why don't I give you a ride home?"