Rubbing his face, he glanced at the pictures on his dresser. In one, his son balanced on his shoulders, wearing a Kings jersey and hat. In another, Lynnette cradled Jeremy as a newborn. David had been happily married then, or fairly so. Some of the cracks in his relationship with Lynnette had already appeared, but he’d still been idealistic enough to believe they’d celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary someday. Just like his own parents would in another decade.
Instead, he and Lynnette had divorced, reconciled and separated again, all because he’d become too immersed in his work—and because he’d met Skye. That alone had diminished his ability to overlook what needed to be overlooked with Lynnette. From the moment he’d first seen Skye, there’d been a spark. He couldn’t explain the intensity of the attraction, but he’d been fighting for his integrity ever since. Even more so, now that Lynnette was sick.
Keeping that picture of Jeremy firmly in his mind, David returned to the other room, where he was supposed to be sleeping. At least Skye was safe from harm. For tonight. Knowing about that recent phone call and the guy in the restaurant, he could take some pleasure in having her close, couldn’t he?
But he wasn’t so happy to have Skye in his apartment when he woke the following morning.
“David? Are you in there?”
Someone was knocking on the apartment door. Yawning, Skye opened her eyes and blinked at the ceiling. David’s ceiling. The knowledge of where she was sent a thrill of excitement through her, despite last night’s resolution to forget him and move on.
Rolling over, she buried her head in his pillow and breathed deeply, trying to take in the essence of the man she loved. But when the voice at the door spoke again, Skye realized it wasn’t a friend or neighbor.
“David? It’s Mom.”
Sitting up so fast her head swam, Skye looked at the clock. It was only seven-thirty. Probably much earlier than David expected visitors, especially family. Or he would’ve warned her. Especially after they’d talked about Lynnette having called her last night!
The creak of footsteps indicated that David was crossing the floor. He didn’t seem to be in a rush—and she could certainly understand why. But he didn’t tell her to stay out of sight, either. He didn’t say anything.
Then she heard the door open and his mother’s voice, much louder now, rose to her ears. “Don’t you have to work today? You’re usually up by now.”
“I had a late night.”
“Hi, Daddy!” A third voice chimed in, and Skye cringed anew.
David’s son. There’d been plenty of times she’d wanted to meet the person who was more important to him than anyone else. But now wasn’t one of them. She knew how her presence would be interpreted.
“What brings you to town so early, Mom?” he asked after greeting Jeremy.
“Actually, we got in after ten last night. I thought you’d already be asleep and I knew Jeremy’s bed wouldn’t be big enough for your father and me, so we stayed with Lynnette.”
“Where’s Dad?”
“Getting some breakfast. He has an appointment with a real-estate agent to visit some investment properties. I’m not interested in looking at rentals all day, so I thought I’d take Jeremy to school and drive up to Auburn to see my old friend, Virna Washington. She moved there a year ago, you know.”
“And where’s Lynnette?”
There was a slight pause. “She wasn’t feeling well this morning. She might try to go to work later.”
David didn’t question why his ex-wife might not be feeling well. “I’m glad you stopped by,” he said.
Skye felt no such sentiment. Her eyes darted to the bathroom, where she hoped to hide until Mrs. Willis and Jeremy left. Kicking back the covers, she climbed out of bed, careful to move slowly and quietly. But it made no difference in the end. Halfway across the floor, she found herself facing a young boy with dark hair and wide green eyes, just like his father’s.
“Jeremy!” David snapped. But it was too late. David’s son stood in the doorway, staring at her as if he’d never seen a woman before.
“Who are you?” he breathed.
“Just—” she cleared her throat “—a friend of your father’s.”
“Is there someone else here?” His mother had heard the exchange.
Skye’s stomach muscles tensed as Mrs. Willis appeared behind Jeremy and gaped at her in astonishment. “You have a…a woman in your bedroom?” she said, turning to her son.
David had pulled on a pair of sweatpants, but he wasn’t wearing a shirt. He shot Skye an apologetic glance. “Mom, this is Skye Kellerman. Skye, this is my mother, Georgine Willis.”
Running a self-conscious hand through her tangled hair, Skye managed what she hoped was a polite smile. “Nice to meet you.”
“She’s wearing your underwear!” Jeremy exclaimed, which saved Georgine from having to call forth the words that seemed to be stuck in her throat but did little to change the horrified expression on her face.
David ran two fingers over his left eyebrow, as if he had a headache. “I lent them to her because she needed something to sleep in.”
This wasn’t good. Skye knew word of it would travel back to Lynnette at lightning speed. But she had no idea how to improve the situation—other than to get out of the apartment as soon as possible. “Sorry to rush off, but I—I need to get to work. I didn’t mean to sleep so late.”
“Looks like you didn’t sleep any better than my son,” Mrs. Willis said dryly.
Skye didn’t know how to respond, so she didn’t. Scooping up her clothes, which she’d piled on a chair next to the bed, she hurried to the bathroom, pausing only long enough for a quick wave before closing the door.
Fortunately, when she opened it again, they weren’t standing there anymore. They’d gone to the kitchen. She could hear David offering his mother a cup of coffee.
“Is she your girlfriend, Dad?” Jeremy asked.
Skye braced herself for the answer, which was exactly what she’d expected it to be. “No, she’s just someone I know from work, someone who needed a safe place to stay last night.”
Safe? With the memory of his mother’s disapproval firmly etched in Skye’s brain, and David’s own voice playing in her head—She’s just someone I know from work—it felt anything but safe.
Tossing his clothes on the bed, she started down the hall. Normally, she would’ve cleaned up after herself. But she wasn’t about to stay an extra second in David’s apartment.