Summer Secrets - Barbara Freethy [39]
"Yes, he was good," she admitted reluctantly. "Sometimes brilliantly good. But that was before, and this is now. And, more importantly, he promised he wouldn't race again."
"Why?"
"It doesn't matter why. And it's none of your business, anyway."
He stared back at her. "All right, I'll drop it. Are you hungry?"
"I'm not going back in there."
"Then we'll go somewhere else. Your pick."
She wavered between wanting to go home and not wanting to be alone with her thoughts and memories.
"Come on, say yes," Tyler prodded. "You can order the most expensive item on the menu and eat until you drop, my treat."
His wheedling smile suddenly reminded her of just who she was dealing with, a man who could probably charm the socks off her, not to mention a few other items of clothing. "I feel like I'm choosing between the devil I know and the devil I don't know," she muttered.
"Is that a yes?" he asked with a grin.
"I'm going to regret this."
"Don't worry, I'll still respect you in the morning."
She smiled as she was meant to, but she knew she had to be careful. She had a lot more to lose than respect.
Chapter Seven
Ashley tried to tell herself that it would be impossible to find Sean on a Saturday night. He could be anywhere -- a restaurant, a bar, the movies, making out on some woman's couch. The possibilities were limitless. She could only try so hard to find him. She couldn't work miracles. Maybe she'd just wait until tomorrow.
Or she could walk down to the marina and check the family boat that Sean had always been fond of sleeping on.
Indecisive and more than a little reluctant to actually locate Sean, she paused in front of the travel agency on Main Street. The windows were decorated with flyers inviting her to summer in Savannah, wine taste in Santa Barbara, take a ferry ride to Vancouver, or sail on a fancy yacht to San Francisco. None of those places appealed to her. If she went anywhere, it would be somewhere in the middle of the country, some place where water came out of wells in the ground, where the hills rose up like protective guardians and the endless plains made her feel safe and secure.
Who was she kidding? She wasn't going anywhere. She loved this island, loved the forested hills, the quiet coves, the pretty neighborhoods. This was home. It always had been, and it always would be. She could still remember the first time she'd seen the island after years at sea. A huge weight had slipped from her shoulders when she stepped off the boat and onto solid ground. She'd let out her breath after months of holding it. The island felt safe. The thought had come into her mind and never left. Just as she could never leave.
Unless ... What if Sean came back here to live? If she did convince him not to race in the Castleton, that might mean he would stay on the island, take over the family business. What would she do then? She wouldn't be able to avoid him. And avoiding him wasn't even her biggest worry -- giving in was more the concern. If he still wanted her if he tried to kiss her, tried to persuade her they should get back together, how would she keep saying no?
Maybe he wouldn't stay. Maybe he wouldn't race, either. The best scenario was if he just went back to wherever he'd been and stayed there for another eight years.
Turning away from the window, she trudged down the street, avoiding the bars overflowing with Saturday night sailors. She could almost hear their conversations, arguments about which boat was faster, who had the best crew, where the winds would be the strongest. Every one of those sailors would have the most information they could have, the best boat, the most experienced crew, the strongest and bravest men, but none of it would matter in the end. The ocean was the ultimate equalizer. It was Mount Everest in constant motion. Everyone wanted to conquer the sea, but no one could.
As she neared the marina, the noise began to fade and the shadows lengthened. She passed by a couple kissing in a doorway. The man's