“I don’t?” He put down the spoon and approached her. “Are you sure?”
She pulled on his arms, lowering his face to her level. She kissed him thoroughly just to be sure not to leave any lingering doubts in his mind.
She pulled back and flashed him a big smile. “Now do you believe me?”
He smiled back and nodded. “Now I better get back to the stove before the tortellini soup burns.”
“It smells delicious.”
He gave the pot a stir before adding the pasta. “So have you thought any more about calling your mother?”
Well, that question had certainly come out of left field. What had he been doing, reading her thoughts? She sure hoped not.
“Um...some. But I don’t know.”
“I do.” He sent her a reassuring look. “Time has passed since the funeral. I’m sure that she’s thinking much clearer now. This is your mother. You need to give her a chance. The phone’s on the counter.”
“I don’t know. Maybe I’ll call tomorrow.”
“There isn’t always a tomorrow. I can tell you that I would do anything to hear my mother’s voice again.”
Her gaze strayed to the phone. Was he right? Should she seize the moment?
A movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She jerked around to glance out the French doors leading to the veranda. The sun was setting, sending splashes of purples and pinks streaking across the sky. The breeze over the desert rushed past the palm trees, rustling the fronds. But she didn’t see anything out of place.
Figuring it was probably just a bird or something, she turned back to Jax. “I promise, I will call her.”
“Soon?”
“Yes, soon.”
“How about tomorrow?”
“You aren’t going to give up until you have an exact time, are you?”
“Maybe just the hour. It doesn’t have to include the very second,” he teased.
“Fine, tomorrow after lunch, I’ll call. But I don’t want to ruin tonight. It’s a new beginning for us.”
“Cleo, about that. We need to talk this over. We have to be realistic about things between us. Your life is in Las Vegas and mine is in New York—” His head snapped around to the French doors.
She knew where he was going with the conversation and she didn’t like it. It was inevitable that sooner or later he’d want out of this relationship. “Jax, I think we should—”
“Shh...”
She followed his gaze to the doors. “Did you see something?”
His hands balled up and his arms tensed. “More like someone.”
A shiver raced over her skin. “Do you think it’s ape man?”
“I don’t know. But I’m not waiting around to find out. Call the police. I’m going to investigate.”
“But you can’t. It’s not safe.”
“Close the blinds. Turn off the lights. And stay inside.”
The thought of losing someone else she loved had her bottom lip quivering. She grabbed for the phone and panicked. She stared at the electronic device, willing her jumbled thoughts to settle. Her finger trembled as she punched out 911. Her heart echoed in her ears. Taking deep breaths, she forced herself to calm down long enough to answer all of the operator’s questions.