Bradley would come around. When he realized he was wrong, that Ali wasn’t after his money, he’d relax. Or was that wishful thinking?
The woman in his arms stirred. “Are you still awake?”
“Go back to sleep. You have work tomorrow.”
“Mmm. You, too.”
He hugged her closer and closed his eyes, willing his mind to shut off so he could get some sleep.
CHAPTER23
Bradley was sittingat the kitchen island sipping a mug of coffee when Ali made her appearance the next morning. She’d left her robe in her room the day before, so she’d had to borrow one of Daniel’s shirts. It was better than walking naked through the house, but not by much. If he was going to be around for a while and she continued to sleep in Daniel’s room, she was going to have to ask him about moving her clothes into his bedroom.
Daniel stood next to his son when she came into view. Both had intense looks on their faces, so she knew she’d interrupted another discussion and it most likely involved her.
Noticing her first, Daniel’s expression softened. “Good morning, sweetheart.”
She smiled and tried to forget she wasn’t wearing all that much. “Good morning.”
Bradley slid off his stool and walked to the coffeemaker. “I’m sorry if my using the pool last night disturbed your sleep.”
His apology was unexpected, and she didn’t know what to say. “No. I mean...” She paused and looked at Daniel, but he was watching his son.
“Did you want some coffee?” Bradley asked her. Again, this was unexpected.
“Yes, please.” She didn’t know what to make of it. One minute, he acted as if he wanted her gone. The next, he was offering her coffee?
He removed another mug from the cabinet and filled it with the hot liquid. “Cream or sugar?”
“Both. Thank you.”
Bradley placed the coffee on the island, along with the cream and sugar.
“Thanks.” She doctored her coffee with the right amount of cream and sugar before taking a sip. Normally, she waited until after her shower to down caffeine, but this wasn’t a normal morning.
Daniel moved to the stove. “Did you want to shower and change before breakfast?” he asked.
She glanced at the clock. “That’s probably a good idea.”
“What time do you have to be at work?” Bradley asked.
It seemed like such an innocent question, but the look Daniel shot at his son, she wondered if there was more to it. “Seven thirty.” She took another drink of her coffee, then sat it down on the island. “If you’ll excuse me.”
Then, before either one of them could comment, she hightailed it down the hall to her room.
Breakfast was uneventful, mainly because it was only her and Daniel. When she’d returned to the kitchen, fully dressed for the day, Daniel informed her Bradley had gone into town. “Did you two have another argument this morning?”
“No. I wouldn’t call it an argument. I just told him he needed to apologize.”
“He seemed to be on his best behavior this morning.”
Daniel frowned.
“That’s not a good thing?” she asked.
“Given his other actions, no.”
Ali considered that. “Maybe he’s changed his mind about us.”