Page 180 of Breath of Scandal

“How do you know?”

“Because I’m happy.” Jade went in ahead of Dillon and almost collided with Cathy, who was rushing out. “Good morning.”

“Thank heaven you’re home,” the older woman said breathlessly. “I just woke up and found a note from Graham. He took off on his bike to meet Dillon and you at Dillon’s trailer.”

Jade ignored the inquisitive inflection at the end of Cathy’s sentence. “He knows better than to leave the house without permission, even on a Saturday,” she exclaimed indignantly. “I’ll have to ground him for a week.”

; Dillon laid his hands on her shoulders and turned her around to face him. “Maybe he was worried about you. Did you think of that? It was irresponsible of us not to call. If Graham’s on his way to the site, I’ll catch up with him on my way out there.”

“I thought you were staying for coffee.”

“That was before.”

“But—”

“Why don’t I go on ahead and rendezvous with Graham. When you and Cathy are dressed, you can meet us at my trailer. I’ll treat everybody to pecan pancakes at the Waffle Shack.”

“That sounds wonderful.” Jade couldn’t keep from smiling. Nor could she remain angry at Graham. This morning, animosity just wasn’t possible. “Cathy?”

“I’m all for it.”

“Good,” Dillon said. “See you in a little while.” He placed his finger beneath Jade’s chin and tilted her head back for a soft kiss. Dreamily Jade watched him cross the lawn and climb into his pickup. He waved as he drove away. When she turned around, Cathy was watching her shrewdly.

“I’m surprised,” she said. “I didn’t expect him to be someone like Dillon.”

“ ‘Him’?”

“The man who released you. I would have expected someone from the other end of the macho spectrum, someone not quite so physical.”

“Dillon’s very sensitive.”

Affectionately, Cathy touched Jade’s tangled hair. “He would have to be to overcome your fear.”

“Since his wife and child died, he’s been grappling with his own dragon. I’ve been as good for him as he’s been for me. That’s the best thing about it.”

With a skeptical eye, Cathy took in her deshabille. “You’re sure that’s the best thing?”

Jade laughed out loud, a throaty, sexy laugh that would have been foreign to her yesterday. God, it was great finally to be a full-fledged member of the human race. No longer alienated by fear and repression, she was now in on all the grown-up jokes.

Cathy must have read the answers to her myriad questions in Jade’s shining eyes. Her own glistened with tears. “You look positively radiant, Jade.”

“I’m happier than I’ve ever been,” she said without qualification.

* * *

They never made it to the Waffle Shack that morning. Jade and Cathy arrived at the construction site within forty minutes of Dillon’s departure from their house. Loner circled the Cherokee, barking, glad to see them. As they were trying to calm him down, Dillon emerged from his trailer.

Jade’s heart skipped a few beats at the first sight of her lover after their brief separation. Lover. The word was a strange addition to her vocabulary. She repeated it several times in her mind, trying to accustom herself to its sound and implications. Pride and possessiveness bloomed inside her chest. Joy bubbled from a wellspring of newfound love.

Then he said, “Graham’s not here, Jade.”

Her ebullience fizzled. “He’s not here?”

“Oh, dear God,” Cathy murmured. “This is my fault. I shouldn’t have overslept.”

“Boys wander off. I’m sure he’s fine.”