She hung up the phone and then turned to look over her shoulder at Nate. “Riley … my nephew. We usually spend Sunday together at the park. I take him for the morning and let my sister sleep in. It’s the one day a week she can.”

“I want to hear more about your family,” he said.

The housekeeper brought out their breakfast and then left. Nate gestured for Jen to come sit down at the glass-topped table.

When she was seated next to him, he poured them both some coffee. “What does your sister do?” “She’s a lawyer,” Jen said.

“So she’s smart like you,” Nate said. “What kind of law does she practice? “

“Family law. She does divorces and custody hearings,” Jen said. “I don’t know how she does it, but she really likes it. Her job is really demanding and with Riley she has no free time.”

“Where is Riley’s dad?” Nate asked.

“He’s not in the picture. Having kids and a family wasn’t what he wanted. But Marcia did, so they went their separate ways.”

Nate put his fork down. “I don’t understand men like that. I know guys who make that same decision. But a child is a part of you … I couldn’t abandon a part of me,” he said.

Jen was surprised to hear him say that. Surprised that family meant as much to him as it obviously did. “Family is important to you.”

“Hell, yes. You know how you talked about not being a dancer anymore and not being sure who you were without that?” he asked.

She nodded.

“I was the same way with baseball and I saw a lot of ‘friends’ drop me when it was clear I wasn’t going to be able to play anymore. But my brothers—they just said come home and we will do something together. Something that will be an even bigger adventure than baseball was.”

“Did you regret it?” she asked.

“Not once. I wouldn’t be here with you now if not for that long-ago injury.”

She wanted to pretend that his words didn’t make her heart melt but they did. She knew then what Marcia had warned her about. The consequences of spending the night with Nate—and now this day with him—were that she’d forget he was an impulse. She’d forget they were just supposed to be having fun and maybe start caring for him more than she should.

The sea breeze blew across the deck of the boat, stirring Jen’s hair around her face. She wore a pair of dark cherry-red round-frame sunglasses, which went perfectly with the sundress he’d bought for her. It was a deep navy blue with a V-neck and a tie at the back. He’d gotten her a light sweater to wear over it since it was cool on the water.

She sat at the stern of the boat and he watched her from the flybridge. Ordinarily, he’d have a crew onboard but today he wanted to be alone with Jen. To have her completely to himself. He knew that this would be the only day they’d spend together like this for a while. He had a busy social calendar and it was important to the club that he always have his picture in the society pages.

And unfortunately, Jen didn’t have the kind of headline-grabbing presence he needed. But he couldn’t regret spending the day with her. She was what he needed and he was enjoying every minute of it.

When they were out to sea and out of the shipping lanes, he dropped anchor and joined her at the back of the boat.

“This is so nice. I haven’t been out on a yacht before.”

“Do you like the ocean?” he asked. “I do. But there never seems like enough time to just take a day and go out on the water like this. Thank you, Nate.”

He sat down next to her. “You are very welcome.”

“Why did you bring me out here?” she asked.

“I wanted you all to myself. Away from the distractions of the club and of our real lives.”

She nodded. And he wondered what she was thinking. He couldn’t see her eyes behind the lenses of her dark glasses. And when she got quiet, he felt as if she retreated to someplace he couldn’t follow.

“I saw a picture of you on this yacht … sitting right here. I think it was in Yachting Magazine.”

He nodded. “With the Countess De Moreny. She was thinking of buying one of these Sunseeker boats and I let her try mine out.”

“You looked quite friendly with her, intimate,” Jen said.

“I was. I like Daphne,” Nate said. “Is that a problem?”

Jen shrugged. “You seemed almost too perfect last night and today and I have to remember that you are a player. That I’m not some woman you are just going to fall for. Please don’t let me forget that.”

He knew that he was dealing with someone who wasn’t used to the world he traveled in. And he’d already decided that was part of the reason she was so appealing to him. But he didn’t want to have to remind her not to care about him.

He wanted her to care.

He wanted her to think about him all the time and when they were apart he wanted her to try to get back to him. And he knew that wasn’t fair.

“I’m not playing with you, Jen,” he said at last.

“I never thought you were. For me this was a crazy dare. Something that I probably wouldn’t have done at any other time, but for you, this is your life. A different woman every night and a lot of fun. I have to remember that we’re essentially two very different people,” she said, pushing her sunglasses up on her head.

He saw fear and caution in her gaze and he knew that she was being as honest with him as she could be. She wanted to be sure she didn’t get hurt, and he didn’t want her to be hurt.

“I would never do anything to hurt you,” he said.

“Not intentionally,” she said. She slid out of the padded bench until she stood on the deck. “Give me the tour of this floating luxury craft. I want to be able to tell my nephew all about it.”

He let her change the subject because there was nothing more he could say to change her mind. He knew he’d simply have to do whatever it took to make sure she knew how important she was to him. He wasn’t about to let her waltz out of his life easily.

“Does Riley like the water?”

“He loves it. He’s an avid deep-sea fisher … well, as avid as a seven-year-old can be. But he always talks about being out on the ocean. Marcia and I take him out on a fishing trip at least once a month,” she said.

“What has he caught?”

“He got an eighty-pound, yellow-fin tuna the last time we went out. It took both Riley and the captain to bring that thing in. Want to see a picture?”

“Yes, I’d like that.”

She pulled out her cell phone and hit a few buttons. A minute later she turned the screen of the phone toward Nate and showed him a little boy standing next to a fish that was almost taller than him. The boy had thick dark hair and, he noticed, Jen’s eyes.

“He looks so proud,” Nate said.

“He was. Marcia had the fish preserved and mounted and it’s hanging over his bed now,” she said. “I don’t think I have a picture of that in here.”

Nate put his arm around her and took the phone from her. “How about a picture of you and me on the yacht so you can show him when you get home.”

“That would be nice,” she said.

Nate wrapped his arm around her waist, and Jen put her head on his shoulder as he extended his arm out far enough to get both of them in the picture.

“Smile now,” he said, taking the picture. He looked at the screen and saw that the photo had turned out very nice.

He glanced down at her to make sure she was still smiling and she was looking up at him. “Things like this make me wish you were a different man.”

He had no reply to that. He knew what she wanted to hear from him—words of commitment or at least a promise to move in that direction. But they were words he couldn’t say. He’d made a promise to himself a long time ago that he’d never marry. That he’d never settle down because his father had said that Stern men weren’t the kind that took too well to marriage.

And Nate had believed that after his broken engagement. So he’d steered clear of women like Jen. Women who could make him feel more than just fleeting pleasure and a sense of fun.

But somehow she’d snuck in, he thought. Last night she’d been a pretty girl that he wanted. Today she was starting to grow on him. Starting to make him want to make promises he knew he’d never be able to keep.

“Um … why don’t you take some photos of the living quarters for Riley. I’m going to check the radar and get us ready to head back to shore.”

She didn’t say anything but turned and walked away. And he knew that was for the best. That the only way they were going to both be okay was if both of them walked away from each other now. He knew that a part of him would regret it but better to end things now before they had really even started than later when they’d both be hurt worse.

Seven

Nate drove her back to the club to get her car but she was reluctant to let the day end. He stood there in his chinos, deck shoes and T-shirt wearing a pair of Armani sunglasses and looking like temptation itself. Was it any wonder she didn’t want him to leave?

“Want to have lunch with me? I don’t have your stunning view at my place, but we do have a nice Florida room and I make the best grilled-cheese sandwiches in the world,” she said. Standing next to her car with him made her feel more vulnerable than she would have guessed. But in the bright light of day, back in her real world, she knew how fleeting her time with Nate really was.

“World’s best, eh? I can’t pass that up.” “I’m glad. Do you want to follow me?” “I have to stop at the office and check in with my brothers. Give me your address and I’ll meet you there in an hour.”

She gave him the address, which he entered into his iPhone, and then he gave her his cell phone number and took hers. “So we can get in touch with each other if we need to.”

He kissed her and then helped her into her car. She watched in the rearview mirror as she drove away. He stood there until she turned the corner.

She tried not to second-guess inviting him over. Marcia should be at the office and Riley usually had soccer in the afternoons.

But when she walked in the door, the first thing she heard was the sound of kids’ voices and she knew that Riley was home.

“Aunt Jen. We won our game!” he said, running into the foyer to see her. “Lori brought us back here to have cupcakes and Coke.”

“Great idea. Best way to celebrate,” Jen said, even though that much sugar would make her nephew bounce off the walls.

Jen followed Riley down the hall into the kitchen where his nanny Lori and her son Edward were both sitting at the table. “I didn’t know you were going to be home.”

“It’s okay. Do you need to head out? I can watch Riley until Marcia gets home.” “Actually, yes, I do.”

“Then you can go if you need to,” Jen said.

“Not yet, though,” Riley said. “Edward and I are going to trade Silly Bandz.”

“Go do that, but make it quick,” Lori said.

“I thought you’d be home when I stopped by,” Lori said once the boys were out of the room.

“I had a date,” Jen said.

“A date? Good for you, girl. You spend too much time working and staying home.”

Jen didn’t know about that but she nodded. Edward and Riley ran back into the room before she had a chance to comment. The boys were busy chatting about the Bandz they’d exchanged.

“Come on, Edward, let’s go.”

Riley was disappointed to see his friend leave but got over it quickly. He was talking a mile a minute about the game and his game-winning goal. She listened to him and reminded herself that having her nephew in her life was one of the best things she experienced.

“What did you do today?” he asked.

She waggled her eyebrows at him. “I went out on a yacht.”

“You did?”

“Yes. Want to see some pictures?” “You bet,” he said.

Jen showed him the photos she took and when she got to the one of her and Nate, Riley asked who he was.

“That’s Nate. He’s my friend that owns the yacht.”

“Do you think I can go out on his boat?”

“I don’t know, Riley, I will ask him.”

“Thanks, Aunt Jen. Do you want to play Mario Kart?”

“Not right now,” she said. “Why don’t you have a game while I make some lunch? Nate is going to come over and join us.”

Riley went into the living room and she soon heard the sounds of his Wii game powering up. She turned on the radio and looked around the kitchen. It was a nice area with a butcher-block island, stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. She’d moved in here when she’d first come back to Miami after being kicked off the competitive dancing tour.

Marcia had invited her to make this her home and together they had shaped this house up nicely. There was a photo of the three of them in Little Italy eating at Ferrara’s bakery when they had visited New York last summer so Riley could see where his grandmother had grown up. The refrigerator was decorated with Riley’s latest art projects and in the corner was a glass door that led out into the Florida room.

Beyond that was the backyard with a soccer net and a water feature that Jen had done herself after taking a Saturday morning class at the local hardware store.

She liked this place, but she’d never really intended it to be her home. She’d always assumed she’d be going back on tour and this place would be a base of operations.

But now, this might be it. And if it wasn’t, she’d have to find her own place. Maybe something close by so she could still see Riley and her sister and help them out when they needed it.

She sat down at the breakfast bar realizing she had no idea what she wanted. This was a major crisis. The future was wide open and as of this moment, she had no idea what to fill it with.

She reached for the phone to call Nate and cancel, realizing that she didn’t want him to come to this home. She didn’t want to show him her life and see in his eyes that this wasn’t what he wanted. Did she really need further proof that they weren’t after the same things?

No, she knew she didn’t need more evidence of that, but what she did need was to figure out what she wanted. And in the meantime, Nate was fun and a distraction.

As long as she remembered that she’d be okay and they could enjoy each other.

The radio started playing Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine’s “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You” and she stood up to dance to it.

“Auntie! It’s our song,” Riley said, running into the kitchen. She laughed as he danced around her just as she’d taught him. They raised their hands over their heads and clapped to the beat as they both swiveled their hips to the music. They were laughing and clapping and dancing when the doorbell rang and she realized that dancing was still her life, just in a different way now.

Riley greeted Nate when the door opened. The sound of music floated down the hall and Jen stood behind her nephew laughing and swaying to the music. Nate paused there for a minute, seeing something that contradicted his personal experience of how women and sons got along. He knew that Jen wasn’t the boy’s mother but they were enjoying each other. He could see that from the expression on both of their faces.

“Hello, Mr. Nate,” Riley said, holding out his hand for Nate to shake it.

Jen came up behind her nephew and put her arm around him as Nate shook his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Riley.”

“Auntie and I were just dancing to ‘our’ song.”

“What’s your song?” Nate asked.

“‘Rhythm Is Gonna Get You,’” Jen said. “Do you know it?”

“I do. It’s a fun song,” Nate said.

“Yes, it is. We danced all over the kitchen,” Riley said. “Do you want to play the Wii while Auntie Jen finishes making lunch?” He glanced up at Jen.

“I know I enticed you over with grilled cheese. Is that still okay?”

Nate nodded. “Do you need my help?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I’ll be about fifteen minutes.”

She walked into the kitchen, which was off the main hall, as Riley led Nate into the living room. They had a plasma screen TV and a very comfy Italian leather sofa. Riley sat on the floor on a big pillow and offered Nate one that was tucked in the corner.

“I haven’t played video games in a long time.” This wasn’t what Nate had expected. It was a little too domesticated for his tastes, and his instincts were screaming for him to run. Leave this house and go back to his real life.

“It’s okay. I will go easy on you,” Riley said.

Nate took the controller and played with the boy but his attention wasn’t on the racetrack or the game. He glanced around the room.

This place was homier than his house. There were touches that showed a child lived there but you really got a sense of the women who called it home. On one wall were photos of Jen and her sister Marcia as girls and through their entire lives. He saw Jen in a skimpy Latin dancing costume holding a trophy. He saw Marcia standing on the steps of the courthouse holding her briefcase and grinning at the camera. And there was a photo of Jen holding her nephew in the hospital standing next to her sister’s bed.

The two women were all each other had and their bond was just as deep and strong as the one he had with his brothers.

He knew women were caring so that didn’t surprise him, it was just this was the first time he’d been involved with a woman who was like that. Even his own mother hadn’t been a nurturer.

He sank deeper into the comfy couch and realized he could let himself get comfortable here. Not just in the house but in this life. But it wasn’t his. He knew better than to try to pretend to be someone he wasn’t.

“You lost,” Riley said.

“I guess I did. Jen said you have a yellow-fin tuna in your room.”

“Yes, I do,” he said, hopping up. “We have to clean up before I show you. If I leave the controllers out I won’t be able to play again for a week.”

Nate nodded and helped Riley put the pillows back in a basket next to the entertainment center and the controllers away in the cabinet. Then Riley led the way to the stairs and up to his room.

The tuna was the dominant feature in the room. The bed was covered in a light blue comforter and there was a desk in one corner. Three toy boxes were lined up under the large plate-glass window. The walls were painted a sunny yellow color.

“I couldn’t believe it when I caught that fish. I wasn’t strong enough to land it by myself,” Riley said. “Do you like fishing?”

“I do. I don’t go often,” Nate said. The last time he’d been was more than three months ago when Cam had insisted they all take a trip to St. Lucia.

“Why not?”

“Busy working.”

Riley shook his head. “I don’t understand why grownups work all the time. You finally don’t have to go to school and instead of enjoying it … well, Mommy likes her job so that’s why she does it. Is that how it is for you?”

“I guess it is. Do you think you’d enjoy working?”

“I know I’m going to,” Riley said. “I’m going to be a fishing boat captain and spend all my time fishing.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Nate said. When he’d been Riley’s age he’d declared he was going to play baseball for a living so he knew that kids could make their dreams happen.

“Did you always want to be in business?” Riley asked.

“Nah, I used to play baseball.” “Really? I didn’t know that. How come you don’t play anymore?”

Nate wondered at kids and how they had no filter or fear. Riley wanted to know something so the kid just asked. “Let’s head back downstairs and I’ll tell you.”

“Okay. Do you still play sometimes?”

“I don’t play anymore, Riley. I got injured and had to change jobs.”

Riley stopped on the stairs and looked back at him. “I’m sorry. I know I’d hate it if I couldn’t fish.”

Nate reached out and ruffled the kid’s hair. “I can play now for fun, I just don’t have the time because I’m always working.”

“My best friend Edward’s dad is like that. That’s why he started coaching our soccer team. So he could play and relax … at least that’s what Lori says.”

“Who’s Lori?”

“Edward’s mom and my babysitter. Mommy and Auntie Jen can’t be here all the time.”

“Work?” Nate asked, getting the picture that the adults in Riley’s life spent too much time working as far as the kid was concerned. He didn’t want to care. This kid didn’t matter to him if he was going to part ways with Jen. And he was going to leave her alone after this. Their lives were different and he wasn’t willing to give up his lifestyle for her.

“Yes. But I know that they have to so I can have nice things and we can live in this house … don’t say I was complaining about it, okay?”

Nate nodded just as Jen entered the foyer to call them to lunch. Riley was an interesting little kid and Nate liked what he learned about Jen from watching her with her nephew.

Nate had insisted they go to the local sports store and get a baseball bat, ball and gloves and go to the park and throw the ball with Riley. Riley was ecstatic and kept saying that Nate was obviously a man who knew life was about more than work.

Jen felt bad for her nephew because she and Marcia were gone more than they were home. But today made up for that.

Nate was patient as he talked Riley through how to throw a ball. “You are doing good.” “Your turn, Auntie Jen.”

“I’m not as good at this as you are,” Jen said. And then proved it by tossing the ball and completely missing Nate who stood with his glove ready to catch it.

Riley shook his head. “That was pitiful. Show her like you did me.”

Nate walked over to her. “Get ready, Riley.”

Nate walked over to her and stood behind her so close that she felt his body through the fabric of her clothing. He leaned in low.

“Bend your knees a little,” he said.

She did what he instructed.

“Now, hold the ball like this,” he said, showing her the proper way to hold the baseball.

He spoke directly into her ear sending chills down her spine and making this into so much more than just a kid’s game in the park. He made her want to turn in his arms and kiss him. But Riley was waiting and hoping for some spectacular results.

“Next, bring your arm up like this. No, relax. Let me move your arm for you.”

She did and the ball fell out of her hand on the ground. “Sorry.”

“Its okay,” he said, bending down to pick up the fallen ball and letting his hand stray to her hip where he caressed her as he stood back up. “Okay, ready?”

“I hope so. I’m a dancer not a baseball player,” she said.

“I think today you will be both,” Riley said. “I will be,” she said.

“Remember how I showed you to move your arm. Get ready, Riley.”

“I’m ready, Nate. Come on, Auntie Jen, throw it to me.”

Jen wound up and threw the ball. This time it went all the way to Riley who caught it and then whooped with joy. Nate put his arm around her waist and pulled her back against him for a quick kiss. “Great throw. You have the makings of a real player.”

“I doubt that,” she said.

Riley tossed the ball back and he and Nate played while she watched. Jen didn’t want to risk messing up her record after that perfect throw. She had so much fun that she forgot that she was going to be cautious around Nate.

Her cell phone rang and she glanced at the ID to see that it was Marcia.

“Hey, there,” Jen said by way of greeting.

“Hello. Where are you guys? Your car is here but you aren’t.”

“We are at the park playing catch.”

“Catch? You stink at that.”

“Ha, that’s what you know. I’m much better today.”

“Is Nate with you?”

“Yes, he came for lunch and then took Riley here to play.”

“Really? That doesn’t seem like the man I met last night,” Marcia said.

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