The Drifter (3 page)

“I thought you were planning to sell it.”

“I was. But it never seemed like the right time.”

“It’s kind of silly to keep it,” Jack said. “You’re never here. And it’s probably worth close to a million if you’d fix it up a little bit.”

Charlie shrugged. “I’m thinking of staying for a while. I’ll get a little work done around here, relax and—”

“Who is she?” Jack interrupted. “And what has she done to the Charlie Templeton I’ve always known.”

“It’s not like that. I’ve just been…reevaluating.” He took a sip of his beer, wondering how much he wanted to reveal. Hell, he wasn’t sure how he felt, but Charlie knew something had changed inside him. The circuit in his brain that had caused him to wander the world, searching for the next big thrill, had been switched off. “I was standing on top of Everest and I couldn’t believe it.”

“Man, that must have felt incredible.”

That was the problem, Charlie mused. It hadn’t felt incredible. But kissing Evie had. Just pulling her into his arms and feeling her warm, soft body against his had been…thrilling. Through all his adventures, he’d never felt that. Satisfaction, yes. Pride, of course. But nothing had matched that first kiss in the restaurant refrigerator.

“It didn’t,” Charlie said. “I’d achieved everything I’d ever wanted and it didn’t make me happy.”

“What are you, freakin’ crazy? You get paid to do stuff I can only dream about. You have no responsibilities. You decide you want to go surfing in
Australia and you’re there the next day. Jenny and I have been planning to go to Banff for nearly a year and we still haven’t picked a date. Taking a family of four on a vacation is like planning a military invasion.”

“But you like it, right? The wife, the family. It’s all good?”

“Sure,” Jack replied. “I’m not saying it’s easy, or that every day is a disaster. Or that I don’t envy you on those nights when the kids are sick or when Jenny is mad about something. But I don’t know what I’d do if they weren’t in my life.”

“That’s the thing,” Charlie said, leaning forward and bracing his elbows on his knees. “You’ve got someone, someone who cares that you walk in the door at night.”

“You have family,” he said.

Charlie shook his head. “It’s not the same. Family is required to love you. They don’t have a choice. Besides, they consider me the black sheep in the family. The sibling who never quite grew up. I want someone who needs me.”

“Jenny says men chase immortality. That’s why we look at younger women, why we’re afraid of commitment, why we get drunk and howl at the moon. She heard it in a movie and now, whenever I do something stupid, she says it’s because I fear getting old.”

Charlie frowned. “I don’t think about getting old.”

“Your dad died when he was thirty-six. You don’t
ever think of that? I mean, you’re going to be thirty next year, right?”

“Shit, you’re right,” he muttered. “And no, I really didn’t think much about it until now.”

“Maybe that’s why you chase adventure,” Jack said.

“What are you, my shrink?”

“No, but I watch a lot of Dr. Phil when the kids are home sick.”

Charlie set his beer down and got to his feet. “I have to go.”

“What time is it?” Jack asked. “I told Jenny I’d be home by ten.”

“It’s close to eleven.”

Jack jumped up, wagging a finger at Charlie. “See, this is what I love about your life. I’m required to be in by ten and you’re just going out at eleven. You know, hooking up with a girl this late at night looks suspiciously like a booty call.”

Charlie frowned. “You think? I don’t want to give her the wrong idea. I’m not expecting a hook-up. Maybe I should call first.”

“That would make it worse,” Jack said. “Just tell her you were out for a walk. That would play much better if you had a dog. You can come over and borrow our dog.”

“You have a dog?”

“And two cats, a fluctuating number of fish, and a hamster that’s been missing for three days.”

Charlie found the news strangely disquieting. Jack really was settled. And as much as his friend couldn’t imagine what climbing Everest was like, Charlie couldn’t fathom caring for a family and a houseful of pets.

“The grass is always greener,” Charlie murmured. They jogged down the porch steps together. “I’ll stop by tomorrow and see the kids,” he said. “Tell Jenny I’m sorry I kept you out so late.”

They walked in opposite directions, Jack toward the family he had waiting and Charlie toward the unknown. Hell, he wasn’t sure what he was doing in Boulder or why he was so intent on seeing Eve again. But he’d always allowed his instincts to rule his life and right now, this was where he was supposed to be.

The fifteen-minute walk to downtown Boulder was filled with indecision. Charlie was anxious to see Eve again, if only to find out whether the attraction they’d experienced earlier that day was more than one-sided.

This was really crazy. He’d always known exactly what he wanted in life, planning each move ahead of time and throwing all his energy into making a success of whatever he tried. But here he was, wandering the streets of his hometown, without a clue as to why he was here.

He’d never put much stock in psychiatry, but he had to wonder if something hadn’t snapped in his
brain when he was at high altitude. Lack of oxygen could do funny things to a guy’s head, even make him feel something that wasn’t really there.

His mind drifted back to the kiss, to the taste of her mouth, the way she opened beneath him. He’d felt something then, something powerful. He’d kissed a lot of women and relying on his experience, Charlie was pretty sure Evie had wanted to be kissed. She’d even enjoyed it. And before the night was over, he planned to do it again.

The restaurant was empty of customers when he arrived, though the front door was still open. He walked inside, catching the attention of a bartender who was stacking glasses behind the bar.

“Sorry, we’re closed,” he said.

“I know,” Charlie replied. “I’m here to see Eve.”

The bartender gave him a suspicious look. “Kind of late for a sales call.”

“We’re old friends. I was here earlier for lunch. I told her I’d stop by later.”

The bartender nodded toward the kitchen door. “She’s in back.”

Charlie peeked through the small diamond-shaped window in the door. Eve had her back to him as she flipped through a sheaf of papers, separating them into piles on a wide stainless-steel table. He slowly pushed open the door.

“Kenny, can you bring up a case of the ’96 Castle Ridge Merlot before you leave?”

“Just tell me where it is,” Charlie said softly. He watched her spine stiffen before she slowly turned around. He held his breath, still taken aback by her beauty. What had he been thinking all those years ago? How had it been so easy to walk away from her?

“What are you doing here?”

He grinned. “I don’t know. I thought I could walk you home.”

“I drove,” she said.

“So then maybe you can drive me home?”

“I still have a lot of work to do,” she said.

Charlie let the door swing shut behind him, then crossed to the table. Boosting himself up, he sat next to her, studying her work. She seemed perturbed and he wondered at the cause. “I thought we could go out. Get a drink or maybe a cup of coffee?”

Eve drew in a deep breath, then turned to face him. “Why are you here?” Shaking her head, she held up her hand. “Never mind, I know the answer to that.”

He chuckled. “You do? Good, then maybe you can tell me. Because I haven’t figured it out yet.” Charlie reached out and took her hand in his, distractedly playing with her fingers. He’d forgotten how soft her skin was. And how delicate her fingers were. All the little details that had faded over time now came rushing back. “How much longer do you have to work?”

The kitchen door swung open and Kenny poked
his head inside. Eve snatched her hand away. “I’m done,” he said. “I locked the front doors.”

“Thanks,” Eve said, glancing over her shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

He gave Charlie another look, then shrugged. “Night, boss.” Kenny strolled through the kitchen and out the back, the screen door slamming behind him.

Charlie slid off the table. “Where’s that wine you needed?”

“Through that door, down the stairs, second shelf from the top on the right. Castle Ridge Merlot. The ’96 Reserve. Bring up the rest of the case.”

As he completed the task, Charlie wondered at her prickly attitude. Women usually warmed up right away when he turned on the charm. But then, he’d never gone back to one of his previous conquests. Though she had every right to be angry, she’d been the one to choose marriage over adventure, stability over spontaneity. Did she blame him for forcing her to make the wrong choice? He cursed softly. Or maybe she
did
assume he was only here for booty call.

When he got upstairs, he set the case on the opposite side of the table, then leaned over it, bracing his arms on the rough wood edges. “So, is this any good?” he asked, pulling a bottle and holding it out to her.

“Yes. It’s very good.”

“Then I’d like to buy a bottle. Do you have a couple of glasses and a corkscrew?”

“It’s seventy-five dollars a bottle.”

“Then I guess it better be good,” Charlie replied.

She set her work down and stared at him. He waited for her to speak, but she seemed to be carefully considering what she was about to say. “Why are you here? If you’ve come for sex, why don’t you just say so and stop wasting time with wine and pretty compliments.” She smoothed her hands over the stainless-steel table. “We could do it right here and get it over with.”

“You think that’s what this is about? Have I even brought up sex?”

“No, but…”

“Odd that you’d mention it. Have you been thinking about it? I mean, sex with me?”

“Yes,” she said. “No! Not in the way you think. I’ve just been wondering why you stopped by today.”

“I think we better crack open this bottle of wine, because it’s a long story. And a large quantity of alcohol would help in the telling.”

Eve took the bottle from his hand, then searched through a nearby drawer for a corkscrew. She held it out to him, then fetched a pair of wineglasses from a plastic rack near the dishwasher. Slowly, she slid them in front of him and after removing the cork, he filled the glasses halfway.

“So what’s the story?” she asked before taking a sip.

“First, a toast,” he said, holding his glass up. “To old friends.”

Eve touched her wine goblet to his, then took a sip. “Old friends,” she repeated softly. “So what is the story?”

“Have you ever had an epiphany?” he asked. “A moment of absolute clarity in your life? When you know exactly who you are and what you’re supposed to be doing?”

“No,” she said.

“Neither have I. But I should have. I was standing on top of Everest, cold and hungry and not sure I even wanted to go back down. And I was waiting to feel something and it didn’t come. Strangely, the only thing I could think about was you.”

She blinked in surprise. “Me?”

“Yeah, you.” Charlie shook his head. “I hadn’t seen you in five years. Hadn’t even really thought about you in five years. And then, there you were, clear as day, swimming around in my mind. And here I am.” He took a gulp of his wine. “I just want to figure it out.”

“So that’s all you want with me?”

“No.” Charlie grinned as he circled to her side of the table. “I’d really like to kiss you right now. But I’m doing my best to control my impulses.”

A satisfied smile curled the corners of her mouth.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. I just assumed you were only interested in—” Her gaze met his. “It’s nice to see you again, Charlie.”

“It’s nice being seen.” He leaned forward and dropped a kiss on her lips. He’d meant it to be a new beginning, a way to express the sentiment he’d just verbalized. But the moment his mouth touched hers, Charlie felt the ground beneath him shift.

He stared down at her mouth, his breath growing tight in his chest, his thoughts spinning in his head. He wanted to kiss her again, yet he knew it probably wasn’t a good idea. But Charlie had operated on sheer instinct for so long that he couldn’t stop himself, even if he tried.

He slipped his arm around her waist and gently pulled her body against his, their hips meeting. He found her mouth again only this time, the kiss was far from innocent. He knew exactly what he needed to answer all his questions. And at the moment, that’s all he wanted—answers.

Her reaction surprised him. She didn’t try to resist, but melted in his embrace, her mouth opening to his tongue and her body arching into his. He had one answer—Evie wanted him as much as he wanted her.

Charlie grabbed her waist and set her on the edge of the worktable, then pulled her thighs against his hips. Though she was four or five inches shorter than
he was, this gave him perfect access to her face and mouth, to her neck and shoulders.

“We shouldn’t do this,” she whispered, twisting away from him and pressing her forehead into his chest. “After you leave, I won’t be able to walk into this kitchen without thinking about this.”

“I’m not leaving anytime soon,” Charlie said.

She looked up at him. “But you will leave,” she stated, her voice cool and emotionless.

“We can’t stay in this kitchen forever. I’m hoping we’ll both leave.”

“That’s not what I mean,” Eve countered with a weak smile.

“Right now, I don’t have plans to go anywhere. I’m happy right here.”

She sighed softly, then wrapped her arms around his neck. “A week,” she said. “That’s all I need. Just promise me a week.”

But as Charlie kissed her again, he knew that his stay in Boulder would last a lot longer than a week. He needed a new direction in his life and a strange vision on the top of the highest mountain had sent him here.

A
WEEK WOULD NEVER
be enough, Eve thought as she lost herself in the delicious warmth of his mouth. But if he stayed longer, she might be tempted to fall madly in love with him all over again. And if he disappeared too early, she’d be left unsatisfied and longing for more. No, a week would have to suffice.

She smoothed her hands over his chest, remembering how wonderful it felt to touch his skin. He was older now, but his body was still lithe and muscular, everything in such perfect proportion. Wide shoulders, narrow waist, long legs. If they’d been anywhere but her restaurant, she would have stripped the clothes off of him in less than a minute and dragged him to the nearest bed.

But Eve wasn’t that same impetuous young woman she’d been five years ago. Back then, she’d believed in love. Now, she was more apt to put her money on lust. There was something to be said for pure
physical pleasure, without the expectations that romance brought. And even though she still bore the scars of their last affair, Eve felt confident she could handle whatever he sent her way this time.

She was in a different place in her life now, a place where her career came before everything else, including a relationship with a man. A short-term affair would fit right into her schedule. She had a few weeks before the meetings began with her Seattle investors. And the production team was putting together a final proposal on the television show and wouldn’t need her to do a sample episode until next month. Charlie Templeton had shown up at precisely the right time.

When he moved to unbutton her jacket, she impatiently completed the task, tossing it aside and leaving her wearing only a simple camisole beneath. Charlie pressed his mouth into the curve of her neck. Though Eve knew she ought to resist, there wasn’t any point. Why pretend she didn’t want him? They’d had a past together and the memories of it had rushed back the moment she saw him again.

Her fingers furrowed through his thick hair and Eve tipped her head as his lips drifted lower. But when he reached the last inch of skin above the top of her camisole, Charlie stopped his slow exploration. He stepped back and smiled. “I should probably go,” he murmured.

“No!” Eve said. She bit her lip, embarrassed that
she’d reacted so vehemently. “I—I was just going to make myself something to eat. If you’re hungry, stay. I’ll—feed you.”

He stared at her for a long moment, then shrugged. “All right. Just don’t make me eat tofu,” he warned. “I can’t stand that stuff.”

Eve slid off the edge of the table, then handed him his glass of wine. “A sandwich,” she said, suddenly desperate to keep the evening going. Every instinct told her to beware, but all of that was overwhelmed by the desire that snaked through her bloodstream. “I have some wonderful bread.”

As she began to assemble the ingredients on the table, she studied him. When he’d walked into the restaurant that afternoon, Eve had thought she knew exactly what he wanted—sex. But now, she wasn’t so sure. The man who used to wait at the front door for her and tear her clothes off the moment she walked inside his house was now taking his own sweet time in seducing her. Had she not made it perfectly clear that she was ready and willing?

“So what’s on this sandwich you’re making me?”

Eve smiled. “Healthy things.”

Charlie growled softly. “You know how I hate healthy things. I like things that are bad for me.”

“Is that why you’re here?” she asked.

“I told you why I came,” Charlie said, reaching out
to snag a cherry tomato from the container. “So, tell me what happened with you and Dan. Or Dave.”

“Matt,” Eve said. “His name is Matt.” Eve care fully sliced a long baguette in half, then smeared it with hummus. “He wasn’t the guy I thought I married. It just didn’t work out.”

“You realized you didn’t love him?”

“I realized he didn’t love me,” she said with a shrug. “And I didn’t love him enough to put up with his cheating.” She’d seen enough of that with her parents’ marriage. She wasn’t about to make the same mistakes they’d made, living in a sham of a marriage, pretending to love each other.

“I always thought he was a first-class idiot,” Charlie said. “I only saw him that once, but I could tell he didn’t know what he had.”

“And what did he have?”

“You. He didn’t realize he got the best the first time around. But, hey, I could tell he was a real douche from the start.”

“Why didn’t you warn me?” Eve asked.

“I didn’t have a right to interfere,” Charlie said.

He watched her silently as she assembled the sandwich, his gaze drifting over her like a lazy caress. She layered on thinly sliced tomatoes and calamata olives, then made a salad of arugula and balsamic dressing and stuffed it in between the two slices of bread. She finished it off with a sprinkling of toasted
sunflower seeds, before setting it on a plate in front of him.

The last time they were together, they hadn’t had time for cooking. They barely remembered to eat. But things were moving more slowly now and their appetites for other things could be delayed. At least for an hour or two.

Eve waited while he took a big bite of the sandwich. He grinned at her and nodded. “Good,” he said as he chewed. “Really good.”

She bit into her half of the sandwich. Though she wasn’t particularly hungry, eating gave her some thing to do while looking at Charlie. He was the most beautiful man she’d ever known. Maybe that’s why it had been so easy to discount what they’d had together five years ago. She’d just assumed the reason for her attraction to him was because of his physical perfection.

“I could get used to this,” he said.

“Eating this late at night really isn’t good for you,” Eve said. “But it usually takes me a few hours to wind down and I never get a chance to catch a bite when I’m working.” She poured a bit more wine into her glass, then refilled his. “Tell me about Everest.”

“I don’t know if I can. I still haven’t figured it all out yet.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It changed me. I went up knowing exactly who
I was and came down a different person. Does that make sense?”

Eve laughed and shook her head. “No.” She reached out and wiped a bit of hummus from his lip.

Charlie grabbed her hand and playfully licked it off the end of her finger. But he didn’t stop there. He wove his fingers through hers and pulled her hand against his chest.

Their gazes locked and he slowly set his sandwich down to the left of his plate. Eve felt her pulse skip and for a moment, she forgot to breathe. And then, like a wave crashing on the beach, their need for each other overwhelmed them both. This was the way it had been between them five years ago. Nothing had changed.

Their frantic hands tore at each other’s clothes as their meal got pushed aside. Charlie pressed her back against the edge of the table, his palms skimming over her body, sliding beneath her shirt to cup her breasts and then moving on to unexplored flesh.

Eve felt dizzy, her knees weak and her mind unable to process what was happening to her. So she let her thoughts drift, focusing only on the sensations racing through her body.

He was gentle, yet determined, as if he knew exactly what they both needed. Eve clutched at the hem of his shirt, gathering it in her fists, holding tight as if it were the only thing keeping him close. She
needed this, if only to remind her that she hadn’t lost everything in the divorce. She could still want a man, still crave his touch and his taste.

Charlie picked her up and set her back on the table, tugging her camisole over her head and throwing it over his shoulder. Eve glanced down, grateful to see that she’d managed to pick out decent lingerie that day. As he smoothed his hands over her shoulders, she took the opportunity to remove his shirt.

Eve swallowed hard as she took in the sight of him beneath the harsh lights of the kitchen. Though she’d seen his body before, nothing prepared her for the impact that a half-naked man would have on her ability to think—or breathe—or move.

With trembling fingers, she reached out and ran her hand over his smooth chest, his skin warm beneath her touch. It wasn’t wrong to want him. She was a grown woman, past the age when she had to worry about denying her sexual needs.

After her divorce, she’d worried that no man would ever want her again, that somehow she’d wasted her one chance at happiness. But Eve was happy now and that was all that mattered.

She waited for him to continue undressing her and when he didn’t, she reached for the clasp at the front of her bra. But Charlie caught her fingers and brought them to his lips. “Let’s wait with that,” he said softly. “We have time.”

But his idea of time and hers were two completely
different things. For him, a week was a lifetime and a month, an eternity. He could be with her one moment and halfway around the world the next. Eve closed her eyes, waiting for her heart to stop pounding.

“Evie?” He hooked his finger beneath her chin and tipped her face up. “Look at me.” She opened her eyes. “We have time. I promise.”

Eve knew promises could easily be broken. But she also sensed Charlie was a man she could trust. Even though he’d left her, he’d never lied to her. “Would you like dessert?”

“Dessert?” He glanced at the remains of their meal. “We haven’t finished dinner yet.”

Eve slid off the table and walked to the pastry cooler. She pulled out a tofu white-chocolate-and-raspberry mousse that she’d perfected just last week. She found the whipped cream canister on the top shelf and grabbed it. “This is something new. You’ll have to tell me what you think.”

She added a generous topping of the cream and scooped out a spoonful and held it in front of his lips. He leaned forward and she pulled the spoon away.

“Promise you’ll tell the truth?”

“I promise.”

“I can trust you?”

Charlie paused as he realized that Eve wasn’t talking about the dessert. “You can, Evie.”

Satisfied, she fed him the mousse and waited for
his reaction. He swallowed, then opened his mouth.

“More, please.”

“What do you think? Is it good?”

“One more taste.”

She scooped out another spoonful and waited. “Well?”

“It’s very good,” Charlie said. “I like the combination. And it’s kind of fluffy so you could eat a lot of it if you wanted to.”

“It’s made with tofu,” she said. “It’s a vegan alternative to white chocolate mousse.”

“I hate tofu,” Charlie said. “But I like this. A lot. So maybe I have changed since the last time we saw each other.”

Eve pushed up on her toes and kissed him, then took a spoonful for herself. “It is good. The whipped cream isn’t vegan, but I thought it would tempt you.”

“Whipped cream always tempts me,” he murmured as she scooped out another spoonful for him. He grabbed the canister and sprayed a tiny bit on her bare shoulder, then bent close to lick it off.

“I thought I could add a bit of Amaretto, too. To give it a greater depth of flavor.” She sighed softly as his mouth found the spot just below her ear. “What do think of that?”

“I think I’m going to enjoy sharing a meal with you, Evie.”

She knew they’d share much more than food over
the next week. But she’d have to be patient and let their meals unfold naturally. Charlie was here with her now and if she just stopped thinking about the future, the present would fall into place.

T
HEY’D TEASED THEIR
way through a late-night dinner at Evie’s restaurant, both of them avoiding the logical conclusion to their flirtation. By the time Eve pulled up in front of Charlie’s place, he was wondering what had ever possessed him to “take it slow.”

“Thanks for the ride,” Charlie said, glancing over at Evie, her profile illuminated by the street light. It was almost three in the morning and he didn’t want their time together to end. But if he asked her inside, his motives would be painfully obvious. “I probably shouldn’t ask you in,” he said.

“And I probably shouldn’t accept if you did. Are you asking?”

Charlie chuckled. “You know, there are a lot of things in my life I shouldn’t have done, but I try not to have any regrets. Would you come in if I asked?”

“Do you have regrets?” Evie asked.

“Yeah. One big one. I shouldn’t have left you. I should have stayed a little longer. Just to see.”

“See what?” Evie asked.

“I don’t know. But I think I might have missed something.” He smiled. “Another time. Hey, I was thinking about remodeling my kitchen. I could use your advice. Maybe you could give me some ideas.
I don’t know anything about kitchens.” He couldn’t have come up with a lamer excuse to see her again and he waited for her to shoot him down.

“If it hasn’t changed since the last time I was in your house, it could use an update. It’s not that late and I’m still wound up from work. Why don’t I take a look now?”

Was she really interested in his kitchen, or had she decided to accept his invitation inside? Hell, they both knew what would happen once they stepped over that threshold. Clothes would come off and bodies would come together and they’d both be lost for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. “That would be nice,” he said.

They got out of the car and slowly strolled up the front walk. “We should probably talk about appliances,” he said. “And cabinets. I was thinking about a trash compacter.”

“Lots of people think that trash compactors are good for the environment, but they really give you a false sense of accomplishment. Recycling combined with composting would nearly eliminate the need for a trash compactor. We give most of our food waste to a worm farm. They come and pick it up every morning.”

Charlie could tell she was nervous. He unlocked the front door and swung it open in front of her. The light from the street filtered inside and she took a
few steps forward. Charlie followed her and closed the door, leaving them both in the dark.

He reached out to place his hands on her shoulders and he felt her turn to face him. Evie stepped toward him and a moment later, they were caught in a gentle kiss. Without light, her hesitation seemed to dissolve along with his resolve.