I nodded. “I better do this before I change my mind. Turn around. I’m standing about twenty feet behind you.” I held my breath as I watched Donovan turn. Even though his head whipped around, it seemed to happen in slow motion.

My eyes locked with his. He was even more gorgeous than I had imagined after seeing his profile. His dark blond hair was tousled in that sexy I don’t give a shit way, but still looked perfect. Strong masculine features—a rugged jaw coated in day-old stubble on sun-kissed skin, a straight, prominent nose, and eyes the color of honey. His deep blue tie was loosened at the collar, and his wide shoulders filled out his dress shirt, pulling slightly over the muscles of his pecs.

Gorgeous. Yet there was something very familiar about him. I just couldn’t put my finger on it. Donovan took a few tentative steps toward me. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought he was as nervous as I was.

The waiter who had been visiting my car interrupted Donovan’s approach, extending a credit card. “Your card, Mr. Donovan.”

Mr. Donovan?

Donovan is his last name, not his first?

Donovan…Donovan? I knew a Donovan.

My eyes widened.

Oh my God.

Everything clicked into place at rocket speed.

His profile said his happy place was Montauk.

He has a sister about five years younger.

Donovan. Ford.

Ford Donovan.

The boy next door at our summer home.

The one who used to keep an eye on Ryan for me years ago. His little sister had played with my son.

Donovan saw the look on my face.

And then I saw the look of recognition hit him.

“Mrs. Davis?”

My hand flew up to cover my mouth. “Achoo!”

Chapter 5

* * *

Valentina

When morning finally rolled around, I thought I’d get an early start on the day. I’d tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. Thoughts about Donovan—Ford—kept infiltrating my brain, even though I tried my hardest to forget the entire nightmare had ever happened.

I vacuumed the house, unloaded the dishwasher, and had started sorting through a pile of mail when my cell rang. Eve’s face flashed on the screen.

“Give me all the details.”

I shook my head repeatedly, even though she couldn’t see me. “It was horrible.”

“What happened? What did the bastard do to you? I’ll cut his balls off.”

Eve’s response made me smile for the first time since I’d laid eyes on my date. “No. It wasn’t that kind of horrible. He was a perfect gentleman.”

“Okay…”

“Very sweet and funny, too.”

“Sounds awful,” she said sarcastically.

“And gorgeous.”

“The balls on him.”

“That’s not the worst part.”

“Let’s see…he’s young, gorgeous, sweet, and funny. What could be worse than that? He’s hung like a horse?”

“I wouldn’t know. And you know why I don’t know that?”

“Because you’re an uptight prude who hasn’t been laid in years?”

“That might be true. But the larger problem is that he is one of Ryan’s friends.”

Eve cackled. “That’s not a problem, that’s fantastic! Bang his brains out and send him to play golf with your ex. Let him eat his heart out when he realizes what he lost.”

“Ummm…Eve, I wasn’t talking about my ex, Ryan. I was talking about my son.”

“I’ll be over in twenty minutes.”

***

The minute I opened the door, Eve hurried past me without saying a word, whipped up a batch of mimosas, and downed an entire flute before even attempting to start our conversation.

“So he didn’t recognize you online either?” she said as she refilled her glass.

“There really isn’t a clear picture of my face on the dating site, remember? You loaded the pics. Besides, I haven’t seen him in years. And his name is Ford Donovan. I just assumed Donovan620 meant his first name was Donovan, and I didn’t connect the two…at all.”

“Why haven’t you seen him in so many years? You’re always out in Montauk in the summer. Do they rent out his house or something?”

“No.” I swallowed hard. “His parents were killed in a car accident five or six years ago. A tractor-trailer lost control on the LIE during an ice storm. I didn’t find out about it until quite a while after. But the house has sat unused for years now.”

“Oh God. That’s awful.”

“Yeah. His parents were older than Ryan and me. But most people who have kids my son’s age are older. They were a really happy couple—very much in love. High school sweethearts like us, too. I actually remember watching them on the beach the last summer they spent out in Montauk. Ford’s dad would lie on the blanket with his head on his wife’s lap and sunglasses on, and she would read to him. It was really sweet, and it made me realize just how much Ryan and I had grown apart.”

“What did Ford say when he realized who you were?”

“He said it didn’t matter to him. He actually tried to convince me to stay and go through with the date. Can you believe that?”

“Why didn’t you?

I looked at Eve like she had two heads. “Did you miss everything I just said? He’s not only twenty-five, but he used to babysit my son.”

Eve sighed. “Did you have a drink, at least?”

“No. Well, sort of. I had a little meltdown before we even met, and he had a waiter deliver a martini to my car while I was freaking out about going inside.”

She interrupted. “Your minivan, you mean.”

“Yes. My old-lady minivan. That I belong driving. He, on the other hand, belongs behind the wheel of that little sports car he has.”

“What kind of a car is it?”

“I have no idea. Why does that even matter?”

“Because you deserve a boyfriend with a hot little car.”

“He’s not going to be my boyfriend.”

“Why not?”

“Eve, did you drink the first batch of these things on the way over here?”

“Let’s break this down. Stick to the details. What’s the real issue? Is it his age or the fact that he knows Ryan that bothers you?”

“Both.”

“So if he had never met Ryan you’d go out with him?”

“No. He’s too young.”

Eve grinned. I really thought she might be losing it. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

“What? You won’t be meeting him.”

“But I’m coming to spend the weekend with you in two weeks out in Montauk.”

“So? He hasn’t been there in years. I’m hoping that won’t be changing anytime soon. I just want to put the entire bizarre incident behind me.”

She smiled. “Well, that makes one of us.”

***

After our study session that evening, Allison started to clean up Mark’s dining room table. “I have to run. I didn’t realize it was so late. My husband’s car is in the shop, and he works the night shift so he needs to take mine.”

“Go. I’ll help Mark clean up,” I said.

“You sure?”

“Of course. My son is away at college. He was supposed to come home two weeks ago, but he got a last-minute summer internship. So he’s staying in North Carolina. Sadly, I sort of miss cleaning up after someone.”

Allison gave me a hug. “You’re the best.”

“Hey, what about me?” Mark said. “I cooked all this Italian food.”

Allison laughed. “The Salpino’s delivery guy held the door open for me when I came in.” She plucked a cookie out of the white bakery box on the dining room table and shut the top. She pointed to the gold sticker on top. “Did you make the cookies from scratch, too?”

Tonight it had been just the three of us, since Desiree couldn’t make it. So when Allison left, it was just me and Mark.

I picked up the plates and brought them to the sink. The kitchen and living room were an open floor plan with just a step down from one room to the other.

“How do you feel about the test?” I asked. “You ready?”

“Sta arrivando se sono pronto o no,” he said. It’s coming whether I’m ready or not.

I smiled. “Stai andando alla grande.” You’re going to do great.

Mark collected the rest of the dinner and dessert mess while I loaded the dishwasher. When he was done, he leaned a hip against the island.

“What?”

He was looking at me funny.

He shrugged. “Nothing. I was just thinking we should celebrate after we pass the exam.”

“That’s an excellent idea. And I like your confidence—after we pass not if we all pass.”

“Maybe we could go out to dinner. Italian, of course.”

“That sounds perfect. I think Desiree is going away the week after the exam, but maybe the week after that.”

Mark’s face told me I’d misunderstood before he said anything. “Oh. I meant just the two of us celebrating.”

I loaded the last dish into the dishwasher and dried off my hands. “Sorry. I thought you meant all four of us.”

A moment of awkward silence passed. Eventually, Mark said, “And here I thought I was being so smooth.”

“Oh, you were smooth. I’m just totally out of practice. Honestly, a date could smack me in the head, and I wouldn’t recognize it. It’s been a long time.”

He looked hopeful. “Well, then it sounds like you’re due for one.”