my ear, “I’m not leaving, and I promise not to take advantage of the situation.”
He was missing the point; I knew I could trust him, it was me I wasn’t so sure about.
I sighed and went in the house. No one was around, so I went down the hall to Cruz’s room and knocked. He called me in and I asked about Abby. He told me she decided to turn in early.
“So… Marina,” he asked with a smirk, “Where’s your bodyguard?” I had to admit he was waiting outside.
“I hope you kids are being careful,” Cruz said, mocking me.
“Nothing’s going on!” I protested, turning bright red, “He’s just afraid I’m going to get hurt again.”
“Whatever you say...” he said mockingly, laughing as I closed the door on him.
I opened the front door and stepped out to find Ethan on the porch.
“She’s in bed,” I whispered. He wrapped his warm arms around me, and I melted into him.
“Promise me, no more kissing once we go in,” he said, teasing me.
“Deal,” I said, and made the last one count.
CHAPTER TWENTYTHREE
THE STORM
I made it through the entire night without any dreams. I woke with a start in the pink light of early dawn and looked up to see Ethan’s deep blue eyes studying me closely.
“I slept!” I whispered, surprised.
“You talked a little,” he said, “and you sat up a few times, but you didn’t try to get out.”
“What did I say?”
“I couldn’t understand,” he said with a sympathetic look. He brushed the hair back from my forehead.
“Oh,” I paused, disappointed. “Maybe it’s going to stop,” I said hopefully.
“Maybe. Why don’t you come with me to the farmer’s market today?”
“Aren’t you getting sick of me?” I asked.
“Do you know how perfect your eyes are?” he asked.
I sat up, feeling self-conscious, “I think you’d better unleash me.” Last night Ethan had barricaded the door and attached a surfboard leash from my ankle to his. He was certain that I’d wake him if I tried to detach it, saying he’d be the surfer and I’d be the board. There was something about that analogy that made me nervous.
Ethan moved the furniture away quietly while I gathered my things to go wash up and get dressed. We took turns getting ready and tiptoed out to the front door. I left a note for Abby on the kitchen table, explaining that I’d left early to run some errands.
“What in the...” Ethan looked out the window to see his dad’s car pull up out front. The passenger door opened and out jumped Abby, running towards us. We exchanged a wide-eyed glance and ran back to my room, leaning behind the door in spasms of laughter. We had to wait a few minutes, listening to her rattle around in the bathroom before she finally made her way into her room. Every time we made eye contact we started to burst into laughter; it was difficult to keep quiet.
Finally, I peeked into the hallway to see the path was clear. We tumbled out the front door.
“Can we take the Jag?” I asked, “Otherwise, she’s gonna worry.” As we drove out he turned to me, “So, she turned in early, huh?”
“According to Cruz,” I said, squelching a smile, “We should probably keep this to ourselves.”
“Good idea,” he said. We pulled into the market lot, “Marina?”
“Yes?” I asked.
He reached over to pull me towards him, “Good morning,” he said, kissing me.
“Good morning,” I replied, and it was.
Ethan left to go set up and I walked carefully over to the coffee cart. I felt eyes on me and turned to see Long watching me from a distance. He looked away quickly. It was a little disconcerting, but I wasn’t going to let his superstitions ruin my day. I picked up two lattes and a bag of chocolate croissants and went to go join Ethan. We sat down in chairs at the back of his stand for a few minutes before he had to get back to work.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked.
He gave me a chocolaty kiss, “Just stay off your feet,” he said, “and don’t go anywhere.” I pulled a book out of my bag and started to read with my feet up on a chair.
“Hello water girl.” I looked up to see Lue Khang pushing a wheelbarrow past the back of the stand. I waved at him, smiling. He set it down and approached me.
“How are you today?” I asked politely.
He studied me, looking at my feet. I