locked the door behind her.
Once inside, she led him to the bed and they undressed each other in silence. Once they stood in front of each other unclothed, their lips touched until the passion built and they both felt the need to lie down. They made love to each other, glorying in each other’s touch and taste, until they were left lying breathless and sated in each other's arms. Eventually, Anne fell asleep snuggled next to him, her head resting on his shoulder and her hand pressed soft against his heart. She missed seeing his expression of surprise. He forgot to grab a condom again. He wondered if his subconscious was telling him something. His slips the past two days could either lead to something wonderful or mess up their lives in a very big way.
Chapter 14
After a quick shower early the next morning, Anne pulled her hair back in a clip and decided that she needed a change of clothes. So she slipped out the balcony door and hurried down to her parents' house. Ben told her before she left to bring back a dress for that afternoon and evening because she was going with him to the chapel for the rehearsal and the groom's dinner that followed. They would be eating at a local steak and seafood supper club located in Orcas Village instead of driving back to eat at the inn that evening, so semi-dressy was the attire. The wedding planner and helpers were coming to set up for the reception and dance tomorrow evening, and since no one wanted to be in the way, everyone was making his or herself scarce. This included Ben and Ann who decided on a bike ride to Mount Constitution.
The sun was still coming up when Anne let herself into the house and walked into the small kitchen where her dad was reading the paper. His usual cup of tea sat in front of him on the table. For nearly every morning of her childhood this was her dad’s routine, and she smiled because some things never changed. Jim Petrovic had never acquired the American taste for coffee and preferred black tea in the mornings sweetened with cream and sugar. He also took tea in the afternoons, hot tea not iced, as was the European way.
"Morning, Anne," he greeted her with a warm smile when she walked in.
"Morning, Dad. Did mom tell you yesterday that I got the job?" She could see that the bathroom door was closed down the hall and guessed that her mother was getting ready. Like Anne, her mother liked to get cleaned up for the day before having her morning coffee. Pulling a cup from the cabinet, Anne poured herself a cup of coffee from the pot her mom brewed every morning for herself. Then after adding cream as she liked it, she carried the cup to the table and sat down across from her dad.
"She did. Congratulations." His Croatian accent was always stronger first thing in the morning, just as she remembered. "You'll be starting after the Fourth? Will that give you time to find an apartment?" Because of Independence Day on the Fourth of July, it was decided by Ms. Tomlinson that she would begin at Stanford Enterprises on the first Monday after the holiday.
"Probably not. I'll contact a realtor today and see about setting up some showings for the first part of next week. If I can't find an apartment, then I'll rent a monthly place until I find the apartment that I want. The hard part will be packing up my apartment back in Cambridge and shipping everything to Seattle. If I don't find an apartment, my stuff will need to go into storage." She sipped her coffee and pursed her lips at the thought of packing then storing her stuff.
"It will be nice to have you back, Sweetheart. Your mother and I worry about you out there all by yourself, especially after this past year. Do you need money?"
"No, Dad. I think I've got it covered. I'll lose my security deposit unless I can sublet my apartment, but I don’t think that will be a problem. There is a waiting line for people wanting to move into my building. But if I lose it, I'll make that up by not paying for parking." He nodded his head in understanding. Parking in the Boston area was expensive due to the supply and demand problem.
"Your mother and I have been talking, and we