When he kissed her, his lips were warm and practiced. He tasted like brie and shrimp and the sweet tang of a moderately priced sauvignon blanc. She leaned into him and kissed him back, and while the kiss lasted, she forgot everything that had brought her to this place.
She was ready for another, convinced she needed at least one more, but when he started all over again, she found herself moving away. She had taken the step backward before she realized it. He looked puzzled, and not pleased.
“My head’s spinning,” she said. “Long day, too much to drink.”
“That’s one explanation.” The frown turned into a smile, seductive and very masculine. “There could be a better one.”
“Definitely that, too.” She struggled to put her feelings into words. She was still surprised at her own reaction. “I like you. I like kissing you. I’m just not ready for more tonight.”
“Well, that’s a shame.”
“It is, isn’t it?”
“I understand. It took me time to get over Karen’s death.”
“I guess divorce—” She cocked her head, realizing what he had said.
He seemed to realize it, too. “Not that I’m over it,” he said. “It’s just not as immediate. Something like that takes forever, I guess.”
“I guess.” She thought that was a perfectly adequate explanation. He couldn’t have meant to sound blasé about his wife’s tragic death only, what, a year ago?
“It’s just that at some point, you have to start moving on,” Lee said. “Even when you’re still hurting. I guess I’m starting to.”
She was not mourning her spouse. As she thought about it, she realized that, instead, she was mourning her own culpability, her acceptance of a marriage that had been a balloon filled with hot air. When the balloon exploded, there was nothing left to keep. And she didn’t want to make the same mistake. She wanted to believe she had taken something away from her divorce besides Happiness Key.
Lee glanced at his watch. “If I leave now, I can still say good-night to Olivia. She worries when I’m home late.”
She didn’t apologize. They’d had fun, then she’d slammed on the brakes, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t hit the accelerator in the future.
“I’m so glad you came,” she said, and meant it.
He smiled, and his gaze lingered on her lips. “So am I.”
As they rounded her cottage, they chatted. “I did want to ask you something,” she said at the edge of her lawn. “I know you worry about Alice. It’s one of the things I like so much about you. But she really seems to come alive when she’s with us—us being the neighbors.”
“Really? When has she been with you?”
She explained about the impromptu memorial service for Herb. “She brightens up when she contributes,” Tracy said. “I know you’re afraid she’ll get more confused, but I hope you won’t mind if we involve her a little in the search for Herb’s family. It seems to do her good.”
“I think it’s wonderful you want to help.”
“Good, then you’re fine with it.”
“I wish. But I’ve seen this up close too many times. She has good days and bad, but I can tell you that the moment she feels any pressure to perform, she falls apart. She regresses. Sometimes we don’t hear a word from her for days.”
“That’s awful.”
“I don’t want relapses. You can understand? We take things a step at a time. I stay in close touch with her physician.”
“I promise we won’t put any pressure on her.”
“It’s probably best to keep something of a distance. Until she’s better and seeks you out on her own.”
Tracy didn’t explain that Alice had done just that. She heard the distress in his voice, and the concern, and she didn’t want to trouble him more. But she thought Lee was wrong. Alice had seemed more confident after spending time with herself and the others. She hoped if that continued, and Alice continued to enjoy being with her neighbors, it would only help. By then, Lee, too, would see the difference.
She rose on tiptoes and kissed him on the lips. “Thanks for the shrimp.”
He put his hand behind her head and kissed her again. “Thanks for the wine.”
With regret, she watched him walk away. Still, it was regret mixed with something else. She thought that extra ingredient might spell relief.
Wanda liked it when the men who regularly called SEDUCED graduated. That was how she thought of it. Sometimes they found a real flesh-and-blood