Nights in Rodanthe - By Nicholas Sparks Page 0,18
the weekend, so he couldn’t do it then. Nor did he want to wait until Monday; his flight left on Tuesday afternoon out of Dulles, and he had to leave Rodanthe no later than nine. He didn’t want to run the risk of not speaking with him, and in light of the storm, one day was cutting it close. By Monday, power lines might be down, there might be flooding, or Robert Torrelson might be taking care of who knew what in the aftermath.
Paul had never been in Rodanthe before, but he didn’t think it would take more than a few minutes to find the house. The town, he figured, had no more than a few dozen streets, and he could walk the length of the town in less than half an hour.
After a few minutes on the sand, Paul turned and started making his way back toward the Inn. As he did, he caught a glimpse of Adrienne Willis in the window again.
Her smile, he thought. He liked her smile.
From the window, Adrienne found herself glancing at Paul Flanner as he made his way back from the beach.
She was unpacking the groceries, doing her best to put them in the right cupboards. Earlier in the afternoon, she’d bought the items that Jean had recommended, but now she wondered if she should have waited until Paul arrived to ask him if there was anything in particular that he wanted to eat.
His visit intrigued her. She knew from Jean that when he’d called six weeks ago, she’d said that she closed up after the New Year and wouldn’t open again until April; but he’d offered to pay double the room rate if she could stay open an extra week.
He wasn’t on vacation, she was sure of that. Not only because Rodanthe wasn’t a popular destination in winter, but because he didn’t strike her as the vacationing type. Nor was his demeanor when he’d checked in that of someone who’d come here to relax.
He hadn’t mentioned that he was visiting family, either, so that meant he was probably here for business. But that, too, didn’t make much sense. Other than fishing and tourism, there wasn’t much business in Rodanthe, and with the exception of those businesses that provided the necessities for those who lived here, most of them closed down for the winter anyway.
She was still trying to figure it out when she heard him coming up the back steps. She listened as he stomped the sand from his feet outside the door.
A moment later, the back door opened with a squeak, and Paul walked into the kitchen. As he shrugged off his jacket, she noticed that the tip of his nose had turned red.
“I think the storm’s getting close,” he said. “The temperature’s dropped at least ten degrees since this morning.”
Adrienne put a box of croutons into the cupboard and looked over her shoulder as she answered.
“I know. I had to turn the heater up. This isn’t the most energy efficient of homes. I could actually feel the wind coming in through the windows. Sorry you don’t have better weather.”
Paul rubbed his arms. “That’s the way it goes. Is the coffee still out? I think I could use a cup to warm up.”
“It might be a little stale by now. I’ll make a fresh pot. It’ll only take a few minutes.”
“You wouldn’t mind?”
“Not at all. I think I could use one, too.”
“Thank you. Just let me put my jacket in my room and clean up, and I’ll be right back down.”
He smiled at her before he left the kitchen, and Adrienne felt herself exhale, unaware she’d been holding her breath. In his absence, she ground a handful of fresh beans, changed the filter, and started the coffee. She retrieved the silver pot, poured the contents down the sink, and rinsed it out. As she worked, she could hear him moving in the room above her.
Though she’d known in advance that he would be the only guest this weekend, she hadn’t realized how strange it would seem to be alone in the house with him. Or alone, period. Sure, the kids had their own activities and she had a little time to herself now and then, but it was never for long. They could pop back in at any moment. Besides, they were family. It wasn’t quite the same as the situation she was in now, and she couldn’t escape the feeling that she was living someone else’s life, one in which