“He’s pulling out the big boxes for Maddie and Mom. Maddie must have asked him. Gives them a chance to hang out for a while.”

 She shook her head. “She asked who you were going out with...”

 “She just asked, ‘Do I know her?’” His smile was devilish. “I’m going to get a shower before I go shopping.”

 “Adam, they can’t know,” she said. “I’m sorry, but Riley can’t know...”

 “I wasn’t planning to tell her,” he said. “But I wasn’t planning to keep it a secret, either.” He frowned. “Is that your plan?”

 She bit her lower lip as she nodded. “Until she decides it’s okay I’m back, until I prove to her I’m an asset as an employee, please—let’s keep it between us.”

 “You’re afraid she’ll be angry,” he said.

 “Of course. She isn’t too sure of me yet. She was very clear—giving me a job had nothing to do with making up or being friends. She isn’t ready for me in her life. You are a huge part of her life.”

 “Do you want to stop this right now? Me and you? Because I can leave. I wouldn’t like it, but if you need more time...”

 “I can let you go but, heaven help me, I don’t want to give you up. Not if you want to stay. Not even for Riley.” She smiled a bit tremulously. “You should really think about this.”

 He smiled at her. “I’m going to take a shower, go to the store and stay as long as you’ll let me. And if it’s important to you that we keep it from Riley for a while, I can do that. I want you to feel safe.”

 “Thank you. I just need a little time to settle into my job. Not only do I need the job, I also want to prove to Riley that I don’t expect any favors, that there’s no debt to settle.”

 “If that’s the way you feel.”

 “It is.”

 “Then that’s how it will be,” he said.

 “Can I go shopping with you?”

 He smiled at that. “So you’re not hiding us from the world, just from Riley. Just for now.”

 “That’s about right. Can you live with that?”

 “It’s okay, Emma. I know the ground still feels pretty shaky. But I think everything is going to be okay.”

 She hoped so. But she knew things would only become more difficult if Riley and Adam were pitted against each other because of her. And that would be terrible.

 An hour later they were back at home with potato-cheese soup, mini ham sandwiches and antipasto from the deli, plus a nice bottle of wine. They ate on the couch in front of the TV then curled around each other for a while before going to bed. Adam didn’t ask if he could stay; he just stayed as long as she didn’t ask him to leave. She hung on to him all night long as if lost at sea, and rather than try to shed her clinging arms, he held her firmly to him.

 In the morning they had bagels and cream cheese with their coffee and then went for a walk through the quiet town. Then back to Emma’s place for more cuddling on the sofa.

 “So this is normal, is it?” she asked, relaxed and blooming under his touch.

 “You’ll get used to it,” he said.

    Chapter Nine

 After Thanksgiving dinner, Riley checked on a few of her cleaners, but only by phone. Of course they had clients who couldn’t even wash their own dishes on a family holiday. Some people entertained on Thanksgiving, and while she found the fact that they hired help away from their own families on such an occasion somewhat tacky, it was also profitable. Riley made it profitable for her employees, too. And from what her people in the field said, all went smoothly.

 It was a tradition for Riley and Maddie to help June decorate the house the day after Thanksgiving. Riley dropped Maddie off at June’s then went out to run a few errands. By the time she got back to her mother’s, Jock was in the garage, getting out boxes for Maddie and June.

 “I didn’t expect to run into you today,” she said. “Isn’t the store busy?”

 “Worse than busy. I was there for a couple of hours this morning when they opened the doors to the crowd. And I’m going back later to work tonight. It’ll be a zoo all weekend.”

 Black Friday was sale day and nothing sold like electronics. Computers, TVs, everything from headphones to cell phones. Jock was the manager now at least and had a little more control over his schedule, and though she hated to have to admit it, he put in some hard weeks.

 She went into the house. She didn’t like to look at him. He was still so good-looking that it kind of pissed her off. Couldn’t he at least age badly? But he was still drawn to sports, worked out, played a little football, a little basketball, golf—and he was as fit as he’d been in high school. He still looked like the guy who’d stolen her heart and then broken it.

 June was in the kitchen getting out all her Christmas cookie cutters. “I didn’t expect to see him here,” Riley said.

 “I think Maddie asked him to come,” June said.

 “Why didn’t she just ask Adam?”

 June sighed in some aggravation. “Because Jock is her father, I suppose. And much as it galls you, they enjoy each other.”

 “It doesn’t gall me,” she lied. “What can I do?”

 “Do you want to help go through the decoration boxes in the garage?” June asked with a sly smile.

 “What can I do in here?”

 “As soon as they find it, you can put the garland up on the bannister, string it with lights and hook up the extension cords.”