Page 103 of Tangled Up In You

Adam was on the phone when Molly arrived. He let her into his house and motioned it would be just a minute. While he was talking, she wandered around the spacious, one-story home with floor-to-ceiling windows of the lake. The décor was manly, comfortable, but also very clean and organized. Adam was a man who liked order. And she was a woman who had had very little order in her life and was almost scared when things were too neat.

They were very much opposites. But they also complemented each other. At least, she wanted to think so.

Besides being neat, Adam's house felt warm and inviting. There were a lot of family photos on a credenza. She walked over to check them out, seeing group pictures of a much younger Adam with his siblings and his parents. There were also bigger family pictures with what appeared to be cousins and kids, aunts and uncles.

As her gaze swept the table, she also noted the picture of Adam, Brodie, and three other guys holding a trophy on a basketball court. There was also a shot of Adam on a boat with a very large fish dangling from a hook.

"Sorry about that," he said.

"You're a fisherman?" she asked, pointing toward the photo.

"I don't catch a lot of fish, but I don't mind being out on the water in the early morning. I have a boat, and it's very relaxing. Have you ever been fishing?"

"No. It sounds like it would be a little boring."

He smiled. "But you're all about relaxation and de-stressing. That's what fishing is."

"I thought it was about catching fish."

"That's the icing on the cake. We'll have to go sometime."

"Maybe. I certainly wouldn't say no to a boat ride. Is it a speed boat?"

He laughed. "It is. We can go as fast as you want." He leaned over and kissed her. "How are you?"

"Good," she said, as an intimate smile passed between them. "What about you? Busy day? Was that call about my case?"

"No, it was about another investigation, but I'm still working on locating Ethan Mercer."

"That's fine. I'm hoping that he got the diamond, or he just gave up. Either way works for me. I don't want to think about it right now."

"Then let's go for our bike ride."

"I haven't actually been on a bike that moves in a while, just the one at the gym."

"It's fairly flat around here. You'll be fine. Come on, I have the perfect bike for you." He led her out to the garage.

She laughed at the bright-red girl's bike with the basket in front. "Seriously? You own this bike?"

"No. I borrowed it from my neighbor. She likes to bike into town and pick up fresh vegetables at the farmers' market. It looks like the right size for you."

"I just hope it's true that you never forget how to ride a bike. Not that I had a lot to forget. I don't think I rode more than two or three times as a kid. I didn't have my own bike, and we lived in a lot of big cities where you couldn't just hop on a bike and ride around town."

"Then you're really going to enjoy this." He handed her the helmet that was hanging from the handlebars. "Safety first."

She laughed. "Of course."

Like everything else, bike riding with Molly was an adventure. She'd started out wobbly and uncertain but after running off the driveway into his rosebushes twice, she'd managed to get herself out to the sidewalk with the dogged determination Adam was beginning to realize was a big part of her.

Molly was not a quitter. She rose to challenges. She didn't sink down and hide or look for someone to bail her out. She hadn't even wanted his advice on how to get the bike going. She'd been determined to do it on her own.

He knew at least some of her independence had been born in the fire of an unpredictable childhood. Molly had grown up knowing she had to adapt. She had to embrace change, or she'd spend her life unhappy.

What he didn't really understand now was why she seemed so ambivalent about staying in Whisper Lake. She should want the roots she'd never had. She should want to be part of a circle of friends, a supportive community. She should be ecstatic she had her own business. And they got along great, better than he'd ever imagined great. But he wasn't sure any of that was enough for her, and it didn't make sense.

She'd said something about having roots meant you couldn't fly, but she'd been flying her entire life. Maybe it was time to land, to make a home, a real home, one that wasn't going to change in a few years.

He tried to rein in his thoughts as they went into dangerous territory. He hadn't been looking for a relationship. He hadn't wanted a relationship, but he seemed to be in one, and he was having too good of a time to end it.

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