Page 89 of Escorted

The month Anderhad been on his archeological field project on Santorini had seemed endless.She’d missed him horribly, so much it as almost embarrassing.

But now he wasfinally back.

“Do we reallyhave to watch this movie?” Ander asked with a long-suffering expression. Hewore a white t-shirt and gray trousers with no shoes or socks, and he looked soscrumptious she wanted to swallow him whole.

“Yes,” shesaid, sticking out her chin to show her stubbornness. “It will be fun. You can mockit to your heart’s content.”

“ButPrettyWoman?” Ander’s voice was edged with skepticism and reluctance.

“Just watchit,” she said, scowling at him.

He chuckled ashe picked up his wine and the remote. “Your good mood didn’t last very long,did it?”

She floppeddown next to me. “You have no one to blame but yourself.” But she gave him asideways glance, drinking in the sight of his relaxed face and his tanned skinfrom hours in the Mediterranean sun. He’d apparently had a really good trip,the field project sealing his determination to go into archeology. She was soglad he’d found something that might help him feel fulfilled, despite the gapinghole he’d left in her life during his absence.

She sighed,trapped between poignancy and joy. “I’m so glad you’re home.”

Ander laughedagain, but he put his arm around her to give her a squeeze. “Me too.”

They watchedthe movie. Lori managed to basically enjoy the fluffy, implausible sap, despitea snide running commentary from Ander. She didn’t complain, since she’d toldhim he was allowed to mock. But she took vengeance by snuggling up against him.

He wasn’tnormally a touchy-feely person. Since they’d canceled their businessarrangement, Ander rarely initiated anything more than brief, casual touches.But he was the one who put his arm around her, so she figured she couldconsider that the first move.

She leanedagainst him happily as she watched and let herself enjoy the simple pleasure ofbeing close to him.

They’d reachedthe final scene of the movie—the blissful reconciliation in a swell of romanticfeeling without the slightest hint at realism or basic human truths. Lori triedto get into the fantasy-spirit, but Ander’s ironic snorting kept getting in theway.

Pressed againsthis side, her legs curled up on the sofa, Lori peered up at him. “Didn’t youhave fun?”

Ander tried togive her a look of cool disapproval, but his adorably twitching mouth revealedhis true mood.

“You know whatI was thinking?” Lori asked, straightening up although she couldn’t bringherself to draw away from his cozy side.

Ander didn’tpull his arm away. “That you’d like to run off with Richard Gere?”

She stifled asnicker. “No. I was thinking about how the first thing we did together waswatch a movie.”

“Actually, thefirst thing we did together was get coffee and walk over to the park.”

Lori huffed.“I’m making a point here.”

“I see. Andlittle details like accuracy keep getting in the way. Very annoying.”

She knew himwell enough to know he was in high-spirits tonight. He didn’t reveal a rush of giddinesslike Lori always did, but his irrepressible banter and warm eyes gave him away.She felt another urge to hug him but managed to repress it this time. “Do youwant to hear my point or not?”

“Yes,” he said.“Actually I do. What is it?”

Lori paused.Then huffed again. “Now I’ve forgotten it.”

“It hadsomething to do with watching a movie together. Fond memories of that eroticfilm?”

“It was good,”she said honestly. “I wouldn’t mind seeing it again.” Then she remembered herpoint and she added almost bashfully, “What did you think of me back then? Imean, at first.”

When Anderdidn’t answer, she darted her eyes up to his face. He wasn’t looking at her,and his face had sobered into thoughtfulness.

“You don’t haveto tell me if you don’t want,” she said after a minute, with what she thoughtwas remarkable generosity given her desperate desire to know.

“You terrifiedme.”

---