Uncharted Waters by Linda Castillo

In the other, she dangled his truck keys. “Hey! I think you forgot something!”
    For several heartbeats, Drew just stood there looking at her, feeling a familiar tug he didn’t want to acknowledge. Wordlessly, he turned and started toward her. He tried to keep his expression light, but he could tell by her faltering smile that he wasn’t quite succeeding.Damn, he was bad at this stuff. Bad for her and her kid. Hell, he was even bad for himself.
    He wished he hadn’t come to see her. Wished he hadn’t invited them to fly with him tomorrow. Spending time with her was only asking for trouble. He would never be able to live with himself if he acted on the impulses racing through his brain.
    Stepping onto the porch, he stuck out his hand palm up. “Thanks.”
    She dropped the keys into his hand, then cocked her head and glanced up at him. “Are you okay?”
    He laughed, but the sound was fraught with tension. “I’m fine.”
    â€œYou seem...tense.”
    â€œI’m just in a hurry.”
    â€œYou’re late for an appointment.”
    â€œRight.”
    She didn’t look convinced, so he glanced at his watch as if to prove he wasn’t lying. “Gotta run.”
    â€œSee you tomorrow morning,” she said.
    Drew’s hands were shaking when he turned away from her. As he made his way down the sidewalk toward his truck, he realized he would never be able to put enough distance between them to avoid what he’d feared most since the terrible day they’d buried Rick. The only question that remained was what he was going to do about it.
    Nothing, he assured himself.
    Not a damn thing.

CHAPTER FOUR
    A lison assured herself she wasn’t nervous as she parked the Mustang in the gravel lot of Water Flight Tours and shut down the engine. Just because an old friend had invited her and her little boy to join him on a sunrise flight was no reason to get nervous. The only reason he’d invited them in the first place was that he felt guilty for ignoring them during their first tour. Or maybe some misplaced sense of responsibility.
    She wasn’t sure which rationale bothered her more.
    Drew wasn’t the first person who mistakenly believed that because she was a widow, she was somehow diminished. She could save them both some time and energy by letting him know she neither wanted or needed any special treatment. She certainly didn’t need a knight in shining armor. She might be a widow, but she was far from a damsel in distress.
    The only reason she was a little off kilter this morning was that she was getting some strange vibes from Drew. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She’d seen him twice in the last two days and both times he’d seemed uncomfortable and almost desperate to get away from her. At first she’d thought it was just her overactive imagination. It was clear he’d been busy the day she and Kevin had shown up unexpectedly for the tour. But yesterday morning when he’d shown up at her house, he’d been nervous and out of sorts. It wasalmost as if the only reason he’d come at all was out of duty. Because he’d been Rick’s best friend he felt he owed it to him to look out for his widow.
    Alison didn’t need that and neither did Kevin. Duty, however honorable, wasn’t what their friendship was all about. She didn’t need him looking out for her. Sure, the last four years had been difficult. But if she’d learned anything during those first endless months after Rick’s death, it was that time was, indeed, the great healer. Life really did go on. Not only for Kevin, she’d realized, but for herself. Rick would have wanted that for her and for his son. Alison knew that as steadfastly as she knew he’d loved her. The question was, how did she convince Drew that she was doing just fine when he had the misguided notion that he owed her something?
    Just tell