Dream of Me: A Sweet Contemporary Romance by Delaney Cameron Page B

dryer is, I’ll take care of these.”
    Looking up from pouring coffee into cups, he pointed to a pair of folding doors just beyond the pantry. “Right through there.”
    When she returned, he eyed her comedic appearance with amusement. “Feel better?”
    “Much better,” she assured him.
    “Now you can sit on the furniture.”
    Aubrey settled on one end of the couch and tucked her feet underneath her.
    “Seriously, what were you doing outside?” he asked as he handed her an oversized mug.
    “The sun was shining when I left. I wish the storm would move on. I need to get back; they’ll be wondering where I am.”
    “ They will? Has Paul returned? I must be behind on the gossip.”
    “No, my sister arrived yesterday.”
    “Is she pretty like you?”
    “Does it matter? She’s one of those blondes you find so overrated.”
    “Did I really say that?” he asked with a wry grin.
    “Yes, along with a bunch of other things I should have ignored.”
    He reached into his pocket and removed his cell phone. “Excuse me for a few minutes, Aubrey. I’ve been waiting on this call.” She heard his exclamation of pleasure and then a subsequent lowering of his voice as he strolled out of the room. Rolling her eyes, she picked up a magazine from the coffee table. He’d probably be a while.
    Aubrey was half way through an article about the history of Tybee Island when someone knocked on the front door. Richard still hadn’t returned. She went to peer through the blinds, her eyes widening with dismay when they fell on Corbin standing on the doorstep. Even with an umbrella, he was soaked, but it was his expression that made her swallow quickly.
    Before she could decide what to do, he pounded on the door again. With trembling fingers, she opened the door, her face mirroring a mixture of fear and guilt. Corbin’s eyes swept over her robe-clad figure with a look that brought the color surging into her pale cheeks.
    “Didn’t you think Phoebe and I might worry when you disappeared from the house and didn’t return?” His glance moved over her again. “Of course you didn’t. You had more important things on your mind. It wouldn’t have taken but a few seconds to tell me your plans, and it would have saved me a wasted morning looking for you.”
    Before she could utter a word in reply, he was gone. She was still standing at the door watching his taillights disappear in the swirling rain when Richard returned.
    “Aubrey, what are you doing? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
    She smiled wanly, thinking a ghost would have been preferable. “I need to check on my clothes.”
    In a daze of jumbled emotions, she opened the dryer and felt her clothes. They were slightly damp, but dry enough for her purpose. Remembering the contempt in Corbin’s face when he saw what she was wearing, she hurried down the hall into the guest room. She had to get out of Richard’s robe.
    As she dressed, a flame of resentment began to build inside her. All she was guilty of was leaving the house without telling anyone. She wasn’t answerable to Corbin or anyone else for how she chose to spend her time. As for finding her with Richard, it was obvious what interpretation he put on her being there. He hadn’t even given her a chance to explain.
    Aubrey rejoined Richard with a demeanor that successfully hid her agitation. Luckily, the conversation didn’t require any response from her. She nodded from time to time, not really listening to the woes of dealing with seasonal renters. All she could hear was the quiet disgust in Corbin’s voice. Who was he to judge her?
    When Richard decided it was safe to venture outside, she rose with conflicting feelings. On the one hand, she was impatient to be gone. On the other, she dreaded the inevitable meeting with Corbin. She said nothing as Richard drove carefully through the drizzling rain, maneuvering around tree limbs and other debris lying on the road.
    His deep voice broke into her thoughts.