Summer's Need by Ann Mayburn Page B

wondered again about what they talked about during their
private sessions. Whatever it was it must have meant something to Dave because
he appeared both chagrined and a bit defiant.
    He glanced at her face then looked down at the floor.
“Sorry.”
    “Like you mean it.”
    Summer burst out laughing at the incredulous look Dave gave
Ember.
    Dave gave her a sullen look, which only sent her off on
another round of giggles. “What’s so funny?”
    She shook her head, her laughter bubbling through her like a
cleansing mist, taking away some of the anger and hurt clouding her mind. “For
a second there you sounded like our boys being forced to apologize to each
other.”
    “Do not.” The corners of his lips twitched in a suppressed
grin. “You started it.”
    A small, immature part of her wanted to continue arguing
that he was the one who started it, but the sight of Ember rolling her eyes
made her swallow back the retort. Barely. Instead she flipped the bird at Dave
in a purely juvenile display of bad manners that would have made her mother
faint with embarrassment.
    “Promises, promises,” Dave muttered and reached across the
couch, reclaiming her hand and lacing his fingers between hers.
    “What?” It dawned on her a second later that he was
referring to the “fuck you” meaning of her obscene gesture. An unexpected bit
of arousal tightened her lower body. “Oh.”
    Ember chuckled and wrote something down on the notepad on
her desk. “I’ve been seeing you crazy kids for three months now and you’ve made
great progress, but I think it’s time for you to have a take-home quiz.”
    “Quiz?” Dave asked with a grin.
    Summer cleared her throat, hating to break the warmth
between her and her husband. She’d been avoiding telling him the news because
she knew as soon as she did he would begin to withdraw from her. But if she
didn’t speak up now she’d put it off until the cab came to pick her up for her
flight.
    “Actually…” She sneaked a peek at Dave’s face and hated the
suspicion and anger she already saw growing there. “I’ll be out of town next
week for a managerial conference.”
    Dave stiffened next to her and his grip felt suddenly loose.
“You said you weren’t going on any business trips for the next month.” There
was so much anger in his tone that he might as well have yelled at her.
    Immediately her self-defense mechanism kicked in and her
mind started coming up with excuses. It wasn’t that she’d lied to him about it,
she’d just not mentioned it yet. She opened her mouth to make justifications,
to say how it wasn’t her fault, that she didn’t know about it but that she had
to go. All the usual things she told him every time she had to suddenly leave
for a few days. Instead of giving him the usual spiel she caught Ember’s weighted
look and instead said, “You’re right. I should have told you sooner. It’s
bullshit and I’m sorry. I really am.” She blinked back tears, straining to
maintain her composure. “Please don’t be mad at me.”
    Dave’s grip tightened again and he blew out a slow breath,
closing his eyes and visibly relaxing his shoulders. When he looked at her
again he seemed more determined than angry. He started to say something, then
shook his head and took a deep breath. “I’m not mad, I’m disappointed.” He
looked up at her and his dark eyes softened. The pressure around her heart
eased a bit but a tear managed to escape before she dashed it away. “Don’t cry,
love. We’ll need to make sure our time together isn’t wasted.”
    He turned back to Ember and tugged Summer closer on the couch,
his hand resting on her hip in a possessive manner she found soothing. In need
of the comfort he offered, she pulled his arm tighter around her and sank into
his warmth. No matter what craziness was going on inside her head, being held
by Dave always made her feel better.
    Ember watched them with a small smile. “Ronald Reagan once
wrote a letter to his son