Falling for a Stranger (20 page)

But first she had to get Megan and her friend off.

As Drew stepped into the room, he waved his hand in the air and coughed at the thick smell of perfume.

"Did you break a bottle or something?" he asked.

Ria laughed. "Or something. Try two teenaged girls and two battling scents of seduction."

"They want to dance with these guys, not kill them, right?"

"Drew," Megan squealed as she came out of her bedroom. She struck a model pose. "What do you think of my dress?"

"You're beautiful."

She blushed under his compliment. "I wouldn't go that far."

"I would. Your date is going to be knocked out. And yours, too," he added, turning to Lindsay, who was standing in the doorway. "You must be Lindsay."

"And you must be the pilot," Lindsay said, a touch of awe in her voice. She glanced at Megan. "I see what you mean."

Megan nodded. "Told you."

As the girls returned to the bedroom, Drew turned a quizzical eye in Ria's direction. "Do I want to know?"

"All you need to know is that you're a hit with the teen crowd."

"I'm more interested in being a hit with you." He gave her a quick kiss. "How soon are they leaving?"

Before she could answer, the buzzer pealed.

"Right now," Ria said, then buzzed in the boys.

The next few minutes were a blur of corsages and boutonnieres and lots of pictures. Every time Megan smiled for the camera, Ria felt a twinge of fear, but she told herself she was being foolish. And since there was no way she could stop it, she needed to just let the worry go.

Eventually, the kids made their way downstairs where a limo was waiting. Eric's father had paid for their ride to the prom. Ria stood at the window, watching as they got into the car. She felt suddenly emotional, wishing Kate could be here to see her daughter.

Drew peered over her shoulder. "Megan looks happy," he said.

"So far it's the perfect night." She blinked the tears out of her eyes and glanced back at him. "I hope it ends up that way."

"And no one throws up on her shoes," he said.

She smiled. "Exactly. So what now?"

He smiled back at her. "I'd really like to take advantage of this empty apartment, but I've made plans for us."

"You have," she said, a little surprised.

"I asked you on a date. That usually requires a plan."

"What are we going to do?"

"Grab your jacket, and you'll find out."

"I'm not dressed up." She'd put on her nicest sweater and her best pair of jeans, but they were still jeans.

"You're dressed perfectly. But it's going to get cold later, so bring a warm jacket."

She moved over to the closet and grabbed her coat, wondering where they were headed. Drew looked smug and a little too proud of his plans. She had a feeling he had more in mind than dinner and a movie.

"When is Megan expected back from the prom?" he asked as they walked out to his car.

"Tomorrow morning," she admitted, suspecting Drew was going to like her answer.

His face lit up. "Really? You're actually going to let her stay out all night?"

"Yes. I fought the battle, but I lost. They're staying at a hotel about six blocks from here. There are three couples, one room, so hopefully not a lot of—you know."

"Oh, I know," he said. "And are you that sure you've been given the right information?"

"Megan wouldn't lie about it to me."

"I lied to my parents," he said with a frank smile.

"Yeah, I did, too," she said. "But Megan knows that she can't treat this like the other kids. I have to know where she is. And she has to tell me the truth."

His expression grew more somber, but all he said was, "Okay."

She was surprised he'd let the subject drop so easily, but perhaps that was another hint that he still wasn't ready to know everything just yet. That was fine with her. She wanted time off from the worry and the danger. She just wanted to have some fun and be with Drew. Like Megan, she would pretend for a night that her life was perfectly normal.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Ria asked.

"You'll see," Drew replied as he drove past the marina, the yacht club, and eventually over the Golden Gate Bridge. He couldn't wait to see her reaction when she realized what they were going to do.

"Are we going far?" she asked.

"That depends on your definition of far."

"And that's not an answer."

"Now, you know how I feel when you won't answer any of my questions," he retorted.

"Funny."

"Relax, we're almost there. You're going to love it."

"You're awfully confident considering you don't really know what I love."

"I have a good idea about some things," he said pointedly. "Although, I might need a refresher course later on."

"We'll see how well the first part of this evening goes."

A moment later, he took the first exit into Sausalito and drove down a winding road to the bay. At the end of the road stood a small building and a helicopter pad. A bright red four-seater helicopter awaited, along with his friend, Randy Cruz.

"Oh, my God, we're taking a helicopter ride, aren't we?" she said.

"You're riding. I'm flying."

"That's your helicopter?"

"No, it belongs to my friend. He flies helicopter tours over the bay, and he was happy to let me use his helo for our date." He paused. "You're not scared, are you?"

"I've never been up in one, but I'm game."

He'd known she would be. Ria wasn't one to shrink from a challenge.

They got out of the car and headed over to the helicopter. Randy had it gassed up and ready to go. After introducing Ria to Randy, his friend handed her a two-way headset and helped her into the right front seat while Drew got in on the left. He adjusted his headset and said, "Everything okay?"

"I'm trusting you to let me know if it's not okay."

"You don't have anything to worry about. You showed me your world. I want to show you mine, and there's nothing like flying over the city when the night lights start coming on."

"What are we waiting for?" she asked.

And on that note, he took off. Ria gasped as the helo left the pad, and she seemed to have a good grip on her armrests for a minute or two, but as they gained altitude, she started to relax.

"What do you think of the city from up here?" he asked her.

"Beautiful," she said, her gaze on the lighted skyline.

He flew her around the city, past the skyscrapers and the Bay Bridge, around by the new Giants' Ballpark and McCovey Cove, and then he reversed the route, flying past the various islands in the bay, Treasure Island, Angel Island and Alcatraz.

"I thought it would be louder," Ria said. "But it's quiet. It's like we're alone in the sky. Just you and me."

"Just you and me," he echoed, a warm feeling rushing through him as the words left his mouth. "And now for the grand finale."

"It's over already?" Ria asked with disappointment.

"Unfortunately, Randy could only give me thirty minutes," he said. "But no trip over the bay is complete without a fly under the Golden Gate Bridge."

"Fly under?" she echoed.

He took the helicopter down, hearing her catch her breath again, and then flew her under the magnificent bridge, out towards the ocean. The skyline was a dark purple as twilight fell over the city, the fog bank miles off shore.

He wanted to keep going. He wanted to stay in the air forever with Ria at his side, but reality forced him to turn back toward Sausalito.

A few minutes later they were back on the ground.

They got out of the helicopter, and handed their headsets to Randy who asked Ria how she'd enjoyed the ride.

"It was awesome," she said, her face lit up with pleasure. "I only wish it was longer."

"We'll do it again," Drew said. "Thanks Randy."

"Any time," Randy said.

When they reached the car, Drew moved to open the door for Ria, but she caught him by the arm. He gave her a questioning look. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said with a smile. "Everything is perfect. The ride was perfect. And this is going to be perfect."

She kissed him, her mouth warm in the cool evening breeze. He wanted to deepen the kiss, but she was already moving away.

"Thank you," she said. "That was an amazing experience. I can see why you love flying."

"That was just a taste. Next time we'll do it in the daytime. We can fly up to the Napa Valley or over to Lake Tahoe, really see the landscape."

"I'd like that." She paused, a question in her eyes. "So back to my place, or…"

"Not yet. The evening is just beginning."

"Really?" she asked with an arch of her eyebrow. "What's next?"

"You'll see."

"You're enjoying being the man of mystery, aren't you?"

"Every second," he said. "But mostly I'm enjoying being with you."

She met his gaze and gave a nod. "Me, too."

* * *

Ria had been in sole control of her and Megan's life for the last year and a half, so it was refreshing to let Drew take the lead. After the breathtaking helicopter ride, she was already prepared to call the date a success. Anything more would just be icing on the cake. As they drove back over the bridge to the city, they were quiet, and it was the kind of quiet that felt right. They didn’t need words to fill the space. They could just breathe and be, and Ria let everything else go.

After getting off the bridge, Drew drove them back to the marina, parking by the yacht club. "Your turn," he said.

"I can't take the boat out now," she said, hating to disappoint him. But she could only use the sailboat when the yacht club was open.

"We don't need your boat. I have one."

"That's right, you do," she said, following him down the docks to the
Eleanor
.

The large boat was beautiful, older, but well taken care of, and having met the original Eleanor, Ria could imagine all the wonderful times she and Patrick had had on this boat. She checked out the boat, the galley and sleeping berth, and thought Drew and his brothers were going to have a lot of fun in the upcoming years.

"What do you think?" Drew asked.

"It looks to be in pretty good shape."

"How do you feel about a moonlit sail?"

"Pretty good," she said with a smile. "Do you want to do the honors?"

"I'm happy to put you in charge."

"Okay."

It was a nice change to be at the helm of a bigger boat, and Ria enjoyed sailing the
Eleanor
out into the bay. "How far do you want to go?" she asked Drew as they passed Alcatraz.

"This is good for me," he said. "I think it's time for dinner."

"Out here?"

"Can you think of a more romantic restaurant?"

She really couldn't. "You put some thought into tonight."

"I put thought into everything I do."

That didn't surprise her. Drew might like to fly into the wind, but he wasn't the kind of man to take off without some sort of plan.

He held up two wine bottles. "White or red?"

"White. What's for dinner?"

"Crab salad, fresh rolls, and strawberries."

"Impressive."

"Since you love the sea, I was hoping you liked seafood."

"How could I not? My grandfather was a fisherman."

"What about your dad?" he asked, as he handed her a glass of wine. "You've never really told me about him, except to say that he died, and that your parents didn't get along. What was your relationship like?"

"I adored my dad when I was little. But he didn't turn out to be the hero I imagined that he was."

Drew gave her an understanding look. "Most people don't. What did he do?"

"He cheated on my mom. It went on for over a year. He worked in sales and traveled a lot for his job. The affair was with his assistant, a lovely woman named Gwen. I really liked her until I found out she was screwing my Dad." She sipped her wine. "My father said that my mother froze him out, that after she had me she didn't want to have sex anymore. That he'd spent ten years watching her roll over to her side of the bed, and he couldn't stand looking at her back anymore. So they divorced. I went to live with my mom."

"Why did your sister stay with your father? It sounds like he was the one to blame for the divorce."

"I thought it was pretty clear cut, and I was only eleven. But Kate adored my father, and she was six years older than me. She said I didn't understand, that she'd heard the way my mother spoke to my father, and she didn't blame him. She put it all on my mom. She said my mother broke up the family because she wasn't willing to try." Ria paused. "My mom pretty much said exactly the opposite. Anyway, Kate was almost done with high school, and she didn't want to move, so that was part of why she stayed with my father.. I went to San Diego with my mother and then we eventually moved to the East Coast. I didn't see my father or sister again for a very long time."

"Why?" he asked.

"There was always a reason. Kate got pregnant young and had a baby, so her life totally changed. And my father just couldn't seem to work out any kind of visitation plan with my mother."

"Doesn't sound like he tried that hard." He stopped abruptly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"No, it's true. He didn't try that hard, and my mom didn't, either. I think they both wanted to move on, and I was the person who dragged them back to that time in their lives they wanted to forget. My mother told me once that she got pregnant with me to try to save the marriage."

"Why would she tell you that?"

"It just came out one night when she had too much wine. It actually made sense to me. But I'm making her sound worse than she is. She does love me, and we did have a relationship, just not the greatest one. It was a long time ago."

"I'm beginning to understand why you took to the sea."

"I wasn't just running away from family, I've always had wanderlust, always wanted to travel, and so I did."

"I always wanted to travel, too, one of the reasons I joined the Navy. I just didn't expect to see so much hot desert."

"I can't imagine living in a landlocked country or state. I'd go crazy in the middle of the country."