Page 67 of Serenity Harbor

Now they wouldn’t be able to avoid being together for at least a few hours.

“Oh, this is going to be so much fun!” McKenzie exclaimed. “The perfect evening. I can’t wait!”

Though she knew it was foolish and would probably only add to her heartbreak when she left, Katrina had to admit she felt the same.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

ASTHEAFTERNOONwore on and she and Milo returned home, Katrina tried not to check her inbox on her smartphone, which was now dry and working, but it was becoming increasingly clear that she would not receive an email response from Angel Herrera that day.

Considering it was late Friday afternoon and he had already demonstrated over the last several months that he never checked email on weekends, odds were good she wouldn’t hear from him that day.

If he didn’t respond by Monday, she told herself, she would start calling him nonstop until he spoke with her and told her the truth about what was happening with the adoption proceedings.

Aware she could do nothing about that particular problem from thousands of miles away, she tried to focus on Milo and his excitement about the coming boat ride. It didn’t help her mental state that the very thing that had him vibrating off the walls was yet another source of anxiety for her.

“Bo?” Milo said.

Was he sayingboatthis time orBo? She couldn’t quite tell.

She looked up from the fruit she was chopping to the clock on the microwave of the kitchen. “He should be here soon,” she said.

He had texted her an hour ago that he would be home before six so they could meet Kenzie and Ben. She couldn’t tell by the terse text if he was annoyed at having plans made for him by two interfering women.

“Okay, I’m done with the strawberries. Do you want to add them to our salad?”

Milo nodded and climbed back on the chair next to the work island. With his tongue held between his teeth, he scooped the strawberries gingerly into the bowl that already held pineapple, kiwi and sliced bananas.

Just as he spooned the last of the fruit into the bowl, she heard the unmistakable sound of the garage door opening.

“Bo!” Milo said.

“Yes. That’s Bo.”

With that same ridiculous anticipation zinging through her, she hurried to finish the salad, adding the final ingredients just as he walked in.

“Hi,” he said.

Her heartbeat seemed to accelerate to what were probably unhealthy levels. “Hello,” she greeted him.

“Bo,” Milo said.

“Hey, kiddo.” He walked in and rubbed Milo’s head, a gesture the boy tolerated more easily than hugs and warm embraces.

He gazed into the bowl. “That looks good.”

“I hope so. It sounded refreshing for a summer night.”

“I guess we’re going on a boat ride.”

Why did he have to be so darn gorgeous and smell so good? She would have a much easier time being casual and friendly and distant if he didn’t punch every single one of her yum buttons.

“I’m sorry,” she said, then cleared her throat so her voice didn’t squeak like a thirteen-year-old boy’s. “I never meant to push you into it. I only mentioned to McKenzie that Milo would love a ride sometime and, well, you know how she is. Hurricane McKenzie. She kind of took the idea and ran with it.”

“It’s fine. I did mention it to Ben after we talked about it a while ago, but both of us have been slammed.”

“Milo’s looking forward to it, aren’t you?”

“Boat,” the boy pronounced, enunciating theTin an exaggerated way as they had practiced all afternoon.

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