Page 66 of Switching Places

As he ate, he thought about what he wanted to do. Despite everything, he still wanted Emma Carter. He was an idiot.

He had thought Emma different from Crystal, different from other women with their eye to the main chance. Just when he had thought to give a relationship another shot, he discovered she wasn’t even who he thought she was.

Logan spent the day in Santa Barbara. He had nothing waiting at home. He didn’t plan to go into the office tomorrow. The turmoil he felt would make him useless for anything creative.

He wandered aimlessly around the older part of town. In the afternoon, he sat on one of the benches near the beach and watched the waves crash over the white sand. When he got too hot, he moved to another location with shade.

All through the day, he thought about Emma. About the time the two of them had spent together. He wanted to wring her neck and rant and rave at her until she begged him for forgiveness. And swore to never lie to him again. Until she promised to be faithful forever.

Then he’d feel the anger build. At himself for caring what she’d do in the future.

He wanted nothing to do with a liar. He’d had enough with Crystal. A leopard wouldn’t change its spots. He was a fool if he thought any woman was any different.

Yet the essence of the woman hadn’t been a lie, had it? Genuine pleasure shone from her eyes at the most innocuous things. She liked walking along the beach, liked sitting quietly for hours and watching the surf. She’d been interested in what he told her about his work, her questions intelligent and insightful.

He’d wondered at the change in Lily. There was an inherentnicenessabout Emma that came through. Surely the feelings between them hadn’t been all false.

Thinking back over the days they’d spent together, he could sift through what had been pretense and what had been real.

It was long past dark when Logan turned into his driveway. Involuntarily his eyes sought the house next door. Lights blazed from a dozen windows.

Of course, Lily was home. She might even be having a party, for all he knew.

He stopped the car and got out. It was quiet, no sounds of music or laughter or people talking. Maybe Lily liked a lot of light. He’d never noticed before. Hadn’t paid that much attention to his neighbor.

He turned toward his house, but couldn’t go inside. He still felt too raw. Walking toward the cliff, he let his eyes take in the silvery sheen on the ocean. The moon was waning, in another week or so it would be much darker if he wanted to walk along the beach. The brightness dimmed as it had with Emma.

When he reached the edge, he noticed a small fire burning to his right, near the base of the cliff. Drawn, he headed for the carved stairs and quietly descended.

A lone figure sat by the fire, gazing into the flickering flames. Emma. Sitting on a log drawn up near the blaze, she appeared not to hear him as he walked across the soft, still warm sand.

Chapter Nineteen

Logan approached slowly. The fire showed evidence of having been burning for quite a while. Had she been out here alone or had Lily insisted on an impromptu picnic? He’d seen Lily a few times, with friends around a campfire, drinking from a huge cooler someone brought down. There were no signs of that now. Only Emma Carter and the fire and the empty beach.

As he came into the light of the fire, she caught sight of him. She looked up briefly, then returned her gaze to the fire without saying a word.

The breeze had picked up and the air felt cooler as it buffeted gently against them. The strong tang of salt filled his nostrils until he moved close enough to have her special fragrance mix with that of the sea. He sat beside her on the log. The fire gave off light and warmth, but he wondered if she felt the dampness in the air.

“We hunted for driftwood, built the fire and roasted marshmallows over the open flame,” she said.

“I’ve seen your sister do that before. She seems to like it.”

Emma nodded.

“I think she finds that very primitive and so it holds a certain novelty. She’s obviously never been camping.”

He looked at her, shadows dancing in the flickering flame. The glow of the moon had dimmed since the night they’d walked along the ocean’s edge. Was it a foreshadow of their relationship?

It was over. Yet, he still wanted her. Wanted to feel the softness of her hair tangle with his fingers. He wanted to feel her lips against his, taste her sweetness, savor the fragrance that captivated him. How could he still want her when he hated what she’d done?

His desire for Crystal had vanished once he’d discovered her perfidy. Now he felt an urge for forgiveness. For clearing the air and seeing if they could— Could what? Work things out? He couldn’t trust her.

“And you’ve been camping?” he asked.

“Lots of times. We live in the Blue Ridge Mountains. My folks have taken us hiking and camping since I was about nine. My stepfather is great for that kind of thing. He loves fishing in mountain streams.”

“I know nothing about Emma Carter,” Logan said.

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