Read Online First Time in Forever by Sarah Morgan - Free Book Online

face was lined and the hair was white, but there was no missing the twinkle in her eyes.
    “Ryan Cooper, the most eligible man on the island. I was hoping I might bump into you.”
    “I was hoping the same thing.” He was all charm as he reached out and took her arm. “All ready for tonight, Hilda?”
    “I might have a problem with transportation because the doctor told Bill he shouldn’t be driving for a few weeks.” She looked at him hopefully, and Ryan didn’t disappoint.
    “What time are you planning on leaving? Seven?”
    “Perfect. Will you drop me home afterward?”
    He laughed. “You think I’m in the habit of leaving my date stranded?”
    “You’re a good boy, despite all the rumors.” She patted his arm. “I hear all sorts of stories about all-night parties at the Ocean Club, but I try not to listen.”
    Boy?
Startled, Emily looked at the stubble that darkened Ryan’s jaw and the lazy, sleepy eyes. She saw nothing of the boy in him, only the man. She wondered what the rumors were.
    Women, no doubt.
    With a man who looked like that, it had to be women.
    “You’re talking about Daisy’s twenty-first birthday party. It didn’t last all night, but it’s true that the sun was coming up.”
    “I heard she was wrapped like seaweed around the Allen boy.”
    “Is that right?” It was clear that if he knew, he wasn’t telling. “If anyone else needs a lift tonight, let me know.”
    Emily liked the fact he wasn’t prepared to reveal someone else’s secrets.
    As someone currently guarding a big secret, it reassured her.
    Hilda glanced around and then stepped closer to him. “This month’s book was a shocker. It was Agnes’s choice.”
    He looked amused. “You don’t surprise me. My grandmother enjoys shocking people.”
    “True. I still remember the time she hired a nude model for our drawing class.” The woman’s face wrinkled into a smile. “We had better attendance that night than any other night in the history of our group. We had to paper over the windows to stop people peeping through the glass. This book was a step up from that.” She noticed Lizzy and lowered her voice. “There were naked people
and
spanking.” She gave him a knowing look, and Ryan’s eyes gleamed.
    “Now I’m thinking I should join the group.”
    “You can’t do that. No testosterone allowed.”
    That would rule out Ryan Cooper, Emily thought. He was surrounded by a force field of testosterone.
    “This is Brittany’s friend Emily,” Ryan said easily. “She’s staying at Castaway Cottage, and this is her niece, Lizzy.”
    Hilda studied Emily closely. “I remember you. You’re one of Kathleen’s girls. You used to spend the summer here. You and the pretty blonde girl.”
    Emily hadn’t expected anyone to recognize her. “Skylar.”
    “Kathleen talked about the three of you all the time. ‘Hilda,’ she said, ‘those three are as close as sisters. They’d do anything for each other.’ You were the quiet one.” Hilda transferred her attention to Lizzy. “You’re going to love Puffin Island. You should take a boat trip to see the seals and the puffins. And don’t forget to visit Summer Scoop. Best ice cream in Maine and all organic. What’s your favorite flavor?”
    Lizzy considered. “Chocolate.”
    Emily felt something stir inside her.
    Everyone knew the right way to talk to a child except her. They were easy and natural, whereas she used the same tone she used when presenting to a board of directors.
    Miserably aware that she was only a few hours in to a responsibility that was going to last a lifetime, she watched as Ryan helped Hilda back across the street. If they were going to escape, this would be the perfect time.
    She could walk to the store and do what she’d planned to do, stock up the cottage.
    “Aunt Emily?” Lizzy was clutching the bear so tightly it seemed unlikely the stitching would survive.
    Emily looked at the white knuckles and the lost expression on the child’s