Outside, the little birdies were going cheep cheep cheep. For a second, I thought I was back at home on Orcas Island. The only thing missing was Scarlett blasting The Rascals’ It’s A Beautiful Morning through Mom’s sound system. I was still at Nora’s place, alone in her bed. I stayed the night because riding a bike at two o’clock in the morning was suicide, especially on a weekend. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. I’ll also admit I wanted to postpone the inevitable. Once I left Nora Deven’s house, I’d never see her again. It was too dangerous. She’d slipped past all my defenses and embedded herself dangerously close to my heart. Deeper than any woman had ever touched me. She was a good person. I didn't want to hurt her. The best way to avoid that pain was to stay away from her altogether. I didn’t know where she was, but the bedroom door was open and I could hear Lisa and Frank chattering in the kitchen. “I can’t believe you guys don’t have an espresso machine,”
