Free Friends and Lovers Trilogy 03 - Seduced by Beth Ciotta

devouring through the lowered window and onto the back seat. She brushed crumbs from her hands and shoved her windblown curls out of narrowed nut-brown eyes. “You fell asleep. Someone had to navigate.”
    “I fell asleep because, after arriving home from a long flight from Arizona,
someone
kept me up to all hours between her night-owl raids of the fridge and trying to talk me into hopping an early plane to Vermont. The reason for flying in three days early still as clear as mud, I might add.”
    Unfazed by his sarcasm, Lulu rocked back on the heels of her pink high-top sneakers. “Rudy needs us.”
    “So you said.”
    Afia refused to believe that Murphy’s grumpiness was due to lack of sleep. Given his past and current career, she’d bet her diamond stud earrings he could operate easily on sporadic powernaps. No, something else preyed on his mind. He’d been distracted all morning and he’d frequently checked his phone messages. Probably a case. Probably nothing. Still, she hated that she’d stoked his fire by involving Lulu in her ruse. Per Rudy’s instructions, she’d called her new friend to cancel the trip, and had instead talked her into arriving ahead of schedule.
    Fighting a flash of guilt, she tucked her stick-straight, waist-length hair behind her ears and frowned at Murphy. “Don’t blame Lulu. A short cut seemed like a good idea. The sooner we get to Rudy’s, the better.” Last night’s conversation with her friend had left her edgy and perplexed. They’d been planning this get-together for weeks. After her initial disappointment had subsided, she’d replayed their conversation in her mind. Who the heck was Casper? And why in the world would Rudy allow wiring problems to interfere with his romantic reunion with Jean-Pierre? Something was rotten in Vermont.
    “I’m not blaming Lulu. She wasn’t at the wheel.” Murphy glared over his shoulder at Jake, who was pacing. “Why did you let the girls talk you into veering off the main highway?”
    “Because Afia’s had a tiring day and the sooner I can get her settled the better.”
    Afia rolled her eyes. “Here we go.”
    “She looks fine to me,” Lulu said.
    “More than fine,” Murphy said. “She’s glowing. And she sure as hell has more energy than me. Leave off, for chrissake. You’ve been fussing over her all morning.” He turned to Afia. “How do you take it? I would’ve decked him by now.”
    She snickered.
    Jake glowered. These two men had a like-loathe relationship that she’d yet to figure out. “Just pinpoint our location on the map, and point me in the direction of the nearest town,” he told Murphy. “You stay with the women. I’ll start walking.”
    Afia immediately sobered and touched Jake’s arm. “I don’t like the idea of you wandering around in the wilderness. What if you get lost? What if a bear wanders out of the woods?”
    Murphy’s head snapped up. “Oh, no. Don’t …”
    “What if the bear’s rabid, or hungry?” Lulu added, eyes wide. “Or just plain mean?”
    “…start with the ‘what ifs’,” Murphy finished. “My wife can ‘what if’ any situation …”
    “What if a car rounds the corner too fast and …”
    “Luciana. Hon.” Murphy’s voice was gentle yet firm.
    The children’s storyteller, renowned for her creativity, glanced at her husband, then at Afia who now had a death grip on Jake. She thunked her hand to her forehead. “Ignore me, Afia. My imagination gets the best of me sometimes.”
    “I’m fine,” Afia lied. She didn’t want Lulu to feel bad. She didn’t want Jake and Murphy to worry. But in reality, she felt ill. Born on Friday the thirteenth, she’d lived somewhat of a jinxed life, losing two previous husbands to freak accidents. Although she’d cared deeply for Randy and Frank, she hadn’t been in love. If anything ever happened to Jake … Blinking back tears, she looked up at the father of her baby, the man she loved heart and soul. “I think we should