That night, Ellie paced back and forth the length of the patio. Darren was sometimes late, but not usually this late. Then she realized what must be going on. He was going to surprise her instead. The whole thing about picking her up at eight-thirty was a cover. He was going to surprise her like he did last year on her birthday. That had been a wonderful night. He’d told her he’d be away on a quick business trip overnight and would see her first thing in the morning. Instead, he’d come to the apartment at midnight, the very moment her birthday began, with flowers and a beautiful silk nightgown from a fancy boutique.
She smiled at the memory. Darren had kissed her blushing cheek as she pulled the red-hot silk from its bed of tissue paper. “I want to see you in that, Ellie,” he whispered in
