Summer Lovin (12 page)

He wondered what had her spooked this time. Either it was the knowledge that her parents
knew
about their relationship or she just wanted to run from last night as fast as she could. He'd been able to stop her this morning, when he'd kissed her senseless and reminded her of why she shouldn't panic. He couldn't do the same thing now.

In the silence, he heard Nicholas whisper to Elena in a not-so-quiet voice, “Another one that isn't Greek.”

Elena laid her head on his shoulder and spoke into his ear. “As long as she's happy, Nicky. She should have what we share, no?”

With those comments, Zoe bolted for the stairs leading to her room.

As Ryan rose to leave and said his goodbyes to Zoe's parents, he was struck by the warmth between them. A love and understanding he'd never seen between his parents, growing up. In their home, formality ruled, even in personal, intimate relationships. Elena and Nicholas apparently adhered to no such rules of decorum. The family had told him last night that the couple's fights contained fireworks that were something to see. So, too, did their making up.

He glanced at Elena and Nicholas again. Zoe couldn't possibly fear relationships based on what she'd seen at home. Which meant she feared something about
him.

All of which convinced him that his hunch about Zoe's sudden wariness now was correct. She wanted to put space between them and telling Sam the truth would help accomplish her goal.

 

I
N THE NEW OFFICES
, Ari paced the linoleum floor that Zoe had just mopped clean. “A pen? The man bought you a pen for your birthday?” Ari asked, clearly in shock.

“Isn't it the most honest gift you've ever heard of?” Zoe rolled the pen between her palms, the gift reminding her so much of Ryan and his contradictions. The hard exterior and the gentle man beneath. When she closed her eyes, she saw his face, warm and caring, and the gift cemented those emotions.

“Well at least you didn't say it's the most romantic present you ever received. What's going on with you, anyway?” Ari asked.

Zoe lifted her gaze. “I'm going to try to explain this, but you may not get it,” she warned her sister.

“Well, try me.”

“This is a guy who was brought up in an uptight environment—that's all he's ever known and yet he doesn't mind our family. The more time he spends with us, the more he loosens up.”

“Which explains the bath basket?” Ari guessed.

Zoe shook her head. “No, Sam explains the bath basket. Ryan bought the pen himself. It's conservative, just like he is.”

“But you don't like conservative,” Ari said, tossing her hands in the air in frustration.

“Exactly. If he'd bought the pen because it was the right thing to do, I'd hate it. But he picked it so I'd have something special to mark signing the contract with our first real client. He
gets
how excited I am about the business.” Which was why she had to pull back from him now, before anyone really got hurt.

“Aaah.” Ari nodded slowly. “I'm beginning to understand. The man gets you. And you're going to repay him by handing over Sam?”

“Good question.” Quinn strode into the room and gave his wife a kiss on the cheek. “By the way, can we go with a darker yellow on the walls? This color is so cheery I may walk in and vomit every morning.”

Zoe rolled her eyes. “No. And no I am not just handing over Sam. Quinn, did you find out anything about the break-in? Like why the burglar would be in Sam's room at all?”

He shook his head. “I haven't a clue what Sam has that could possibly interest someone enough to break in and ransack the house.”

“Start with anyone in our family,” Ari said, obviously resigned to the fact that someone could be involved in a con of some kind.

She wasn't wrong. Zoe knew firsthand that their scheming could lead to anything. Lord knew she'd ended up in a safe house, thanks to a simple matchmaking scheme.

Quinn eyed his wife with wariness and concern. “You know I checked up on them?”

She and Quinn glanced over, but Ari showed no signs of distress. Not long ago, just the mere mention of an old family prank or oddity caused Ariana to withdraw, if not as far as Vermont, then deep inside herself where she didn't have to deal with the family's oddities. Quinn had accepted the family right away and he'd helped Ari learn to value her close-knit clan.

Ari nodded. “Of course.”

Apparently her twin had come to terms with who and what the Costas family was. Zoe was grateful because it helped strengthen their relationship, too.

“And?” Zoe asked.

He groaned. “Well, let's see. There have been some complaints about the new skin-care cream Elena created and the fishy smell, but as far as I can tell from the bookkeeper, those people have been reimbursed.”

“She's working on finding a scent to cover the fish oil,” Zoe offered helpfully and grinned. “Anything else?”

“Elena had been giving massages to men and women, but after one male patron lodged a complaint about wandering hands, your mother instituted a policy that men work on men, and women on women.”

Zoe shook her head. “Makes no sense considering someone could just as easily lodge a complaint against the same sex.”

“When did any of Mom's actions need to make sense to anyone but her?” Ari asked.

“Good point.” Zoe settled into a desk chair and began spinning back and forth. “Is that it?” she asked Quinn.

“Except the one person who claims they had something stolen from their wallet during a facial session.”

Zoe frowned. “Is there any reason we're just hearing about this now?”

Quinn shrugged. “I don't know. All I had to do was talk to the receptionist and she spilled all. I think your parents just want to succeed and don't want you or Ari to worry about anything.”

Ari blew out a frustrated breath. “Just because of who they are, I'll always worry. So there've been some complaints.”

“The police were only called in about the stealing issue, but the client decided not to press charges. Everything else was settled in-house and amicably. No reason for anyone to trash the house,” Quinn said, his frustration obvious.

Zoe stopped spinning herself and waited till the dizzying sensation subsided. “Quinn, the person who declined to press charges, could she have sent someone to break in to look for what she claims was taken? Maybe they thought it could be stashed in an un-obvious place, like Sam's room.”

“It's something to consider and we'll look into it.”

Ari nodded. “I think you should.”

“Now how about Ryan's family?” Zoe asked. “What did you find out about them?” She hated that she was prying into things she'd rather hear from Ryan himself, but desperate times and Sam's welfare called for desperate measures.

Quinn pulled a pad out of the back pocket of his jeans. “They own Baldwin's Department Stores, a ritzy chain scattered throughout New England's wealthiest areas.” He glanced at his notes. “Baldwin himself is a lawyer and has no part in the family business. It's mainly run by his father's brother, Russell. The family's fairly conservative, which means boarding schools and country clubs and the like.”

Ari rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “Sam will die in that kind of environment.”

Zoe nodded. “From what I've got on paper, I agree. We're going to have to see what happens beyond the basic introductions. Ryan understands she's a sensitive kid despite her tough exterior. Once she knows the truth, he's going to have to spend more time with her here. Then we'll have to talk about what comes next.”

“I hate it,” Quinn muttered.

Zoe nodded. “Join the club.”

“When do we break the news to Mom and Dad?” Ari asked, resigned.

“Sam has plans to sleep at her friend's tonight. We'll double-check and if Mom and Dad are home alone, we'll fill them in then.” Zoe laid her head in her hands, not wanting to face her parents with the dreaded news.

Especially after she'd spent the night with the man who could take Sam away. And what a night it had been. She still recalled every intimate moment, each sensual touch.

Zoe groaned. Quinn had suggested she stick close to Ryan as a means of measuring him as a person and keeping him from revealing all to Sam. Her mother had suggested the same, her motive being for Zoe to cozy up to the so-called social worker who'd ultimately determine Sam's placement. Although Zoe had gone along with their suggestions, she'd never fooled herself into believing she'd been with Ryan for completely selfless reasons.

The attraction had been potent from day one and had exploded between them last night. So had emotions she had no business feeling. Even if she put his relationship to Sam aside, that didn't change her reservations.

She and Ryan couldn't be more different. He was a conservative man with a life and expectations far removed from her own. He lived in a city that was a solid four hours away. And he evoked an intensity of feeling that could cause untold upheaval in a life she was just beginning to reclaim.

Heaven only knew what kind of damage he could cause if she let him into her heart.

 

R
YAN WALKED BAREFOOT DOWN
to the beach, wishing he could share the gorgeous night with Zoe. Instead, he found himself alone. Because it was early evening, the sun lovers had headed inside, but there were still large groups of people hanging out by the water. The frothy waves hit the shore and rolled back, relaxed and easy—unlike how Ryan was feeling at the moment. He rolled his shoulders, but the tension remained.

He was a short time away from achieving everything he'd come to New Jersey for and yet the victory was bittersweet. In getting what he desired, he'd be hurting people he'd come to like and respect. Worse, he was falling hard for a woman who had every right to want distance between them.

He kicked at the sand in disgust and when his cell phone rang, he was grateful for the distraction.

He pulled the phone out of his pocket and flipped it open. “Hello?”

“Ryan, how are you?”

“Uncle Russ. I'm fine.”

“You don't sound fine.”

Ryan could picture the scowl on his uncle's face. “I never could put one over on you, could I?”

His uncle chuckled. “That's because I'm older and wiser. Now talk to me.”

He told his uncle about Sam, about how much her attitude reminded him of his sister, about how she tried to act tough, but had a soft heart for animals and about her relationship with her foster family. “She's a great kid,” he summed up, knowing that
great
didn't nearly cover all Sam's attributes.

“Of course she's great. She's got Baldwin blood running through her veins,” Uncle Russ said, chuckling.

“I suspect she's great in spite of that fact,” Ryan said bluntly.

His uncle cleared his throat. “Well don't you worry. I'll make her feel like she's part of the family and who knows? Perhaps your parents will come around. Does she know who you are yet?”

“Good question.”

Ryan glanced at his watch. Zoe had called him earlier to say she planned to gather her parents and give them the news. Telling Sam could come later. On the phone, Zoe had been cool and distant, something he both understood and hated at the same time. Though he had no idea whether she'd be in touch with him after she delivered the blow to her parents, his stomach rolled in anticipation.

“Sam should be told soon,” he informed his uncle, taking no pleasure in his own words.

After Sam knew, then the real challenge would begin. Trying to convince her of his sincerity. Trying to get her to appreciate his position as family not enemy.

“Do you need me? I can come down, you know.” Uncle Russ had always been there to offer his support.

The gesture brought a lump to Ryan's throat. He might not have much of an immediate family to speak of, but he'd always had Uncle Russ. He hadn't realized how much he needed to hear a friendly, familiar voice from home, but speaking to his uncle now helped him feel more grounded and cemented to the life he'd temporarily left behind.

He glanced up at the setting sun and closed his eyes, grateful for what he did have and determined to let Sam share in the same things.

“Ryan, are you there?”

“I'm here. No need to visit just yet. Maybe when the initial shock blows over. We'll see.”

“Well, I've got to run. My dinner date is here,” his uncle said.

Ryan grinned. The consummate bachelor, Uncle Russ never had the same dinner date more than a few times, and he wondered who the lucky woman was this evening.

“Have a good time.” Ryan paused, unsure of how to speak his feelings after a lifetime spent keeping them inside. “Before I hang up—”