Читать книгу Lone Star Legacy: Relentless Pursuit - Sara Orwig - Страница 12

“Hi, Caroline,” Ava said, and without waiting for an answer she turned to Rosalyn. “It’s nice to see you, Rosalyn. Will, I’ll go to my room to freshen up and then I’ll go downstairs.”

She turned and left, trying to keep things low-key with Caroline. She knew the child would have to come to her, not the other way around.

She unpacked, giving Will time with his niece. After an hour, she went downstairs to look for him. She finally spotted them outside in the sparkling pool.

Declining to join them, she sat near the pool and watched Will with Caroline. Finally he swam a lap and then climbed out.

Ava drew a deep breath as her gaze ran over his muscled body and the thick mat of dark chest hair that tapered in a narrow line to disappear below his black swim trunks. Her mouth went dry and she could not keep from looking at his broad chest, lean body, long legs. He was tanned, fit and handsome. He raked his wavy black hair back from his face, wrapped the towel around his middle and strolled over to pull a chair close to her. “You should have joined us.”

“I will some other time. Caroline seems to enjoy herself.”

“She loves to swim. It’s easy to tell that she likes the water. She always has, and learned to swim early. My brother Adam swam with her all the time.”

“You said you were closest to your older brother.”

“Yes. I’m getting closer to Zach. There’s a big age gap between Ryan and me. We’re not as close and we have different interests.”

“I’m closer to Trinity, but that’s because of age. Now that she’s in college, I’m getting closer to Summer. Summer is the one who will be the teacher so we’ll probably become even closer later.”

All the time Will talked, he kept his attention on Caroline, as did Ava just out of habit from watching kids at school and on playgrounds. One time Caroline went under; when she didn’t bob right up, Will was almost in the pool before she popped up, splashing and obviously enjoying herself. While he paused at the edge of the pool to talk to her, she splashed around. She played with a ball, and after a few minutes, Will returned to his chair.

“She does that sometimes. It always scares me. So far, I’ve never had to pull her out, but she still scares me.”

“Better to be safe,” Ava said. “How long will she stay in?”

“Probably until I get her out. She loves the water. I told Rosalyn to keep a close eye on her because I always worry about her wandering off and going in without anyone watching. She’s getting big enough now it’s not the worry it was. When we’re not in the pool, we keep the gate locked on the surrounding fence. The gate helps, but I travel, and when I’m away, I don’t want to worry about something happening to her.”

“I don’t blame you,” she said. “I can see why your brother appointed you guardian.”

“I had the gate put up before I became her guardian, way back before she was toddling around. I couldn’t bear to have anything happen to her.”

“That’s good, Will,” she said, thinking it was one more facet of Will Delaney that she had to admire. Her gaze ran over his broad, bare shoulders that had dried. His black hair was still wet.

“I’m going to get her out and start dinner. I’m grilling tonight.”

She smiled. “I’ll watch her so she can stay longer.”

“Okay,” he said, walking away while her gaze raked over his wide shoulders, down his long legs briefly before she turned her full attention to Caroline. Pulling her chair closer to the edge of the pool, she sat watching Caroline, who swam to the edge and gazed back solemnly.

“You’re a good swimmer,” Ava said.

Caroline blinked and swam away and continued playing and splashing. Playing, she looked as happy as any other kid, and it made Ava hurt for her.

Finally Will returned to check on food in an outdoor oven. He walked over to the edge of the pool. “Time, sweetie. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Leave on your swimsuit. After you dry, you can pull on a T-shirt and shorts.”

Caroline climbed out and in minutes she had on a T-shirt and shorts. Slipping on flip-flops, she picked up the small brown teddy bear.

Will held out his hand. “Come over here while I cook. Ava, want to join us?”

She sat near them, aware of Will talking to Caroline, smiling at her, and Caroline gazing back gravely at him.

Through dinner Will talked about trips Caroline had taken to Disney World, things she had seen and managed to include her even though she never said a word.

“You’re a talented man,” Ava said. “This is a delicious steak.”

“Thanks. I’ve had a good teacher. It’s not Caroline’s favorite, so soon we’ll have fried chicken, which is what she prefers. But we’re not eating a steady diet of drumsticks,” he said, smiling at Caroline.

When dinner was over they moved to the edge of the pool while Caroline went back into the water.

“You’re good with her all the time,” Ava said.

“Maybe. I haven’t been able to break through that wall she keeps around herself.”

“Has she ever talked to you?”

“Other than ‘thank you’ and ‘please,’ very rarely. And that was when I first got her. Most of the time it was telling me she wanted her daddy. That’s heartbreaking.”

“Yes, it is,” Ava agreed, watching Caroline splash in the shallow end of the pool. “To watch her now, she looks like any kid having a good time.”

“That’s why I think swimming may be good for her. It’s exercise and may relieve tension in a kid as much as it does in an adult. It’s a healthy, normal activity.”

“You’re paying me way too much, you know,” Ava said.

His dark gaze shifted to meet hers. “If you can bring her out of this, it will be worth every penny.”

“There are definitely no guarantees.”

“I never asked for any,” he replied, turning to watch Caroline again.

Later, Ava went to unpack while Will took Caroline to bed. It was a couple of hours later when she heard a light knock on her door and she opened it to find Will.

“Caroline’s fast asleep and Rosalyn is here. Take a break, come have a drink with me—we have everything from milk and cookies to fizzy drinks to wine or cocktails. We can talk about the coming week.”

“For a short time,” she said, pushing her door wide and stepping into the hall with him. They got tall glasses of iced tea and sat on the veranda. Will pulled a chair close to hers. “I’ll be in Los Angeles this week. You have my cell number. I’ll leave you my secretary’s number because she knows my schedule. You can always get me on my cell. I’ll call during the day and in the evening.”

“Fine. I can’t imagine needing you, and if it’s something with Caroline, Rosalyn will be here.”

“Yes, she will. She can be quiet and blend into the background so she doesn’t intrude. With the staff here, meals will be prepared so you don’t have to worry about anything beyond Caroline. If there are any books you want to get for her, go ahead. Charge them to this card,” he said, withdrawing a credit card from his billfold.

She took it, tucking it into a pocket. “Thank you. Right now, I have plenty of my own material I can use.”

“After the past week and the coming week of staying here and working with Caroline every day, my guess is that by this weekend, you might enjoy an evening out. How about Saturday night?”

Saturday night out with Will Delaney sounded wonderful, but it meant getting sidetracked from the plans for her future even more. He grew more tempting daily and the risk of an affair was constant. Any affair for her would involve her heart and later, it would mean heartbreak, because Will would end it. Yet how tempting it was to think about Saturday night with him.

“I haven’t changed my mind about keeping this job separate from my private life. I’m here to work with Caroline. That’s all.” The words came out automatically, but it hurt to refuse.

He leaned closer, placing his hands on the chair arms on either side of her, hemming her in. Only inches away, his dark eyes consumed her. It was difficult to get her breath and her pulse raced. “You’re scared of life.”

“You got your way about this summer. Stop while you’re ahead. I’ve already explained to you, I don’t want to get tied up emotionally with someone.” She could barely get her breath to talk. “The minute Caroline goes to kindergarten in the fall, I will go back to my plans for my school. Particularly now that I have funds. I’m not getting distracted from my goals. I’m going to achieve what I’ve always dreamed about. And I’m not having a short affair with you, which is what dinner would lead to. Thank you, but we’re not going out to dinner.” Her voice was breathless and she was beginning to lose her train of thought and get lost in his dark eyes. He was too close, too appealing, too persistent. “We need to keep this a professional relationship. Treat me the same way you do Rosalyn or Edwina,” she added.

“That’s not at all the same thing and you know it. I’d be asking this if you hadn’t come to work for me. You’re scared to live again. One dinner and dancing isn’t that big a deal. It’s not an affair.”

“You know that’s not all you’re asking for. It’s a distraction I don’t need,” she whispered while he focused on her mouth.

“You’re a distraction I do need,” he replied, leaning close to cover her mouth with his.

Desire blazed in her. While her pulse roared in her ears, her heart pounded. His arm slipped around her waist then tightened before he lifted her to his lap and settled her against his shoulder. His kisses awakened responses unfelt in years. Heat and need grew vital. His boldness consumed her caution as her resistance crumbled.

The distant moan was her own voice, dim in her ears. He held her tightly while she had her hands against his chest.

When he raised his head slightly, she opened her eyes. Dazed, she wanted to pull him back to kiss her again.

“You’re ready for a night out. Go out with me Saturday night—you’re not making any kind of commitment beyond joining me for dinner away from here instead of eating the way we usually do.”

She slid her arm around his neck. “Yes,” she whispered, pulling his head down to kiss him again.

Surprise flared in his dark eyes before he kissed her. Relishing their kisses, she closed her eyes. From head to toe she tingled while heat pooled low in her body and an ache built.

Desire spiraled, burning hotly. Ava ran her hand over his broad shoulder, down over his chest while he caressed her nape. Slipping his hand down her back, he pulled her shirt free from her slacks. His warm hand caressed her bare back. Sitting up, she slid off his lap to return to her chair.

“You agreed to go out Saturday,” he reminded her and she nodded. She had gone against her own good judgment and plans. Even so, excitement hummed and she couldn’t take back her agreement. Just one Saturday night dinner. A few kisses. Nothing more—she could do that without heartbreak.

“Are you in contact at all with Caroline when you’re away?”

“Yes. Since we have Skype, I call her daily. She is as silent as when I talk to her in person, but with Skype we’re face-to-face.”

“That’s good to keep the contact and let her know you’re interested.”

“For the first time since I became her guardian, I feel better about everything concerning her.”

“You’re reading too much into the one tiny response I got from her.”

“No, that was not tiny. It was monumental. A breakthrough.”

“Will, stop setting yourself up for a big disappointment. I hope I can reach her, but that one response is no indication. We’ll just take it one day at a time.”

He smiled as if she had told him he couldn’t be certain the sun would rise tomorrow. Exasperated by his high expectations, she shook her head. “Does your mother see her often?”

“No. My mother packed and left when she divorced my father. She married again, moved to Chicago where she was originally from and never looked back. We hear from her several times a year, see her about once a year. She’s not excited over becoming a grandmother and really has no interest in Caroline, particularly since Adam’s death.”

“That’s too bad. I adored my grandmother—the one I knew. The other one died when I was small and I never really knew her. I can barely remember her.”

“My mother doesn’t deal well with people who have problems. She is not a patient person. Ironically, she does a lot of volunteer work, but it’s in the arts, the symphony, that type of thing. She’ll be present for the reading of Dad’s will, I’m sure. She’ll expect to inherit a large amount and she probably will. When it came to money, he was always generous to her.”

“He never married again?”

“No. I don’t think he wanted to commit. He was sour on marriage. There were women around, but no more marriages.”

“Will your brothers be here when the will is read?”

“Sure. Even Zach will come home. You’ll meet them all. They already know about you and that you’re going to work with Caroline. Do your sisters know you accepted my offer?”

“Oh, yes. So do my folks. Trinity and I have been together this past week.”

“So tell me about Trinity and Summer.” While she talked he took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. He was still, and it would be ridiculous to protest the slight touch, so she talked about her sisters. Words came automatically while most of her attention was on the slight physical contact she had with him. Even though it was almost nothing, she tingled to her toes from it.

Conversation shifted and changed to a variety of topics until the moon was high. Ava stood. “It’s definitely time to turn in.”

He walked inside with her, talking about the coming week. At her door he slipped his arm around her waist to pull her close. This time she didn’t protest, but moved eagerly into his embrace, her arm encircling his neck.

Kisses grew heated, lengthening while he pulled her tightly against him, his hand exploring her back, slipping down over her bottom, up again over her back until she stepped out of his embrace.

“It’s later than ever. Good night, Will.”

Brushing a kiss on her lips, he smiled. “Until tomorrow.”

She closed the door to her suite, moving through the empty room quietly, wondering if she would get to sleep for the few hours left in the night. What had she gotten herself into?

He was quickly becoming irresistible to her.

By the time Ava finished breakfast the next morning, Will had left for his business trip. Ava sat on the playroom floor with Caroline and pulled a box from her tote bag. “I thought maybe you like to play games. I have one I hope you’ll like. We can try, and if you don’t like playing, we’ll stop,” Ava said, getting out a deck of cards. “See, they’re princess cards and each card has a letter on it. First let’s arrange them in the order of the alphabet and you can see the princesses.”

Ava began laying out the cards. “There are two identical cards that each have the same letter. Here are two cards with A and Princess Ann. Here are two B cards with Princess Brianna. Next, Princess Carolyn. And then Princess Dorothy. Now, what card comes next?” she said, spreading out five scrambled cards.

While Caroline sat quietly, Ava remained still, waiting to give Caroline a chance to participate. After five minutes had ticked past, Caroline pulled Princess Eileen and placed it in the row.

“Excellent,” Ava said. “I’ll do the next. Here’s Princess Fiona. We can mix these all up and play a matching game.”

She slowly went through the simple rules as they began to play. She had wondered whether Caroline would play or not, but the girl began to respond, her mind quick and her memory good.

From the game they went to books, and Ava read to Caroline, but once again, she let Caroline turn pages and knew that Caroline was reading along with her. They worked on letters and numbers through books and games until almost noon.

“Want to swim before lunch?”

Caroline was always slow to respond if she did at all. She gazed back at Ava with huge brown eyes and nodded her head.

“Great. I’m ready for a swim. Let’s put on our suits. Do you know where your swimsuit is?”

Caroline slid off the small chair where she sat and disappeared into the next room. Ava followed to see Caroline reaching into a dresser drawer and taking out a pink swim bottom and purple top.

“Great. Put yours on and then we’ll get mine,” Ava said.

Soon they were in the pool with Ava splashing and laughing. Caroline never laughed, talked or smiled, yet Ava had the feeling that she enjoyed the water immensely.

Rosalyn materialized for lunch and took Caroline to help her dress before they returned to eat.

The afternoon went as swiftly as the morning. Late in the afternoon, Ava swam again with Caroline. This time Rosalyn showed up and said she would watch Caroline while Ava swam.

Ava did laps, constantly checking on Caroline. She ate dinner with Rosalyn and Caroline in the kitchen alcove and spent a quiet evening getting ready for the next day. It wasn’t until after ten that she received a text from Will asking about the day. Shortly after her answer, her cell phone buzzed.

“Hi,” Will said in a husky voice. “How’s it going?”

“We had a good day. She’s a bright little girl.”

“So how are you doing in the new situation?”

“She’s delightful in her own quiet way and it’s a challenge. One I never dreamed I’d have.”

“Yeah, amen to that one. Adam and I talked about my being guardian, but I never expected the day would come when I really would be. I’m still at a loss.”

“You seem to be doing a lot for her,” she said, settling in a comfortable chair and kicking off her shoes.

“I wish I could do more. Ava, I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to be home this weekend to take you to dinner. I have a large sale pending and I need to be here part of the weekend, and then early Monday I have to be in Fort Lauderdale for a week, so I’ll just have to bypass coming home.”

Gone two weeks? “We’ll manage.”

“Don’t sound so cheerful to be rid of me,” he teased. “I have opera tickets for the next Saturday night. Some people don’t like opera, so if you’re one of those, I know the performance will not appeal. If you like opera, attend with me.”

“Will, that’s the Fourth of July. Caroline should see fireworks.”

“She doesn’t like them at all. The noise scares her. They have a great display at the country club, but she hated it last year and we left.”

“Well, I guess fireworks are out. I doubt if she’s changed in one year’s time.”

“The opera is The Marriage of Figaro.”

“Now you’re twisting my arm, because I do like opera and haven’t had a chance to go while I was in school.”

“Then it’s settled. Saturday we’ll go to the opera.”

“You get your way most of the time, don’t you?”

“When it’s important I try to. You’ll like this performance. I’ll try to make the evening enjoyable, maybe memorable.”

“You better stop while you’re ahead. We’re going out, which is what you wanted.”

“I can’t recall getting a pretty woman to go out with me being as difficult before.”

“I don’t imagine you do. I have an agenda to follow and I intend to stick to it, but I will go to the opera. Dinner here at your house before the opera.”

“Fine. I’m looking forward to it, and to being home.”

She rested her legs under her and sat talking to Will for the next hour before she said she would have to go.

Deciding Will was ruining her peaceful nights, she lay in the dark, remembering his kisses and missing him. She was doing all the things she had intended to avoid, yet it was becoming more difficult each day to resist Will’s charm. The barriers she had kept around her heart were melting away faster than she would have thought possible, and in truth, she wasn’t altogether sorry to see them go.

She thought of each of his features, the wavy black hair, his thick eyelashes framing lively midnight eyes, his broad shoulders, muscled body and long legs. He was wickedly attractive and sinfully wealthy, a devastating combination. On top of that, he cared deeply about Caroline, going above and beyond his duty to try to help her thrive.

The two weeks he was gone passed quickly, but by Friday, Ava had a subject she wanted to discuss with Will. She felt Caroline became even more distant when Will was not around. It was so slight, she wondered if she was imagining it, yet Caroline became a silent, unresponsive child during the time.

Though he called Ava every night after getting in from dinners and appointments, by the time he tried to get Caroline on Skype, she had already fallen asleep. Ava intended to change that. When he was home, Will gave his time and attention to Caroline, but when he was away, he had little contact with her. Ava felt at this time in Caroline’s life, she needed Will’s presence more.

She wondered how he’d react to that.

Saturday afternoon Ava swam with Caroline, as she had every day. They played water games and swam for over an hour. Finally Ava climbed out and sat on a chaise longue until she was dry. She watched Caroline continue to swim. At four, Ava let Rosalyn take her place while she went to bathe for the evening. Will had called to say he was running late getting home and she should go ahead and have dinner without him.

She was surprised to find herself disappointed. She ate with Rosalyn and Caroline and then left to dress. Will called once more to say he was turning in the drive and he would spend the time left with Caroline until he had to dress to go to the opera.

As she bathed and dressed, Ava thought about what she would say to him when they were together. She wanted him to make some changes, and she intended to get her way on this one.

She slipped into a dark blue dress with simple lines and a deep V neckline. Her hair was piled on her head with locks falling in the back.

By the time seven o’clock rolled around, she went to tell Caroline good-night. Gazing solemnly at Ava, Caroline held the brown teddy bear. Her dark eyes roamed over Ava, and Ava wondered what ran through Caroline’s thoughts. “Your Uncle Will and I are going to the opera. He’ll come see you before we go. Later, when we get home, we’ll check on you.”

The girl just stared her, so Ava smiled, told Rosalyn goodbye and left, going down to the front room to wait for Will. She looked at the leather-bound collection of books on the shelves and wondered whether Will had them for show or actually read them.

“I’ve looked forward to this all day,” he said, sauntering into the room.

Her heart missed a beat when she heard his voice. She turned, and the impact of the sight of him was even stronger than it had been before. Her pulse raced while she smiled at him. In his dark tux, he looked more handsome than ever—or did he seem that way because she hadn’t seen him for a while?

“You look gorgeous,” he said. “I missed you the past two weeks and I’m glad to be home. I spent about thirty minutes with Caroline and told her we would spend tomorrow together.”

“That’s good. I’m sure she likes having you here.”

“I don’t suppose anything changed with her while I was away?”

“No. There’s no change, but she seems happy enough. She likes her books, likes to swim.”

“I’m sorry I got delayed and couldn’t have dinner with you. I’ll make up for that, but there were big storms between here and Florida, and it was best not to take the chance.”

“That’s fine.”

“Don’t sound so cheerful that I couldn’t get home,” he said, and she smiled at him.

Will took her arm and they left to ride in a limousine. Will looked relaxed, confident and appealing.

“Soon now I intend to talk to Caroline about getting a puppy,” he said. “I spoke to a veterinarian, and he recommended a bichon frise—a lovable small dog.”

“That’s great. We had a dog all the years I was growing up. A cat, too.”

“We’re not getting a cat because I know nothing about them. One animal at a time for now. This is a big deal to bring a dog into the house.”

“You don’t exactly have a pet-friendly house,” she said with amusement. “She’s going to love a puppy, I feel sure. Will, while we have a chance, I want to talk to you about something I’ve noticed during the short time I’ve been here.”

“Sure. What’s that?”

“Caroline seems slightly more responsive when you’re around. She doesn’t talk or smile, but she’s less withdrawn. For the coming month, if you can possibly rearrange your schedule, I think you should travel less and try to be home more. A lot more.”

While he sat in silence, his dark gaze bore into her. “I’ll try if you think it will help.”

“I could be wrong, but I’ve spent over two weeks with her now and she’s more remote when you’re away.”

“No one has ever told me that before.”

“It’s not a real obvious thing, but that’s the way it seems to me. It’s worth it for you to make a change and see if that helps to have you around.”

“My schedule is really busy right now. I’ve got important appointments for the next three weeks and my work entails a lot of travel. After we lost Adam, I stayed home a lot that first month. Nothing I did seemed to make any difference so I picked up my life as much as I could and went on with it. I can’t just cancel everything scheduled. I’ll have to rearrange appointments and flights…but if you think this may help her, I’ll do it.”

“I know you can do this. You have people who work for you who can cover for you. You’re not trying to avoid her, are you?”

Again she got an intense stare. “No. I’ll arrange it so I’m in town. Or are you saying I should work at home?”

“Not at all. Just try to be there in the evenings. I think it’ll help, even though it may be a gradual thing. This kind of situation probably takes time to heal. I don’t know much about it, but I’m giving you my opinion from the last weeks’ observation.”

“Okay, I’ll be there more of the time,” he said, still studying her. “We’ll try that for a while and see how it goes.”

“Good,” she said, thinking it might be good for Caroline, but it wasn’t going to be better for her. Will’s presence would be temptation, and the more he was around, the more intense the situation would become. Her pulse raced now and she couldn’t get her breath around him. What would it be like to have him around constantly?

“Now if I thought you were asking to get me to be near you,” he said in a husky, deep voice, “that would be a different view of this request.”

His statement made her hot with embarrassment. To her chagrin, she felt her face flush and wished she could do something to distract him or get out of his view. Instead, he kept watching her, a flicker of amusement in the depths of his eyes.

“Maybe this will be a far more interesting week. I should have thought of this myself. A new dog. Home with you and Caroline each night. Home early if I can manage it.”

“You’re back to flirting again,” she said, looking out the window. The sun was still high. There was no merciful darkness to hide her blush. “Stop teasing me. All I had in mind was Caroline. I can go to my room and leave you two to bond.”

“Oh, no. This was your idea, and part of the deal has to be that you stay.”

“Sometimes. But part of the time it would be good if just the two of you were together. She needs you, and the more you’re together, the more she’ll bond with you.”

“How about you? The more we’re together, will it be the more we will bond?”

“That’s entirely different and you know it,” she snapped. “Stop your flirting. Get back to some impersonal level. Tell me about this opera. I can’t recall seeing a performance of this one,” she said, knowing full well she had seen it before, but not recently.

“Ah, it’s beautiful. You’ll like it,” he said, summarizing the story quickly as the limo slowed and stopped. A crowd had gathered, and she wondered if her picture would show up in a magazine with her entering the opera on Will’s arm.

The chauffeur held the door. Will climbed out and turned to help her.

While they moved through the crowd into the building, he held her arm lightly, yet with Will it was as disturbing as a caress, far from impersonal. During the performance she struggled to avoid glancing at him. After a time the music overrode her awareness of Will.

During intermission, she was introduced to friends of his. Several women gave her frosty stares, turning their smiles on Will.

“Will,” a deep voice called, and Ava turned to see a tall, ruggedly handsome man approaching. A stunning blonde with her arm linked through his walked beside him.

The tall man’s thick brown hair had unruly waves with a lock falling on his forehead. He was noticeable in the crowd because of his height plus his hawk nose, high cheekbones and pale gray eyes.

As Will shook hands with him, he turned to her. “Ava, meet my friend and right-hand man, my main advisor, Garrett Cantrell. Garrett, this is Ava Barton.”

Her hand was enclosed in a firm grip as he smiled at her with a flash of snowy teeth. His smile softened his rugged features, and she smiled in return.

“Will is given to exaggeration, probably because we’re longtime friends who have been together since too far back to recall. Let me introduce Sonya Vicente. Sonya, this is Ava Barton and Will Delaney.”

“I’m glad to meet both of you,” Ava said as the house lights dimmed.

“I think that’s our call,” Will said. “Nice to meet you, Sonya. See you, Garrett.”

“So Garrett is single?” Ava asked as they walked away.

“Yes. Very available, but not marriage material. He’s almost as leery as I am just because he doesn’t want to be tied down. Garrett’s ambitious and a workaholic. I think he’d really like to be on his own, but I pay him enough that his salary diminishes the temptation to go into his own business. All that plus our long-standing friendship and family closeness. I can’t replace him with anyone as loyal, good, intelligent and fun to be with all rolled into one person.”

She glanced back over her shoulder, spotting Garrett’s dark hair easily. “You make him sound superhuman.”

“Nope. Garrett’s human, but exceptional and vital to me. Besides such a close friend.”

“You haven’t even mentioned the stunning blonde.”

Will grinned. “I did notice her. Garrett finds the lookers, but they never last.”

“Somehow that’s the image I had of you until I met you. As you know, my opinion changed and continues to change.”

“Thank goodness,” he said as they reached their seats. “Although you’re right—I appreciate beautiful women, and I’m out with a ravishing one tonight.”

“Thank you, but enough of that. This color hair isn’t ravishing.”

Surprising her, Will drew her close against his side and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

“Oh, yes it is. We can argue that one later tonight,” he said, his breath warm on her ear.

Her heart jumped and beat rapidly. “Your attention should be on the stage.”

“It is. Somewhat,” he added. “I’d really rather look at you.”

“You will see me plenty this summer. Tonight and this moment, shift your attention to the stage. I’m enjoying the performance immensely.”

“Good. So am I,” he said, settling back, taking her hand and lacing his fingers through hers. “So am I,” he repeated, smiling warmly at her.

As the house lights dimmed they became quiet, and while still aware of Will, she was caught up in the music until it was over.

When the applause finally died, they turned to leave. “That was wonderful. Beautiful voices,” she said.

“Let’s go have a drink. The evening is still early.”

“Hardly early,” she replied, amused that he would say so when it was almost midnight. “A drink is fine,” she replied, unable to resist accepting.

As usual.