Summer Lovin'

by Carly Phillips

  “Run? Me? That’s a good one. I was a Secret Service agent. I protect people for a living. I thrive on a challenge and on new experiences, so don’t tell me I run away.”

  His lips quirked in a grin that seemed to mock her claim. “Well, how I see it is you’re running from me and from what I make you feel.”

  “That’s ridiculous.” She rolled her eyes.

  “You admitted that I threaten you and your lifestyle.” He spoke too smugly for her pride to handle.

  “That’s true. It’s also true and completely like a man to say I love you and when the woman doesn’t say it back, claim she’s afraid, as opposed to—” Realizing her next words, she clenched her jaw shut tight.

  “Go on. Say it. I dare you,” he said, getting into her personal space. He’d taunted her, but even in the face of his dare, she couldn’t bring herself to hurt him with what she knew to be a lie.

  “You can’t say it, can you?” he asked, his voice softening. “You can’t say, as opposed to admitting the woman doesn’t feel the same way about him.” He touched her face and lifted her chin to meet his gaze. “It’s okay.”

  To her dismay, her eyes filled with tears and she couldn’t speak, not without falling apart.

  “You don’t have to say ‘I love you’ back.” He wiped the moisture from her face with his thumb. “I can wait and do you want to know why?”

  She swallowed hard and nodded.

  “Because you’re worth waiting for.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  EARLY THE NEXT MORNING, Ryan, with Zoe beside him, pulled up to a beautiful house in a residential neighborhood. Each property on the street was perfectly kempt and manicured with swing sets in the yard.

  “Patty did well for herself,” Ryan said, glancing around at the nice neighborhood. “If Faith had gotten her life together…” He stopped and shook his head. “No sense going there. I can’t change the past.”

  Zoe placed her hand on his shoulder and he appreciated her silent support. Last night’s harsh words and frank discussion still hung between them, yet she reached out to him when he needed her most. That fact proved to him that their connection went further than any place she could possible run to.

  He stopped the car in front of the address he’d gotten from Patty’s mother, and together he and Zoe made their way up the flower-lined walk.

  “So last time you spoke to Patty, she said she hadn’t heard from Faith at all?” Zoe asked.

  “Actually the P.I. I hired spoke to Patty. I left it to the professional to follow all leads. I was so emotionally vested, I figured he’d have more success.”

  Zoe nodded. “Okay, so with a little luck, it’s your emotions that’ll get Patty to open up now.”

  “I hope you’re right.” He rang the doorbell, which set off an interesting combination of chimes. Then they waited.

  Soon the door opened and a familiar face appeared before him. His sister’s friend looked older, but she was still an attractive brunette, who’d obviously outgrown the punk stage.

  “Patty?”

  She blinked, staring at him until he saw the recognition dawn in her eyes. “Ryan Baldwin?”

  “It’s me.”

  “Wow. It’s good to see you!” She sounded genuine, but he also caught the wariness in her expression.

  “Patty, this is a friend of mine, Zoe Costas.” He gestured to Zoe. “Could we come in and talk to you? It’s about Faith.”

  The other woman shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s been so long and I probably can’t be of any help to you.”

  “Faith had a child,” Zoe blurted out. “Can we please talk? It’s important.”

  Patty’s eyes grew wide. Obviously whatever she might know about Faith, she had had no idea about Sam.

  “We won’t keep you long,” Ryan promised.

  Patty stepped back and eased the door open wide. “Of course. Come in.”

  They followed her into a modern kitchen, with white cabinets and dark Formica countertops, and joined her at the table.

  “You have to understand how hard this is. Faith was my best friend. My loyalty ran pretty deep.” Patty intertwined her fingers as she tried to explain.

  “Nobody would be upset if you knew something and didn’t tell my parents,” Ryan assured her. “At the time, who knows what, if anything, would have brought Faith home and who knows if my parents could have made it work a second time. I appreciate your loyalty to my sister. She didn’t have much of that, so I’m not angry if you didn’t tell my P.I. something, either.”

  Patty nodded, obviously grateful. “How did you find out Faith had a child?” she asked, sounding stunned.

  “Eventually we got a lucky break that led to her ex-boyfriend who’s serving a life sentence. Once I found out that Faith died, we were able to track her last whereabouts and it led to the fact that she had a child.”

  Patty shook her head. “I had no idea. I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t hear from Faith after she ran away. Where is her daughter now?”

  “Sam’s been living with my family in New Jersey,” Zoe explained.

  “So what made you look me up now?” Patty asked.

  While Zoe reached for the keys in her purse, Ryan pulled the old paperwork out of his pocket. “All this,” he said. “We’re hoping that somehow you were called before they dumped the contents of Faith’s locker.”

  As Patty looked at the paper, her hands shook. “I was. And I picked up a stack of papers from the bus terminal years ago.”

  Hope flared in Ryan’s chest. “What did you do with them?”

  “Well I kept them, because I thought maybe Faith would come back one day.” She blinked and he noticed her glassy eyes. “She didn’t, of course.”

  “I’m guessing the papers are long gone by now?” Zoe asked.

  “Actually…”

  Patty stood and started walking, so Ryan rose and followed, Zoe behind him.

  “I’m a pack rat,” Patty explained as she headed into the hallway and paused at a closed door. “We’ve moved since I received the papers, but I kept all my old things in boxes. I never could bring myself to part with anything and since those items were my only link to Faith, I held on to them. I can’t promise you that the papers are there, but if you don’t mind dust, there’s a good chance you’ll find it if you dig around in the basement.” She opened the door and flicked on an overhead light.

  Ryan glanced at Zoe in her pink skirt and white halter top and asked, “Are you up for another dusty recovery mission?”

  “I’m game if you are.” In her eyes, he saw the same glimmer of hope and excitement that had flared to life inside him.

  They shared this goal. He hoped in time they’d share many more. He didn’t know what he’d find here, but he was glad she’d be with him no matter the outcome.

  “Go right ahead,” Patty told them.

  He clasped her hand. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”

  She waved away his words. “I wish I could have done more. I wish I had done more. Then maybe—”

  “Don’t go there,” Ryan warned her. “I’ve learned it does no good. You were Faith’s friend. The best kind of friend. Nobody could have asked any more of you.”

  Patty nodded. “Thanks, Ryan. You two stay as long as you need to.”

  “We appreciate that,” Zoe said.

  He led the way, helping Zoe down the long stairs in her heels and together they began to search through the large, unfinished basement. Hours later, they were only halfway through the unmarked, unlabeled boxes.

  “Patty’s not only a pack rat, she’s an unorganized one,” Zoe said, wiping her dirty hands against her light-colored skirt. “The bus depot was a breeze compared to this.”

  As he took in the dirt marks on her clothing and the smudges on her cheeks, she sneezed with gusto. “You’re being a great sport.”

  She shrugged. “It’s no big deal. I want to help you find whatever your sister left behind. Besides, the alternative is
hanging out at the house with Grandma Vivian.” Zoe gave an exaggerated shudder. “And I don’t think she likes me very much.”

  Ryan shook his head. He needed to dispel that notion immediately. Although he hadn’t thought his mother would take to Zoe, her turnaround where Faith and Sam were concerned gave him hope that she’d soften her ideas about what kind of woman made suitable marriage material for a Baldwin.

  Personally, he didn’t care what his mother thought, since his life was his own and he’d long since stopped doing what his parents desired. Yes, this woman could potentially cause a rift in the family, but then, so what? They weren’t all that loving on the best of days.

  Until very recently he’d feared the family shutting him out the way they had Faith, but he’d grown in the short time since meeting Zoe. He feared losing her much, much more.

  “My mother doesn’t know what to make of you. There’s a difference between confusion and hate. If she can come to understand Sam, you’ll be a piece of cake.” He winked and, watching the blush suffuse her cheeks, he chuckled.

  Zoe rolled her eyes. “Are you saying to know me is to love me?” she asked teasingly.

  “You said it, I didn’t.”

  Realizing her word choice, she glanced down and began rifling through her next box. Obviously love wasn’t a term she wanted to discuss at the moment. He refused to take those concerns of hers too seriously right now. He’d already decided to keep things between them light and normal in the hopes she’d see how easy they were as a couple. So he began digging through his own treasure chest looking for something, anything, familiar.

  Hours passed. His lower back hurt from bending, his shoulders ached from remaining hunched over and his neck was strained from tension and frustration. He was about ready to give up for good.

  Zoe had already finished her share of boxes and now sat on the dirty floor leaning back against the cement wall, eyes closed. She appeared so fragile, a complete contrast to the strong woman he knew her to be. But seeing her this way made the ache inside him grow, made him want to take care of her.

  He shook the fantasy out of his head and forced his gaze to the bottom of his last box. Unexpectedly, a sheath of papers caught his eye. At first glance they were just numbers on computer paper. Old computer paper, that looked as if it had come from a dot matrix printer, with the perforated edges still attached.

  He pulled the papers out and, though the text and ink had faded, the words Baldwin’s Department Stores headed the page.

  His heart began to race. “Bingo!” he said, excitement rushing through him.

  Zoe jumped to her feet and huddled beside him. “What’d you find?”

  He sifted through the pages. Although Baldwin’s was far more technologically up to date today, these were obviously old insurance claims.

  “Old business statements from Baldwin’s and…a letter or actually a diary of sorts. It’s Faith’s handwriting,” he said, the familiar scrawl from the past making him feel as if his sister were here with him now. He shivered involuntarily.

  “Are you okay?” Zoe asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Are you going to read it?”

  A part of Ryan wanted to get the hell out of the dark, dank basement and read his sister’s words in warm, familiar surroundings, and another part of him wanted right now to see what she’d left behind.

  Curiosity won out. “Yeah I’m going to read it now. Want to see?” He wiped a hand over his forehead and lifted the old pages closer so he could see.

  Zoe inched nearer and read along with him. His first glimpse was shocking and what he saw only became more horrifying as the meaning and intent in the letter grew clearer.

  Nausea rose in his throat as Zoe stepped back and met his gaze. “It seems you were right,” he said dully.

  “Ryan, I’m so sorry.”

  “For forcing me to see the truth about my uncle? Someone had to shed some light for me.” His laughter sounded harsh and gritty to his own ears.

  “Could she have made things up?” Zoe asked of Faith.

  “Don’t try to protect my feelings now,” he said wryly.

  “It’s possible, isn’t it? Faith might have blamed your uncle for being thrown out of the house and left these notes, hoping your parents would find them when they found her.”

  He shook his head. “These sound more truthful than anything I’ve heard in quite a while.”

  He was beyond angry that his uncle would betray his sister. He was even more furious that the man would feign such ignorance over the years. Faith had left a thorough diary of her experiences and Uncle Russ’s role in her running away. In fact, if his sister’s words were to be believed, and Ryan did believe her, his uncle had every reason to want to get his hands on the keys. He’d want to see what Faith had left behind, if for no other reason than to cover his own ass.

  “What’s next?” Zoe asked.

  “It’s time I pay a visit to Uncle Russ.”

  She nodded. “Feel free to drop me off sat your parents’ while you go.”

  Considering how much she disliked his family and their home, her offer meant a lot. “Actually since this revelation is a result of your persistence, you deserve a front-row seat at the confrontation.”

  “I never wanted to find anything incriminating on your uncle. For your sake, I hoped I was wrong,” she said, her eyes huge, her voice imploring.

  “But you aren’t surprised.”

  She shook her head.

  He rose and extended a hand, pulling her to her feet. They started for the stairs when suddenly he turned and she bumped into him. He grabbed her around the waist to steady her, then lowered his head and kissed her hard. Though he’d taken her by surprise, she responded. Her tongue tangled with his and as he pulled her closer, a soft moan escaped the back of her throat.

  He’d needed this, needed her and the reassurance of something good and trustworthy in his life and she seemed to understand. He deepened the kiss, slanting his mouth first one way, then another, their mutual desire building with each passing second.

  Slowly he pulled back with immense regret. He hadn’t had his fill, not by a long shot, but he had gotten the fortification he needed for what lay ahead.

  “What was that for?” she asked, her tongue dragging over her lower lip, taking in the moisture he’d created.

  “It’s been too long and I needed sustenance.”

  She laughed. “That’s a unique excuse.”

  Despite it all, he grinned. “I didn’t know I needed one.”

  “Well, I can’t have you thinking I’m yours for the taking, now can I?” She patted his cheek and strode past him up the stairs.

  He appreciated her sass and the way she didn’t treat him with kid gloves or pity. Another reason this woman was a keeper, whether she knew it or not.

  BALDWIN’S DEPARTMENT STORE was located in downtown Boston. With traffic and construction hampering them, the trip took over an hour. A silent hour that left Ryan alone with his thoughts and Zoe with hers.

  Faith’s words had been a bombshell, Zoe knew, one big enough that Ryan wanted her by his side when he confronted his uncle, a man he’d always trusted and loved like the kind of parent he should have had. The kind of parent he’d deserved, she thought.

  Finding out his idol and mentor had feet of clay had obviously hurt him badly. Zoe saw the pain in his eyes, the disappointment in his expression. She’d even felt the desperation in his kiss. She couldn’t deny him what he needed and she would be there to see him through this difficult time. Then she would put her plan in motion and begin the painful process of separation—Zoe and her family from Sam—and Zoe from Ryan.

  She let Ryan walk ahead of her and, acting on a hunch, placed a quick call to Quinn. He’d been looking into the Baldwin family during the years right before and after Faith had run away and she wanted to know what he’d found out. Sure enough, the guy in custody in Boston who’d been following Sam was connected to the mob. The son of a man who’d been inv
olved in the hijacking of the Baldwin’s trucks years before. Zoe was certain Uncle Russ had hired the man to stalk Sam. Anger, fury and pain for Ryan all surged through her.

  Uncle Russ had a lot of explaining to do and Zoe knew it would take all of her restraint to allow Ryan to deal with his uncle without her going after him on her own.

  They entered Baldwin’s from an underground parking structure and took the elevator to the main floor. Since they hadn’t yet taken Sam on her promised shopping trip, this was Zoe’s first excursion into one of their stores and she was impressed with the upscale establishment.

  They made their way to a bank of private elevators that led to the office level, and once there, Ryan asked to see his uncle. He was granted immediate access and Zoe followed him down a long hall to a corner office. He knocked once and walked inside.

  Since Russ’s secretary had called ahead, the other man was standing when they entered. “Well this is a nice surprise.” His gaze shifted from his nephew to Zoe. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

  Zoe merely waited.

  Ryan shut the door behind him. “It’s time we talk.”

  She heard the strain in his voice and her heart went out to him, but all she could do was stand there and listen.

  “I always have time for you, but we talk all the time. Why the visit to my office?” Russ glanced from the closed door to his nephew’s severe expression and grew suddenly wary, shuffling papers on the desk for no apparent reason.

  When Ryan didn’t answer right away, Uncle Russ gestured to the chairs circling his desk. “Shall we sit?”

  “I’d rather stand.” Ryan rolled his shoulders and Zoe could only imagine the tension sitting upon them. “You know, when Zoe told me she thought you had an unusual interest in the keys around Sam’s neck, I told her she was crazy.”

  Maybe it was Zoe’s imagination, but she thought the older man lost some of his ruddy complexion, paling at Ryan’s words as he eyed Zoe with barely concealed anger before shifting his gaze back to his nephew.

  “Even when I agreed to look into the keys, I was humoring her. I figured best-case scenario, Sam finds out a little more about her mother, and worst case, I waste an afternoon. Not once did I believe you’d been involved in Faith’s disappearance. Not you, the man who’d undertaken his own investigation to find her.” His voice rose with all the hurt, anger and betrayal he must be feeling.