"So even if it was stolen at some point, your aunt might not have known that."
"Exactly."
"Or she didn't know she had the painting at all, since it was hidden away. Unless, she was the one who hid it away."
"I don't want her to be a thief, Jeremy," she said, worry in her blue eyes. "I've trusted people who I shouldn't have trusted, and I've been let down. I don't want Aunt Carly to be someone other than the person I think she is. I don't think I can handle that."
"Then maybe you shouldn't look for answers, Mia. Let your aunt be who she is in your mind, in your memories."
"That's the logical thing to do, but I can't do it. I have too much curiosity to just let this go."
"Even though you found the painting in your aunt's bedroom, it might not have belonged to your aunt," he suggested. "A lot of artists have been through the studio. Maybe one of them stole the painting and covered it up with another. Maybe it was one of the paintings left to your aunt as rent payment for the studio."
"That's possible. I like that idea better."
He wasn't sure he liked the idea at all. His body tightened as he remembered the slashed paintings strewn across the lawn the night before. But he didn't want to talk about that in front of his daughter. "Ashlyn, why don’t you take your sandwich outside? It's a nice day."
"Okay," Ashlyn said happily. "Can I play in the studio when I'm done?"
Jeremy gave Mia a questioning look.
"Everything is fine outside," Mia said. "You can play in the studio, Ash."
After Ashlyn left the room, he turned back to Mia. "Is it possible this painting is what your vandal was looking for?"
"I had the same thought, Jeremy. The way the paintings were ripped apart made me wonder if someone was looking for something hidden behind another painting."
"Have you told anyone else you found this?"
"Only you, my friend in Paris, and my sister."
"Let's keep it that way."
"You don't think they'll come back, do you?"
He frowned at the question. He hadn't thought so before. Now he wasn't as sure. "Maybe we should talk to Kent."
"Let me find out more about the painting first. I don't want anyone else leaping to the conclusion that my aunt was an art thief. I should hear back from my friend or Kate in the next few hours."
"All right. Why don't we take our food outside?"
"That would be perfect. My eyes are tired from looking at that painting. I could use a break from it."
They sat at the patio table to eat. Ashlyn had already abandoned her lunch and ran back and forth between the studio and the table, showing them new items she'd discovered.
"I kind of like this," Mia said with a smile. "I just sit here and Ashlyn does all the work."
"She does have a lot more energy these days."
"How did her therapy session go?"
"Very well, I think. She told me that she spoke to Dr. Westcott about her mother. I think she's on the right track, Mia. She's getting better."
"I think so, too, Jeremy. She trusts you now. She gave you her secret to hold for her."
"I would much rather carry her burdens than watch her struggle to walk."
"Spoken like a true father. You're going to be a good dad."
"I hope so. I don't want to fail her. I feel like I have a lot of missed time to make up for."
"But there's so much more time ahead of you."
"That's true. I'm taking her to the park tonight. They show a movie on the wall of the rec center on Saturday nights in the summer. Tonight it's the Sound of Music."
"That sounds like fun."
"It's something to do. Everyone brings blankets, lawn chairs, food, and drinks. It's one of many Angel's Bay traditions. I'm hoping you might want to join us."
She hesitated. "I really shouldn't keep putting off the cleanup. I haven't accomplished much since I got here."
"You have all afternoon to clean, and you'll have two helpers. You'll want to relax tonight."
"Okay. I'd love to go to the movies with you and Ashlyn."
He felt remarkably happy at her words. "Good. I have to warn you that my father might show up at the movie."
"How do you know that?"
"I stopped by his boat while Ash was at her therapy appointment. You were right, Mia. We did have unfinished business."
"Did you finish it?"
"I said what I needed to say for us to be able to be in this town at the same time. He was surprisingly receptive. Apparently, he hadn't had a drink in five years until I called him last week and told him I was coming home and needed to speak to him. That shook him up so much, he went off the wagon."
"Because he wants to have a relationship with you, and he's scared."
"Why he thought getting drunk would be a good start, I don't know. But he actually apologized for the past."
"That's something big," she said, surprise in her eyes.
"I was shocked," he admitted. "I told him I'd consider letting him get to know Ashlyn, but if he steps out of line once, he's done. I think he believes me, but we'll see."
"I'm glad you went to see him. I didn't think you would. What changed your mind?"
"I ran into one of his friends in town. He persuaded me to talk to him again. But mostly I just wanted to prevent another awkward encounter. Ashlyn is doing better now; I don't want anything to set her back."
"You're doing the right thing, Jeremy."
"I hope so. We'll see what happens. It's going to take a long time for me to trust him."
"Trust can be a slow build," she agreed.
As she said the words, he realized that time wasn't always necessary. Sometimes trusting someone was instinctive. He knew without a doubt he could trust Mia and he'd known her for only a week. A lifetime with his father hadn't built any kind of trust.
"You're staring at me," Mia said, wiping her mouth with her napkin. "Do I have something in my teeth?"
He smiled as she showed off her pretty white teeth. "No, I just like looking at you, Mia."
She smiled back at him. "I like looking at you, too. But let's not forget your daughter is nearby." She crinkled up her empty sandwich wrapper. "Time to get to work."
"All right. As long as you promise to play later."
Her cheeks flushed at his words. "You have to stop saying things like that, Jeremy."
"No, I don't. It's still summer, and you said this was a summer fling. I plan on enjoying the hot days and the even hotter nights as long as I can."
Seventeen
As they walked toward the center of Central Park a little after seven, Mia was surprised at how many people were gathering for the eight o'clock movie. There were at least fifty families with every generation represented, from the older crowd sitting in their stable lawn chairs to the middle-aged parents sipping wine with their friends at picnic tables and the young moms and dads running after their kids.
"Mia," Charlotte said with a wave. "Come sit over here. Kara, Colin, and kids are on their way."
Mia glanced back at Jeremy. "What do you think?"
"Sounds good to me."
"I want you to meet my husband Joe," Charlotte said, as they approached the picnic table where Charlotte and a very attractive dark-haired man were standing.
Mia shook hands with Joe, noting his strong, firm grip. "It's nice to meet you, Joe, and congratulations."
"Congratulations?" Jeremy asked, giving Charlotte and Joe a speculative look.
Charlotte smiled. "We're having a baby, Jeremy. I spilled the beans the other night at the coloring book party."
"That's great news," Jeremy said. "I'm very happy for both of you."
"She's doing the hard part," Joe said with a laugh, putting an arm around Charlotte. "But thanks for including me."
"You had a lot to do with the fun part," Charlotte told Joe with a mischievous smile.
Mia found them both delightfully charming. Like Kara and Colin, Charlotte and Joe seemed madly in love and also qui
te respectful, admiring and caring about the other person in their partnership. Theirs was the kind of relationship she wanted for herself, and she found her gaze moving to the strong, handsome man by her side.
Summer fling, she told herself again.
She stepped back as Kara and Colin joined the group with their four kids in tow. As Kara set down a plate of cookies on the picnic table, she said, "Remind me never to have any more children. Four is crazy."
"How long will your nieces be here?" Charlotte asked with a laugh.
"Three more days. I love them to death, but it's a lot of work. I don't know how my mother did it."
"I've often wondered that about my mom," Mia said. "I'm the youngest of six, and my mother worked as a nurse, too."
"Did the older ones help?" Charlotte asked.
"My sister Annie watched me a lot, but the boys were usually gone." She paused as another couple joined their group—Kent and a pretty blonde.
"This is Dr. Eva Westcott," Kent said. "I think you know most everyone, Eva."
"Except probably me," Mia said, giving Eva a friendly smile. "I'm Mia Callaway."
"I've heard a lot about you from Ashlyn," Eva said, giving the little girl a smile. "How are you today, Ashlyn?"
"Good," Ashlyn said, then wandered over to join Kara's crew of girls, who were lining up some dolls for the upcoming movie.
"She's doing so much better," Jeremy told Eva. "I wanted to thank you for your help."
"I don't think I had a lot to do with it." Eva paused. "Both Ashlyn and Kent told me that his police vehicle triggered her breakthrough. We never know what will make the wall crack."
"I'm just glad she turned to me," Jeremy said.
"You're her father. That's going to happen more and more." Eva nodded to a couple waving at her from across the path. "If you'll excuse me for a minute."
"Of course," Mia said as Eva walked over to her friends.
"So you finally got her to go on a date with you," Jeremy said to Kent.
"I wore her down," Kent said with a proud smile. "It's nice to see you all out here. Any other problems at the house, Mia?"
"No," she said, not wanting to get into the discovery of the painting in front of everyone. She glanced over at Jeremy and he gave her a nod, silently telling her he would follow her lead. "However, I have cleaned out the studio. I think I've found all the paintings. Let me know if you want to come by and see if yours is there. I'd be happy to give it back to you." She'd decided that was the easiest thing to do rather than get into a battle with any of the artists.
"That sounds good. I'll come by and take a look tomorrow."
"Perfect."
"I'm going to catch up with Eva. See you around."
As Kent left, she smiled at Jeremy. "Kent seems smitten by Ashlyn's therapist."
"It's taken her a year to decide if she wants to date him, so we'll see."
"He doesn't give up, does he?"
"No, but it usually doesn't take him this long to convince a woman he's the perfect man for her."
She had a feeling that neither Jeremy nor his friends had ever had trouble finding women. They were good-looking alpha warriors. Who could resist that?
"Ashlyn is having a good time," Jeremy commented, tipping his head toward his daughter, who was in the middle of the group of girls. "I can't believe the change that has occurred in the past few days." He turned back to her. "It started with you, Mia. Once you climbed onto that roof and yelled for help, everything changed."
She made a face at his teasing smile. "You need to forget about that."
"Impossible. I can't forget anything about you."
"You should try, and we should set up our chairs. It's getting close to eight."
"I think Ashlyn has already chosen her seat," he said. "Why don't you and I sit behind everyone else? Then we can make out during the boring parts."
"There are no boring parts in the Sound of Music. Making out will have to wait."
"But it will eventually happen, right?"
She liked the hopeful gleam in his eyes. "If you play your cards right, there's a good possibility of that."
"You just made this movie we're about to sit through even longer."
She laughed, loving how easy it was to joke around with Jeremy. When she'd first met him, she hadn't imagined he'd have such a good sense of humor, that he could not only be serious but also playful. She also loved the way he looked at her. Even in a crowd, she could feel his admiration, his desire, and it was a heady feeling. She'd never felt so wanted before. She was just afraid that it wouldn't and couldn't last.
Twenty minutes later, the crowd had settled into chairs as the movie began to play. It was a beautiful warm, starry night—the temperature around seventy degrees, the perfect background for an evening of family entertainment.
Mia felt relaxed and happy, and even happier still when Jeremy took her hand midway through the movie and wrapped his fingers around hers. She couldn't remember the last time a man had just held her hand. The connection was more special than she would have imagined.
When the movie was over, they chatted with Kara and Colin, Charlotte and Joe and a bunch of other people whose names she couldn't remember. Finally, they began to pack up a little before eleven. While Jeremy took some stuff to the car and Ashlyn ran around with her friends, Mia took some trash to the large garbage bins set up near the bathrooms.
On her way back, she was surprised to see Kent standing under the shadows of a nearby tree with Christina Wykoff, the woman who had come to her house a few days earlier. They appeared to be having a rather heated discussion. Kent said something, then Christina waved her hand in the air in frustration. Kent said something else, and she gave a vehement shake of her head.
Then Christina suddenly turned around and walked away, stopping abruptly when she saw Mia.
Mia started, realizing that she'd been caught staring at them.
Christina moved toward her. "I'm glad I ran into you. Have you pulled out all the paintings from the studio? I'd really like to find mine."
"I was actually going to give you a call. I do have the paintings available for you to look at."
"Good. Will you be around in the morning?"
"Yes, I should be there all day."
"I'll come by around ten."
"Great," she muttered as the woman walked away without even bothering to say thank-you.
Kent came forward as Christina left. "Hey, Mia."
"Hi," she said. "What happened to Eva?"
"She got a call from a patient; she had to leave. How do you know Christina?"
"We met the other day when she came to my aunt's house to look for her painting," Mia answered.
"That's right. I forgot she painted there last year, too."
"She'd also like to get her painting back."
"That makes sense. She stayed there after a bitter divorce. I'm sure she had some demons to paint away, too."
"I told her to come by tomorrow and take a look." She paused. "You don't think Christina could have broken into the studio, do you?"
"No," he said, shaking his head, not a doubt in his eyes. "The damage that was done there was not perpetrated by a woman who hates to break a nail."
"I have to admit she doesn't seem the type." She really wanted to ask Kent what he'd been arguing with Christina about, but that seemed a little too nosey.
"Kent, Mia," a man called.
She turned around to see Barton walking toward them. "Hi. It's Craig, right?"
"Call me Barton, everyone does," he said. "I guess I missed the movie?"
"Yes, it ended awhile ago," she said.
"I figured."
"Like you came here to watch the movie," Kent teased. "Who is she and where is she?"
Barton laughed. "I don't cruise the park for women, Kent."
"You'll cruise anywhere for a woman."
"You've got me there."
"I have to run," Kent said. "I'll see you both around."
"Bye,
Kent," she said.
"So where's Jeremy?" Barton asked.
"He's putting our chairs in the car."
"What's going on with you and him?" he asked with an interested grin.
Apparently, Barton didn't share her concern about being too nosey.
"Tonight, it's just a movie," she said lightly, seeing his speculative gaze.
"What about tomorrow?"
"Who knows?" she said with a shrug.
"He's a good guy—Jeremy. One of the best men I've ever known."
She saw the sincerity in his eyes. "I believe that."
"You should. He's the kind of person who will stand by you no matter what. Once he's your friend, he's your friend for life."
She appreciated the admiration in Barton's gaze. "Good to know."
"I think you're good for him. When I saw him in the hospital after he got hurt, he was a shadow of himself. That blast had changed everything for him. His luck had finally run out." He paused. "I didn't expect him to find out he had a kid. At first, I thought it was the worst thing, just another horrible setback for his career, but now it seems like it was the best thing that could have happened. He can't go back to Delta, but he still has a lot to live for."
"Of course he does. He's more than a job, no matter how good he was at that job."
"I want him to work in private security with me. There's a position down in L.A. that would be perfect for him."
"What does he want?"
"He's thinking about it," Barton said with a smile. "That's Jeremy. He always has to think things through. I'm more of a jump-first, think-later kind of guy, which is probably why Jeremy had to save my ass on occasion."
"I have a feeling you returned the favor."
"We've been through a lot together, but Jeremy has always been one step ahead of me."
If I Didn't Know Better Page 20