Where the Rainbow Ends (Summer Lake Silver Book 4)

by SJ McCoy

  She turned the radio on loud and started to sing along. It was all good.

  ~ ~ ~

  Diego smiled to himself as he stood in the doorway to Ted’s office. He wasn’t working; he was sitting staring out the window with a smile on his face that Diego could tell meant that he was thinking about Audrey. He’d never known his friend this happy.

  He cleared his throat, and Ted spun around in his chair. “Hey!”

  Diego chuckled. “Hey. Am I interrupting something important?”

  Ted gave him a shamefaced grin. “I was just …”

  “Thinking about the lovely Audrey?”

  Ted nodded. “Thinking about what we’re going to do this weekend.”

  Diego waggled his eyebrows. “Private thoughts? I can come back.”

  Ted laughed. “No. Not that. I was thinking about taking her for a hike up on the trails behind the house. We’re meeting with Logan on-site to go over the plans, and I want to show her just how far we’re going to be able to hike right from our own back door.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Anyway, what about you? What are your plans for the weekend?”

  Diego shrugged. “Zack and Maria are going to see her parents, after all.”

  “But you’re still coming, aren’t you?”

  He shrugged again. He’d been looking forward to spending the weekend at the lake, but now he wasn’t sure.

  Ted gave him a puzzled look. “Why not?”

  He smiled.

  “Do you have a hot date here that I don’t know about?”

  “No! My son isn’t going to be there. I can’t get in the house until I close on it—whenever that’s going to be. And … if I don’t go, you and Audrey will have the plane to yourselves.”

  “All of that makes sense … except for the part about you not having a date. You haven’t been out on a date in weeks.” He gave Diego a curious look. “Months?”

  Diego shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  Ted pursed his lips. “I think I know.”

  “Know what?”

  “That you haven’t been on a date since I first met Audrey.”

  Diego laughed. “What are you trying to say?”

  “What I’m trying not to say—what I’m hoping that you’ll admit—is that you’re hung up on Izzy. You met her the same night I met Audrey.”

  Diego’s heart rate picked up. It always did whenever her name came up. “You know me better than that.”

  Ted raised an eyebrow. “I thought I did, but it’s true. You haven’t been on a single date since you’ve known her. That’s not like you.”

  “I’ve been busy. We’ve been arranging the business so that we don’t have to be here every day. I’ve been up at the lake trying to speed things up on the house.”

  Ted gave him a knowing smile. “You’re hung up on her, aren’t you?”

  Diego pursed his lips, but couldn’t hold his smile in. “She’s a very attractive woman. I have never denied that fact.”

  “Yeah, but you usually deny that you like her.”

  He threw his hands in the air. “I have never denied it. But there’s no point. She likes younger men, little boys she can push around. That hardly describes me, does it?”

  “No, but just because someone has a type doesn’t mean that they can’t or won’t make an exception.”

  “Perhaps not, but she won’t be making one for me.”

  “Okay. I’ll drop it.”

  Diego almost wished that he wouldn’t. They’d had this conversation or some version of it a few times in the last couple of months. He enjoyed considering the possibility of something happening between Izzy and himself, even though he knew that she just wasn’t interested.

  “What time are you leaving?”

  “In a few minutes. Are you really not coming? You know I’m picking Audrey up in Ventura?” He smiled. “She’s having lunch with Izzy. I said I’d meet her at the restaurant.”

  Diego frowned.

  “I thought you were coming. I thought you might like to say hello. But … if you’re not interested …” Ted held his gaze for a long moment.

  Diego chuckled. “But if I come with you to Ventura, then I have to go to the lake, too.”

  “Or … I could send the plane back for you.”

  “That’s probably a bad idea.”

  “There’s only one way to find out.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Audrey checked her watch, and Izzy smiled.

  “Don’t worry. He won’t be late.”

  “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking about Ted arriving; I was wondering how much time we have left.” She looked sad. “I don’t like not knowing when we’ll get to do this again.”

  Izzy made a face. “Stop it. We can do it any time you like. And besides, we’re going to be talking every day—seeing each other on video chat. It’s an adjustment, that’s all. We won’t be right there with each other, but …” She smiled. “We’ll be right there with each other.”

  “I know.” Audrey turned to look out at the ocean. “Is there any chance you’ll come up next weekend?”

  “No. I want to give you guys some time to get settled in. I’m sure Ted won’t want me around on your first full weekend together … and I don’t blame him.”

  “This is our first full weekend together.”

  “You know what I mean. Give it a couple of weeks.”

  Audrey sighed. “Okay. But you have to promise that you’re coming at the end of the month. Clay’s going to be singing with the band on the thirtieth.”

  “In that case, I promise.”

  Audrey laughed. “You won’t come to see me, but you will come to see him sing?”

  Izzy waggled her eyebrows. “Sorry, but you don’t have the same effect on me that he does. He’s gorgeous!”

  “Well, if it’s going to take a gorgeous man to entice you up there, there’s one coming with us this weekend.”

  Izzy’s tummy felt as though it flipped over.

  Audrey raised an eyebrow at her. “Your silence speaks volumes.”

  “I’m surprised, that’s all. I thought the two of you were going by yourselves.”

  “We are … well, once we get there, we are. But the plane belongs to Diego, too. We’re hardly going to fly up there separately.”

  Izzy nodded slowly. She tried not to let herself think about Diego most of the time. He was one seriously sexy guy. But …

  Audrey gave her a sly smile. “I should probably have warned you that he’ll be with Ted when he comes to pick me up.”

  Izzy’s heart leaped into her throat. “Err, yes, you should!”

  “Why, though? You claim you’re not interested, so why does it matter?”

  Izzy rolled her eyes. “I’m not interested, but …” She laughed. “I’ve never denied that he’s gorgeous.”

  Audrey tilted her head toward the hostess station with a smile. “Well, if you don’t want him to know that’s what you think, you might want to shush because they’re here.”

  Izzy resisted the urge to turn and look. She could wait until they came out here onto the terrace where she and Audrey were sitting. Her heart was racing now. She took a sip of her drink, the ice cubes tinkling against the glass as she lifted it.

  She smiled as Ted reached them and leaned down to kiss Audrey’s cheek. “Hey.”

  Izzy envied the way her friend smiled at him. There was no mistaking the love in her eyes.

  “Izzy.” Ted smiled at her.

  “Hi, Ted.” She could feel Diego standing just behind her. She turned and smiled at him. “Diego.” Gorgeous was too small a word for him. He was … breathtaking. She was used to seeing him dressed casually up at the lake. Right now, he looked as though he’d come straight from the office; he wore a slate gray suit with a crisp white shirt which contrasted against his olive skin.

  His smile took her breath away. He took her hand and made a big show of kissing the back of it. “Miss Isobel. It’s been too long. You are more beautiful even than I
remembered.”

  It was the briefest touch, but the feel of his lips on her skin sent electric shocks zinging through her. He always had that effect on her, but there was no way she’d let him know it.

  Instead, she rolled her eyes at Audrey and Ted. “He’s still full of it, then?”

  Ted laughed, and Audrey frowned at her.

  Diego didn’t let go of her hand. He pulled up the seat beside her and turned big brown eyes on her. “Why? Why won’t you believe me?”

  She laughed. “I say again. You’re full of it.”

  “Do you two want a drink?” asked Audrey.

  Ted shot a glance at Izzy that she didn’t understand. “If you don’t mind, we need to get going. Karl said there’s a front coming in, and if we don’t get out ahead of it, we’ll be stuck here for a while until it blows through.”

  “Oh.” Audrey gave Izzy a sad look. “Are you okay if we go now?”

  “Of course. Go on. We’re done here anyway.”

  “I know, but …”

  Izzy hated that her friend was worried about leaving her instead of feeling happy about going off to get started on her new life with Ted. “I’m fine. Honestly. I might sit here and have another drink and enjoy the afternoon.”

  Diego squeezed her hand and smiled at her. “That’s a good idea. You should do that.”

  He seemed pleased with himself. Though why she didn’t know.

  “Thanks. I will.”

  He smirked at her. Damn, she’d forgotten just how sexy that smirk was.

  She got to her feet and let Ted peck her cheek before she hugged Audrey. “Just go. Don’t make a big deal out of it. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  Audrey nodded. Tears shone in her eyes. Izzy could feel tears of her own burning in her throat. She looked at Ted. “You take care of her, okay?”

  “I will. And we’ll see you soon? You’ll come up and visit?”

  She nodded.

  Diego took her hand and brought it to his lips again. He held her gaze the whole way. “I will see you very soon, Miss Isobel.”

  She pressed her lips together and nodded, not trusting herself to speak; her only options were to come out with some put-down or to risk asking him how soon, please?

  She let out a sigh as she watched the three of them walk away. A chapter of her life was ending; she knew it. But she also knew that a new and better one was starting for Audrey, and that made it all worthwhile.

  Chapter Seven

  After they’d gone, Izzy picked up her glass and drained it. It was nice out here. The sun shone brightly, but the terrace was shady and cool. She pursed her lips. She’d told Audrey that she might sit here a while. When she’d said it, it was just to reassure her friend that she’d be fine. But now that she thought about it, she realized that she may as well; she had nothing else to do with her afternoon.

  She fiddled with her glass. She could go to the gym and get a workout in, but she didn’t really feel like it. It was Friday afternoon, which meant Rafa would be working. If she went in, he’d probably think that she was there for him. She smiled. She had enjoyed the workouts that they used to give each other. But it had been a while, and he didn’t hold the same appeal anymore.

  She turned to see if she could catch the waiter’s eye. She might as well order a drink as sit here thinking about it.

  She did a double take when a guy who looked a lot like Diego came out onto the terrace. He smiled at her, and her heart started to race, confirming that it was, in fact, him and not just some look alike.

  “What are you doing back?” She looked past him, wondering where Audrey and Ted were.

  He pulled up the seat beside her and held her gaze, making her breath catch in her chest. “I told you I would see you very soon.”

  She didn’t understand. “What’s going on? Where are they?”

  “They’re on their way to Summer Lake.”

  She frowned. “And you? You’re not going?”

  His lips quirked up into that smirk. “I am not. I couldn’t stand to think of you sitting here all alone.” He reached for her hand, and she was too confused to pull it away. “May I keep you company?”

  She searched his face. He wasn’t joking.

  The waiter came over, and Diego raised an eyebrow at her. “The same again?”

  She nodded, still struggling to process what was going on.

  When the waiter had gone, Diego squeezed her hand. She met his gaze, and he looked deep into her eyes. Oh, he was good. He probably had women falling at his feet with that move. She wriggled in her seat, wondering briefly why she shouldn’t be one of them.

  The hint of a smile touched his lips, and she’d bet that he knew the effect he was having on her. She withdrew her hand.

  “Are you afraid of me, Miss Isobel?”

  She laughed. “Afraid? Why would I be afraid?”

  He let his gaze travel over her, and she felt a rush of heat sweep through her and settle between her legs. Damn. He was good at this game. “I was hoping you’d tell me.”

  “I’m not afraid of you, Diego. I’m just wise to you and your ways.”

  His smile was confident, to say the least. “What are my ways?”

  “You know what I mean. You expect me to fall for your lines and your good looks. I’m not afraid. I’m just not interested. I’ve told you before.”

  He leaned toward her and rested his hand on her knee, making her close her eyes briefly and wonder why on earth she wasn’t just going for it. The man affected her in a way she wasn’t used to. Certainly, in a way that Rafa didn’t, and perhaps no man ever had.

  “Would you rather I leave?”

  Her heart stopped beating at that. Of all the things she might have expected him to say, that was not one of them. She met his gaze. He raised one eyebrow as he looked earnestly back at her.

  “I thought perhaps, now that our friends are beginning their new life together, you and I should get to know each other better.”

  She wasn’t sure if his fingers caressed her thigh as he said that or if it was her imagination as she thought about the ways that they might get to know each other better.

  “But if you prefer, I will leave.”

  She held his gaze. It was a challenge, and she knew it. He was giving her the option to back out. But she didn’t want to. She should want to. This was a bad, bad idea. But if she told him to go, he’d have won.

  She shook her head slowly. “I’m not afraid of you. And I’m not going to fall for any of the moves you put on me. But I do agree that we should probably find a way to get along—for Audrey and Ted’s sake.”

  There was no mistaking the way his hand moved a little farther up her thigh—or the way she reacted to it before he sat back with a smile. “Thank you.”

  The waiter returned with their drinks, and Izzy took hers gratefully. She was going to need one to survive this guy!

  ~ ~ ~

  Diego raised his glass to her. “Can we call a truce?” His heart was pounding in his chest. He’d only rested his hand on her leg to see how she’d react. He’d expected another brush off. What he hadn’t expected was the way she’d closed her eyes or the rush that he had felt. He’d flown too close to the sun, and he had no desire to fall.

  She pursed her lips and took a sip of her drink. “I think we should. If your intention is for us to become friends so that we can be supportive of Ted and Audrey, then I think you should drop the whole act.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Act?”

  She chuckled. “Come on, Diego. The whole …” she shrugged. “Sexy guy, charmer thing you have going.”

  He tried to bite back a laugh but didn’t quite succeed. “Sexy guy, charmer?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yes. You know damned well what I mean. You pull it every time I’m around you. To be fair, I’m sure you do it around every woman you ever meet. In fact, that gives me an idea. If we’re going to be friends, then you should probably not think of me as a woman at all.”

  He shook h
is head slowly. “Impossible.”

  She let out a short laugh. “Drop it, would you?”

  “It’s not an act, Isobel. It’s true.” He let his gaze travel over her, taking in her short, blonde hair, her beautiful face, the breasts that always drew his eyes and the body that had haunted his mind far too often since he’d met her. How could she ever expect of him to think of her as anything but a woman—and a very beautiful woman at that.

  “See!” She exclaimed. “That is exactly what I’m talking about. You expect me to be turned on by that, don’t you?”

  He looked up into her eyes and smiled. “You aren’t?”

  She pursed her lips. “I’m not a liar. You’re a good-looking man, Diego. When your eyes make suggestions like that, a woman is going to respond.”

  He couldn’t help but smile. He knew the effect that look had on women, but until she admitted it, he hadn’t been sure of the effect it had on her. “What is your response?”

  She laughed. “You don’t give up, do you? In fact, don’t bother to answer that. If you want to call a truce with all the flirting and come-ons, then yes, I think it would come in handy—for our sake as well as Audrey and Ted’s—for us to be friends. It’ll make life easier. But if you’re going to keep up with the sex hound act, then I’m out.”

  “Sex hound?”

  She laughed again. “You know what I mean. I can’t think of the right word for it.”

  “I do. Forgive me?”

  She nodded, and he couldn’t help but smile as he raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.

  She gave him a dark look, and he let her go. “You need to understand. It’s not an act. It’s who I am.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Izzy gave him a puzzled look. “I believe that. You’re just one of those guys who pursues every woman he meets and—”

  “Only the most beautiful ones,” he interrupted.

  She pursed her lips. “Okay. Even if I roll with that. You pursue every beautiful woman who crosses your path, in the hopes of sleeping with her, right? Like I said, you’re a sex hound.” The name brought that smirk to his lips again, but she couldn’t think of a better way to put it. “So, what I want to know is what you’re doing here?”