Always With Me

by Barbara Freethy

  Because being together now wasn't anything like she remembered; it was much, much better.

  Finally, she found the strength to break the kiss.

  They stared at each other in the late-night shadows, their breaths swirling in the cooling air. There were fiery lights in Zach's eyes. And the desire in his gaze nearly sent her back into his arms. But this couldn't go anywhere…

  She couldn't allow herself to fall…not again…not with him.

  She slid down the bench, putting some distance between them, then she got to her feet.

  Zach stood up, his gaze turning troubled. "Do you want me to apologize?"

  "No."

  "Good, because I wasn't going to. That was something else, Gianna."

  "We've always had chemistry," she mumbled.

  "Undeniable sparks," he agreed. "From the first time we kissed. They're still there."

  "So, we'll put them out," she said ruthlessly, folding her arms across her waist. "Our curiosity is satisfied. It's done. Let's walk." She turned and started strolling down the path before she could change her mind.

  Zach fell into step alongside her. He didn't say anything, and that surprised her. He'd always been good at persuading her to do what she was reluctant to do. But he was strangely quiet. Maybe he realized what had just happened was a big mistake.

  When they reached the antiques store, she paused beside the door that led up to the apartment from the street and pulled out her keys.

  Zach stepped in front of her, blocking her way. "I know you don't want to feel anything toward me, Gianna, but you do."

  "I told you—"

  "I know. You're taking a break from men and relationships. I understand that."

  "And you're here for a little girl, not for me," she reminded him. "So, this—whatever this is—is not going to happen. It's too complicated. We can't go back in time. We can't be those impulsive, free-spirited, reckless teens again."

  "That was one good summer."

  "Until it ended. And this would end, too. I can't handle another ending, especially not with you," she said honestly.

  His gaze darkened. "I'm sorry I hurt you, Gianna."

  "I'm sorry, too. I'm not giving you a chance to do it again. I also don't want to hurt you, and my history should tell you that that would be a good possibility. So, let's say good-bye."

  He shook his head. "I'll say good night, but that's as far as I'm going. I still want to be your friend."

  "You want more than friendship."

  "I want whatever you have to give." He swooped in and stole another kiss before she could protest, the action so fleeting, it just left her lips tingling.

  "Who said I wanted to give you another kiss?" she challenged.

  He gave her the cocky grin that had always turned her heart over. "See you tomorrow, Gianna."

  She unlocked the door and stepped inside, her heart beating way too fast. She never should have let that kiss happen.

  On the other hand…

  Zach had always been one hell of a kisser.

  Chapter Eleven

  As Zach sat down across from Mitch Carver at the Big Sky Café on Sunday morning, he felt a mix of emotions. While he was happy to keep the lines of communication open with Mitch, the person he really wanted to see was Hailey, and that opportunity didn't seem to be getting any closer.

  "Coffee?" the waitress asked him.

  "Please," he said, as she poured him a cup.

  "Thanks for coming," Mitch said. "I heard you had a run-in with my father yesterday."

  "He came out to the camp and threatened to stop the project if I don't leave town."

  Mitch's lips drew into a grim line. "I would expect him to make good on that threat, Zach."

  "Oh, I do. But I don't run from bullies and neither does Hunter Callaway, the owner of the camp, so your father will have his work cut out for him."

  "I tried to tell him that last night, but he wasn't listening. He was more concerned with the fact that my mother was packing her suitcase."

  Mitch's words gave him a jolt. "Your mom is leaving town? When? Is she planning to take Hailey?"

  "I think that was her thought, but my dad talked her out of it. He said they're not running anywhere. That if anyone is leaving town, it's you."

  Relief ran through him. "Then it looks like we're all staying. I have to say that if your mother tries to run and hide Hailey, I will find her."

  Mitch stared back at him with a frown. "This war needs to end, Zach."

  "Then set up a peace summit, Mitch. You're the only one who can do that."

  "Believe me, I've suggested it more than once. They cut me off every time."

  He picked up his coffee and took a long sip. "I feel like there's something else going on here. I'm not a threatening, violent person. Why are your parents so afraid of me? Did Rebecca make up stories about me?"

  "Not that I know of."

  "I understand why your parents want custody of Hailey. I know they're grieving for their daughter. And I can even see why they need to make me the villain, but their hatred, their fear of me, is over the top."

  "I have to say I agree. Here's another odd thing. When I was at the house yesterday, I noticed that someone had gone through Rebecca's room. All the drawers were open. There were clothes on the floor. Honestly, it almost looked like someone had ransacked the room."

  He leaned forward, resting his arms on the table, as he gave Mitch a speculative look. "You think your mom did that?"

  "Or my dad. He's been on a spring-cleaning binge lately. He wanted to put Hailey in Rebecca's room, so he moved some furniture out of there, but my mom had a fit. Rebecca's room has always been sacred. My old room has been a sewing room, a gym, and now it's Hailey's room. They've had no problem purging themselves of all furniture and items related to my childhood, but Rebecca's room has always been kept ready for her to return, even when she was living with you. Since she died, it's where my mom has spent a lot of her afternoons. To see it in that state was weird."

  He didn't know what to make of Mitch's comments. No matter what he thought of the Carvers, he'd always believed that Hailey was safe in their care. Now, he wasn't so sure. "That sounds odd."

  "I agree."

  "I need to see Hailey, Mitch, and soon. With your mom thinking of leaving town, and your dad sending cops to talk to me, everything is coming to a head."

  "I can't believe he went that far. I keep hoping that when they calm down a little, they can listen to reason."

  "I think you're being overly optimistic."

  "Maybe. You need to give them a couple of days of breathing space. Let me keep working on them. Let them get used to the idea of you being in town."

  He wanted to tell Mitch to screw it, that he was going to go to their house and demand to see Hailey, but he couldn't, because the last thing he wanted to do was give the Carvers real ammunition against him. As frustrating as it was, he had to play the waiting game. He had to be patient, and that had never been his strongest trait.

  "All right," he murmured. "I'll wait—a little while longer. Can I buy you breakfast?"

  "No, thanks. I'm not very hungry."

  "Are you sure?" He felt a little guilty about making Mitch the middleman. Rebecca had always wanted to protect her younger brother and maybe he should be respecting that more. He was just desperate.

  "Yes. I'll be in touch," Mitch said, as he got to his feet.

  "If you want out, Mitch, I can take it from here. I don't want to put a wedge between you and your parents."

  "I still want to help. Give me some time."

  "Okay." As Mitch left, Chloe came over to the table.

  "I was going to take your order earlier," she said. "But it appeared that you and Mitch were having an intense conversation, and I didn't want to interrupt."

  "Thanks for that. What's good?"

  "The spinach omelet is awesome."

  "Then I'll go with that." He handed her his menu. "You look tired this morning. Do you ever take a da
y off?"

  "Not very often. Work keeps me distracted. I promised Kevin when he left that I'd keep this café going. His parents were the original owners. They retired to Florida three years ago. My mother-in-law has asthma and needed a warmer climate."

  "That sounds like a lot of pressure, especially when you're about to have a baby."

  "The stress comes more from missing my husband. I'm looking forward to Kevin getting home. He has been gone so much the past five years, I sometimes feel like a single woman. But I shouldn't complain. My husband is serving his country. He's a hero. I'm just serving coffee."

  "Don't do that," he said. "Don't downplay your own sacrifice."

  She was taken aback by his sharp words. "I—I'm not making a sacrifice."

  "Yes, you are. I don't know if Gianna told you, but my father was in the army, too. He spent most of my life away on deployment, and I watched my mom struggle to raise me and my brother on her own. She used to tell me the same thing you just did—that she had no right to complain, because her husband was doing the hard work. But she was working hard, too. She was trying to hold our family together."

  "I didn't realize," she said, sliding into the chair across from him. "You do know exactly how it feels."

  "I do."

  "What happened to your dad? Did he eventually retire?"

  He really didn't want to answer her question. At his hesitation, her lips tightened.

  "He didn't come back, did he?" she asked quietly.

  "No. He was killed in action right before my sixteenth birthday. I was really angry about that for a long time."

  "I'm sorry," she said softly. "And you had every right to be angry. It wasn't fair."

  "I wasn’t just mad at the universe, I was upset with him. I felt like he'd chosen the service over us. He'd had times to get out, but he never took that opportunity. My mom said I couldn't blame him for loving the life he'd chosen. But I still did. I blamed her, too, for not making him quit. And sometimes I blamed myself for the same reason."

  "It was his choice."

  "It was."

  "I've had those same thoughts and feel guilty about them," Chloe confessed. "I knew Kevin wanted to be a military man when I married him. His dad, his grandfather, and his uncle were all in the army. It was his path, and I chose to be his wife. I love him. I'm proud of him. I shouldn't be complaining or feeling sorry for myself."

  "You're pregnant and alone. You can complain a little, especially to me. I get it."

  She met his gaze. "It is nice to talk to someone who knows how I feel."

  "I'm around if you ever want to vent. No judging."

  "Thanks." She gave him a thoughtful look. "Can I ask what's going on with you and Gianna? Hannah told me that you're the guy who broke her heart at summer camp. I didn't realize you were that Zach."

  "That Zach sounds bad," he said with a grimace.

  "You stole her locket."

  "I didn't, and she now believes me about that. She also wasn't the only one who ended up with a broken heart. But it was a long time ago. We've decided to put that in the past and be friends."

  "Just friends, huh?" she asked with a doubtful raise of her brow.

  "That's the plan."

  "I know that you're both coming off some heartache, so I can see why you'd make that plan, but I wonder if it's sustainable."

  He gave a helpless shrug. "I wonder that, too."

  Chloe smiled and got to her feet. "Well, you're honest; I'll say that for you. I'll get your order in, Zach."

  "Thanks."

  As Chloe left the table, his thoughts turned to Gianna, to the passion they'd shared the night before. Trying to recreate their teenage romance was probably a stupid idea, but it sure would be fun…

  Gianna used her aunt's truck to drive to Keira's lake house, which was a few miles out of town. Keira had grown up in the house and when her mother had suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident, she'd moved back in to help out. She'd also taken over her mother's real-estate business. Keira's father had died when she was young, so it had always been Keira and her mother; they had an incredibly close bond.

  After parking in front of the house, Gianna grabbed the platter of brownies she'd made earlier. She wasn't much of a cook, but she did like to bake. Unfortunately, she also liked to eat, which was why she didn't bake too often.

  She made her way up to the front door and rang the bell. Then she turned the knob and stepped inside.

  Keira was coming out of the kitchen. She was a dark brunette with deep-brown eyes and her jean shorts and tank top revealed her curvy figure. Her eyes lit up when she saw Gianna.

  "You came," she said happily. "I'm so glad. I was bummed when I couldn't make it to the bar last night."

  "I missed you."

  "I missed you, too, and not just last night. It's been what—a year since I've seen you?"

  "Probably about that," she admitted.

  "Well, come on into the kitchen. My mom is keeping an eye on my chili. The Lawsons are here—Jessica and Tom and their daughter Laura. They're out by the pool with one of the agents from my firm—Brenda Allen—and her boyfriend."

  "Sounds like you're going to have a big crowd."

  "I hope so. It's my annual barbecue, and it seems to keep getting bigger and bigger. It's actually nice to see the pool and the dock and the lakefront being used. My mom and I don't spend much time outside anymore."

  Gianna followed Keira into the large farmhouse kitchen. Keira's mother, Ruth, was standing by the stove, stirring the chili.

  "It looks done," she told Keira.

  "Thanks, Mom," Keira said, taking the spoon from her hand. "Do you remember Gianna?"

  Ruth turned to her with a quizzical gleam in her eyes. Seeing the woman she'd grown up with and sometimes considered a second mother looking confused and frailer than she would have expected sent a wave of sadness through her. Ruth and her mom were probably close in age, but Ruth was a pale shadow of the vibrant woman she'd once been, all because of a drunk driver.

  Forcing a smile, she said, "Hello, Mrs. Blake."

  "Jill," Ruth said. "It's good to see you again. Your blonde hair is so pretty."

  "It's Gianna, Mom," Keira said gently, giving her a helpless, apologetic smile.

  "No, it's Jill. Tammy's friend," Ruth insisted. "You used to follow us around, didn't you?"

  She had no idea who Ruth was talking about. "It's nice to see you again," she said simply.

  "Why don't you sit down, Mom?" Keira urged. "You've been working hard all day."

  "Well, there's a lot to do for the party."

  "Yes, and I need you to put the cookies on the platter." Keira urged her mother toward the kitchen table where several Tupperware containers of cookies were ready to be put on display.

  "Oh, right, I almost forgot," Ruth said, taking a seat at the table.

  "Sorry about that," Keira muttered.

  She shrugged, sliding onto a stool at the island as Keira moved around to the other side to cut up some vegetables. "How are you doing, Keira? I know you're busy working, but what about your personal life? Any men I should know about?"

  "I've been dating but no keepers. I'm sorry about your engagement. Or should I be happy you escaped a bad marriage?"

  "It just wasn't right. And now that I'm back home, I'm realizing that the problem isn't the guys; it's me. I'm floundering. I need to stop looking for someone else to make me happy, to give me direction. I need to find that for myself."

  "That sounds mature and self-aware."

  "It's about time," she said dryly.

  Keira laughed. "You have had a tendency to fall fast."

  "I think I've been in too big of a hurry to get to the next stage of my life. It's like when I read a book and I have to skip to the end to know what's going to happen. I need to learn to stay in the moment, to not think so far ahead."

  "When you figure that out, let me know. So, what's next? I know you're here to help your aunt and run the antiques store, but what h
appens when she's better?"

  "I look for another job. In the meantime, I also have some freelance art projects to work on." She paused. "And there's something else…"

  Keira raised a brow. "Okay, this sounds interesting."

  "I'm thinking about looking for my biological mother."

  "Really? I thought you'd put that idea aside a long time ago."

  "It came back to me. In fact, a lot of my past has been coming back to me."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I had to go up to the camp to pick up some furniture for my aunt's store, and I ran into Zach."

  "Zach who?"

  "Zach Barrington."

  Keira paused. "Wait—your camp boyfriend? That Zach?"

  "Yes. He's the architect on the camp project."

  "That must have been some meeting."

  "You can't even imagine. I was actually standing out on the pier, looking at the lake, and when I started to walk back, the pier broke apart and I landed in the water. Zach was just driving in, and—"

  "He rescued you?"

  "Yes. He didn't know it was me at first."

  Keira's eyes lit up. "That's quite a story."

  "It was shocking."

  "Were there any sparks?"

  "That's not important."

  "That means there were sparks," she said with a knowing gleam. "How long will he be in town? Is he single? What's his story?"

  "You don't know?"

  "Know what?"

  "That Zach was living with Rebecca Carver in San Francisco the last several years. I'm surprised you wouldn't have heard that."

  "I did hear that Rebecca passed away in a fire, but I hadn't heard details about her boyfriend. I certainly had no idea it was your Zach."

  "He hasn't been my Zach in a long time."

  "How long will he be in town?"

  "I'm not sure."

  "Do you think you'll see him again?"

  "Yes. He's coming to your party as a guest of Lizzie Cole's. The new owner of the camp is Hunter Callaway, Lizzie's cousin. He's coming, too."

  "Right. She mentioned she was bringing some guests, but I didn't get the details. This should be fun. Is Zach still impossibly handsome?"