by Jill Snow
“I can do that.”
They grinned like school kids as he paid the manager, leaving the promised tip. They got to the door before the flash of the cameras reminded them of their followers.
“Put your head down, don’t answer any questions and I will walk you to the car, okay?”
She nodded, taking his hand. He pulled her close, trying to shield her as much as possible. When he got to the car, he pulled open her door and bundled her inside. Then he turned to the photographers and reminded them he would sue if they tried to pursue his car.
They called out their questions, but he ignored them.
Chapter 28
Zoe woke up late the next morning. She’d been awake until the early hours wondering if she could trust her instinct and try dating Declan. What if she got hurt? That was a risk everyone took. Did he realize she and Dominic came as a package? He seemed to. He had commented on the good job she was doing bringing him up.
She had dreamed about Noah again. He had taken her to the prom. She could still see him now shaking her dad’s hand. Her dad had threatened to murder him if any harm had come to Zoe but everyone knew her dad was joking. Dad had liked Noah. He was easy to like.
She’d woken up in a cold sweat when in her dreams Noah’s face had disappeared to be replaced by Declan’s.
She jumped into the shower, before making breakfast and packing Dominic off to school. By the time she got to the garage it was after 9:30. To her amazement, the place was packed.
“What’s going on? Someone call a fix your motor day without telling me? Are we having a sale?” she asked Jim. For the first time in a long time, she was happy. She had really enjoyed her time with Declan. Dominic had been thrilled to see him again, never mind the car. Dom had even invited Declan to see his game on Wednesday and Declan had said yes.
“It’s you. Your face is all over the internet.” Jim said from under a car hood. “Guess they want to see what you look like in real life. So, since when are you dating a hot movie star?”
“What?”
“Come on Zoe, it’s all over social media, you with him at the pizza place. Your dad is probably rolling in his grave, the sight of his little girl acting like a…”
“That’s enough, Jim. I didn’t do anything I’m ashamed of, whatever the internet is making it out to be. Declan is a nice guy.”
“Sure he is.”
He was. Even with the little time they had spent together, he had shown himself to be a gentleman. If all he was interested in was a quick fling, a working girl with a kid brother would be way too much effort.
“He is. Don’t believe everything you read online.”
She had to defend him. Didn’t she? The guy she knew wasn’t the same one that the media talked about. But then, you could hardly say she knew him.
“No smoke without fire, sunshine. You should know that.”
She didn’t reply but went into her office. She had to see for herself how bad the coverage was on the social media site.
It was true. She looked awful. The comments were less than complementary. Calling her an ordinary looking thirty something year old. She was barely twenty-four. That wasn’t old. Was it? Maybe it was in Hollywood terms. She sat as she flicked through the coverage. There were numerous pictures of his past girlfriends, faces she recognized from the computer or TV. They were gorgeous and all younger than her, or at least they looked that way. Oh, what had she gotten herself into?
She closed down the site, taking a couple of minutes to compose herself. She wasn’t going to sit in the office and hide. She had to face the music as her dad would have said.
She moved to the front of the garage where some reporters were waiting. She ignored them and ushered in her normal clients.
“Jeez girl, what did you do? Did you win the lottery or something? Those paparazzi folks won’t seem to leave you alone.”
“I know, Bill.” Zoe smiled at one of her favorite clients. “But it’s all a load of rubbish.”
“I believe you but thousands wouldn’t, Zoe.” Bill’s eyes twinkled as he teased her.
Zoe’s stomach churned. She flipped on her cell to find a whole heap of messages mainly from her aunt, cousins and a couple of friends she hadn’t heard from in ages. They all wanted to know. What was the story with her and Declan Malone? Just what was she going to tell them?
Chapter 29
Whistling, Declan had just sat down to have his breakfast when Gertie came and sat with him.
“You are a dark horse, young man.”
“Gertie, I thought you had left the hotel already.”
“No, we are leaving today. I see you and Zoe made up.”
She lay the tabloid out in front of him. He groaned, the photographers had gotten a picture of him and Zoe. Whoever had taken the picture managed to catch them when they were looking into each other’s eyes. It looked exactly like an old-fashioned advertisement for a movie.
“Don’t read too much into it, Gertie. We just grabbed some pizza together and the paparazzi got wind of it. They added two and two together and came up with five.”
“You may be used to this life, Declan, but Zoe will be distraught. Kathy told me she is very private about everything. She won’t like this. Not one bit.”
“But it’s not my fault. That’s my life. I told her that at lunch.” Even as he said the words, he knew Gertie was right to be concerned about Zoe.
It was his life. He had chosen it, but Zoe hadn’t. How could he make it up to her? She’d probably decide enough was enough and dump him. Surely he wasn’t worth this amount of trouble.
“So what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know Gertie, what should I do?”
“Do you like her?”
“I barely know her.” At the look on Gertie’s face, he nodded. “Yes, I like her. Very much.”
“What are you sitting here for? Why aren’t you on the phone finding out if she’s okay?” Gertie stood up. “‘Faint heart never won fair lady’, as they say.”
And she was gone. He didn’t even know what that meant. Downing his coffee, he rang Zoe. She picked up immediately.
“Hello?”
“I’m so sorry, Zoe.”
“Oh.”
That didn’t sound good. “Rough morning?”
“You could say that. Amazing how many reporters want their oil checked or new tires. You would think they never met a lady mechanic before.”
She was trying to make a joke of things. He liked her even more for that, but he had to be sure she wasn’t going to stop seeing him.
“So you are okay? Are they harassing you?”
She didn’t reply. The seconds passed by as his stomach churned.
“I was surprised, I guess. I don’t think it’s something I want to get used to.”
“Oh, I see. I understand of course...” She was dumping him already. That had to be his shortest relationship ever.
“Next time we’ll have to be more discrete.”
He perked up. “Are you serious?”
“Declan, do you want me to bail on you? I mean, if you’ve changed your mind—”
“No! Not at all. I just well, I wasn’t sure. It can be a bit of a circus.”
“Speaking of that, there are a number of clowns here right now. I best go and get rid of them.”
He grinned at her description. “So when can I see you again?”
“Dominic asked you to his game next week. Maybe we could go together?”
“That would be great. Where is it?” He listened as she gave him directions and then she said goodbye. He didn’t get a chance to say anything else, which was probably a good thing. He didn’t really want her to know how pleased he was to see her again. It might make him seem needy or something.
He picked up the tabloid and read a couple of sentences. The reporter insinuated she was only interested in his money, but from what he had seen so far, she didn’t care about his money or his fame. She seemed to like him for him. He hoped h
e wasn’t wrong. He didn’t think he could handle it if she turned out to be another Marissa.
Chapter 30
He was sitting in the lounge area having a coffee when a man came up to him.
“Mr. Malone, my name is Chris Lyons. Conor Dunne suggested I speak to you. I know it’s unusual to approach someone in a hotel lobby but I knew you might still be here after the wedding so I thought I would come say hello.”
“Really?” Conor didn’t usually tell people to contact him. He understood Declan liked his privacy. But maybe this man had been at the wedding. He didn’t remember seeing him but then he had been consumed with thoughts of Zoe.
“Yes, we are both in the same golf club. I told him I was gathering together some investors and he suggested you might be interested.”
Declan liked the way the man held his gaze. He didn’t look away. He was also well dressed, giving off the air of a sophisticated investor rather than a fly by night character.
“If you are too busy to talk, I will just leave. I know how hard it is to get some time alone.”
“No, it’s fine. Please sit down.” Declan beckoned the server. “Would you like tea, coffee or another drink?”
“Coffee, two sugars.”
Mr. Lyons took a seat and put some paperwork on the table. It looked like some pictures of apartments and a village. By the sea.
“I live nearby and I had an idea to build some residential units by the sea. We are only a six hour drive away from Los Angeles or an hour or so by jet. It takes less than 30 minutes to drive into Silicon Valley. The pace of life is so slow here. The weather is perfect for those who are trying to escape from the never ending office lives. The facilities at the beach, while basic, are worth mentioning. The water is good for swimming and surfing. If we develop it properly there will be activities for all age groups. We are looking at a realistic return of between 10% to 15%, possibly a lot more but Conor mentioned you are a low risk individual.”
Declan picked up the various pictures and mock ups. He recognized some of the scenery from his run this morning.
“These look good but what has been the local reaction to the development? If I lived here, I am not sure I would want to build up the area. It has a certain charm of its own don’t you think?”
“Sure it does. I have lived here all my life. My grandpa, he used to take us to the beach and get ice-cream. The reality is that most of the older people have left. The young people have moved to where the jobs are and the older people are finding it hard to make their businesses work from lack of walk by trade. They are only delighted to sell out for a good price. Nobody wants to take advantage of these dear people, many of whom I consider my personal friends.”
Declan liked what he was hearing. Far too many developers didn’t care about the sole traders or those who had lived in an area all their lives.
“So what do you need from me Mr. Lyons?”
“At the moment, nothing. I would like you to come to our meeting and listen to the financial guys talk returns. I believe Conor will still be away but I can email him the presentations later. But I do have to warn you, the investment opportunity will fill up quickly. We have several people interested but Conor suggested you were looking for something new.”
Wow this guy must be on quite friendly terms with Conor for him to discuss Declan’s plans. He wasn’t quite sure he liked that.
“Is Steven investing too?” Declan asked.
“Steven? I don’t believe so. I am not sure he has disposable cash available.”
Declan sipped his coffee. He guessed that might be true. Steven didn’t have the same type of monies as he and Conor would have.
“Okay Mr. Lyons. This is my email address. Send me your information and I will see if I can make the meeting. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. “
“You are very welcome. Please keep the details to yourself. We would prefer to keep this investment to people we know personally or those that are introduced by personal connections. Otherwise it can become difficult to manage.”
“No problem. Nice to meet you Mr. Lyons.”
Declan sat and watched the man as he left the hotel. There was something about him but then he might just be imagining things. He had wanted to get involved in something different. This would give him a chance to stay in the area and get to know Zoe better. Maybe it was a sign.
Chapter 31
Over the next week, Zoe refused to comment or answer any questions and eventually the reporters got fed up. Jim teased her about it being their best couple of days in years. It was true. She had refused to let them clog up her garage, so if they wanted to stay, they had to buy something. Sales had been good.
Dinner had also gone well with Mr. Epstein. He had arrived with a huge chocolate gateau. It turned out he was good at baking, almost as good as Kathy. He and Dominic had hit it off, too. Mr. Epstein had told Dominic stories about how he had almost become a pro baseball player, but his parents didn’t like sports. So he’d become an accountant instead.
As she suspected, he lived alone and while he mentioned his sons a few times, she got the impression they didn’t live nearby. She should really introduce him to Kathy and her friends. He might like to play chess with Jim, Gertie’s husband, or take some of the other classes Conor and Emily had arranged at the new retirement home.
“Zoe, I was wondering if you had been approached by someone offering to buy your business and this place?” Mr. Epstein moved on his seat, his finger playing with his collar.
“No I haven’t. Why do you ask?”
“I hope you don’t think I was being nosy. Mr. Lyons contacted me. He wants to buy my home. He’s offered me more than it is worth, but something doesn’t seem right to me. I am not saying anything bad about Mr. Lyons, I don’t know him. But why my house? And why would he offer more than it is worth on the open market.”
“Did he tell you what his plans are?”
“No. He didn’t really say anything other than he fell in love with the house and he had to have it. Maybe he has a wife who wants it. It is quite a pretty place. My Trudy was smitten when she first saw it.’
“Mr. Epstein, I know Mr. Lyons and from where I am standing, there has to be something more to this. First he isn’t the type to care about what his wife thinks.” If he cared, he wouldn’t have asked her for drinks and an overnight stay at the hotel but Mr. Epstein didn’t need to know that.
“I think he is up to something. I have had a few customers telling me he has given them offers too.”
“But what could he want? I love Cloudy Bay but it’s hardly an up and coming town. If anything the real estate world seems to have ignored it exists.”
“Mr. Epstein. That must be it.”
The poor man looked bewildered.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you but I think you just cracked the mystery. Why else would Lyons want to buy so many properties above market value? He doesn’t want you to sell to anyone else. I bet he has plans to build a giant hotel or a load of new apartments or something. Do you remember someone else tried to do that, must have been about ten years ago. My dad went nuts. Said the place would never be the same.”
“I had forgotten that Zoe. I never knew your dad but I remember reading about a firm trying to get planning for a new development. The locals stopped them.”
“Well, I guess we’ve got to stop them again. We don’t want to lose our town. Do we?”
“I don’t. I love it here. You can go for a walk by the ocean and have a drink in the bar and not feel rushed. Last thing I need is for this place to become like New York.”
Mr. Epstein looked so concerned, Zoe hastened to reassure him. “I don’t think it could be that bad but let’s not tempt fate. We will have to get the locals together and tell them what we suspect and take it from there.”
Mr. Epstein went home early with her accounts in tow. He was smiling broadly as he kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you Zoe not only for the lovely food and the delightful compa
ny but for not treating me like a senile old man. I didn’t know who to turn to. Thank you for being my friend.”
“My pleasure, Mr. Epstein. Thank you for dessert although I am going to have to run every day to get rid of the calories.”
Then Declan texted to ask if they were still on for Wednesday evening. When she replied yes, he had said he was looking forward to it. Was it wrong to hope he was thinking about more than a basketball game?
Chapter 32
Declan arrived at the game wearing his hat and glasses. He looked around for Zoe, but couldn’t see her. For a school game, there were quite a few people watching. He caught Dominic searching the stands. Dominic didn’t look twice at Declan, which meant his disguise was working. But the look on the child’s face as he searched the stands was heartbreaking. Declan wanted to wave and show him he was here but he couldn’t risk taking the attention of the crowd away from the game.
Instead, he waited for Zoe, using the time to scroll through his messages from Mark. His agent was having a fit about him not being back yet. Declan wasn’t sure if Mark was more annoyed because he wasn’t doing what he was told, or if there was a serious problem. Either way, he would drive back tomorrow to see how the land lay.
He watched the game and cheered loudly when Dominic blocked and then scored. He looked around a couple of times, but there was still no sign of Zoe.
Zoe couldn’t believe her luck. She’d already been running late and then the car she had borrowed from Jim got a flat tire. She changed it quickly, pulling into the school half an hour before the game was due to end. Locking the car, she ran to the court hoping her brother would forgive her. Maybe Declan being here would make up for her lateness.
She arrived, huffing and puffing, realizing she should be hitting the gym more often. Looking around she couldn’t see any sign of Declan. Her stomach fell. She’d been certain he would be there. What would Dominic say? She looked to her brother but he was too engrossed in the game to spot her. Her cell phone pinged. Taking it out, she saw Declan’s number.
