“Hey there, Mr. Social Worker, how’s it going?” she asked.
“It’s fine and I’m confused. She’s really excited about the pig,” he said, shaking his head.
“It’s a legal pet to replace the monkey. Not replace it in her heart, but in the house—”
“I get it. I just couldn’t believe your mother walked in with a freaking pig.”
Zoe blinked, startled. Something told her Mr. Uptight, Conservative Bostonian didn’t curse often. “A Vietnamese potbellied pig, in case you were wondering.”
“I wasn’t.”
“Liar.”
To her surprise, he burst out laughing. “Are you people for real?”
“Last time I checked.” She nodded toward her family gathered in the other room. “We may be different, but we love each other so if you’re thinking you can use our uniqueness against us—”
“Whoa.” He held up a hand. “I didn’t mean anything except you’re all nothing like what I’m used to.”
Zoe stopped, smiled slightly, then placed her hand on the back of his larger one and gently pushed it down, keeping her fingers lightly closed around his. “And what would that be? Proper decorum at all times,” she teased softly.
A dimpled grin worked its way across his face, but his stare remained fixed on their hands. She suspected he also felt the heat passing between them.
No doubt he needed an explanation for her behavior when they were supposed to be on opposing sides. She wished she could understand it herself. How could she be so attracted to a man she knew was lying? A man who was, in essence, forcing her to lie to her family?
Yet she was attracted. Very attracted. Enough that she couldn’t control the smiles he evoked or the warmth surging through her body right now.
He also deserved an explanation. “What can I say? You may be a lying creep, but you interest me.” In fact, her insides tingled, making her aware of sensations that had been dormant for a while. She couldn’t remember the last time simply touching a man had caused her breasts to grow heavy and her nipples to tighten against her shirt.
Oh yes, she liked how this man made her feel.
When she’d worked for the Secret Service, the agency had frowned on mixing work and pleasure. She’d resented the rule at the time and had bent it on occasion, but with Ryan’s relationship to Sam between them, she’d be smart to follow a no-fraternization rule now.
On the other hand, he was hard to resist; his pull was magnetic. And he’d be around for a few weeks, underfoot, watching them and getting to know Sam. She couldn’t deny the desire to get to know him equally well. Without a doubt she knew he’d give her all the heat she desperately needed without being any threat to her resolution to advance her career and her life. It was an ideal situation.
“You see? Not only are you one big, loving group, but you say what you think.” He shook his head in disbelief.
She swung their clasped hands back and forth. “Better than keeping your feelings bottled up until you explode.”
“Or run away,” he muttered.
She paused. “Your sister?”
He nodded. “She chafed under rules and restrictions.”
“And your parents had a lot of them?” she guessed without too much difficulty.
“You could say that. Ever hear the term upper crust?”
“Of course.”
“Well imagine all that term implies. My brother and I conformed. She didn’t.”
Zoe raised an eyebrow, interested in his background for reasons that went beyond Sam. “How many brothers and sisters do you have?”
“There were three of us in total. There’s the oldest, J.T., then came Faith, then me.” His eyes glazed over at the mention of his sister’s name.
“So Faith was the only girl.”
He nodded. “My parents had high hopes for her. They expected her to have a traditional coming-out when she turned sixteen, but Faith was anything but traditional.”
Being so close to her family, and knowing what Ari had gone through when Zoe’d had to fake her disappearance, she could empathize with his pain over his sister.
She squeezed his hand tight. “I really am sorry.” And she was, despite that he might want to take Sam away. “So your folks must be thrilled that you’ve found Sam.” Her voice caught in her throat, this time at her pain over the fear of losing someone.
“My family is adjusting to the news,” he said vaguely. “So how do you care for a pig?”
A not-so-subtle change of subject and Zoe made a mental note to mention it to Quinn and Connor during their meeting tomorrow morning. Planning the discussion at the office seemed like an even better idea now, since she didn’t want to run the risk of Sam or anyone else in the family overhearing. And now that she’d found out some more information on Ryan Baldwin, she decided to play along with his topic change.
“You can feed and train the pig like any other domestic animal. Don’t you read the papers? George Clooney has one and he loves that animal more than any woman he’s met yet. Want to go meet Ima?” she asked.
“Ima Pig,” he said and shuddered. “No thanks. I’ll avoid it for now.”
“Chicken.” Zoe grinned. “So where are you staying?”
“Trump Plaza.”
“All the way in Atlantic City?” she asked. With their house right by the beach, there were a number of small, but nice hotels and motels closer to Ocean Isle.
“It’s only twenty minutes according to AAA.”
She rolled her eyes. “Let me guess. A motel close by never even crossed your highfalutin mind.”
He opened his mouth to speak, then shook his head. “Never mind. You already seem to have my number.”
“That I do, Mr. Baldwin. Just tell me that you’re going to honor our deal.” Because she had no choice but to trust him.
Trust that he wouldn’t go to Social Services and announce his status as Sam’s uncle. Trust that he wouldn’t tell her parents and completely freak them out, sending them into a tailspin and likely triggering a reaction she didn’t even want to imagine. And worse, she had to trust that he wouldn’t tell Sam.
Zoe swallowed hard.
This time he squeezed her hand tight. She’d grown so comfortable, she’d forgotten they were still standing that way.
“I realize you don’t know me well and that I just showed up out of nowhere and turned your life upside down. But if there’s one thing I can promise you, it’s that despite my social-worker lie, I’m a man of my word. If I make you a promise, you can believe in me.” His voice grew low and husky.
“And?” she asked.
“And I promise to keep my end of the deal.” Those deep brown eyes met hers, warm and compelling. Sexy and real.
She had to be a fool—because she believed him. “I have a meeting tomorrow morning so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t show up here until after noon.”
He nodded. “I can do that.”
She had one more question before she walked him to the door. “What do you do that you can take time off so easily and hang around Ocean Isle until this gets resolved?”
“I’m a lawyer.”
Swell, she thought, but she’d had to ask. “Family practice, I take it?”
He shook his head. “I might have conformed better than my sister, but there are still things I do my own way.” In his gaze, she thought she saw a hint of mischief. A sexual warning of sorts.
But then she reminded herself that this was Mr. Conservative and she had to be mistaken. Still, she couldn’t help but think of him doing things to her his own way.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she heard herself say before pulling him back to the family for his goodbyes.
THE NEXT DAY, Zoe showed up early for the meeting with her partners so she could prep what to tell the two men. Both had a soft spot for very few people, but Sam was at the top of their list. Now Zoe paced the office space she, Quinn and Connor had recently rented, located about a block from the rec center where the men volu
nteered and where Sam hung out after school. On a clear day like today, the large office windows provided a nice view of the ocean. It was a decent amount of space for their rental money. All that was missing was a firm name, but what had been a priority yesterday seemed insignificant today in comparison to the problem Ryan Baldwin presented.
“Are you going to tell us what’s wrong or are you just going to wear out the new carpet?” Quinn asked, his voice tight with frustration.
Zoe groaned and detailed all she’d learned from Ryan yesterday, including his true identity.
“He’s Sam’s what?” Quinn yelled, shaking the walls if not the foundation.
Zoe winced. If anyone had a stake in Sam’s future, it was the man who’d secured her first one foster home, then another in an effort to find her a good, solid home. Being a product of the foster-care system, Quinn understood only too well how abandoned, traumatized and confused Sam would feel upon learning the truth.
If it was the truth. But after a few hours in Ryan’s company, Zoe believed him.
She handed Quinn the papers Ryan had given her. “I’d handle digging into Baldwin’s family and background myself except that I want to be around the house at all times. I don’t want him alone with Sam, or my parents, for that matter. I need what little control I can get over him and this situation.”
Quinn ran a hand through his brown hair as he flipped through the papers. “His sister’s birth certificate, even her death certificate…Holy hell,” he muttered. “All this bastard has to do is demand a DNA test and he can prove he’s family. From there, a judge would only be too happy to hand her over.”
“Jeez, Quinn. Thanks for the vote of confidence. He says he’s from Boston, has two siblings including Sam’s mother, and from what I can gather, they’re on the uptight side.”
“That much was obvious from the way he jumped out of the way when Sam tried to put the pig in his arms,” Connor said, chuckling.
“And you’re one to talk. My family still gives you hives.” Zoe laughed.
Connor had the grace to flush red in his cheeks. “Only because I’m not used to so many wacky people in the room at one time.”
“He was probably afraid the pig would soil his designer duds,” Quinn offered helpfully.
Zoe drew a deep breath before giving her opinion. “He seems nice enough. In fact I wish I’d met him under other circumstances. If I could just get him to loosen up a little, we could have some fun.”
“Changing from tight-ass briefs to boxers would accomplish the same thing.” Connor rolled a pen between his palms as he contemplated the thought. “Seriously, Zoe, you can’t get involved with the guy. Talk about a conflict of interest!”
“Hell yes, she can,” Quinn said.
Zoe and Connor’s gaze flew to their partner’s. “What?” they asked simultaneously.
“You already made the decision to stick close to home until we figure out how to handle the guy, right?” Quinn leaned forward, elbows on his desk, and pinned Zoe with a determined glare.
Too bad she’d long ago learned how to handle wannabe bad guys like Quinn. “Yes. But you don’t scare me, so lose the Bad Cop look. I’m already on your team,” she reminded him. “Of course I’m sticking by Sam’s side. What’s your point?”
“Well it’s summertime. She’ll be all over the place with her friends and we don’t want Ryan Baldwin loose in town, asking questions and stirring up trouble. So use that chemistry to your advantage and when you can’t be with Sam, make it your business to be all over Baldwin. From what I noticed in the kitchen last night, you won’t find the assignment a hardship.” A smart-ass smirk was on Quinn’s face while Connor was doing his best not to snicker.
Zoe strode up to the desk and leaned forward. Nose to nose, she warned him, “You keep this up and I’ll tell Ari you’re smoking the occasional cigar. You’ll be sleeping on the couch for at least a week.” Zoe stood straight, folded her arms over her chest and grinned. “We both know even one night without my sister would be a hardship.”
Quinn let out a laugh. “See now this is why I agreed to this partnership. You give as good as you get and you don’t get on my nerves—much,” he added, with a wink. “Listen, Zoe, all kidding aside, we need you to stick close to this guy.”
She nodded, understanding how serious this was. “I will.”
“But watch yourself,” Connor said. “There’s no good outcome on this one, and if you get involved, you could end up hurt.”
This time it was Zoe’s turn to laugh. “Not a chance, guys. To be hurt, you have to fall for a guy and that’s definitely not my MO.”
Both men snorted. “Like it was either one of ours?” Connor asked.
“Hey, just because the two of you are now whipped doesn’t mean I’ll end up the same way.”
She didn’t intend to live by her parents’ example. Her parents were and always had been head over heels in love, which usually meant stormy disagreements and heated apologies that ended up with them in the bedroom, locked inside for hours. She and Ari had learned to keep themselves busy during those times, though at such a young age she probably shouldn’t have been aware of what the glow on her mother’s face afterward really meant. But they shared a romantic, storybook kind of love.
The give and take between her parents represented the best in a relationship, but they’d married young. And the older Zoe got, the more she feared that settling down with any man after all her years alone would mean compromises that would chip away at the essence of who she was. A person that was still too undefined, she thought.
Zoe had had her share of relationships and men. If love had been in the cards, she would have definitely discovered it by now. At the very least, she’d have been through devastating heartbreak. Instead she’d been disappointed at times, hurt on occasion, but she’d always bounced back, never truly having had her heart broken. Never having said, I love you.
“I guess it’s not in my genetic makeup, so I’ll hang around with Ryan Baldwin and keep a close eye on him.” A very close, admiring eye.
“Just be careful,” Quinn said. “I don’t want you hurt. You’re like a sister to me and if Baldwin turns out to be who he claims he is, I’d hate like hell to have to beat the crap out of Sam’s uncle.” He slammed his hand on the desk and muttered a succinct curse. “Uncle. This is going to kill everyone involved.”
Connor nodded. “Let’s just hope like hell we find dirt on his family and maybe then there’ll be some way Zoe’s parents can keep Sam.”
Zoe shuddered. The entire situation was a mess she couldn’t begin to decipher. Instead, she waved at her partners and headed home—before Ryan could show up and possibly alert her parents or Sam to the fact that something was wrong.
Chapter Three
AFTER THE MEETING at the office, Zoe rushed home, skipping lunch because she was determined to get there before Ryan showed up for his visit. She’d expected to find Sam cuddled up with the pig near his cage. Instead the kitchen was empty and she heard voices coming from outside.
She stepped out the sliding glass door and onto the large patio. Her mother was nowhere to be found, but Sam and Ryan were alone together in the yard. That by itself was enough to jolt her system. But when she caught sight of a shirtless Ryan digging a hole in the grass, a rush of adrenaline and desire raced through her veins.
The man was handsome in a suit, but, thee mou, she couldn’t have imagined the body hidden beneath the well-cut material. His back was already deeply tanned from the summer sun and his muscles flexed and pulled, teasing her each time he dug into the dirt. Watching him, she couldn’t stop imagining what his smooth skin would feel like beneath her hands or how his hard body would mesh perfectly with hers.
A warning voice echoed in her head, reminding her he wasn’t a social worker and he was a threat to Sam’s place in Zoe’s well-loved family. But the truth didn’t change the desire churning inside her or the need he inspired.
She’d never let her emotions take over
common sense, but then she’d never met a man like Ryan.
“Zoe! Come hang with me and Ryan.”
Sam’s voice snapped her out of her musings and she approached warily, completely aware of the one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn Sam’s attitude toward Ryan Baldwin seemed to have taken.
“What have you and Ryan been talking about?” Zoe asked. And just when had Mr. Baldwin, the social worker with the stick up his butt, become just plain Ryan? Zoe wondered.
He dug the shovel into the dirt and leaned on the handle, his entire look and attitude providing a more rugged, outdoorsy appearance than she would have associated with him after their first meeting.
“We’re discussing the finer points of raising pigs.” He rubbed his sweaty hands on his khakis, leaving a trail of dirt behind.
Zoe wondered what his Boston relatives would think if they saw him now, but with Sam around she couldn’t ask. She could however remark on the unusual nature of his task. “What’s going on?” She pointed to the patch of dirt where grass used to be.
“It’s a place for Ima to root,” Sam explained. “The books Ryan brought me said that if we give Ima a place of her own to dig and play in, we’ll cut down on her doing it in inappropriate places.”
Zoe’s gaze flew to Ryan. “You bought her books?”
“And magazines,” Sam added.
“I see.” Zoe nodded slowly.
“I showed up at her birthday party empty-handed. It was the least I could do.” He shrugged as if the gesture meant nothing.
Zoe knew that for him, the gift was a huge offering. Symbolic of something Sam couldn’t begin to understand or comprehend. Zoe wondered if she should question his sincerity, but then decided it was a petty thought, unworthy of her.
“So I read a few pages and now we’re giving Ima a place of her own.” Sam grinned and gestured to the patch of dirt Ryan had created.
Zoe glanced down. “In the yard.”
Summer Lovin' Page 4
