Summer Lovin’ (Costas Sisters #2)(7)
Author: Carly Phillips

"Yes." His expression grew more shuttered.

She narrowed her gaze. "That’s it? Yes? Do they know you found your sister’s child?"

"Yes." His jaw tightened, almost imperceptibly.

"Yet they aren’t here with you."

He paused, then said, "We thought it best I come down and check out the situation first." The tick in his jaw became more pronounced.

She made a mental note to have Quinn look deeply into their family history. If he had been thirteen when his sister ran away, what had his parents done about finding Faith before the trail had grown cold? Ryan Baldwin’s silence spoke louder than any words could and perhaps whatever was behind that reticence would provide her with the leverage she needed to stall his revelation to Sam.

She sidled up beside him, this time more aware of his expensive cologne, a scent that under other circumstances she could definitely get used to. "I’d like to propose a deal. A quid pro quo of sorts."

"Again, I’m listening."

"You just can’t spring this on my family or Sam. She’s fragile and needs to get to know you first."

He nodded in understanding, his expression softening. "That sounds fair. What are you proposing?"

" Katherine , the social worker, has put off the final evaluation a few weeks while she’s away on a family emergency. They’re so overburdened they can’t spare anyone for this case. I suggest you hold off telling Social Services or Sam who you claim to be."

"Who I am."

She shook her head, refusing to accept him at his word just yet. "Whatever. What I’m suggesting is that you continue your charade. Pretend to be a social worker and come by as often as you like during these last few weeks of the evaluation period. You’ll get to know Sam and see her in her element here."

He frowned. "That sounds awfully one-sided. What do I get out of this?"

"My cooperation in getting to know Sam. If you dump this news on her, I can promise you every defensive mechanism she has will surface and your chances of winning her over will be slim. She considers me her sister. She trusts my judgment. Like it or not, you need me, Mr. Baldwin. So do we have a deal?" She held out her hand.

He hesitated for a second, before grasping her hand. If Zoe thought the first sparks between them were a fluke, she immediately discovered she’d been mistaken. The man might have lied from their first meeting, might be the biggest threat to the Costas family since her father’s bout with cancer, but somehow the attraction was there, strong and undeniable.

She gathered her composure— which wasn’t easy when she liked the feelings he evoked— and yanked her hand back. "One more thing."

"What’s that?" he asked, flexing his fingers as if he needed to shake himself free of her touch.

She understood and had to force herself to focus on their predicament. "When Sam gets her birthday gift, you will grin and laugh and look the other way."

"What’s the gift?" he asked warily.

"You’ll see." Despite herself, she couldn’t help but grin.

* * *

RYAN TRIED TO MAKE HIMSELF comfortable at the party. With the truth out in the open between himself and Zoe, he felt as if he’d just dodged a bullet and also knew for a fact that he’d bought himself some time at the Costas home. As tough as it was to admit, Zoe had raised many good points, the most important of which was that he needed her. Zoe’s parents were Sam’s guardians, which put them at a legal advantage. Emotionally, they also had the upper hand since they knew Sam and understood how she would react to his sudden appearance in her life. He’d foolishly thought he’d be rescuing her from hell and she’d greet him with open arms. Zoe made him realize Sam might well resent him for all the years she’d suffered in foster care, and now that he thought about it, such a reaction would be understandable.

No fourteen-year-old would be able to rationalize the situation enough to forgive and forget immediately, no matter how much he wished otherwise. Still, he tried to play devil’s advocate, to think through all possibilities. Though there was a chance that Zoe was trying to discourage him with her warnings about Sam’s defense mechanisms springing into place, he decided it was unlikely Zoe would lie about something so important.

As an attorney, he’d learned to read people and trust his instincts, and Zoe Costas, for all her family’s eccentricity, seemed to be honest and upfront. Most important, it was obvious that she loved Sam— enough not to put her emotions at risk. He felt the same way and that’s why he’d agreed not to rush into revealing who he was.

An hour after she’d uncovered his real identity, the last of the guests had left the party and only the family remained gathered in the family room. They were a large group, Elena and her husband Nicholas; Zoe’s twin, Ari, and her husband, ex-cop Quinn Donovan; Quinn’s best friend, Connor Brennan, and his fiancée, Maria; Nicholas’s sister, Kassie, who owned a local diner called Paradeisos; a man named Gus; Elena’s sister, Dee, and her husband, John…the list went on and on.

All except for the monkey, who thankfully had departed with her trainer, but not before dropping her pants and mooning the crowd one last time. Sam had slipped the monkey five dollars, tucking the folded bill into the white-lace panties beneath the primate’s dress. Spank had changed clothing before leaving, much as a bride would prior to her departure with her groom.

Ryan had been speechless. He still couldn’t believe this day, which had been filled with one shock after another. Had his family seen the spectacle of that monkey, his mother would have passed out on the spot while his father would have called for Hilton, the butler, to show the animal to the door. The only one in his family Ryan could picture enjoying the animal was Faith, and she was long gone. Only her daughter remained, her legacy and a testament to her free spirit.

With the huge family surrounding him, he sensed the surprises weren’t over yet. There weren’t enough chairs to hold all the relatives, but no one seemed to mind, and though he tried to give any one of the women his seat, they’d refused. He was the guest, they’d info rmed him. He knew they meant the social worker and all were on their best behavior.

Only Sam seemed oblivious to his presence as she bounced from person to person, begging for clues about her birthday gift. Nobody was speaking on the subject, leaving both Sam and Ryan in the dark.

Without warning, Ryan heard a drumroll and turned to see Nicholas playing a small set of drums, deliberately building anticipation.

"Come on, I want to see!" Sam said, her enthusiasm tangible and contagious.

Even his stomach churned with unfamiliar excitement. Growing up, the most exciting birthday gift his parents had ever given him was a savings bond. At least he’d had Uncle Russ, his father’s brother, for the kind of fun gifts a kid needed like a bike or the latest gadget.