make time for you,” he answered quietly. He lifted her hand, brushed his lips against her knuckles. “Good night, beautiful. I hope we cross paths again soon.”
Then he was gone and Ashley was left with the imprint of his lips on her skin. But it wasn’t only that he’d touched her physically. Something in her spirit recognized that he was seeking solace, just as she was.
She didn’t understand how or why she knew that, but Michael Masters’s effect on her was no different than the first time she’d visited the Louvre. Her knees were weak, her palms damp and she couldn’t quite catch her breath.
Sort of like a panic attack. Only better.
All the more reason to stay away from him.
Chapter Four
“Will you get me another mommy?”
Michael jerked out of his thoughts, found Tati staring at Carissa’s picture in the silver frame he’d placed on a shelf in her room. He regrouped quickly, picked up his daughter and hugged her.
“I don’t know if I can do that, sweetheart.”
“’Cause my mommy was special.” Tati nodded like a wise owl. “I know. She danced the best Swan Lake.”
She never failed to amaze him. “How do you know about Swan Lake?”
“Wanda.” Tati’s busy fingers brushed through his hair. “She said her mom didn’t believe my mommy was a ballerina so she looked on the Internet. Wanda’s mom said my mommy had rave reviews. Are rave reviews good, Daddy?”
“I’m very sure they are,” he murmured, kissing her cheek. But they didn’t compare to holding your child in your arms. “Did you get all your toys put away?”
“Uh-huh. Can we go to the Dairy Shack now?”
“We can.” He swirled her around until the giggles he loved to hear burst out of her, then he set her down. “How about getting your jacket?”
“Daddy.” Her eyes brimmed with scorn. “It’s boiling outside.”
“It is now,” he agreed, brushing her nose with his fingertip. “But it might not be so warm on the water later.”
Tati squealed with delight. “We’re going on a boat?”
He nodded. “The houseboat. Like we had for Granny’s birthday, remember? We’ve been invited to go for a ride with Piper and Jason.”
Her face glowed with excitement, but she said nothing more, simply headed for her room and her sweater. Moments later they were on the road and Michael was fielding her incessant questions, punctuated by expressions of delight. Tati would finally have something interesting to talk about at show and tell.
“Can I catch a fish?”
“I don’t know, honey. We’ll have to see.”
“I hope it’s a giant fish. A whale.”
“We don’t have whales in Serenity Bay, honey.”
“It could happen,” she insisted stubbornly then turned to stare out the window. “Wanda says lots of strange things happen.”
Wanda would know. Michael drove through the shedding trees, crunching over dry red and gold leaves toward the ice cream shop. His mind grappled with the same old problem. Assuming he could get some pieces finished by next summer, how and where could he arrange a showing? And was that God’s will or his own?
“Look, Daddy. Aren’t the flowers pretty?”
“Where?” He followed her pointing finger to a shiny convertible sitting next to a gigantic plastic cone advertising fifty-one flavors. Something about that car seemed familiar.
“In the window of that car. The nice lady’s there.”
Michael pulled into a parking spot, turned his head and saw Ashley Adams seated behind the wheel of her black sports car, facing straight ahead. A transparency of Van Gogh’s big yellow sunflowers had been stuck on the back side window.
“Let’s go say hello.” Michael released Tati from her car seat, took her hand as they walked toward Ashley. Though the roof was down, all her windows were rolled up. He tapped on one.
Ashley jerked, slowly turned her head to face him. Her face was a pasty white, her eyes stretched wide with fear.
“Are you all right?” He waited, and when she didn’t respond, reached over the window to unlock the door. He opened it, touched her shoulder. “Ashley?”
Her whole body jerked at the contact.
“Yes?” Her voice emerged a thread of sound.
“Is something the matter?”
“Is she sick, Daddy?”
Tati’s squeak of inquiry seemed to break the bubble Ashley had been trapped in. She drew in a deep breath and released her fingers from their death grip on the wheel.
“I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”
“You don’t look fine,” he told her bluntly. She cast furtive glances to the left, then right, as if searching for someone. Or something.
“What’s wrong?”
“Wrong?” She blinked, swung her legs from the car. “Nothing’s wrong. I came to get a carton of ice cream. I’m going for a boat ride with Piper and Jason.”
“So are we!” Tati squealed in delight. “What kind of ice cream are you going to get?”
“What kind would you like?”
Her recovery happened faster than he expected, but it wasn’t complete. Michael knew from the way she closed the car door then checked the street that she was looking for something. Or someone.
“I like chocolate chip cookie dough. And tiger-tiger. And strawberry cheesecake and pistachio and—”
Ashley laughed. “Maybe I should have asked what kind you don’t like.”
“Oh.” Tati frowned, grasped Michael’s hand. “What kind of ice cream don’t I like, Daddy?”
“I don’t think there is one.” He motioned to the store. “Shall we go inside and look?”
“Sure.” Ashley walked along beside him. She wasn’t wearing her usual high heels but the cream linen pants and matching silk sweater still screamed money. Even her toes, poking out of woven rope sandals, were perfectly manicured and polished a soft blush pink.
Michael held the door, waited for her to pass in front of him.
“Your hand is shaking,” he said, softly enough that Tati couldn’t hear. “I wish you’d tell me what’s wrong.”
“It’s nothing.” She tipped her head back to stare into his eyes. “Just some bad memories that won’t go away.”
Her hair was bundled onto the top of her head and held there by a silver comb, though wispy ringlets broke free and framed her face. A few longer tendrils caressed the long smooth line of her neck like an expensive pewter frame. She was gorgeous.
“I didn’t realize you’d be going on the houseboat today.”
“Or you would have begged off?” He smiled at her faint blush. “I can cancel if it will bring back that killer smile of yours.”
“Don’t be silly. Tati would be devastated.” She inclined her head toward the little girl peeking over the ice-cream freezer trying to choose her favorite. “You have a beautiful daughter.”
“Yes, I know. I thank God for her every day.” Since they were early Michael insisted on buying them each a cone, then suggested they wander across the street to the park to eat them.
“Color coordination