eating a steady diet of drumsticks,” he said, smiling at Caroline.
When dinner was over they moved to the edge of the pool while Caroline went back into the water.
“You’re good with her all the time,” Ava said.
“Maybe. I haven’t been able to break through that wall she keeps around herself.”
“Has she ever talked to you?”
“Other than ‘thank you’ and ‘please,’ very rarely. And that was when I first got her. Most of the time it was telling me she wanted her daddy. That’s heartbreaking.”
“Yes, it is,” Ava agreed, watching Caroline splash in the shallow end of the pool. “To watch her now, she looks like any kid having a good time.”
“That’s why I think swimming may be good for her. It’s exercise and may relieve tension in a kid as much as it does in an adult. It’s a healthy, normal activity.”
“You’re paying me way too much, you know,” Ava said.
His dark gaze shifted to meet hers. “If you can bring her out of this, it will be worth every penny.”
“There are definitely no guarantees.”
“I never asked for any,” he replied, turning to watch Caroline again.
Later, Ava went to unpack while Will took Caroline to bed. It was a couple of hours later when she heard a light knock on her door and she opened it to find Will.
“Caroline’s fast asleep and Rosalyn is here. Take a break, come have a drink with me—we have everything from milk and cookies to fizzy drinks to wine or cocktails. We can talk about the coming week.”
“For a short time,” she said, pushing her door wide and stepping into the hall with him. They got tall glasses of iced tea and sat on the veranda. Will pulled a chair close to hers. “I’ll be in Los Angeles this week. You have my cell number. I’ll leave you my secretary’s number because she knows my schedule. You can always get me on my cell. I’ll call during the day and in the evening.”
“Fine. I can’t imagine needing you, and if it’s something with Caroline, Rosalyn will be here.”
“Yes, she will. She can be quiet and blend into the background so she doesn’t intrude. With the staff here, meals will be prepared so you don’t have to worry about anything beyond Caroline. If there are any books you want to get for her, go ahead. Charge them to this card,” he said, withdrawing a credit card from his billfold.
She took it, tucking it into a pocket. “Thank you. Right now, I have plenty of my own material I can use.”
“After the past week and the coming week of staying here and working with Caroline every day, my guess is that by this weekend, you might enjoy an evening out. How about Saturday night?”
Saturday night out with Will Delaney sounded wonderful, but it meant getting sidetracked from the plans for her future even more. He grew more tempting daily and the risk of an affair was constant. Any affair for her would involve her heart and later, it would mean heartbreak, because Will would end it. Yet how tempting it was to think about Saturday night with him.
“I haven’t changed my mind about keeping this job separate from my private life. I’m here to work with Caroline. That’s all.” The words came out automatically, but it hurt to refuse.
He leaned closer, placing his hands on the chair arms on either side of her, hemming her in. Only inches away, his dark eyes consumed her. It was difficult to get her breath and her pulse raced. “You’re scared of life.”
“You got your way about this summer. Stop while you’re ahead. I’ve already explained to you, I don’t want to get tied up emotionally with someone.” She could barely get her breath to talk. “The minute Caroline goes to kindergarten in the fall, I will go back to my plans for my school. Particularly now that I have funds. I’m not getting distracted from my goals. I’m going to achieve what I’ve always dreamed about. And I’m not having a short affair with you, which is what dinner would lead to. Thank you, but we’re not going out to dinner.” Her voice was breathless and she was beginning to lose her train of thought and get lost in his dark eyes. He was too close, too appealing, too persistent. “We need to keep this a professional relationship. Treat me the same way you do Rosalyn or Edwina,” she added.
“That’s not at all the same thing and you know it. I’d be asking this if you hadn’t come to work for me. You’re scared to live again. One dinner and dancing isn’t that big a deal. It’s not an affair.”
“You know that’s not all you’re asking for. It’s a distraction I don’t need,” she whispered while he focused on her mouth.
“You’re a distraction I do need,” he replied, leaning close to cover her mouth with his.
Desire blazed in her. While her pulse roared in her ears, her heart pounded. His arm slipped around her waist then tightened before he lifted her to his lap and settled her against his shoulder. His kisses awakened responses unfelt in years. Heat and need grew vital. His boldness consumed her caution as her resistance crumbled.
The distant moan was her own voice, dim in her ears. He held her tightly while she had her hands against his chest.
When he raised his head slightly, she opened her eyes. Dazed, she wanted to pull him back to kiss her again.
“You’re ready for a night out. Go out with me Saturday night—you’re not making any kind of commitment beyond joining me for dinner away from here instead of eating the way we usually do.”
She slid her arm around his neck. “Yes,” she whispered, pulling his head down to kiss him again.
Surprise flared in his dark eyes before he kissed her. Relishing their kisses, she closed her eyes. From head to toe she tingled while heat pooled low in her body and an ache built.
Desire spiraled, burning hotly. Ava ran her hand over his broad shoulder, down over his chest while he caressed her nape. Slipping his hand down her back, he pulled her shirt free from her slacks. His warm hand caressed her bare back. Sitting up, she slid off his lap to return to her chair.
“You agreed to go out Saturday,” he reminded her and she nodded. She had gone against her own good judgment and plans. Even so, excitement hummed and she couldn’t take back her agreement. Just one Saturday night dinner. A few kisses. Nothing more—she could do that without heartbreak.
“Are you in contact at all with Caroline when you’re away?”
“Yes. Since we have Skype, I call her daily. She is as silent as when I talk to her in person, but with Skype we’re face-to-face.”
“That’s good to keep the contact and let her know you’re interested.”
“For the first time since I became her guardian, I feel better about everything concerning her.”
“You’re reading too much into the one tiny response I got from her.”
“No, that was not tiny. It was monumental. A breakthrough.”
“Will, stop setting yourself up for a big disappointment. I hope I can reach her, but that one response is no indication. We’ll just take it one day at a time.”
He smiled as if she had told him he couldn’t be certain the sun would rise tomorrow. Exasperated by his high expectations, she shook her head. “Does your mother see her often?”
“No. My mother packed and left when she divorced my father. She married again, moved to Chicago where she was originally from and never looked back. We hear from her several times a year, see her about once a year. She’s not excited over becoming a grandmother and really has no interest in Caroline, particularly since Adam’s death.”
“That’s too bad. I adored my grandmother—the one I knew. The other one died when I was small and I never really knew