Summer Lovin Read Free Page A

Services, so make nice. I want him to meet your papa. Have you seen him?”
    â€œHe’s inside getting the cake.” She gestured toward the house. “Mama, why don’t you go round up Sam and her friends and get ready to sing?”
    She possessed a deep voice that reminded him of hot sex and he felt himself begin to sweat beneath the afternoon sun.
    Her mother nodded. “I forgot to defrost the cake so I hope your father remembers to bring hot water to dip the knife. And your aunt Kassie better behave because you know how badly she wanted to bake the cake. But we had to please Sam on her special day.” She glanced at Ryan and smiled broadly. “Carvel is Sam’s favorite. Do you like ice-cream cake, Mr.…?”
    â€œBaldwin. Ryan Baldwin.” His head was already spinning from his dealings with Elena Costas and he opted to use his real name for fear he’d confuse himself otherwise. With his sister’s myriad name changes, he had no fear they’d connect him to Sara Morgan, Faith’s last known name.
    He forced a comfortable smile. “I love cake, especially Carvel.”
    â€œThen let’s do it so we can get to the gifts. I can’t wait for Sam to see what we bought for her,” Elena said.
    â€œMaybe we should wait until tonight when we’re alone.” Zoe shot a pointed glance at Ryan.
    Her mother shook her head. “Nonsense. Mr. Baldwin seems like the kind of man who’d want a young girl to be happy. I’m right, yes?” she asked.
    â€œUh, of course.” But he wondered what kind of gift Sam would be receiving that had Zoe uncomfortable.
    â€œYou see?” Elena took his hand once more, grabbed Zoe and headed deeper into the yard.
    They came to a stop by a picnic table and while Elena busied herself gathering the girls, Zoe turned to Ryan, her eyes intense and serious. “You’ll have to excuse my mother but she’s so excited about this party. She just adores Sam and wants everything to be perfect. You’ll like my family,” she assured Ryan, her need for his acceptance blatant.
    In her mind, he was the social worker whose opinion would help determine whether they were an appropriate home for his niece. They needed to impress him. He needed for them to fail any inspection.
    But as he observed her expressive face and the obvious pleasure she took in this entire day, he realized this was no act for a social worker. Zoe’s love for his niece was so real, he couldn’t help but like her for it.
    â€œI’m sure I’ll like your family,” he told her. Even if what he’d seen so far showed him a carnival atmosphere he couldn’t possibly understand.
    Zoe’s shoulders eased and she seemed to relax. “How’s Katherine’s mother? We were all so sorry to hear she couldn’t make it today because of her mother’s fall.”
    Katherine must be the missing social worker, he realized, the moment of panic passing. “She’ll be okay.” He hoped he was telling the truth.
    â€œOkay, cake time,” a male voice boomed through the loudspeakers. “Everyone gather.” He spoke slowly and with a more distinct accent than Zoe’s mother had possessed.
    â€œWhere’s Samantha?” Ryan asked, nerves jumbled together inside him.
    â€œThere,” Zoe said, pointing.
    Ryan followed her direction and once again felt sure he was hallucinating. The monkey he’d seen earlier stood on the back of a large dog, balancing with ease. The animals came to a halt when a bald man carrying a huge ice-cream cake stepped forward. By his side walked a beautiful blond teenager, her hand tight in the crook of his elbow.
    â€œFaith,” he said aloud.
    â€œSam. That’s my soon-to-be sister, Samantha,” Zoe said with pride. “Of course we already think of her as part of the family,” she quickly assured him.
    He nodded but couldn’t speak any more