He's No Prince Charming (Charming 2)

Lucy’s brows dipped. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

Zoe rolled her eyes. “Declan Price,” she said with emphasis. “Hello? The attorney who handles all the high-profile cases on the news all the time?”

“Still don’t know him,” Lucy said with a shrug. “Is he involved with this stuff with your father or what?”

“No. I mean, yes, this does have to do with my father.” Zoe ground her teeth. “Sort of. Not directly.”

Lucy’s eyes went wide. “Oh. My. God. You slept with this Declan guy, didn’t you?” She paused as if expecting a denial, eyes searching Zoe’s face. “With an attorney. Part of the group of men you consider the enemy. Someone who isn’t your normal artsy type.”

Zoe threw her hands in the air and then let them fall to her legs. “I know.” She shook her head. “I know. He is so not right for me.”

“Wow, now.” Lucy held her hands up stop sign fashion. “That’s not what I said. In fact, this guy has gotten more of a reaction from you than I’ve ever seen.” She gave a decisive nod and crossed her arms in front of the cream silk of her camisole dress. “In fact, he might be just what the doctor ordered.” She held up a finger. “He might be Mr. Right.”

She had to be kidding. “Since when did a man who makes you run and hide become Mr. Right?”

“Extreme reactions for extreme feelings.” Her eyes twinkled with the words.

“He is not Mr. Right. In fact, when I finally told him who my father was—”

“So he didn’t even know? That’s perfect. It proves his interest was in you and not your money.”

Zoe gave her a warning look. “Will you please let me finish?” Lucy had the good judgment to murmur an apology. “He has money, too. That’s not the point.”

“Then what is?”

“I’m trying to get to it if you’ll let me.” Zoe glared and then continued, “He seemed…” Lucy leaned forward a bit as if hanging on to the words. “He seemed…disturbed.”

Lucy blinked. “Disturbed?” she said with confusion in her tone. “What the heck does that mean?”

“I don’t know. It wasn’t the reaction I expected. But then, I didn’t expect my father to be accused of stealing either. Declan probably thinks lying and cheating runs in the family.”

“Zoe,” Lucy said, her voice softer. “I’m sure he doesn’t think that. And once he gets to know you he’ll judge you for you. Besides, clearly, he’s here to seek you out. Or I assume he is. I don’t think he would do that if he thought such things.”

“Maybe he feels guilty for how he reacted when I told him.”

“No,” Lucy said discarding that idea. “He’d call, not show up.” She paused. “But…” She hesitated, biting her bottom lip.

“But what?” Zoe demanded, hands going to her hips. She was on edge and wanted to know what Lucy wasn’t saying. Now.

She sighed. “Fine. I’ll say it. Don’t judge him by his family either. Or his job. Or anything but whom he proves himself to be in your eyes.”

Zoe gave Lucy her back, hugging herself, not liking the way her friend’s words took hold. Deep in her gut and in her heart. Was she judgmental in an unfair way? Maybe. She didn’t like the thought. Not one bit. Her hand went to her forehead. “I’m really confused right now.”

“You really like this guy, don’t you?”

Did she dare admit it out loud? Zoe turned to face Lucy. “It was only supposed to be a one-night stand.”

“But?” Lucy urged.

“I keep thinking about him. The fact that he showed up here made my heart beat all wild for all kinds of reasons. I was…excited to see him. It’s crazy. I’m begging to get hurt. I don’t want to be one of those freaky people who marry a version of their inattentive father and convince themselves it’s not some weird need for approval from someone just like him.”

“Is he like your father?”

“I don’t want him to be.”

“Then maybe he isn’t. Are you willing to give him a chance? A real one? Because if you are, that poor man has been standing outside for a really, really long time.”

She was right. He had. “Crap,” Zoe said and headed for the door. Declan Price might not be her type, but he was hot. And he was here. And she wanted him. Bad. For now, that would just have to be enough.

Chapter Twelve

Declan had told himself to stay away from Zoe. Just until he dealt with the complications of her father and his firm. But here he was, only hours later, waiting outside a theatre, hoping to catch up with her.

Declan had been to see his father and found him stubborn and determined to make his wife come home groveling. Though the news that his wife had taken an apartment seemed to shake him, Declan hadn’t gotten past “no” and “she’ll be back”. He’d begged his father to take time off, to take his mother away somewhere. But all his pleas had gotten him nowhere.