Under the Boardwalk (Costas Sisters 1)

She stopped and turned toward him. “You’d let me stay there?”

“As long as you watch my dog.” The companion he trusted to be there without conditions.

Her eyes opened wide. “Isn’t that like the equivalent of giving me a drawer in your apartment or us sharing a toothbrush?”

He was scared to death that it meant more than a mere dating convention, but what the hell. By admitting he was a cop, he’d entrusted her with his life. How much more serious could this possibly be?

To forestall any further conversation on the subject, he plucked her key out of her hand and led her into the house. “Did your mother say what she wanted?”

Ariana had finally called Elena back and she’d instructed Ari to bring Quinn home for a “chat.”

“Just something important that affects us all,” she said, her words vague. “Mom? Dad? Anybody home?” she called out over the workers and the noise.

“Let’s try the kitchen,” he suggested.

“Nothing good ever happens in there,” she muttered.

Laughing, he took the lead and walked into the room. The sight in front of him proved Ari right.

Spank sat in a baby’s high chair with various jars of creams set out on the tray. And Sam straddled a chair in front of her, brush in hand, painting a white mask over the monkey’s face. “It smells delicious, Elena,” Sam yelled without looking over her shoulder.

“Just rank them in order of what you like best,” Elena called from another room.

“Aren’t there laws against animal cruelty?” Ari asked jokingly.

“In addition to truancy laws.” Quinn strode toward Sam, tired of the kid’s games.

She turned to face him and rolled her eyes. “You always think the worst of me.”

“Because lately you’ve been proving me right.” He leaned a hand against the counter, meeting her gaze.

“Well, not this time. It’s a half day. Parent-teacher conference, not that I have any parents.”

“Ouch,” Ari whispered in his ear. Then to Sam, she said, “So what are you two doing?” In an obvious attempt to lighten the mood and break up the argument, Ari pulled a chair up beside Sam.

“Elena wants me to see how these smell.” Sam waved a hand over the jars. “But Spank decided to try them on herself, so I figured why not help her?” She giggled and Quinn took three steps back.

This was the second time since meeting Sam that he’d heard her laugh from pure joy. Both times had been in this house. “So you’re playing dress-up?” he asked.

Ari shot him a look at the same time Sam said, “You’re so dense. We’re testing scents, but don’t worry, they’re all natural. Nothing’s gonna hurt Spank.”

“I am so relieved,” he said.

Ari kicked him in the shin. “I take it Mom gave up on the fish oil?”

“Fish oil?” Sam wrinkled her nose.

“Don’t ask.” Ari ruffled Sam’s hair. “As long as she’s moved on, we’re all in good shape. Hey, it’s quiet in here.” She glanced around, suddenly realizing the noise had stopped.

Quinn had just noticed the same thing.

“I think the crew took off early today. Igor said they had to finish up another job.” Sam rose and pulled some paper towels off the roll, wet them, and sat down with the monkey again.

“Who’s Igor?” Ari asked.

Sam cleaned off Spank’s face, then released her from the high chair. “He’s the foreman in charge of this job,” Sam said with the authority of someone who lived here.

Quinn narrowed his gaze. “Where did you say Elena was?”

“I didn’t.” Sam shoved her hands into her jeans pockets. “She’s in the other room but I know she wants to talk to you guys.” She fidgeted in her chair. “Elena, Quinn’s here to talk to you,” she yelled at the top of her lungs. “Hurry up and come here.”

Elena laughed as she strode into the room. “There’s no rush, Sam. I’m not going anywhere.”

Sam glanced up at Ari’s mother with wide-eyed adoration. “Okay, okay. Can I stay when you tell him? Please, please, please?”

Ari put a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Why don’t you and I go into the other room and let them talk. You can tell me what’s going on with you.”

Quinn rolled his shoulders. If Ari didn’t want to remain and hear what Elena wanted to discuss, she probably already knew what it was. “Why do I get the feeling that everyone in here knows what Elena wants to discuss except me?” he asked, looking at Ari.

She shot him a guilty look. “I don’t know for sure, but I have a hunch. Let’s go,” she said, holding a hand out to Sam, who left the room grumbling.

“What’s going on?” he asked Elena.

She placed a folder on the counter. “I’ve been doing some research. I contacted the Division of Youth and Family Services about becoming a foster parent for Sam.”

Shock rippled through him. Whatever he’d been expecting, it wasn’t this. “That’s a huge responsibility.”

Elena nodded. “I raised two girls. Of course I know that.”

He lowered himself into one of the kitchen chairs. “And how does your husband feel about this?” Quinn asked, all the while sorting through the idea in his mind.

There was no doubt Sam needed a home and every possibility Elena and Nicholas could provide one. A good one. One that would make Sam happy. Quinn had thought he was out of options, a group home being the only solution. Now Ari’s family was offering him hope and he had to admit he was optimistic. Cautiously optimistic.

Elena joined him at the table. “Nicholas is fine with the idea. He’s a good man, and when he heard about Sam’s situation, of course he agreed she should come live with us.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s noble, Elena, but you can’t . . .” How could he say this delicately? he wondered. “You can’t adopt Sam just to help fill the void left by Zoe’s absence.”

Elena whacked him on the shoulder. “Bite your tongue at such a suggestion. First off, Zoe’s coming back. And secondly, both my girls are adults. They live their own lives, and Sam coming here would have nothing to do with that,” she assured Quinn.

“What did Family Services say?” he asked next.

“They went into a lengthy explanation about the requirements, the classes, home inspections, and time it takes to approve a family.” Elena waved a hand, dismissing the process as unimportant. “But Sam doesn’t have that kind of time. She can’t go on living in an environment where she knows she isn’t wanted. It’s not healthy and it’s bad for her self-esteem. Besides, she can stay here.”