Under the Boardwalk (Costas Sisters 1)

Ariana interrupted her mother by pulling her out of the room, dragging the monkey she took from Sam along. As Spank reached the doorway, she lifted her skirt. Damned if the monkey hadn’t mooned him on purpose. But what marked this meeting for Quinn was Ariana and her obvious insight and understanding of him and what he needed.

He still couldn’t allow himself to get too close or too attached to the woman, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t developing feelings for her anyway. Damn him. He turned his attention to Sam instead.

“You gonna yell at me for stealing Ari’s wallet?” Sam asked.

He blinked. “You what?”

“Oops.” Sam blushed a furious red. “She didn’t tell you?”

He shook his head. “Obviously she protected you. But at least now I know how you found Ari,” he said, solving the mystery he hadn’t been able to figure out. He already knew why Sam had taken off. “Running away isn’t smart,” he told her.

“Why the hell not?”

“Watch your mouth, Samantha,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Well, tell me why not. It’s not like Aaron and Felice give a sh—I mean, it’s not like they care.”

He pulled out a chair and, straddling the back, sat down beside her. Her defiance was a shield from her pain, her big, glassy eyes a better giveaway to her true feelings. Which led him to choose his words carefully now. “They care about their responsibilities,” he said, slowly. “And they get to give a recommendation. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want you labeled as trouble for new placement.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “Let me live with you? Please? I won’t cause any trouble, I promise. I’ll clean up after myself and I’ll even disappear if you want to bring a lady friend home,” she said, too wise for her years. “I swear you won’t even know I’m there.”

“That’s the problem, kid.” He knew exactly how she was feeling, had begged and said those same words to different people in his past. His throat nearly closed and he wished he could give her what she wanted. “I’m not even there. It’s not a supervised home. I wish I could let you stay with me, but I can’t.”

“Won’t.” She folded her arms across her chest. “You’re no different than Aaron and Felice or any one of the other homes I’ve been in.”

Each word she uttered was another dagger in his heart. Just when had this kid come to mean so much to him? he wondered.

“You just play the do-good act better than most,” she said, hurt and accusation in her tone and in her gaze.

He swallowed hard. “You don’t believe that for a minute. I do care.” He held out his hand and then, lowering his voice, he said, “Let’s go. I’ll take you back to Felice.”

“For how long?” She sniffed and wiped her eyes on her arm, ignoring his outstretched palm.

“Until Social Services finds another home.” Her running away had been the excuse Aaron and Felice needed to decide to call Social Services and tell them they were opting out as foster parents.

The knowledge caused a raw, painful feeling in his throat. But there was no point in telling Sam. The couple would have backed out anyway, she’d just made it easier for them to walk away. Though how anyone found it easy to give up a kid was beyond him.

To his surprise, Sam didn’t argue. Refusing to take his hand, she stood up, slid her chair under the table, and came up by his side.

As he led her out, his gaze fell on the manicure stuff spread over the table. He wondered when anyone had cared enough to let Sam be a girl. Play. Just have fun. Even if it was with a monkey, she’d had an hour of normalcy in this crazy house. A house Sam ran to—and Ari ran from.

* * *

Ariana cleaned off a table with a damp rag, then placed her tray on the bar. She couldn’t think about anything except Sam, who’d come to find her. Obviously the girl saw her as some sort of salvation and for a brief time thought she’d found it in Ariana’s home. Which was ironic, since Ariana knew well that her eccentric family wasn’t the best influence.

Then there was Quinn, who’d looked so distraught, she’d wanted to do nothing more than take him in her arms and make him forget. Her own thoughts had become so overwhelming, she wished she could do the same.

“I’m taking a break,” she told Connor during a lull at the bar.

“Don’t take too long. You never know when it’s going to pick up again.” He looked across the room, seeming to nod at someone.

Ariana turned, but didn’t see anyone. She narrowed her gaze, wondering if she’d imagined it. “Don’t worry. I just need a quick breather.”