The CEO, the Puppy and Me

The last words were blurred even with the high diagnostic equipment. It looked as if water had been spilled on the page, but just a couple of drops. Tears?

This man didn’t sound like a good guy. Far from it. Ric felt really bad for Gia. He knew that she’d imagined a happy meeting with her biological father, and now it wasn’t to be. He was ready to do anything to console her when she turned to him with a smile. A smile?

“This is it. We have his name.” Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “Now I can track him down.”

He couldn’t tell if those were tears of sadness, relief or was it possibly she was truly happy about this discovery?

“Are you sure you still want to go through with—”

“Of course I am.”

Ric opened his mouth, then, thinking better of it, he wordlessly closed it. At the very least, she was in shock. He couldn’t let her continue on this journey alone.

He would be there to cheer with her if it worked out with her biological father. To dry her tears if it went awry. No matter what, she wasn’t getting rid of him.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

ANY DAY NOW...

Any moment...

A couple of days had passed since the discovery of her father’s name. Nate had promised to call when he had information about her father. Her gaze moved to the phone in her hand. Nothing. But soon.

She glanced over at Ric as he sat behind the wheel of his sporty coupe. “Ric, where are we going?”

A smile played the corners of his sexy mouth. “It’s a surprise.”

Hope bubbled up within her. “Did you find my father?”

The smile fell from his face. “Not yet. I’m sorry, Gia. I have people working on it.” He reached out and took her hands in his. “It’s a common name. And so far, he doesn’t appear to be on the island. But we’ll keep looking. But in the meantime, I have something to take your mind off the search.”

He was so supportive and thoughtful. She wanted to smile—to be excited—but she was struggling. “What is it?”

“I can’t tell you. Remember?”

“I know. It’s a surprise.”

“Right.” There was a twinkle in his eyes, and she noticed that twinkle only appeared when he was up to something—something unexpected.

So what was he up to? She had no clues. All she knew was that it was a surprise. That’s all he’d told her since that morning when he’d mentioned he had plans for them. He’d asked her to get all dressed up in her finest clothes.

It was a little black number because a black dress worked anywhere. It dipped low in the front, giving a hint of her cleavage and it left most of her back bare. She’d paired it with diamond earrings and a diamond pendant that her parents had given her on her twentieth birthday. For her feet, she’d selected a pair of silver-and crystal-studded heals.

When she’d packed for the trip, she hadn’t any idea what clothes would be needed once she met her father. She certainly hadn’t expected to meet someone like Ric, so she was glad she’d had the foresight to pack an outfit like this. Life certainly worked in mysterious ways.

Gia glanced around as the city faded into the background.

Ric’s luxurious midnight blue sports car glided over the roadway. He was in a particularly good mood. They’d both been working so hard that they hadn’t been able to spend much time together. And when the evenings rolled around, they’d both collapse on the couch with Gin between them. Just like one big happy family.

Not that they were a family by any stretch of the imagination. Okay, maybe the thought crept into her imagination now and then. Was that so wrong? After all, once you got past Ric’s prickly exterior, he was warm, thoughtful and fun. Any woman would be lucky to have him for a husband—

Not that she was thinking of him in that way. Suddenly the air grew warm. Gia’s mouth grew dry as she chanced a quick glance in Ric’s direction. His attention was focused on traffic instead of paying attention to her self-imposed discomfort. Thankfully.

The farther they got from downtown, the more she wondered what he was up to. “You do know that most of the restaurants are behind us?”

“Don’t you trust me?”

“I do.” The automatic admission surprised not only him, with his raised brows, but also herself.