As he watched her savor the appetizer one delicate bite at a time, Ryan realized how much he wanted to make her happy. She’d obviously had a hard time in the last year, but instead of whining about it, she’d dug in and tried to improve her situation. His family valued hard work.
“Earlier you said you want to know more about me,” Zoe said, her grim tone making her sound like a suspect sitting in an interrogation room. “Where should I start?”
“Wherever you wish.”
Zoe waited until Dallas replaced the appetizer plates with a beet and pistachio salad before declaring, “Tristan accused me of infidelity as the reason he wanted a divorce.”
Shock stabbed Ryan. “You cheated on your husband?”
Her lips twitched in amusement at his sharp reaction. “No, but Tristan made it look as if I had.”
“How did he do that?”
“He paid someone to falsify a paper trail and doctor photos. You can make anything look real if you throw enough resources at it.”
It struck Ryan then how cynical she was. And damaged. Her ex had done a number on her. Red flags began to flutter in his mind and he decided to ask Paul what he knew about Tristan Crosby.
“But in your case the truth won out,” Ryan said.
Zoe’s eyes reflected a deep and profound sadness as she said, “Sure, but this town is all about appear
ances and doubts will linger long after the real story comes out.”
She wasn’t wrong, and it irritated Ryan how often gossip trumped truth. His parents had emphasized fair play would take the twins farther than cutting corners or cheating. Because not everyone subscribed to the same lofty values, sometimes doing the right thing didn’t mean you were going to win.
“A week from today there’s a fund-raising dinner for Susannah at the Whitney Plantation,” Ryan said. “I agreed to go, but I don’t have a date.”
“Do you need one?”
Ryan wondered if she was being deliberately obtuse. Didn’t the woman realize he’d brought it up because he wanted her to accompany him?
“It gets old always being the third wheel around my sister and her husband,” Ryan said. “They are the perfect couple.”
“It must be terrible for you being the eligible bachelor all the time.”
“You have no idea,” Ryan told her. “Will you be my date for the evening?”
She gnawed on her lower lip as she gave the invitation some thought. “I haven’t gone to any events where I might run into...people from my former life,” she murmured, taking a sip of wine.
“It would be a great opportunity to promote your store,” he said, hoping that would be enough to entice her. “And I’ll be there to look out for you.”
“It seems like I should say yes then,” she replied with a slow smile.
“Good.”
For the rest of the meal they stuck to easy topics like tourist attractions around Charleston neither one had visited and favorite area beaches. Ryan spoke about growing up as a twin and discovered Zoe had three older sisters who lived all over the country. Two were married with children and one worked on Wall Street.
He was finishing the last bit of chocolate hazelnut mousse when Zoe gave a huge sigh. Unsure what had prompted such a dramatic sound, Ryan glanced her way. To his surprise, her eyes were filled with tears.
“I’m really tired of sleeping in the back room of the store,” she announced in a shaky voice.
“I imagine you are,” he said, his heartbeat a hard thump against his ribs as he watched her dab at the corners of her eyes with her napkin. “Let’s finish our wine and go get your stuff.”
* * *
The limited number of things Zoe owned was brought home in a big way as Ryan regarded the two suitcases she rolled toward the back door of the shop.
“Is that everything?” he asked, making no effort to hide his surprise.