“Worse case,” she went on, ignoring Tessa’s frustration, “he could lose his temper over her complaining. What if he locked her in her room? What if he lost it and hit her? What if—”
“Oh my God.” Tessa covered her ears and wiped the horrible thoughts from her head. “Abby. Stop.”
“You know she’s not the easiest child. She’s emotional, stubborn—”
“And strong and loving and smart,” Tessa said, raising her voice to a borderline yell. Tessa had never yelled at Abby. She’d never even raised her voice. But she felt like she was being ripped apart at the seams. “And Zach and I will work this out.”
Tessa pulled on the sweat jacket against the cool night as she made her way across the street. Abby’s fears ricocheted around Tessa’s overstimulated brain until tears burned her eyes. Tessa tried to work it out in her head, logically. But then she berated herself over yelling at Abby.
She was a wonderful caretaker, but for all her attributes—and there were many—Abby was really still a girl. And she’d led a very stable, very conservative life in Liverpool. Abby didn’t know anything about single parenting or climbing the corporate ladder in a male-dominated field. Abby’s maturity had developed out of being the oldest of four children. She didn’t even understand the struggles of paying for college, let alone fighting her way through law school.
Tessa watched the numbers light up above the elevator doors and shifted on her feet. She felt awkward standing here alone, and when the doors slid open, memories of her first time in that elevator distracted her overwrought mind. Zach had been everything she’d ever fantasized about and more. So much more. Too much more.
The ding on Zach’s floor made her heart jump. She could still feel the hungry burn of his mouth on hers. When she reached his door, she took a breath to clear her mind. She lifted her hand and knocked. Waited. Shifted on her feet. Knocked again. No answer.
Exhaling, she used the key he’d given her and eased into t
he dark apartment. “Zach?”
His voice touched her ear, the smooth timbre coming from the living room. Tessa moved in that direction and found him out on the lanai. He wore nothing but board shorts and paced the length of the balcony overlooking the ocean with his phone in his hand. The way the moonlight painted his body in cool light and shadow was truly breathtaking, and Tessa lost herself in the simplicity of watching him move.
Then a woman’s voice drifted from the phone’s speaker, and Tessa second-guessed using the key card. “It’s always best for the child if you work it out amongst yourselves. Do you have any reservations about her?”
“Tessa?” Zach said, pausing at the sliding doors and bracing a hand against the railing. “No, no. I mean, you know, we’ve only known each other a little over a week, but she’s been… She’s really amazing.”
The reverence and affection in his voice made Tessa’s breath stutter. She lifted her hand to her heart and curled the fabric of her tee into her fingers.
“That’s good,” the woman said. “But her living in DC sounds problematic.”
Tessa bit her lip against the urge to speak. Zach didn’t need to hear something he already knew.
“I think we’ll figure it out,” he said.
“I’m glad Sophia’s being well cared for.”
“It’s not just how she handles Sophia, which is fantastic,” Zach said. “She’s just a really great person.”
“Based on what you’ve told me, she sounds exceptional.”
Who was this woman Zach had been opening up to? Their conversation sounded warm, but not in a romantic way.
“Yeah,” he murmured, “she is.”
“All right, then, keep me posted. You wouldn’t be the first person to discover someone you thought was wonderful turned not so wonderful when the custody of a child is involved. I feel the need to remind you to heed the advice I gave you during our first conversation.”
An uncomfortable tingle traveled along her shoulders.
Zach sighed. “I am, but something tells me this isn’t going to go bad.”
“I hope you’re right—for you, Sophia, and Tessa.”
Tessa didn’t like the fact that this woman already knew her name.
Zach promised to call her soon, disconnected, and leaned his forearms on the railing, staring out at the ocean. The soothing sound of the surf drifted into the silence, but it wasn’t doing anything for Tessa. She felt shaky now. So many emotions tumbled through her, she wasn’t even sure what she was feeling or why. But she was suddenly terrified of having the conversation she’d come to have. She looked over her shoulder at the door. If she left as quietly as she’d come in—
“Tessa?”
His voice made her flinch. Too late.