Barefoot in the Sun (Barefoot Bay)(39)

“I broke my arm jumping off a cliff near a graveyard.”

The sheets rustled as Evan sat up again. “Nuh-uh! You? You never do anything that fun.”

“Damn it, Evan, I’m going to rid you of that notion if it kills me. I love fun.”

A soft giggle was the only response.

“I’m going to prove it, too,” he added. “I just haven’t figured out how yet.” He thought for a moment. “Anyway, the cliff. I was sailing along at about twenty miles an hour on my bike and there was this kid who dared me to jump a cliff and, man, if that isn’t a lesson not to pay attention to idiots, I don’t know what is. So guess what happened?”

Silence.

He leaned over and heard the steady breathing of an exhausted child.

Lying back on his own pillow, Oliver stared up into the darkness, a maelstrom of emotions zipping through him.

Why was it so hard to do this most of the time? Was it because Adele had been around and he didn’t think Evan needed him? Was it because he didn’t really understand this complex child with an adult’s brain and a kid’s soul?

Or was it because Evan reminded Oliver of himself?

The truth thudded in his chest.

And next year, when Evan turned nine, he’d be the same age Oliver was when his perfectly normal life crumbled and everything he believed to be true turned out to be a lie.

The day Oliver had come home to an empty house and climbed up the stairs, then up to the attic…then felt the whole world fall away.

Zoe’s voice echoed. I have to have an escape route…In fact, I’m terrified if I don’t have one.

There wasn’t anything that scared Oliver more than a woman desperate to escape.





Chapter Fifteen



The soft vibration of her phone pulled Zoe from a surprisingly deep sleep, followed by a split second of confusion. Where was she?

Then she remembered last night. The disbelieving stares, the dropped jaws, the confused questions, and, finally, the silent click of the door when Tessa walked out into the gray whispers of dawn. Zoe had crawled into the guest room to sleep.

From somewhere in the house a baby cried and high-pitched women’s voices replied—Jocelyn and Lacey cooing over Elijah.

The phone vibrated again and she reached for it, longing for news about Pasha and, almost as much, a call from Tessa. Oliver’s deep voice greeted her with a simple, “Hey,” and that was enough to send off a flock of wild hummingbirds in her stomach.

“Hey back. Any news?”

“I just talked to the hospital, and Pasha’s doing very well.”

She looked skyward, silently thanking whatever power ran this universe. “Should I go and get her now?”

“They’re going to release her this morning and I’d like to take her straight to our clinic. We have round-the-clock care and she’ll be in good hands. We have a battery of tests to do before we can actually perform the gene-therapy treatment. I want to start today.”

His competence and confidence covered her like the puffy down comforter she curled under.

“What about Evan?” she asked. Funny how he already figured into her logistics.

“I’ll have to figure something out.”

“I’m still at Lacey’s. Why don’t you bring him here? Ashley can watch him.”

“Perfect. We’ll be over in a few minutes. You need anything?”

“Just you.” The words were out before any sleepy brain cells could engage and stop her.

He didn’t answer right away, sending a little wave of heat and nerves through her chest as she waited.

“I can fix that, Zoe,” he finally whispered.

She closed her eyes, falling on the pillow with a dreamy smile. “Ah, the man who can fix anything.”

“We’ll see, won’t we?”

The guest bedroom doorknob twisted and, very slowly, the door inched open, not revealing who was behind it. Please be Tessa. Please be—

A hand holding a coffee cup jutted through the door. “I come in peace.”

Tessa. She almost melted with relief.

“Hey, I gotta go, doc.” When she clicked off, she put down the phone and took a deep breath before asking, “Two sugars and extra cream and no arsenic?”

“The garden is fresh out of arsenic,” Tessa replied from behind the door.

“Then you may enter.”

Tessa stepped in, her doe-brown eyes much softer than last night. “We are growing a bumper crop of humble pie and I’m planning to eat some for breakfast. Join me?”

“Oh, Tess.” Zoe sighed the exclamation. “You don’t owe me an apology. I owe—”

“No.” Tessa waved the hand not holding the coffee, coming closer. “I lost count of how many times you said you’re sorry last night. It hit triple digits, though.”

Zoe took the mug and patted the bed next to her. “I feel one more bubbling up.”

“Drink instead.”

She did, letting the warm liquid comfort her throat and send much-needed life into her veins. “Where are Joss and Lacey?”

“Where do you think?”

She thought about that for a minute, frowning. “Listening outside the door?”

They appeared almost instantly, making Zoe laugh so hard she almost spilled the coffee. Baby Elijah stirred in Lacey’s arms.

“You guys,” Zoe said, shaking her head and carefully setting down the mug. “I love how predictable you are.” She reached out. “Let me smell the mini-guy.”

Lacey obliged, propping herself on the edge of the bed to hand the baby to Zoe. Jocelyn came around the other side, and then all four of them were on the bed, surrounding Zoe and the baby.

“Look at us, all gathered on one bed on a Sunday morning for a rehash of Saturday night,” Jocelyn said. “This reminds me of dorm days.”

“Only I’m not hungover,” Zoe said, cuddling the tiny bundle of boy into her arms. “And there were no itty-bitty sweet wittle babies.”

“Trust me, he wasn’t so sweet at one, three, four-thirty and six-eighteen,” Lacey said.

Zoe looked up. “Don’t let the kid take all the credit for annihilating your sleep. I own that wreckage.”

Elijah made a soft shuddering sigh, and they all used the excuse to stare at him and not say a word. Last night’s conversation was obviously not over yet.

“We’ve been talking about you, Zoe,” Jocelyn finally said.

“I’m sure you have,” she replied. “I have provided gossip fodder for years to come.”

Lacey looked indignant. “We don’t gossip about each other.”

Zoe lifted a brow. “You whisper about me behind my back. What’s the difference?”

“The difference,” Jocelyn said, “is that you gossip about strangers or people you don’t care about or someone who isn’t…”

“Family.” Tessa supplied the word, and put her hand on Zoe’s. “Because, like it or not, we are yours.”

Shit. Now she was going to cry. She finally met Tessa’s gaze, her brain rummaging through a lifetime of smart-ass answers for the right one. Nothing came. “Thank you,” she managed, her voice cracking. “And I’m so—”

“Don’t.” Tessa squeezed her hand. “We know you’re sorry.”

“And I know you’re hurt by all the years of lying. I hope that, over time, you can forgive and forget.”

“Zoe, we love you,” Lacey assured her. “You know that, don’t you?”

She nodded, her throat tightening.

“Do you know what that means?” Jocelyn asked.

Sometimes she wondered. But not now. Not right this minute, wrapped in a lifetime of friendship. “It means I’m forgiven?”

“Before you even woke up,” Lacey said.

Zoe tried to smile, but her lips quivered. “You guys always were very productive while I slept.”

“You have no idea,” Jocelyn told her. “I’ve already made a list of all the things you need to do to address this issue, personally, professionally, and emotionally.”

Zoe smiled. “Ever the life coach, Joss.”

“And I’ve gotten the phone numbers for three attorneys,” Lacey added. “Right in Naples, so you can meet with them soon.”

“Oh, thanks.” I think.

“And I picked a whole sachet of herbs,” Tessa said, reaching into her pocket. “I have a mix of tumeric and meadowsweet in a compress to get those swollen eyes back to normal, if you promise me no more tears today.”

But she was already breaking that promise, overwhelmed by the three women who loved her more than any family could. “You guys…” Moisture blurred her vision and she attempted a laugh. “I’m sorry.” She blinked, and one tear rolled right onto Elijah’s cheek.