The Scandal (Billionaire's Beach Book 4) - Christie Ridgway Page 0,52
arrangement had Sara sitting beside Joaquin and Ethan at the head spot with Wells to his right.
Maybe the other man sensed his butler’s continued unease, too, because as she hurried past—she’d yet to alight anywhere—he caught her by the wrist. When she halted, he scooted out his chair a little in order to tie the trailing shoelace on her sneaker.
Like she was Wells’ age…but Charlie didn’t watch him perform the task like Ethan Archer was any kind of dad to her.
Interesting. Joaquin leaned over to murmur in Sara’s ear. “Wow. She’s gone for him, huh?”
Sara turned his way, a line between her brows. “Pardon?”
“Charlie, gone for him.”
“Wells? She takes good care—”
“I’m talking about Ethan. Your friend Charlie’s in love with him.”
As Sara stared at him in shock, those blue eyes round and her rosebud mouth hanging open, he turned back to confirm his conclusion. Yep, though Charlie might think she was hiding how she felt, it was written in the taut lines of her body and in the watchfulness of her gaze.
Yeah. In love, and in the deep end of it.
Joaquin reached for his own beer, taking a long swallow. The discovery of Charlie’s secret didn’t diminish his good mood, even though it was obvious that Ethan Archer had no idea what was going on right beneath his nose. The whole evening, Joaquin decided, had been enjoyable, from playing horseshoes with the kid to his insight into the drama playing inside the Archer home.
Instead of regretting his attendance, he might even be able to admit that he felt a slight twinge of envy for the other man, who was chatting with his son while Charlie hovered near, but not too near to either one.
Ethan had a boy he doted upon and a beautiful butler who’d given him her heart.
Toying with the final bite of her dessert, Sara turned Joaquin’s words over in her mind. Your friend Charlie’s in love with him.
Charlie? Charlie “gone,” as Joaquin had said, for Ethan Archer?
No, Sara thought, rejecting the notion out-of-hand. List-making, practical, uber-organized Charlotte Emerson wouldn’t fall for the widower she worked for, the man obviously still broken up over the loss of his wife.
The one who treated her in a friendly but wholly platonic fashion.
Sara didn’t want to examine too closely her sense of panic at the thought, nor did she want to scrutinize Charlie for any confirming signs. Instead, she directed her gaze to the boy at the table.
“Wells,” she said, “I think it’s about time we show off our mad beanbag skills.”
The kid leaped to his feet, a grin overtaking his face. “Yeah. Me ’n‘ Sara against all comers.”
Sara looked to the inquiring expressions on Emmaline, Essie, and Joaquin’s faces, then rubbed her palms together. “Fresh blood, Wells. Let’s get out what we need.”
They set up the game on the beach, the 2 x 4 foot wooden platforms set about twenty feet apart and angled so that the holes cut into them were about twelve inches above the sand.
“It goes like this,” Sara told the assembled group. “Wells?”
The boy demonstrated an underhand toss with a bean bag. It sailed through the air and landed with a plop directly in the hole. Sara applauded her partner.
And those new to the game immediately demanded practice time.
Wells and Sara took seats on the beach to watch and assess the competition. Essie—decent. Emmaline—terrible. Joaquin—much too competent for a newbie.
“Have you really never played this before?” Sara called out, suspicious.
His grin blinded her with infectious unrepentance. “Afraid, little girl?”
“We’re the champions,” Wells declared staunchly. “We’re not afraid of anyone.”
“Yeah,” Sara said, slinging her arm around the boy. “Champions of the world.”
“Care to put a wager on it?” Joaquin asked, voice sly.
“Like what?” Wells asked, excited. “What do we get if we win?”
“For you, my man, an ice cream run. For her…” He looked over at Sara, rubbing his chin as if he was mulling the many possibilities.
A kiss. A caress. An orgasm. She cursed her wayward mind and blushing face. Would he be able to read her thoughts? “I like ice cream, too,” she said.
Joaquin’s gaze seemed to laser in on her mouth. “I happen to know quite a few things that you like.”
Oh, crud. Her hot face must be really obvious because Emmaline was suddenly giving her the side eye. Desperate to regain her cool, Sara jumped to her feet and then made a big show of glancing at her watch. “Five more minutes of practice time. Use it wisely.” Then she hurried into the