No Matter What (The Billionaires of Sawgrass #4) - Delaney Cameron Page 0,21
not talking about the fateful trip to Savannah would speed up the process of putting that nonsense with Robin behind him. Along with other things he’d tried so far, it hadn’t worked. She remained a constant fixture in his mind. If that wasn’t bad enough, she’d started appearing in his nightly dreams.
“What do you want to know?”
“You can start with Wade’s girlfriend. What’s she like?”
Playing for time, he returned the leaf skimmer to the pool shed. “She’s nice.”
“Nice? Come on, Reece. You can do better than that. You’ve dated enough women to be considered an expert.”
He descended the steps into the pool. “No man is an expert on women. It doesn’t matter how many dates he’s been on. Females have been, and always will be, a mystery to mere mortal men.”
Addison made an impatient gesture. “Get to the point, flyboy.”
Reece laughed as he skimmed his hand over the surface of the water. “Robin is friendly, has an attractive voice, and most important of all (as far as Wade is concerned), Maxine seemed to like her.”
“Is she pretty?”
Pretty didn’t come close to capturing the essence of Robin’s beauty. She was exquisite, and with that bone structure, she would age gracefully. Reece had no intention of sharing this opinion with his sister. Addison meant well, but she had a habit of blurting out things at the worst possible moment.
He rolled his eyes. “And women accuse men of being superficial.”
Addison shrugged. “Fair enough. Tell me this. Would you go out with her?”
In a New York minute, his heart answered. “I don’t think we should be talking about Robin this way. She could end up being part of our family.”
“So things are serious between her and Wade?”
Addison had taken the bait he dangled in front of her. “I can’t answer for Robin, but he told me she might be the one.”
“I hope she doesn’t mind living on a boat. Otherwise she’ll never see him.” She stood up and stretched. “Clayton should be out of the shower by now. Time to fix breakfast.”
“Married five years, and you still cook Clayton’s meals. That’s so sweet!”
She stuck her nose in the air. “At least I have someone to cook for. With Wade practically married, the pressure will be on you now.”
“You mean it wasn’t before?”
She ignored this. “At the very least, you should get a girlfriend. The carefree bachelor thing you’ve got going on doesn’t work well for someone fast approaching the big 4-0.”
Reece’s lips twitched. “Fast approaching, huh? I’m five years away. As for a girlfriend, I’ll have Sylvie start putting out feelers on Monday. I’m sure she can come up with some suitable candidates.”
Addison prided herself on getting the last word. When she reached the door, she glanced back over her shoulder. “That’s not a bad idea. She can’t be any worse at it than you.”
After she and Gypsy disappeared into the house, Reece flipped over and started swimming laps. Addison’s concern for his single state was nothing new. Only the move to Crystal River had stopped her persistent (and often embarrassing) attempts to set him up with her large circle of single friends. He wondered if she realized how lucky she was to have found the love of her life with so little effort. There hadn’t been any obstacles such as a near-fiancé standing in the way of her and Clayton being together.
Reece had a bone to pick with fate. What was the point of bringing the perfect woman into his life if she wasn’t available?
* * * * *
The arctic temperature in the house drove Robin to the back porch to wait for Owen’s return from the park. Barb’s rude and spiteful questions hadn’t raised any issues Robin hadn’t already considered during the drive to Arcadia. She wasn’t foolish enough to think this guardianship would be easy or that it wouldn’t present its own set of challenges. Adjustments would have to be made. But this wasn’t the first hurdle life had thrown her way, and it wouldn’t be the last.
A wistful smile tugged at her lips when she heard Owen’s high-pitched voice seconds before he burst through the door like a ball shot out of a cannon. Barb appeared long enough to give Robin a dirty look before closing the door behind him. Allowing her to see Owen alone was a courtesy she appreciated, but hadn’t expected given their earlier encounter.
Robin had last visited Arcadia at Christmas. In the four months since, Owen had sprouted up several inches and lost his two front