No Matter What (The Billionaires of Sawgrass #4) - Delaney Cameron Page 0,26
seconds, he produced a tennis ball. “How about this?”
“That’ll work. Just let me take off Gypsy’s leash.” Reece bent down to do so. “Okay, Owen, fire away.”
Grinning from ear to ear, Owen reared back and threw the ball as hard as he could. Gypsy took off after it. “Look at her go!” he said, clapping his hands. Gypsy returned with the ball and dropped it at Owen’s feet. “How long will she do this?” he asked as he threw the ball again.
“Until your arm falls off.”
Owen thought that was hilarious.
Reece looked back at Kait. “Owen thinks I’m joking. He’ll soon find out different. It’s nice to meet the other genius behind Truly Scrumptious. Are you and Robin related?”
“No. We’re just friends who live and work together.”
“Sylvie mentioned that Robin had some kind of family emergency. I hope everything’s okay.”
Kait’s glance flicked to Owen, and then she motioned Reece to move further up the beach. “Owen was the emergency,” she said in a low voice. “His parents were close friends of Robin’s. They were killed in a car accident last week. Owen will be living with us now.”
Reece’s respect and admiration for Robin increased exponentially. Not everyone, especially a young, unmarried woman, would be willing to take on such a huge responsibility. It wasn’t just Owen’s life that would change. Hers would, too. Reece wondered what Wade thought about this development.
“Owen couldn’t be in better hands,” Kait was saying. “Robin is an orphan herself. She grew up in foster care.”
Hearing this roused Reece’s sympathy as well.
Kait suddenly shifted sideways and laughed. “Speaking of Robin, there she is.”
Reece’s heart began to pound even before he turned around. The moment he’d unconsciously been waiting for had arrived. When his eyes fell on Robin, the same thrill shot through him. He’d never been so aware of a woman. It was confusing, and considering who her boyfriend was, uncomfortable as well.
“Look who I ran into,” Kait called out.
* * * * *
Robin had already figured out the identity of the man talking to Kait. She knew from Wade that Reece lived in Sawgrass so it wasn’t surprising to find him in the area of Fisherman’s Wharf. Her feelings about running into him were mixed. Along with her general disapproval of his reputation, he was a reminder of an incident she preferred to forget. At the same time, she couldn’t deny that he’d been thoughtful and considerate in all his dealings with her.
“Hello, Reece,” she said, summoning a smile. “Is that your dog with Owen?”
“It is. Owen doesn’t know it, but he’s made a friend for life.”
“Nothing will make him happier. He’s crazy about dogs.”
Owen came running up to her, his face beaming with excitement. “Aunt Robin! This is Gypsy. Isn’t she a-dor-able?”
“She most certainly is,” Robin said, leaning down to rub the dog’s head.
“You can throw this ball anywhere, and she’ll go get it. Do you wanna try?”
Before Robin could answer, Kait said, “Hold on there, whippersnapper. That’s not fair. I’ve been waiting patiently for my turn to play with Gypsy.”
Owen offered the water-logged, sand-covered tennis ball. “Okay, then. You can be next, and then Aunt Robin.”
Kait took it from him with a grin. “I didn’t think it was possible for a tennis ball to weigh as much as a shot put. Let’s do this where the ground is firmer. My flat arches don’t like this soft sand.”
“What’s a shot put?” Owen asked as the two headed toward the water.
Robin laughed as she returned her glance to Reece. “That’ll be the first of many questions. Owen soaks up information like a sponge does water.”
Reece nodded. “Kids are curious about everything. Some never outgrow it. My sister is one of them. On a more serious note, Kait filled me in on what happened to Owen’s parents. Please accept my condolences on the loss of your friends.”
The genuine sympathy in his voice brought the sting of tears to her eyes. She was trying hard for Owen’s sake, but it was difficult to contain her grief. She felt as if she was drowning in it. “Thank you. Owen thinks his parents are on a trip. He keeps asking why he can’t call them. I’m dreading the moment when I have to tell him that they won’t be joining him here.” She suddenly recalled who she was talking to and what he knew about her. “I know such a thing doesn’t shock you. You probably think I avoid telling the truth whenever possible.”