No Matter What (The Billionaires of Sawgrass #4) - Delaney Cameron Page 0,62
thousands that were produced, only a few hundred still exist today. Half of those are in museums. Getting owners to part with the others isn’t easy.”
“What would you do with it, if you were able to get one?”
He chuckled. “Well, it wouldn’t be for display only.”
“That’s what I thought. You might have to leave me in here. I’m not sure I can get out.”
“Leave that to me.”
He was as good as his word. Returning to the ground took less than fifteen seconds. Knowing what to expect didn’t lessen the impact on her pulse rate or breathing. Robin was never more grateful for Owen’s nonstop chatter. It removed the need for her to make conversation and covered the fact that she’d found the encounter disturbing in a way that left her scrambling for an explanation.
It was close to five by the time Reece was walking them to the parking lot.
“I’d planned to ask you both to have dinner with me,” he said, “but I just got a text from one of my pilots. He won’t be able to take his flight this evening. Since I’m already here, there’s no point in calling someone else.”
Robin felt a flutter of regret in her mid-section. This was it, then. In all likelihood, she and Reece wouldn’t cross paths again. Why did the thought make her so sad? It wasn’t as if this was a surprise. She summoned a smile and lifted her glance to his face. “Owen and I can never thank you enough for today. It was enjoyable and educational.”
“Hopefully it was more of the first than the second. The next step is going for a ride.”
“You mean in one of your planes?” Owen asked before Robin could.
“That’s right. It’s the best way to see Jacksonville.”
“Did you hear that, Aunt Robin? Reece is going to take us flying in one of his planes!”
Robin told herself that the delight spreading through her like wildfire was solely for Owen. “I heard, sweetheart.”
Reece punched a code on the pad to open the gate. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
“You, too,” she told him. “Be careful up there tonight.”
Something flickered in his eyes, and then he smiled. “I’m always careful when I’m flying, but these days I have more incentive than ever.”
All the way home Robin wondered what he meant by incentive.
Chapter Eighteen
Owen provided Reece with the perfect excuse to drop by Robin’s house the following evening. As luck would have it (or perhaps fate, if one was feeling optimistic), both of them were outside when he pulled up shortly before six. Owen was riding his bike. Robin was trimming bushes.
Reece had a few seconds to appreciate the attractive picture she made in a white tank top and jean shorts before Owen spotted him. Even through the closed car window, Reece could hear Owen say, “Look, Aunt Robin! It’s Reece.”
She swung around, the hedge shears dangling from her hands. There was surprise in her expression, but there was pleasure as well. The sweet smile that formed on her mouth had Reece’s heart beating hard enough to leave a bruise. He was halfway out of the car before he realized he’d left the engine running. If this is what a smile from her was capable of, he couldn’t imagine what a genuine gesture of affection might produce.
“What happened to the Lamborghini?” she asked.
Even so simple a question threw him for a second. He glanced back at the car as if it could supply the answer. “It’s at home. I drove this one today.”
Her smile deepened as she walked over to join him. “Of course you did! What was I thinking? You’re a gazillionaire. The one-to-one car to driver ratio doesn’t apply to you. How many vehicles does the average rich guy own these days?”
Reece smiled in appreciation. He loved it when she teased him. “This one has four.”
“Your taste in cars appears to be exotic rather than practical. Was fire-engine red the only color available?”
“In this particular model Ferrari, yes. You don’t like it?”
She laughed. “Who wouldn’t like it?”
“I’m sure I could find someone if I looked hard enough. As to your practicality comment, I also have a truck for those times when exotic won’t do the job.” He reached into the car and pulled out the gift bag. “Owen left this at Diamond Jet yesterday.”
“So that’s where it was,” she said, taking the bag from him. “Owen kept saying he had it with him when we left, but we couldn’t find it in the car or the