child,” I said. “It’s going to be hard enough for her to see her father dragged through the mud. I won’t have you doing it to her too.”
“Nina—” he started to argue, then stopped himself. “Everything I’m doing is for you,” he said finally.
“Don’t lie,” I whispered. I noted he didn’t say us.
He relented. “Okay, maybe not everything. But I can save you, baby. If you’ll let me. You just need to trust a little bit.”
Trust. What did that feel like? And how could you trust another when you couldn’t even trust yourself?
I breathed. “It’s fine. I usually spend most of my time here at the stables anyway.”
Matthew nodded. “All right. And if anyone asks, I’m a friend of Eric’s from law school.”
“Then it’s settled. I’ll stay away from you. You stay away from me. And that includes—”
“Mommy?”
We both froze at the sound of my daughter’s voice echoing across the marble. We both took immediate steps away from each other and turned. Olivia stood in the hall, a large towel wrapped around her small body, goggles in hand.
“Mama, who is this?” she asked as she approached.
I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could, Matthew strode forward and extended his hand as he squatted in front of my daughter.
“Hey, kiddo,” he said. “I don’t believe we’ve made a proper introduction. I’m Matthew.”
Matthew. For a moment, I was riddled with jealousy. That was my name for him. He’d told me so himself. No matter that it was his given name, the one on his birth certificate, the one anyone on the planet could call him if they liked. For some reason, I resented anyone else but me using the full, deliciously formal version that I had somehow claimed as my own.
Even my daughter.
I shook my head. Ridiculous. I was absolutely ridiculous.
“I’ve seen you before,” Olivia was saying as she shook his hand solemnly. “You walked my mother home one night. You had a hat like that, but it was gray.”
Matthew’s full mouth crooked to one side as he looked at the fedora in his hand. “Good memory.” He tossed the hat back on his head with a rakish tilt that made my heart skip and Olivia bite back a grin.
“My name is Olivia. Patricia says I have a good mind for faces.” She tipped her head at him as he stood. “That’s my nanny. She says I’m an elephant. I never forget.”
“Patricia is right,” Matthew said. “How about names? Are you good with those too?”
I watched with awe as Olivia stuck out her chin, almost as defiant as I myself felt with this man. Did he have that effect on all women he challenged, or just us?
“Depends,” Olivia said.
“On what?” Matthew asked.
“On whether the name deserves to be remembered.”
“Olivia!” I put in. “That was very rude.”
“Ah, let her be, Nina. We’re just getting to know each other,” Matthew said as he tipped his hat up so the afternoon light revealed his entire chiseled face. He pointed to it. “See this, my little elefantessa?”
Olivia laughed outright. I started. It wasn’t a sound I had heard in a very long time.
“What?” she asked. “Your face?”
“Yeah. This ugly mug.”
Matthew grinned. The giggle grew louder. I pressed a limp hand over my heart.
“I promise you that by the end of this weekend, you’ll never forget it or my name. And if you do…that’s an ice cream on me, kid.”
The whites of my daughter’s teeth shone through her full-faced smile. “Is that a bet?”
Matthew nodded. “No, it’s a deal, kid.” He stuck out his hand again. “Shake on it.”
Olivia eyed his hand again, but smiled wide enough that two dimples touched the corners of her cheeks.
“Shake,” she murmured as she took part in the ritual.
“Olivia.” I cleared my throat, finally able to locate my voice over the thump of my heart. “I think you can leave Mr. Zola alone now. He’s here to see Eric and Jane, not us.”
Her gaze shuttered and turned to me as she pulled her hand away. “Mama, do you have to go to the stables right away? Can’t you come for a swim at least once this weekend?”
Next to her, Matthew’s eyes bugged out. It was clear the idea of me in a swimsuit had produced the effect.
I should have said no. I should have continued with our plan. Maintained my distance while he kept his.
Really, I should have done as he originally demanded and taken Olivia home. But instead, I smiled at my daughter, enjoying the way Matthew swallowed