Summer of Love - Carly Phillips Page 0,47
to palpable anger.
He swung around and walked toward the kitchen sink. Bracing his hands on the counter, he glanced out the window overlooking the yard. “Because she found out the truth?”
“Yes. She came home unexpectedly and overheard us talking. She stormed off to her room. She was there at bedtime—I know because I checked on her—but this morning she was gone.”
“What about that state-of-the-art alarm system your mother promised she’d use?”
Zoe touched his shoulder lightly when she really wanted to grab him and pound him for his innuendo.
He swiveled around to face her.
“Sam likes cool air when she sleeps so my mother bypasses her window so she can open it at night. Would you like to arrest her for making Sam more comfortable?” she asked, her sarcasm deliberately biting.
“I didn’t mean it that way.”
“The hell you didn’t.”
“I don’t think your fighting is going to help find Samantha.”
Zoe turned, shocked to see Ryan’s uncle standing in the kitchen doorway. She wondered how much he’d witnessed, then decided she didn’t care.
“He’s right.” Ryan threaded his fingers through his hair.
“My family’s out looking for Sam.” Zoe didn’t want either of these men thinking her family wasn’t worried about the teen, or worse, that they were neglectful in caring for her.
“I’m sure they are. Tell me, has anyone checked her room for clues to her whereabouts?” Uncle Russ asked.
Zoe narrowed her gaze. “Well, no. We immediately spread out to check places she’s gone to before or might be likely to go to now.” Zoe hated that this smug man thought of something her family, including Quinn, had missed. But he had a good point. “I’ll go up to Sam’s room now.”
At that moment, the telephone rang, and Zoe jumped to grab it, in case someone had found Sam. “Hello?”
“Hi, Zoe. It’s Connor.”
“Hey. Any news?” Since Connor had the emergency rooms on his list, she fervently hoped not.
“Not a thing.”
Zoe let out a deep breath of air. Covering the phone, she glanced at Ryan. “She’s not in any of the local hospitals,” she reassured him.
“Thank God.” He lowered himself into the nearest chair, looking too pale for her peace of mind.
“Would it help if I gave her room a cursory glance?” Uncle Russ asked.
Zoe waved him away. Let him do whatever he wanted as long as he stayed out of her way. “Connor, thank you for calling. Let me know if you hear from Quinn.”
“Will do.”
“Thanks.” Zoe hung up the phone and strode over to where Ryan sat. “Are you okay?” She was hesitant to touch him in a way that offered support or comfort.
One minute they were adversaries, the next desperate lovers and after that uncertain allies, both concerned about Sam. Zoe wasn’t certain what category they fell into right now.
“Did I ever tell you about the day Faith ran away?” Ryan asked, taking her by surprise.
Zoe shook her head. Until this moment, the parallels hadn’t occurred to her. But Zoe understood now that Ryan was reliving a painful time in his life.
She pulled a chair up beside him and covered his hand with hers. “I’m listening.” Not only because she relished details of his life, but because it gave her something to focus on while she manned the house.
“Faith was a typical older sister. She rarely wanted me around. That is, until the night before she left.” His eyes clouded over and Zoe could tell he was remembering vividly.
“Ari and I were twins, and sometimes we didn’t want each other around,” she said, laughing.
“That’s what made that last night so strange. But I didn’t know it at the time. She called me into her room, and I hung out with her awhile. She paced around the room, talking quickly. I don’t know if she was high at the time or completely lucid and just excited, knowing she planned to run away the next day.”
He would never know, but Zoe wasn’t about to say so aloud.
“The only thing I really remember was that she kept talking to me about staying true to myself. Being myself. Doing what I wanted with my life and not what was expected of me.”
“She cared.”
He swallowed hard, his eyes damp, visibly shaken by the memories. “It was probably the only time she showed it. The rest of my memories revolve around her fights with my parents, slamming doors to get away from them.”
“Like mother like daughter.” Zoe shook her head. “But it’s typical teenage behavior. We expect it.”
“My parents didn’t.” His fist clenched at his side. “Whoever told them