Summer of Love - Carly Phillips Page 0,72

friendship because Patty was a little fast, wore too much makeup and liked to have fun more than she liked to study.”

“Hmm.” Zoe narrowed her gaze. “I’m sure you followed up with Patty when you were looking for Faith.”

“She was one of the few people my parents checked with right after Faith went missing. Patty said she hadn’t heard from her. The P.I. I hired talked with her again, but she insisted Faith hadn’t been in contact with her since she’d run away.”

Zoe sighed, hearing the defeat in his voice.

He glanced at the card again. “This isn’t my parents’ phone number either.”

“It’s probably Patty’s. Is it possible she still lives in the same place?” Zoe asked.

Ryan shook his head. “Doubtful. But her mother would know where she is, and her parents are still local.”

“It’s worth a shot. We can talk to her again. See if anything from the locker ended up with her.”

“Who’d keep old stuff from a friend who died years ago?” The edge in his tone spoke of his frustration.

Zoe slapped her hand on his knee. “I won’t let you sound defeated before we know anything for sure.” She rose and stood over him, then sat straddling him with her thighs. She felt his body heat penetrating between her legs and liquid desire pulsing through her. But her own feelings weren’t what counted now.

Ryan’s emotions were in turmoil, his past and present coming together in a painful way, and she wanted to be there for him as he worked his way through it. For a woman who’d always been independent, floating through life in a vacuum that only included her family, this sudden, deep need to care for another person took her off guard. Yet it was her feelings for Ryan that guided her every move right now.

She leaned forward and briefly touched her lips to his, lingering long enough to taste him and let the sensation of caring for him overwhelm her. Only then did she sit back on her heels. “We’ll follow this trail as far as we can, okay?”

A smile tugged at his mouth. “We?”

“Have I abandoned you yet?” She immediately realized the depth of her question and didn’t want him to press her any further. So she held out her hand and pulled him to his feet. “At the very least, we’re one step ahead of your uncle, so we can get on this first thing in the morning.”

He nodded. “I’d just like some answers.” His gaze never left hers—as if he were telling her he knew something deep existed between them and he wanted her to acknowledge it too.

She feared she couldn’t put off facing that issue much longer.

Chapter Twelve

Dirty and tired, Zoe wanted nothing more than to pick up Sam and head back to Ryan’s. She intended to get a good night’s sleep before she had to tackle the next part of their search. She certainly didn’t need to arrive at the Baldwins’ house to find Sam had gotten herself into trouble while they’d been gone. But she had.

“Accidents happen,” Vivian said to Ryan and Zoe. “But when the plumber comes for a service call and finds a scrunchie clogging the toilet, then we’re talking about a deliberate stuffing.” Vivian shook her head, her exasperation obvious. “By the way, what is a scrunchie, anyway?”

Zoe bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. “It’s a ponytail holder. Only bigger.”

“Well, the water overflowed and created quite a mess.” Vivian’s posture and tone showed the weariness she must be feeling after a few hours with her granddaughter.

“Where’s Sam now?” Ryan asked.

“Upstairs in your old room thinking about what she did and why she did it,” Vivian said.

Zoe shot Ryan a glance.

“You punished her?” he asked, surprised.

“What else should I have done? She showed no thought to basic etiquette when visiting someone else’s home.” His mother stiffened her shoulders defensively.

“Did you explain that to her?” Zoe asked.

“Of course.”

Ryan stepped forward. “And did you yell, scream and threaten to throw her out and never let her come back as you did to Faith?”

Zoe sucked in a harsh breath, taken aback by his sharp tone and biting sarcasm. “Ryan…”

“No, that’s all right.” Vivian ran her hand down her bob, straightening her already perfect hair. “Believe it or not, I thought long and hard before asking you if I could take Samantha for the afternoon. I revisited many of my past mistakes.”

“Say that again?” Ryan looked into his mother’s eyes.

“I’m admitting I made mistakes, Ryan. It’s not