with a minor in Physics and Astronomy.
“Yes, Ian is a swell guy. It would have been nice to have known him years ago. Then I wouldn’t have felt like the only geek in the family.”
“You weren’t a geek.”
He shrugged. “For a while Bart thought so.” And that was putting it mildly.
Bart had been disappointed to discover transportation wasn’t foremost in his oldest son’s mind when he’d left for college. Although Garth knew he would work for the company, he’d seen nothing wrong with getting a minor in a subject he loved.
He decided to ask Regan something he was more than mildly curious about. “Are you still seeing Craig Foster?”
She slowed her pace. “How did you know I was dating Craig?” she asked while pushing a lock of hair back from her face.
“Franklin mentioned him. Maverick and Sloan did, as well.”
She nodded. “And I guess Dad also mentioned that he didn’t like him.”
“Yes, he did say something to that effect.”
She shrugged. “There was nothing wrong with Craig other than that he was military. Dad never cared for me dating a military man for fear I would end up marrying one and moving away.”
“Yes, there was always that possibility. I’m sure you would have moved to wherever your husband got stationed, right?”
“No. I would never have left Dad.”
He wondered if that was her way of saying those military guys she’d dated were not serious involvements. “You would not have?”
“Nope. But then Dad left me.”
Just like she’d come to Maverick’s defense, he came to Franklin’s. “The cold weather was getting to be too much for him, Regan. Surely you understood that.”
“Yes, I understood it, Garth. But the decision to move to Florida happened so unexpectedly. I dropped by one day and he told me his mind was made up.”
He smiled. “You know as well as I do that Franklin has never been one to procrastinate about anything.” Then, to get back to his earlier question, he asked, “So, what’s the deal with you and Craig Foster?”
She sighed. “Craig and I aren’t seeing each other anymore. It was a mutual decision to go our separate ways.”
“I see.” He couldn’t help wondering why. She was right about Franklin not liking the guy. But not for the reason Regan assumed. Franklin was a good judge of character and sensed Foster was the overly jealous type. Garth hadn’t met Foster, but Maverick and Sloan had. Not surprisingly, they hadn’t liked him, either.
“So, what’s the deal with you and the woman you were to meet here for two weeks?”
Garth figured she had every right to ask, since he had inquired into her business. “We’ve known each other for a couple of months and decided to get together here. Something came up at the last minute and she couldn’t make it.”
That wasn’t totally true, but it hadn’t been an outright lie, either. The dating service had provided him with details a couple of months ago and the mix-up in dates had been discovered at the last minute. He figured there was no need to tell Regan they’d met through a dating service.
“What are your plans for tomorrow?”
He glanced over at her and hoped his plans were her plans. He would make sure of it.
“We have a private tour of the island scheduled for tomorrow.”
“A private tour?”
“Yes. The driver will pick us up and bring us back afterward. It’s a four-hour tour with a number of interesting places for us to see.”
They had come to the end of the walking path at a cliff overlooking the sea. “This place is beautiful,” she said. “I bet it’s beautiful at night, too.”
He bet it was. He could just imagine how the stars would look over the ocean. “Ready to head back?”
A smile touched the corners of her lips and his breath suddenly caught on a surge of yearning.
“Yes, I’m ready to head back.”
“What time do we leave for the tour tomorrow morning?” Regan asked when they returned to the château.
He glanced over at her as he closed the door behind them. “If we leave here by ten, we should be fine. And I plan to prepare breakfast before we leave.”
“Pancakes?”
He chuckled. “Yes, pancakes. I suggest you get up by eight.”
“Need help?”
A grin touched his lips. “You know better. Cooking is therapy for me. I like doing it myself.”
She saw he was leaning against one of the gigantic pillars. It was one sexy pose, and for a minute she envisioned him as a Greek god. “I was just thinking how when we were