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It was one thing he could thank his mother for. She’d shown him what it meant to do whatever it took to reach for your goals—even tossing aside your very young child or leaving him home alone while out on a date. The clincher had been when she’d told him that she was going on vacation while he stayed with his aunt and uncle and she’d be back for him. The truth was, she had no intention of coming back for him—ever. She’d sloughed off his seven-year-old self in order to marry a man who abhorred children. It still left a bitter taste in the back of Ric’s mouth.
And then there were other women who used children to get what they wanted—or at least they tried. One girlfriend had even faked a pregnancy, trying to get him to marry her. Until he’d demanded a paternity test.
He’d truly thought his last girlfriend was different. They’d dated for close to two years. Then he’d caught her cheating on him. When he’d confronted her, she claimed the new guy was open, trusting and wanting a family—everything Ric wasn’t.
His luck with women was bad—to say the least. It’s the reason he’d sworn off relationships. He was better off on his own.
His gaze moved to the driver’s side window, zeroing in on a small park. It was really no bigger than a few benches, a swing set and a fountain.
Today it seemed rather busy with people walking their dogs—another thing he didn’t have in his life. Sometimes he thought it might be nice to have a pet, a dog loyal to him that would never reject him or use him for its own greedy needs.
And then other days, he enjoyed his freedom to come and go as he pleased. Not to have to worry about anyone else but himself. He realized how selfish that sounded, but he wasn’t hurting anyone. It was simply his choice to live alone—
Wait.
A flash of bright aqua caught his attention.
Is that Gia?
He stared over at the park. The woman had her back to him, but it sure looked like her. And then his gaze lowered to the puppy with the plastic cone around his neck. It was definitely her.
Honk! Honk!
The angry horn blast reminded Ric that traffic was stacking up behind him. He proceeded through the intersection. He found a safe place to turn around, and then he backtracked to the park.
He told himself it was the luggage that had him seeking Gia. It couldn’t be anything else. After all, her problems were just that—her problems. And he had enough of his own problems at the moment.
Still, that didn’t keep him from pulling into a parking spot along the road. He told himself the sooner the luggage was gone, the sooner any thought of Gia would be gone and the sooner his life would return to normal.
He climbed out of his car and headed for Gia, who was talking to an older woman. He found that odd, considering she said she was from the mainland. And she’d acted as though she hadn’t been to Lapri before now. Perhaps she hadn’t been telling him the truth. It wouldn’t be the first time a woman had lied to him.
He cleared his throat. “Excuse me. Gia?”
Both women turned to him. The older woman with short, silver hair smiled at him. A big bright smile lit up her eyes. She adjusted her black-rimmed glasses as though to get a better look. “Aren’t you?” She snapped her fingers as though she couldn’t quite place the face with a name. “You know, the guy in the movie.” Color rushed to her cheeks. “The one who walks out of the ocean with all of that water rushing down over that muscular chest?”
The woman certainly didn’t shy away from matters. He could respect that. However, he didn’t return the woman’s smile. “That would be me.”
“Oh, my! Wait until the women in my apartment building hear about this. I’ll be the most popular person today.”
Hmm...so he was only good for one day’s worth of popularity. He stifled a laugh. If he’d have known the notoriety that clip would have given him, he never would have agreed to it. Still, this woman looked mighty pleased with herself—as though she’d discovered him.
Gia tilted her chin upward. There was no sign of a smile on her face. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to let you know your luggage has been delivered.”
“Oh.”
That was it? He stopped to let her know—to let her retrieve her things from his place. “I’m headed to the office, but I can let you in the apartment to get your stuff.”
The older woman lightly elbowed Gia. “If I was you, I’d definitely stay.” She glanced at Ric and waggled her brows before turning back to Gia. “You’ll be okay with this one?”
“I will.”
“Then I’ll be going. I can’t wait to tell Josephine about this. She’s always bragging about her nephew’s celebrity friends. This will get her.” Then a worried look came over the older woman’s face, and she turned to Ric. “You don’t know Josephine, do you?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know any Josephine.”
“Good. Good.” She turned back to Gia. “I’ll see you tomorrow, if you decide to stay.” Then she gave the leash in her hand a gentle tug. “Come on, Princess. It’s time to go home.”
