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Her brother’s statement explained so much. Taylor was more or less the girl’s mother. “How old was Reese when her mom died?”
It seemed like a logical question. Why else would Taylor be Reese’s guardian? The sudden anger that swept over Curt’s face told a different story.
“Eliza isn’t dead. Right now she’s in jail, and hopefully she’ll spend the rest of her life there.”
Leah shivered at Curt’s frigid tone, and considering his reaction, she wasn’t going to ask any more questions. If he wanted to share more, he would. “Well, she’s a sweet girl and seems to adore you.”
“What about Gavin’s daughter? Do you two get along?”
She decided now was as good a time as any to sample the half of the éclair Curt handed her. So rather than answer, Leah took a big bite from the custard-filled pastry. “This is awesome. Where did you get them?”
Curt polished off the half he held, then went back to adding the box’s contents to a plate. “They opened an Ambrosia in Newport a few months ago. I stopped over there this morning after breakfast.”
Leah was familiar with the family-owned pastry shop and café based out of Providence. “I wish they’d open one near me. I’d be there every other day. Did you get any of their cannoli?” She’d yet to find a bakery that made better cannoli than Ambrosia.
“Not today, and back to my question, which you so nicely ignored.”
Why did I bother? Ignoring one of Curt’s questions and hoping he’d forget about it was pointless.
“We haven’t met. She lives in Providence with her mom and usually Gavin goes there to see her.”
“And?” he prompted.
“And what?” Leah asked, focusing on the selection of desserts before her rather than Curt.
“There’s more to the story. I hear it in your voice, Leah.”
Her brother could be too perceptive on occasion. “Until yesterday I didn’t know Gavin had a daughter.”
Curt made a sound of disapproval. “A child is something he should’ve told you about before yesterday. I assume he had a good excuse.” He leaned back against the opposite counter.
“I wish he’d told me sooner too, but I understand his reasons.”
“As along as you’re okay with it, that’s what matters. Gavin seems like a good guy, but be careful. If he kept a daughter a secret this long, he might have other ones too.”
Leah appreciated and understood her brother’s concern. “True. He might snore like a bear.” She picked up the platter of cupcakes. “If we stay in here any longer, I’m going to eat all of these.”
Pushing off the counter, he took the other two plates of treats, but he didn’t move any farther. “When the two of you have the time, come up and visit me. You still haven’t seen the new house. I’ve made a lot of progress. And you can meet Taylor’s mom. She lives with Taylor and Reese.”
Dragging Gavin away for a day or so to visit her brother might be tough. It was a good thing she liked a challenge. “I’m dying to see what kind of mess you’ve picked up this time. We’ll be around soon.”
Chapter Six
Rolling over, Leah opened her eyes and gazed up at the ceiling. Judging by the amount of sunlight in the room, it was still early. Sometimes she didn’t know why she bothered setting an alarm when she stayed at her apartment in the city. No matter what time she went to bed, she always woke up
long before she needed to. The same thing happened whenever she traveled, regardless of whether it was for business or pleasure. She assumed it was because she wasn’t sleeping in her bed. Well, when she stayed at her place in the city, it was technically her bed, but not her normal bed. In fact, it wasn’t uncommon for weeks to go by between her visits to the apartment, because as much as she loved visiting the city and working there, she much preferred living away from it. Still, she kept the place, located inside one of the Sherbrooke hotels in Manhattan, because some days she didn’t feel like dealing with the traffic out to Greenwich. That had been the exact case last night.
She’d had a late afternoon meeting that lasted much longer than it should have. Afterward she visited her cousin Scott and his girlfriend, although she would’ve preferred another evening with Gavin. They’d seen each other every day since the previous Saturday except for one. Bright and early yesterday morning, he’d driven out to Maine and had spent much of the day there. Even though she didn’t see him, she had talked to him. Per her request, he’d called when he got back to the city around eleven so she knew he’d made it home safely.
Thankfully, today was Saturday and she had a whole weekend with him to look forward to again. Gavin hadn’t shared any details other than to say he had plans for them, and she hadn’t pressed the issue because unlike some people, she enjoyed surprises. It didn’t mean she hadn’t spent the past two days guessing what he had in store for them.
Regardless of what it was, she expected to enjoy herself because in the week they’d been together, he’d been the perfect boyfriend. Despite his over-the-top work ethic, he was attentive and at the same time not overbearing. Plenty of times in the past she’d dated men who all but wanted to put a tracking device on her so they knew exactly where she was at all times when they weren’t together.
Leah grabbed her phone and scrolled through her various playlists. She knew from experience that falling back to sleep was out of the question. At the same time, she had zero desire to get out of bed and do anything productive. Losing herself in a book while she listened to music seemed like the ideal way to pass a few hours.
She’d always loved music regardless of the type or the era it came from. She had playlists consisting of everything from songs made popular during the British invasion in the mid-1960s and hits from the hair bands of the 1980s to pieces written by composers such as Mozart and Beethoven. When she’d been younger, her brothers loved teasing her about some of her music choices, especially when she played Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin. They’d remind her both were singers their grandmother loved, as if that somehow diminished the fabulous voices the two men had.
This morning she selected the playlist consisting of symphonies written by Mozart and his contemporaries. After pressing play, she moved into an upright position and grabbed the e-reader she kept in her nightstand for mornings such as this. She had another one by her bed in Greenwich, so no matter where she stayed she could read whenever she wanted.
