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“You don’t believe it yourself, not really.”
There was just no winning this argument. Zach Danvers was obviously like a terrier with a bone and he believed what was convenient. Fine, she told herself, let him think what he wants, but the cynical disbelief in his eyes made her uncomfortable. She took a sip from her water glass and decided she should try to make some peace with this man. He was her only link to the family.
“You said something about an invitation,” Adria reminded him as she buttered a slice of sourdough bread.
“The family thinks it would be a good idea if you would stay in the Hotel Danvers.”
She should have expected as much, but she hadn’t. “So it’s easier for them to spy on me.”
“Probably.”
“Well, you can tell the family to go to hell.”
One side of his mouth lifted. “Already have.”
“Look, Zach. I don’t like being manipulated, I hate being followed, and I detest the feeling that Big Brother is watching me.” She broke off a piece of bread and chewed it.
“You came looking for us, remember?”
That much was true. With a sigh, she blew her bangs out of her eyes. She shouldn’t have let her temper get the better of her. She was tired from too little sleep on a sagging mattress, grumpy from lack of food, and her nerves were strung tight as piano wires at the thought of facing the Danvers family, her family, again.
“I just want you to help me find the truth.”
“I know the truth,” he said.
“If you’re so sure, why are you following me?”
Zach studied her another long minute. “I think you’re going to stir up a hornet’s nest the likes of which you’ve never seen before and I think you’ll regret it.”
“My mistake to make.”
“I’m just warning you.”
“About what?” She leaned her elbows on the table and pushed her face closer to his. “I’ve had months to think this through, Zachary. I had doubts, of course I did, but I can’t spend the rest of my lif
e wondering who I am.”
“What if you find out you’re not London?”
Her smile was slow and sexy and caused Zach’s diaphragm to cram hard against his lungs. “I believe in crossing bridges when I come to them.”
The waitress brought their orders and Adria dived into her soup with a vengeance.
“Jason thought you might be more comfortable at a suite in the hotel.” Zach took a bite of his sandwich.
“Concerned for my health and safety, is he?” she mocked.
Zach lifted a shoulder.
“Tell him ‘thanks but no thanks.’ The cost’s a little too high.”
“The room is gratis.”
“I wasn’t talking about money.” Her eyes met his for an instant and again Zach felt an unwanted tug on his gut. She was getting to him, with her clear blue eyes, sexy smile, and quick wit. He didn’t say another word until they were finished with their meal and he insisted on paying. She argued, of course, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer and in the end, she gave up, deciding that she’d forgo the small battles for the larger ones to come, or so she’d said.
The streets were crawling with people by the time they started walking back to the library. Cars, trucks, bicycles, and pedestrians clogged the alleys and sidewalks. Adria yanked the rubber band holding her hair away from her face and shook the loose curls free. Zach’s mouth went dry as the wild blue-black strands shimmered in the sunlight. She looked so damned much like Kat it was eerie.
“So what was it that caused the rift between you and your father?” she asked as she shifted her shoulder bag from one arm to the other.
