Kimberly Meter - Playing the Part

The defiance in Carys’s body language lessened a bit as she asked, “Really? How’d your mom die?”

“Cancer,” Lindy answered candidly, surprised when the admission still had the power to sting. She straightened and focused on Carys. “How about your mom?”

“Same. Dad said she didn’t suffer too long, though. By the time the doctors found the cancer, it’d spread everywhere,” Carys said, her small voice getting even smaller.

Lindy blinked back an unexpected show of tears. It’d been a long time since she remembered everything her mom had gone through. It’d been tough, but fast, too. Lindy had always wondered if her mom had simply given up because of her divorce. Her mom had never quite recovered from the shock of her husband splitting without warning.

“Dad doesn’t like to talk about it, though,” Carys whispered. “He says it’s not going to bring her back so we shouldn’t dwell on it.”

“How do you feel about that?” Lindy asked.

“I hate it.”

“Yeah, I would, too. My mom was a special woman. I’m sure yours was, too.”

“She was.” Carys sniffed and swallowed. “She was the best mom in the world.”

“And I’m guessing she thought you were pretty awesome, too. I mean, something tells me you didn’t act like this when she was around.”

A hint of pink crept into Carys’s cheeks and Lindy smiled in understanding. “Listen, how about this... I’ll make a deal with you. If you promise to stop trying to kill our septic system with your antics—” Lindy took a deep breath, shocked about what she was going to offer to the kid “—I’ll make a promise to listen to you anytime you want to talk about your mom. We can share stories about our moms if you want. Moms are special ladies. They deserve to get a little shout-out, even if they’re not with us anymore. Is that a deal?”

“You’d listen to me talk about my mom? About anything I wanted to say?” Carys asked.

“Yes,” Lindy answered, realizing she was making a big promise but deep down she knew the kid needed it. “Anything you want. Your dad is trying to do the best he can but you have to cut him some slack, you know? He’s probably hurting, too.”

At that, Carys’s eyes watered and Lindy knew she’d hit a nerve. Carys didn’t really want to hurt her dad but she was a little girl who was lashing out because that’s all she knew how to do. “Okay,” Carys said, nodding. “Want to shake on it?”

“Absolutely. A deal’s not a real deal unless we shake on it. And maybe spit, too.”

Carys hesitated and then spit in her hand before holding it out to Lindy. Oh damn, Lindy thought with a grimace. She’d been kidding about the spit part. But what the hell and after spitting in her own hand, she sealed their deal with a squishy shake.

“Great,” Lindy said, quickly wiping her hand on the seat of her sarong. “Now can we get out of here and get your dad before he has a heart attack?”

Carys grinned. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Lindy nodded and, as they walked out, knew she’d just made a reluctant friend in an eleven-year-old girl.

CHAPTER FOUR

GABE’S HEART WAS racing and his stomach had turned queasy. He’d pushed Carys too hard; he should’ve backed off. But he was at a loss as to what to do with her. He knew deep in his bones that Carys was guilty of all the things she’d been accused of and probably even a few things that hadn’t been caught yet but he just couldn’t understand why she was being such a terror. He’d tried about everything under the sun to help her heal—

Disneyland, a new pony, the best birthday party money could buy—and it seemed her attitude only worsened.

And now this? If something happened to her he’d never forgive himself. He never should’ve listened to that woman when she talked him out of going straight to the police. They needed a search party right now. Changing direction, his thoughts almost manic, he startled when he heard Carys’s voice behind him.

“Hi, Daddy,” his daughter said, smiling as if she hadn’t scared the living daylights out of him. She walked beside Lindy as if they were old friends, which made him do a double take. An hour ago Carys had been hollering for the woman’s head. Now they were buds? Lindy’s brow went up ever so slightly, as if encouraging Carys. His daughter drew a deep breath and—Lord help him, he was going to have a heart attack—apologized. “I was real upset but I shouldn’t have run off like that. I’m sorry, Daddy.”

With his daughter looking up at him with those gorgeous baby blues, appearing more sincere than she had in months, Gabe found himself floundering with the wind sucked from his sails. He’d been prepared to yell, cry, kiss and chastise but instead he simply nodded, unsure of what to do. “It’s okay, sweetheart,” he said, shooting an uncertain look Lindy’s way. He was willing to bet she had something to do with this remarkable transformation.

If he wanted answers, he would find them with the woman he really wanted to avoid. When Charlotte had been alive, he’d been a faithful man and even after her death that hadn’t changed. He knew he wouldn’t be much of a partner to anyone new after Charlotte died and he’d wanted to make sure he was making good choices, particularly now that the parenting burden fell squarely on his shoulders. So that meant smothering the inevitable awakening of his libido, which chose to flare to life at inopportune moments. And up until that moment, he’d been successful. But there was something about this woman that made his decision to remain single and celibate very difficult.

“I’m hungry,” Carys announced, grabbing her dad’s hand. “Let’s go to that hamburger place we went to the other day...Sailor’s, I think?” She looked to Lindy for confirmation and Lindy nodded.

“Best burgers on the island, maybe even all the islands, but then I’m partial. I’ve been eating there since I was a kid.”

“You grew up here.” Gabe suddenly remembered, wondering if her unique, exotic environment had created the slightly wild persona he saw now, or if it’d been her nature to begin with. A shudder threatened to shake his spine as his thoughts touched on an off-limits area. Of course, she had a body men dreamed about, but there was more to Lindy Bell than her body. He had to admit, he was curious. Which was exactly why he needed to steer clear. Curiosity led to seeking answers and sometimes the answers only spurred a deeper hunger for information. There was no way he was going to get mixed up with this wild woman. If he were truly ready to start dating, he’d start looking in more traditional pools, such as the country club, or the endless stream of fundraiser dinners that he was invited to because he owned his own Fortune 500 company. Realizing late that Lindy and Carys were already engaged in a conversation that didn’t include him, he interjected himself with a firm smile. “Thank you, Ms. Bell. I think we can take it from here.”

“I drove you here, remember?”

“We can take a taxi back to the resort.”

Carys’s expression fell, clearly displeased, but he needed to have a conversation with his daughter that didn’t include strangers. Lindy seemed to understand his need for some privacy and smiled. “Well, sounds like you have everything under control here. Glad the rug rat is safe and sound.” To Carys she said, “And remember what I said...” She held up her hand and pointed at the center of her palm, which appeared empty to his eyes but to Carys there seemed to be something of value there. “Catch you later, kiddos.”

Once Lindy was out of earshot, he turned to Carys and asked, “What was that all about?”

“We made a deal,” Carys answered without hesitation but failed to elaborate. “I’m starving, Daddy. Let’s go. Can we walk to Sailor’s from here?”