Page 61 of Summer of Love (Costas Sisters 2)
“You said he offered to let her keep the new necklace on a key chain. I think he’s really just making an effort. After all, he’s Ryan’s only close relative, right? And Ryan trusts him?”
“Well, yes,” Zoe admitted. And there had been other, more positive aspects to the day and Russ’s behavior toward Sam.
Russ had been nothing but good and kind in direct contrast to everyone else in that mausoleum. He’d walked them to the car while Vivian had still been inside attending to Grandma Edna.
Though Sam had remained sullen and silent, when they’d reached the car, Russ had bent close to the teenager. “I’m really sorry. We all loved your mother, you know.”
Sam had grunted something that sounded like, “No, I don’t know.”
At the time, Zoe couldn’t say he’d been focused more on the keys than on Sam. She’d just had an uneasy feeling she couldn’t prove or even justify—at least not until tonight when the guy had told Ryan to find the key. It was too much of a coincidence.
“So what did Quinn find out so far about the break-in?” she asked Ari, changing the subject since her sister would probably just continue to play devil’s advocate and insist Zoe was imagining Uncle Russ’s focus on Sam’s beloved possession.
“He discovered that the woman who says she had something stolen has a history of filing fraudulent insurance claims in an effort to recoup money, so we’re keeping an eye on her and her boyfriend, who happens to have dark hair, which matches the description Sam gave. Of course, that was before Sam saw the same guy in Boston. You said the police are holding him for questioning?”
“Yes, but without further evidence or proof, they’ll have to let him go,” she said, her frustration mounting. Zoe bent her knees and pushed higher against the pillows, leaning back in sheer exhaustion.
“And the boyfriend I mentioned has an alibi for both the day of the break-in and the morning Sam says she saw someone lurking outside. Plus Quinn’s having him watched, which means he’s still in Jersey now, not Boston.” Ari expelled a loud breath. “Everything just feels like a dead end.”
Her frustrated tone matched Zoe’s feelings exactly. “They still could have hired someone.”
“And Quinn’s looking into the possibility. Now, how’s Sam?” her sister asked.
Despite everything they’d been through today alone, Zoe had to laugh. “Sam’s Sam.” She relayed some of the funnier stories and escapades about their trip so far.
“Sounds like she’s charming her new relatives,” Ari said, laughing.
Zoe grinned. Her sister didn’t know the half of it.
“So what about the one subject you’re avoiding?” Ari asked.
Zoe raised an eyebrow. “And what would that be?”
“How you are. How you and your social worker are doing together.”
During the silence that followed, Ari remained quiet. Zoe knew the inevitable outcome. Her twin had more patience than Zoe, and she always could wait Zoe out. “Okay, okay. I’ll talk about it. I’m confused,” she admitted to her twin.
“About your feelings for Ryan?”
“No, those are clear. Everything just seems brighter when he’s around,” she grumbled.
“I see,” Ari said.
“And everything tingles when I just think about him,” she complained.
Her twin chuckled. “You say all this like it’s a bad thing. Now granted I wouldn’t have chosen Sam’s uncle as the man for you, and he’s pretty much persona non grata around here right now, at least as far as Mom and Dad are concerned—”
“Jeez, help make this easier, why don’t you?” Zoe punched the pillow on the far side of the bed.
“But none of those things matter if you love him,” her psychologist twin said.
“Whoa. Nobody said anything about love.” Except Ryan last night.
He hadn’t said he loved her, but he’d mentioned possibilities. She’d pushed those words aside because they scared her.
Love?
No.
Everything inside Zoe resisted the notion. No matter how mesmerizing Ryan’s brown eyes were, no matter how good he was with his hands, and no matter how excellent he felt buried deep inside her body, they weren’t talking about love. Not even if he was kind and decent and protective in the best possible way, she thought.
“I don’t trust in the idea, at least not for me. If Mom and Dad—two people who couldn’t be better matched—argue, can you imagine the fights that would be in store for two people as different as Ryan and me?”
“I can imagine the sparks,” Ari said.
“Well, sparks aren’t enough. I certainly don’t believe two such different people can make a relationship work.”
Ari snickered into the phone, leaving Zoe with the uneasy feeling her twin wasn’t about to come down on her side.
“And why not?” Ari asked.
Zoe had a sneaking suspicion her sister was leading her down a tricky path, but she answered, anyway. “Well first, have you ever met anyone more unsettled than me?”
“Give me a break, Zoe. Up until recently, you had a steady job and a place to live. What’s unsettled about that?”
