face. “I need to get out of here,” he said, glancing down at her. “You want to come for a drive?”
She looked back over her shoulder at Alex, who now stood beside his wife. She wanted to run after him. Pull him back. Make him face his son’s anger and deal with it.
For Dylan’s sake and his own.
But Dylan was supposed to be her boyfriend, and until he told her different, she was to keep up the pretense. “Sure. Let’s go.”
He slipped his arm over her shoulders and together they left. Lisa knew the act was for his family’s sake, but for a small, exultant moment she pretended he had done it because he wanted to.
Chapter Seven
“L isa, breakfast is on.”
Dylan’s voice on the other side of her bedroom door gave Lisa a start. She’d been standing in front of the mirror in her bathroom for the past ten minutes, trying to tame her unruly curls.
“Be right there,” she called out, pulling a face at the tangle she’d managed to create.
Not that it mattered what she looked like, she thought, wrinkling her nose at her reflection. She wasn’t trying to impress anyone.
Or was she?
Two days ago, before the wedding and before the church service, Dylan had simply been an overly attractive single boss.
Now, forty-eight hours later, Lisa felt as if all the barriers she thought she had put in place against his charm had been breached by his attentiveness. By seeing him with his family. By pretending to be a part of it by being his girlfriend.
She thought of the church service yesterday. For so many years she’d blamed God for her parents’ death. But yesterday she had felt as if God was waiting. As if the breach between them was of no matter to Him. All she had to do was trust Him.
Could she?
“You coming?” Another knock on the door pulled her back from her reverie.
“I’m coming.” Lisa turned away from the girl in the mirror and her very serious thoughts and joined Dylan in the hallway.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked, his smile warm, welcoming.
She nodded, suddenly shy around him.
The shrill ring of a cell phone from her room shot straight to her heart. It could only be Gabe. She had promised him she would call him last night and give him a update. She had forgotten.
“You going to get that?” Dylan asked.
“I’ll meet you downstairs.” She gave him a quick smile and walked into her bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind her.
“What have you found out?” Gabe’s voice rang through the cell phone. Lisa glanced over her shoulder, hoping Dylan was gone.
“Nothing yet.” She kept her voice low as she walked into the half bath, feeling like a criminal.
“What has Dara given you?”
“Just the invoices and purchase orders for the past six months.”
“You won’t find anything there. She’s decoying you. You need to get into the office.”
“How do you know?” And once again Lisa’s suspicions flared.
“You sound like you doubt me.” Gabe’s voice rose a notch.
“I don’t, Gabe. You know that.”
“I don’t know that anymore. You haven’t been to see me in two days.”
“Gabe, I’ve been kind of tied up.”
He was silent a moment. “With Dylan? At Stanley Park?”
His words sent her heart into her stomach. “How did you know?”
“I phoned the house to ask for you. Someone told me you were at the Park. So I took the bus down there. I saw you with him.”
Lisa closed her eyes, pressing the cell phone against her ear. “Gabe you can’t phone here for me. If these people find out that you’re my brother…”
“You and Dylan won’t be so cozy anymore, will you?”
“Stop it, Gabe,” she snapped, suddenly impatient with her brother. “I’m doing what I can and I’m doing it all for you.” She took a slow breath, trying to calm her beating heart. Time to move on to another topic. “How is work going?”
Silence.
“Gabe, what’s wrong?”
“I’m thinking of quitting.”
Lisa’s heart started right up again, memories of other
She looked back over her shoulder at Alex, who now stood beside his wife. She wanted to run after him. Pull him back. Make him face his son’s anger and deal with it.
For Dylan’s sake and his own.
But Dylan was supposed to be her boyfriend, and until he told her different, she was to keep up the pretense. “Sure. Let’s go.”
He slipped his arm over her shoulders and together they left. Lisa knew the act was for his family’s sake, but for a small, exultant moment she pretended he had done it because he wanted to.
Chapter Seven
“L isa, breakfast is on.”
Dylan’s voice on the other side of her bedroom door gave Lisa a start. She’d been standing in front of the mirror in her bathroom for the past ten minutes, trying to tame her unruly curls.
“Be right there,” she called out, pulling a face at the tangle she’d managed to create.
Not that it mattered what she looked like, she thought, wrinkling her nose at her reflection. She wasn’t trying to impress anyone.
Or was she?
Two days ago, before the wedding and before the church service, Dylan had simply been an overly attractive single boss.
Now, forty-eight hours later, Lisa felt as if all the barriers she thought she had put in place against his charm had been breached by his attentiveness. By seeing him with his family. By pretending to be a part of it by being his girlfriend.
She thought of the church service yesterday. For so many years she’d blamed God for her parents’ death. But yesterday she had felt as if God was waiting. As if the breach between them was of no matter to Him. All she had to do was trust Him.
Could she?
“You coming?” Another knock on the door pulled her back from her reverie.
“I’m coming.” Lisa turned away from the girl in the mirror and her very serious thoughts and joined Dylan in the hallway.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked, his smile warm, welcoming.
She nodded, suddenly shy around him.
The shrill ring of a cell phone from her room shot straight to her heart. It could only be Gabe. She had promised him she would call him last night and give him a update. She had forgotten.
“You going to get that?” Dylan asked.
“I’ll meet you downstairs.” She gave him a quick smile and walked into her bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind her.
“What have you found out?” Gabe’s voice rang through the cell phone. Lisa glanced over her shoulder, hoping Dylan was gone.
“Nothing yet.” She kept her voice low as she walked into the half bath, feeling like a criminal.
“What has Dara given you?”
“Just the invoices and purchase orders for the past six months.”
“You won’t find anything there. She’s decoying you. You need to get into the office.”
“How do you know?” And once again Lisa’s suspicions flared.
“You sound like you doubt me.” Gabe’s voice rose a notch.
“I don’t, Gabe. You know that.”
“I don’t know that anymore. You haven’t been to see me in two days.”
“Gabe, I’ve been kind of tied up.”
He was silent a moment. “With Dylan? At Stanley Park?”
His words sent her heart into her stomach. “How did you know?”
“I phoned the house to ask for you. Someone told me you were at the Park. So I took the bus down there. I saw you with him.”
Lisa closed her eyes, pressing the cell phone against her ear. “Gabe you can’t phone here for me. If these people find out that you’re my brother…”
“You and Dylan won’t be so cozy anymore, will you?”
“Stop it, Gabe,” she snapped, suddenly impatient with her brother. “I’m doing what I can and I’m doing it all for you.” She took a slow breath, trying to calm her beating heart. Time to move on to another topic. “How is work going?”
Silence.
“Gabe, what’s wrong?”
“I’m thinking of quitting.”
Lisa’s heart started right up again, memories of other
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