couldnât put her finger on it. She looked at the girls. âI think we should go inside now.â The sun was gone and the air was purple with the first hint of twilight. âYouâre shivering, Sophy.â
âIâm not cold. Itâs not that.â The girl looked back across the broad lawn. âFor a moment I almost felt like . . .â She jammed her hands in her pockets. âNever mind.â
Gabe knelt before her. âWhat is it, honey?â
She shrugged fragile shoulders. âNothing, really. I guess Ms. Mulvaney is right. We should probably go in.â
Gabe gave the girl a strange look. âIâll go with you and drop these lights off.â As they walked back to the house, the girls in front, he fell into step beside Summer. âDid you get a confession out of them yet?â
âShe admits nothing, but Sophy says Audra had it in for me. No surprises there,â she added quietly. âIâll have to discuss it with their mother.â
Gabe rubbed his neck. âLook, Iâm sorry about what happened earlier this afternoon in the shower.â
âI doubt it. In fact, I could swear you were enjoying yourself, Mr. Morgan.â
âCall me Gabe. And you can put down the bat now. Iâm trying to apologize here, not attack you.â
Summer realized the bat was still hanging at her side. As she looked at Gabe, some of her tension faded. âHow I feel about what happened doesnât matter.â
âOf course it does.â His voice fell. âI had some . . . disagreement with Susanne.â
âThe girlsâ old nanny?
That
explains why you were stark naked in my shower?â
âNo, it doesnât. Audra and Sophy told me the new nanny wasnât arriving until much later.â Gabe shrugged broad shoulders that rippled beneath his well-worn tee shirt. âYou werenât
supposed
to be in the guesthouse when I was there.â
âAssuming that I bought your storyâwhich I donâtâI still donât see why they would pull a trick like that.â
âThey didnât want their nanny to leave. Susanne taught them all the cool new dances, shared her nail polish, gave them haircuts. Girl stuff like that.â
Summer frowned. She wouldnât be offering any of those skills, not in this lifetime. They simply werenât in her repertoire. Kickboxing, definitely. Firearms safety, absolutely. But French braids and cool new nail polish?
No way. And she wasnât going to ask Gabe for details about his problems with Susanne.
âForget about the old nanny. You seem to have won the girls over alreadyâSophy, at least.â
âSophy could make friends with Godzilla,â Summer muttered. âBut Audra hates me.â
âAudra hates everyone, including herself. Itâs teenage angst.â
âMaybe.â One thing still bothered Summer. âWhy werenât you surprised to see someone waiting outside when you came out of the shower?â
They were almost at the house now. The sky had faded to a rich molten purple. For long moments Gabe didnât answer, his eyes on the girls. âI had my reasons.â
âBecause you were expecting someone to be waiting,â Summer mused. âIs that it?â
âLetâs just say that Susanne had a way of turning up unannounced wherever I was.â His eyes narrowed. âIn my room. In my shower. Sometimes in my bed.â
Summer frowned. âSo you two were sleeping together.â
âThatâs not what I said. Susanne was on the mend from a broken relationship and looking for comfort and reassurance from a manâany man. I was within easy reach, so she chose me.â
âLet me get this straight. She wanted sex, but you, being pure and noble of heart, turned her down?â
Gabeâs voice hardened. âShe told me no one would believe it.â
âDid Ms. OâConnor know about
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