Zach looked back at the road. “He’s ignored his family for a while now.”
“Which is precisely why I think it would do him some good to reconnect. Underneath his monstrous ego he has a need for someone to not take his shit.”
“Like giving expensive cars to people who don’t want them?”
“Right. I don’t know one person in his circle that says no to him. Ever. Family doesn’t work that way. They remember your lowest moments, your most comical, and they remind you that you’re human.”
Zach pushed the gas on a long stretch with a grin. “He’s lucky to have you.”
Yeah, he is.
“What about your family?”
“Oh, I only have my Aunt Edie and her new husband, Stanley.”
“No siblings?”
“Nope.” Thank God.
“So who keeps you grounded?”
She thought about that for a while. “I do.” It was hard to keep the sadness from her voice.
Mike was right. Karen was a good driver, and as much as she might not admit to liking the car the smile on her face proved she wasn’t unaffected by the raw power of the machine. They’d found a place to turn around several miles up the coast where Karen took over the controls. By the time they’d made it back toward civilization, they were both hungry and she was pulling into the valet parking lot of a restaurant.
The kid who opened the door for Karen had wide eyes and was practically salivating when she handed him the keys.
Zach narrowed his eyes at him. “You know how to drive this car?”
“Yes, sir. They come in here all the time.”
“It’s Malibu, Zach,” Karen reminded him.
They were seated in a booth in the back of the posh restaurant overlooking the Pacific Ocean. “I’m starving,” Karen admitted when she dug into the bread basket before the waiter approached them to take a drink order.
“Me, too.”
“So, when will you be going home?” she asked.
“Ready to get rid of me?”
She popped a piece of bread into her mouth and chewed. “No. But my guess is you have what you came for.”
“Oh, what’s that?”
“Recon mission. You’re here to find out about me.”
Busted. He looked away.
“Was I that obvious?”
“Let’s see…you’ve asked me about my family, about my lifestyle. You’ve quizzed Michael on his marriage. So, yeah…you weren’t subtle.”
“Couldn’t have been simple curiosity?”
“Was it?”
He sat back in the plush seat and stared across the table. “Some. But you’re right. Hannah had seen some piece on you and Michael about having a Hollywood-style anniversary party and our mom was pissed.”
“And you, being the good son, decided to come here and find out for yourself what was going on.”
“You could say that.”
“Have you always been the good son?”
Ever since he’d come home from college. His father didn’t see the need for a higher education, but his mom insisted that all of the kids had a chance to experience life outside of Hilton. Rena was the only one who never left. And Hannah, of course, but she was still a year away from finishing high school. “My parents can’t complain about me.”
“But do they?”
What was with this woman and her ability to draw out answers where she shouldn’t?
The waiter arrived with their drink order and told them about the specials.
Zach kept talking. “I’m sure Mike has told you that our dad isn’t an easy man. He expected us to both go into business with him.”
“Michael said something about that. Did you ever feel trapped by your father’s expectations?”
“I like construction. I’ve built a good life in Hilton.”
She sipped her wine and gave a coy smile. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“So who’s on a recon mission now, Ms. Jones?”
The tractor beams of her eyes shifted away. “It’s none of my business.”
The waiter returned and took their order. For a petite woman, she ordered food like a lumberjack. A thick steak, baked potato with all the trimmings with a salad, and more bread, thank you very much. Zach told the waiter to double the order.
They kept talking as if their conversation had never been interrupted. “When Mike didn’t come home, I knew it would be up to me to keep the family business going. Eventually our father will retire and need one of us to take over.”
“Did you ever resent Michael for not coming back?”
His answer was instant. “No. Deep down I knew he’d stay in LA. It’s hard to keep kids from leaving small towns when they’re old enough to move on.”
“Unless family is holding them back.”
“Right.”
“Then you have the kids that escape to the city, only to find it unyielding and ready to exploit them.” Her voice grew soft and he was once again drawn to her. Damn but she was beautiful. With a few more inches of height, she could easily be one of those fancy models. Most blondes he’d met had soft blue eyes, but hers had a metallic quality that sucked you in.
“Sounds like you have experience with that.”
“Th-The kids at the club come from different walks of life,” she said with a stutter. “I hear all their stories.”
“They seemed well adjusted.”