Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 56893 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56893 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
He saw the indecision on Dani’s face. A teenager forced to disconnect from social media wasn’t an easy ask. Though it was nonnegotiable, he’d rather she give up the items on her own so she didn’t hate him for taking them. Why he cared what she thought of him, he hadn’t a clue.
“Can I get a brand new iPhone, then? The one with the big screen?” the little con artist asked.
He’d seen her phone earlier. The screen was cracked, and the model was old. “Sure.”
“No!” Once again, Hadley’s eyes were wide, her sensual lips parted in shock at her sister’s antics. “Don’t be a brat. Hand it all over and you’ll get the cheapest model and be happy with it.”
With a pout that turned to a smile after Zach privately winked at her, Dani walked to the back of his parents’ SUV and pulled out her phone and laptop. “Here you go.” She handed the electronics to him and he tucked the laptop under his arm.
“Thanks, kid.”
Hadley sighed. “I’ll pay you back when I can. I promise.”
Another argument she’d lose, he thought. “Okay everyone, we’re out.”
Another round of goodbyes followed and finally, Hadley climbed into Zach’s large, black SUV. Seatbelts clicked, he started the engine, put the vehicle in drive and pulled out of the parking lot behind the bar.
As if she understood his need for quiet or maybe she needed time to think too, Hadley sat in silence, not even asking where he lived. Her quiet demeanor left him the opportunity to sort through his own feelings. Seeing her again had been a shock. Having her in his life, in his home, no matter how temporary, wouldn’t be easy.
Not for the first time since coming up with the idea of separating the sisters, he questioned his judgment. He could have put Hadley up in a hotel with his credit card and she’d probably have been safe. But that was an assumption. He couldn’t be certain about anything. Keeping Hadley in his Hamptons home was the safest bet.
But there was more to his decision. A part of him wanted Hadley by his side. For over ten years, he hadn’t a clue where she’d been. Despite his anger, he didn’t want her out of his sight now that she’d returned. Not that he’d admit as much to her. He’d barely come to terms with that truth himself.
When it came to Hadley Stevens, he was a tightly wound ball of conflict, and he didn’t see those feelings shifting any time soon.
Chapter Five
Hadley hadn’t given a thought to where she’d stay once she found Zach. All she’d cared about was taking Dani somewhere safe. Even if she’d let her mind go there, moving into Zach’s house would never have crossed her mind.
Yet here she was.
Even she had to admit, Dani was well-protected with Zach’s parents. And her sister had been thrilled to stay with Layla, aware she would have more fun at the Dares than she would with her sister.
Now, after a long, quiet car ride from the city to East Hampton, Zach pulled into a driveway that led to a gorgeous home on the water. A gate surrounded the property with immaculately groomed shrubbery and flowers out front.
Despite knowing his family was wealthy, she hadn’t been prepared for the size and luxuriousness that greeted her. “Your family hotel business must be doing well,” she murmured.
He raised an eyebrow at her comment. “Believe it or not, I don’t touch my family money.” He opened his window and punched a code into a standing keypad, and the gate at the beginning of the driveway slowly opened.
“The bars and PI business are this lucrative?” She wasn’t ashamed to ask the question nor was she being snarky. Zach’s family status was well known and she was curious about him.
He drove up the driveway, stopped the car and tapped the garage remote. The car idled as they waited for the electric door to open.
“Actually, I made my money in computer software.” He didn’t elaborate and she bit back a sigh at his reluctance to open up.
She’d known he was great with numbers and computers. They’d met when he’d been assigned to tutor her in math class but for this kind of money, he’d obviously advanced his skills in the years since.
He pulled the SUV into the garage parking space, cut the engine and opened his door. She hopped out her side. In silence, he pulled her bag from the back and walked to the door. Although he obviously had no intention of letting her into his life, thoughts, or history, his house was another story.
After disabling the alarm, he led her inside.
Now that they were alone, she wanted to talk to him and explain about her past, hoping the story would dull the edges of his lingering resentment.