Summer Lovin'

Chapter Four

MONDAY MORNING, Zoe left the house bright and early at 7:00 a.m. to meet with Quinn, Connor and a friend of hers who used to work with the Secret Service, but who was now a promoter with GSC Music Company. GSC needed bodyguards and security specialists for their talent performing in the area and Zoe, Quinn and Connor needed clients.

Although the hour was early for a business meeting, Zoe's friend had to be at a rehearsal this morning. Zoe was also only too happy to avoid dealing with her family on her birthday. Normally she loved birthdays, and aging didn't bother her much, but thirty was a milestone and she didn't want to hear the family grumbling about how Ari had managed to marry while Zoe was still single.

She sneaked out of the house and reached the office, which was freshly painted in a bright yellow, much to Connor and Quinn's frustration. To appease them, she'd promised masculine accessories, even if they had to be purchased secondhand, which was all they could afford.

The discussions between the parties took place around the only furniture they owned, a conference table left by the original tenant and bridge chairs donated by her family. Nobody seemed to mind as they drank coffee and hammered out an agreement, easily reached since everyone involved had an interest in working together. By 9:00 a.m., they'd decided on the preliminaries for a contract and Zoe, Quinn and Connor had officially retained their first client.

Zoe arrived home, pulling up to the house to find a police car out front. She bolted inside, her fear overwhelming. In the kitchen, her mother paced the floors, muttering in Greek. Her father stood speaking to two uniformed officers, while Aunt Dee and Uncle John, who lived across the street, had joined them still wearing their pajamas. The room was in a shambles, and Sam was nowhere to be seen.

Zoe glanced around. Finally her gaze settled on the half-open door of the pantry. A quick glance told her Sam sat huddled inside, no doubt with her new pet. The poor kid probably feared the cops would take Ima away for the same reason they'd had to find a new home for Spank the monkey. At a glance, the pig's cage looked like a puppy crate, so there were no worries there.

She winked at Sam, then stood beside her father. "What happened?"

"Someone broke in here and- how do you say- they trashed the place," her father said.

Now that she knew everyone she loved was fine, her heart rate slowed and she took in the damage for the first time. The kitchen drawers were in disarray, things had been pulled out and strewn everywhere. "What other rooms were touched?"

"Sam's room and the whole downstairs. I was sleeping in my bed so he didn't touch the master bedroom."

"And it happened this morning?"

"It was sometime after you left for work and your mother went for her daily walk," her father said.

"Without his hearing aids, he doesn't hear anything," Elena paused her pacing long enough to chime in.

Nicholas shot her a scowl. He hated any reference to the devices even though they made a huge difference in his hearing.

"Where was Sam during all this?" Zoe asked.

"She was asleep, too," her mother said too quickly, her gaze darting away, a sure sign she was lying.

Elena was protecting Sam. Had the young girl heard or seen something? Zoe wondered.

"Has anyone called Quinn?" Zoe wouldn't bring Sam and Ima out now in front of the police, but as soon as Quinn arrived, they'd sort things out.

"Detective Donovan is on his way," the youngest officer assured Zoe.

"And we've gotten statements from Mr. and Mrs. Costas," the other uniformed man said. "At first glance nothing seems to be missing, but let us know if you realize differently. In the meantime, we've dusted for prints and will keep you posted if anything comes up."

"Thank you," Elena said.

"And Detective Donovan will talk to the girl?" He glanced down at his notepad. "Samantha."

Elena nodded. "Not that I see why," she muttered.

By not insisting they speak to Sam now, the officers were obviously extending a courtesy to Quinn, an ex-detective, and Zoe was grateful they didn't insist and traumatize her in the process.

"Who is this?" the second officer, one who couldn't be older than his early twenties, asked, pointing to Zoe.

Nicholas wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "This is our daughter, Zoe."

"She lives here?"

Zoe nodded. "I do."

"I'm going to need to know where you were this morning and if anyone can vouch for your whereabouts."

"That's enough," her father bellowed.

"Of all the outrageous things!" Elena said, also clearly affronted.

"They're just doing their jobs," Zoe reassured her parents. "Relax." Zoe supplied the officer with all the pertinent information and after they spoke with Aunt Dee and Uncle John, who hadn't seen or heard a thing, they took off.

Zoe sighed. "It's okay, Sam. You can come out now."

"The cops are gone?" Her voice sounded muffled.

Zoe pulled the pantry door open wide and Sam stepped out, the pig in her arms.

"Yes, they're gone, but that isn't the question. Why would you hide from the police?"

Elena pulled Sam into her arms. "My poor baby." She squeezed the girl tight so her face was smashed into her chest.

"I mmmbrrsffft."

"What?" Elena asked.

"She probably said something like, she can't breathe." Zoe released her mother's grip and Sam ducked out from under her.

"Exactly." Sam gulped in a breath of air. "I didn't want them to tell me I have to give Ima away like we did with Spank."

Zoe nodded. "I thought so. Don't worry. The laws about pigs are more lenient around here. Now tell me what you heard and saw and don't leave out a thing."

Sam rubbed her hands up and down her bare arms. "I got up and was coming out of the bathroom when I heard a noise in my room. I knew Elena was taking her morning meditative walk, and you said you had an early appointment."

"How'd you know it wasn't Dad?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "He was snoring and the sound shook the walls."

Zoe tried not to laugh. "I see. What happened next?"

"I peeked into my room and saw a guy snooping around." She shuddered, then began to skulk around giving them an exaggerated, charadelike description. "He opened the drawers, tossed things around, and then he started coming toward the door so I ducked back into the bathroom. I hid in the tub like this." She crouched down, hands over her head like in an emergency drill. "So if he looked in, he wouldn't see me."

Like most of the Costases' relatives, Sam had a knack for the dramatic and despite her fear, which was evident in her wide eyes, she was still milking her moment now.

"Looks like the kid's got a future career as a spy." Quinn walked into the room. A complete air of authority surrounded him as all eyes looked his way, and Sam beamed at what she took as a compliment.

Quinn forced a smile and though Zoe could read the concern on his face, she admired his self-restraint in not shaking Sam to get the facts out of her faster.

"Keep talking, squirt," Quinn said.

"Quit calling me that. Anyway, I finally heard him going down the stairs. I hung out at the top and watched him toss the kitchen and family room next. I was going to wake Nicholas up, but I got scared. I was too afraid to move because I might make noise. Then all of a sudden, Ima squealed from her crate in the kitchen and I guess he got nervous and thought someone might come down to check the pig and find him there. He left out the back door to the kitchen." She finished out of breath.

The door between the kitchen and family room banged open wide and Ryan Baldwin, the "social worker," strode inside. "What the hell happened? The police were driving away as I pulled up and this place looks like a tornado hit it."

Zoe let out a groan. As an admiring female, she couldn't stop staring at him after two days of drought, but as a member of a family who didn't need to give him any ammunition to take Sam from this home, she wished he'd stayed away.

"We wuz robbed!" Sam jumped up and down, her fear giving way to an obvious adrenaline rush now that the danger was over.

"Not robbed," Zoe was quick to assure Ryan. "Nothing was taken."

"Which means whoever broke in here was looking for something." Quinn, the ex-cop, said, his focus on Sam.

Zoe swallowed hard. "I suppose that's a possibility." She forced herself to focus on what she'd been thinking before Ryan's arrival, and glanced at Sam. "When did you hide in the pantry?"

"Elena came home and started yelling, Nicholas came running, and they were trying to figure out what happened. Next thing I know the police are banging on the door and all I could think of was saving the bacon. So I grabbed Ima and ducked back into the pantry. Smart hiding place if I do say so myself."

Ryan began to pace. "Am I to understand Sam was here when someone broke in?"

Zoe stepped forward and placed a hand on his arm. The last thing she wanted was for him to find out that the intruder had been in Sam's bedroom. "I'll explain everything in a few minutes. I promise. Let's just let Quinn get a few more facts from Sam first, okay?"

He gritted his teeth. "Okay."

"Did you see the guy's face?" Quinn asked her.

"For a second. He was real ugly and he had dark hair."

"Tall or short?"

"Medium."

Quinn shook his head, probably at the vague description. "How'd he get in? What did the cops find? Picked or jimmied lock?"

"Nothing. He just walked right in since I left the door open when I went out for a walk." Elena stepped forward. In black leggings that ended below her knees and an oversize white tank top, and with her hair in a ponytail, she looked younger than her years. But when she dropped her head in shame, she aged before Zoe's eyes. "Quinn, I'm sorry. I know you put in a security system and that Medici lock."

"Medeco."

Elena nodded. "The point is, I was trusting. And I'm sorry. I never meant to put anyone at risk. Especially Samantha."

Zoe realized the moment it dawned on her mother that Ryan, the social worker, was here witnessing her admission. She lifted her head and met Ryan's gaze head-on. Then she dropped to her knees and somehow shuffled her way over to where Ryan stood, concern etched all over his handsome face.

Elena grabbed his hand. "It was a lapse. A stupid one. One that'll never happen again, so please don't report us. Don't snitch. Don't take Samantha away," she wailed.

Over her mother's bent head, Zoe met Ryan's gaze. He was upset and he feared for Sam, but still she could see him biting back a grin because despite the seriousness of the moment, her mother's theatrics were way over the top. Zoe was just surprised Ryan realized it, too.

Ryan forced himself to stay calm. He focused on Elena's dramatics as he tried to regain the ability to breathe. He'd driven up to the house to find the police leaving. He'd walked in to see the place in shambles, obviously ransacked. And Sam was regaling the family with tales of what she'd seen.

His fear for Sam and Zoe had receded as soon as he'd seen them standing in the kitchen, unhurt. But his stomach churned as he'd listened to the end of Sam's story and now witnessed the unorthodox way the family handled the crisis. They were upset, yes, but the break-in seemed more a cause for drama than concern.

Even Sam seemed to revel in her role in the escapade.

"Mama, I'm going to take Ryan for breakfast and explain everything." Zoe placed an arm around her mother's shoulder and helped her rise to her feet.

"You go to Paradeisos, yes?" Elena asked. "Aunt Kassie will take good care of you."

"Okay. You take care of Dad and Sam, okay?"

Elena nodded. "You're a good girl, Zoe." She kissed her daughter's cheek and whispered something in her ear.

"I love you." Zoe hugged her mother tight.

Watching the interaction, a lump of emotion swelled in Ryan's chest and he wondered if his sister would still be alive had she experienced even one tenth of the love so freely given in this family. No judgments were made, no life-altering repercussions came as a result of bad behavior. Quite simply, this family was as foreign to Ryan as any distant country or culture.

Zoe walked up beside him. "Let's go."

He shot a glance Sam's way. "Are you okay?" he asked the young girl in the calm, steady voice expected of a foster-care worker. Inside, Ryan struggled with his emotions and was frustrated by his inability to express them.

"I'm cool." But she held tightly onto Ima and, despite her outward bravado, he sensed she wasn't as fearless as she wanted him to believe.

"And I'm serious. If you need anything- "

"She knows who to turn to." Zoe prodded him in the back. "Come."

He narrowed his gaze. She was a damn pushy woman, but he couldn't deny he was glad to see her after the weekend apart. Just knowing Zoe was a member of this family eased Ryan's mind about Sam's safety. Zoe could be trusted to take good care of her.

"Elena, you will use the locks in the future," he stated, not asked.

"Yes."

"I will see to it, Mr. Baldwin." Nicholas held his hand up in the air. "I promise you Samantha is safe with us."

Ryan merely nodded and this time allowed Zoe to practically shove him out of the kitchen, then the family room and finally the house.

Once they were in the sunshine, she pasted a bright smile on her face and asked, "My car or yours? Actually why don't I drive since you don't know your way around here and I go to the diner all the time. This way we won't get lost and we'll be eating in no time."

He already knew Zoe rambled when she was worried and now was no different.

He remained quiet on the way to wherever the restaurant was and let Zoe point out sights and continue to talk. He liked listening to her voice and despite their odd circumstances, she soothed his nerves.

Too much, considering everything that lay between them.

AFTER ZOE PARKED in the graveled lot, Ryan followed her into the local diner. "So your aunt Kassie owns this place?" he asked.

Zoe nodded. "She's my father's sister."

"I met her that first night."

He settled into a seat across from Zoe in a tight booth with an individual coin-operated jukebox on the wall by the window. "They don't have anything quite like this in Boston." He glanced around at the linoleum floors, the blue vinyl seats and paper place mats printed with various advertisements.

She tipped her head to the side and those long, dark strands brushed her shoulders. "Oh really? Because they aren't upscale?"

He read the wariness in her tone. "No, because from my understanding, a traditional diner is a New York/New Jersey thing."

"We're Greek. Diners are our heritage," a female voice said.

He glanced up to see a dark-haired woman standing by the table.

"Hi, Daph. Meet Sam's social worker, Ryan Baldwin. Daphne's my first cousin," Zoe explained.

"Nice to meet you, Daphne." Ryan shook the other woman's hand, but his mind was on how seamlessly Zoe had lied to yet another family member and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Need menus?"

Zoe waved a hand, indicating she didn't. "But I'm sure Ryan does seeing as how he's never been to a diner before."

He caught the snicker in her voice and shot her a scowl. "I'd appreciate a menu," he told Daphne.

The waitress handed him what felt more like a pile of laminated lead. "Take your time," she said, but continued to stand over him.

He glanced from Daphne, who was beautiful in a more made-up way than her cousin, back to Zoe again.

Zoe let out an exaggerated sigh. "You can go now, Daph."

"Are you sure he's just the social worker?" She leaned down, giving him a gratuitous view of her cleavage.

"I'm sure he's just the social worker." Zoe shook her head and laughed. "Daphne loves to snoop into her cousins' lives because she doesn't have a love life of her own."

"Aha! So you admit he's more than a social worker."

Zoe turned beet red. "I admit no such thing."

"You just did by the color in your cheeks."

Ryan had never been around this kind of family teasing and he took pity on Zoe. "I'll have eggs over easy and white toast with butter," he said hoping to distract Daphne from the more personal issues.

"Tsk-tsk, cholesterol heaven. I'll tell Dad to make it egg whites so you'll live a long, healthy life." She snatched his menu. "You'll have the usual, Zoe?"

She nodded and Daphne finally left them alone.

"So what's the usual?" he asked.

"Old-fashioned French toast."

"What makes it old-fashioned?"

She raised her eyebrows, obviously surprised. "Old-fashioned is made on regular bread, not the extrathick kind."

"Aha." He glanced over his shoulder in time to see their waitress enter the swinging kitchen doors, then turned back to Zoe. "So what do you do for a living?" he asked now that he was certain Cousin Daphne had disappeared.

Zoe leaned both elbows on the table and edged forward. "So what makes you ask?" She knew Ryan had given her more information about himself than she'd reciprocated, yet this sudden question took her by surprise.

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. You don't seem to be having much trouble helping me act the social worker role in front of your family. I mean look how easily you just lied to Daphne."

She narrowed her gaze. "So?"

"So lying comes easily to you. I read about your family's cons. I've seen the old newspaper articles. The 'Alien Twins Invade New Jersey' photograph in The National Enquirer- "

"Hey just because my mother put self-tanning lotion on us and we turned orange- "

"A normal family wouldn't have leveraged it into a national spectacle."

Zoe rolled her eyes and laughed at the memory. "'All the news that's fit to print.'"

"That particular slogan belongs to The New York Times."

Daphne arrived with their coffees, placing their cups on the table. Before Zoe could send her on her way, she said, "I know, I know, I'm going. I'll give you privacy." Shaking her head, she walked away, her heels clicking.

"So besides finding sensationalism amusing and protecting my family, what else am I doing wrong in your eyes?" Zoe asked.

He ran his hand through his hair, messing up that always perfect coif. "It isn't wrong, it's different. And I'm allowing for it," he admitted. "All of you just take some getting used to."

She grinned. "We do tend to grow on you. Oh, and to get back to your original question, I used to be a Secret Service agent."

"Wow." He leaned closer, staring at her intently. "What made you choose the Secret Service?"

"Hmm. I'd have to say the excitement of the training is what lured me into the FBI initially. Later I chose Secret Service because I loved meeting new people. And since I was in the lower echelons of government protection, I didn't have to leave my family." She spread her hands wide. "For the most part it was a win-win situation."

"But?"

"What?"

"You said for the most part it was win-win. What didn't you like?"

She grinned. "As you might guess, the strict rules and regulations didn't agree with me. I mean after I had to be forced into a safe house and my family thought I was dead, the agency ripped into me but good. Of course, I did it for my family, but did anyone understand? Nope." She paused for a sip of coffee. "Forced confinement can really make a person evaluate what's important and I wanted more out of my career than a strict, by-the-book environment."

He looked at her for a moment as though to take in all of what she'd revealed. "Not a shock," he finally said and he laughed, and Zoe realized exactly what she found most attractive about him.

The dimples he showed when he smiled. Really smiled, not the forced kind when he was trying to figure her family out or pretend to like a situation when he was really confused. The dimples that didn't seem to go with the Italian-cut suits he favored, like the navy one he wore today. Also appealing was the way he kissed, something she hadn't been able to get out of her mind all weekend.

"Am I that predictable?" she asked.

"I definitely hadn't pegged you for an agent of any kind, but now that I know you, I'm sure the rules made you insane. But at least I understand how you hold on to a poker face so easily. So, what are you doing now that your federal career is behind you?"

She rubbed her hands together, the excitement she felt in talking about her new business growing. "I'm in business with Quinn and Connor. We're going to provide protection for movie stars and musicians coming to entertain in Atlantic City. In fact, we just took on our first official client this morning. GSC Music."

He nodded and she could see from his expression that she'd impressed him.

"Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"I need to ask another question."

She laughed. "Anyone tell you you're nosy?"

"Only when it comes to you," he said, sounding a bit stunned by the admission. "What did your mother whisper to you before we left the house?"

She hadn't realized he was paying attention. "She asked me to stick close to Sam's social worker."

He reached for the centerpiece on the table and rolled it between his palms. "And you didn't feel guilty?"

"Of course I did, but let me tell you something. I'd feel guiltier if I told her the truth before I knew enough about you and your family. I need time with you. You need time with Sam. I think we both understand and agree on that, don't we?"

He nodded slowly. "I do. And I think you're an incredible woman, Zoe Costas."

Something about the way he said her name sent tremors of awareness down her spine. Again. The man was amazing, from his caring nature to his potent sex appeal. Her fingers itched with the uncontrollable urge to touch his hand. A simple touch, though the feelings he evoked were much more complex than simple.

She glanced down at his hands, in which he still held the infamous Paradeisos centerpiece. Zoe immediately realized what anatomy part he held in his hand and the sensuality surrounding her evaporated in favor of a fit of laughter. She knew the moment he noticed it, too, because he dropped the centerpiece, a naked Greek god with flowers nestled in his-

"And they call this a family restaurant?" Ryan asked, clearly in shock.

"Yep." Daphne replied as she placed their meals on the table. "Normal doesn't exist in our family or hadn't you noticed?" She laughed, stopping when Zoe stretched a leg out and blatantly kicked her in the shin.

"Right. Social worker. Got it. I'm going. Enjoy your food."

Zoe laughed as her cousin departed again. "Usually she's the hostess, but Gus is out sick, so she's filling in waiting on tables." She poured some syrup over her French toast. "So you haven't asked about the break-in."

He placed his fork down and met her stare. "I figured you'd fill me in when you were ready. I take it you're ready now?"

She shrugged. "No time like the present. I don't know all that much. Mom forgot to set the alarm when she went for her walk, I'd already left for work and Dad was sleeping without his hearing aids in. Sam stepped out of the bathroom and heard noises coming from her room. With my father snoring in his bed, she knew something was wrong and remained out of sight until he left."

"I didn't realize he was in Sam's room," he said, a muscle ticking in his jaw. "And you said nothing was taken?"

"That's right. I mean it's too soon to know for sure, but at first glance everything looked messed up but nothing more."

"Any chance this man was looking for something because someone in your family was up to something?"

"Such as?" She batted her eyelashes at him too innocently, she knew.

He rolled his eyes. "Come on, Zoe. You have to know I'm aware that your family hasn't always been on the up-and-up."

"Hey no one's ever been arrested."

"So, they skate the perimeters of the law." He sliced his hand through the air. "That's semantics. You even said yourself that you were involved in something that landed you in protective custody. So I'm asking, could someone in your family be involved in something that led to today's break-in?"

He'd leaned forward in his seat so she couldn't mistake his serious expression, and his intense stare would brook no jokes or lies.

"I don't know." She'd lost her appetite and she pushed her plate away.

"I'm sorry," he said in a gruff voice.

"For pointing out the obvious? Don't be. After we eat, I need to go take care of some things." Make some phone calls, she thought. Talk to Quinn. The police. Find out what was really going on in her own home.

He ate his food in silence and she sat stiffly, keeping him company, until finally he spoke. "I'd like to spend time with Sam this afternoon."

She coughed. "Excuse me. Spend time with Sam…how?"

"I don't know. Take her for ice cream. Just get to know her a little. Under the guise of a final interview type of situation."

Zoe shivered, her nerves completely on edge. "I don't know…"

"When I look at her, I see my sister, but I don't know who Sam is as a person."

"And that matters to you." She said it as a definitive statement, not a question.

He obviously cared. Sam was more than a blood tie to Ryan and now Zoe realized that Sam was also more than just a connection to his deceased sister. He recognized Sam as a person with likes and dislikes, needs and desires of her own. He was everything Zoe could hope for in a blood relative for Samantha and everything she could hope for in a man. Too bad once this charade was over, he'd be the cause of so much pain for her family, she reminded herself forcefully.

"Of course who Sam is matters to me." He didn't seem angered by her statement. "Look." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a single photograph in old plastic. "This is Faith."

Zoe accepted the picture and glanced down at the photo of the teenager, frozen in time at around the same age as Sam. Zoe sucked in a startled breath. "Wow," she said, staring at the eerily familiar features and blond hair. "You weren't kidding."

He shook his head. "Startling resemblance, isn't it?"

"My thoughts exactly," she said, placing her hand over his. "I'm so sorry."

He met her gaze, his eyes warm and grateful. "I appreciate that."

"Why didn't you show this photograph to me before?"

He shrugged as he placed the picture back into his pocket. "You didn't ask."

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "You should know I have Quinn digging for info on your family," she admitted.

"Would it make you feel any better if I told you I was doing some more investigating of the Costas clan on my own?"

She burst out laughing. "Not really, but I'm glad to see we think alike."

"Because we both have Sam's best interest at heart, which leads me back to my original point. I'd like to spend time with Sam."

"Do you promise not to reveal the truth?"

He covered her hand. Warmth surged through her at his touch, heating her body inside and out.

"I promise. When that time comes for honesty, we'll tell Sam in the most painless way possible."

She inhaled and forced herself to agree. Coming from a family of loving con artists, Zoe didn't normally trust outsiders easily. Which made her feelings for Ryan all the more complicated.

ZOE DROPPED RYAN OFF back at the house where he'd left his car. He stood and watched as she drove off for parts unknown. Probably to look into whether her family's dealings had any relation to the break-in this morning. Only a few hours had passed, but by the time he knocked on the door and Elena let him in, there was no sign of turmoil, except for a few pieces of furniture out of place. The rooms had been cleaned and the mess put away.

"I take it everyone's calmed down?" Ryan asked as Elena fussed over him, handing him an unasked for glass of water.

She nodded. "We're fine. Fine. Help me move this chair, please."

He assisted her with order after order, putting the pieces of furniture back where they belonged.

Elena was in a frenzy, issuing directives and speaking a mile a minute.

A tornado, he thought to himself again.

"Anyway," she continued. "Sam helped us clean the little things around the house so we can pull off the surprise party tonight. Quinn's going to bring Ari and I was hoping you'd bring Zoe."

"What party?" he asked.

Elena paused. "What party?" she repeated and stared as if he ought to know the answer. "Zoe and Ari are turning thirty today. Tonight we're throwing a surprise party at Paradeisos."

"We need you to be the decoy," Sam said, bouncing down the stairs and joining them. Her eyes were bright and happy, no sign of trauma from the incident earlier.

"Decoy, huh? How do I do that?"

She tossed her long ponytail over one shoulder. "I told you he's dense," she muttered, and then before anyone could reprimand her, she continued. "You call Zoe, on the phone. You know, a tel-e-phone. Ask her on a date- "

"And then bring her to her aunt's diner again? Somehow I don't think she'd buy that as a real date," he said laughing. "Now who's dense?" he asked, proud he'd one-upped Sam.

The young girl blinked. "Uh, the answer to that is still you. Because what happens is that you're going to take her to this very fancy restaurant where you've made a reservation, and then on the way, Zoe'll get a frantic call from Elena at Paradeisos and then Zoe'll beg you to turn around and come see what's wrong with me."

"Then hopefully Quinn will get Ari there at the same time and everyone will yell surprise!" Elena said with a grand sweep of her arm.

"And if Ari gets there first? Or later?" he couldn't stop himself from asking.

"Then we yell surprise twice, of course."

"Of course."

"So now that you've helped with the furniture, what can we do for you, Mr. Baldwin?" Elena asked.

He cleared his throat. "First, please call me Ryan. And second, I was wondering if I could steal Sam for an hour."

Sam stiffened her shoulders. "Why? I didn't do anything wrong. The pig's allowed to stay. Zoe said so." She uttered Zoe's name with reverence and awe. The big sister Sam probably had never thought she'd have.

Meanwhile she stared at him as if he were the pond scum who wanted to steal everything she held dear. Which, he thought, wasn't far from the truth.

He drew a deep breath. "The pig's fine. I just thought that we could go for ice cream and I could ask you some questions." Deceit wasn't a comfortable fit for him and he tried to keep his answers as honest as possible.

Elena nodded. "That's a wonderful idea."

Sam merely glared. "No matter what you say to me, I still want to be adopted and live here forever."

A slicing pain ripped through his gut. "I understand what you want, Sam. I just want to get to know you better. That's all."

"Can I get a sundae?" she asked.

"If I say yes, will you come with me?"

Sam walked over to the phone, picked up the receiver and handed it to him. "After you ask Zoe for a date tonight."

Ryan shook his head and laughed because if he hadn't known that they needed him to get Zoe to her party, he'd think the kid and Elena were actually matchmaking.