“Hi, Daddy,” she said.
“Come in,” he said. He pointed to one of the leather wing chairs, silently ordering Eden to sit. “Your mother says you’ve run through most of your trust fund. I suppose you’re here to ask for money. Well, I’m not going to give you any more.”
“I realize that,” Eden said. “And that’s not why I came.”
“You went through nearly three million in four years, Eden. I put that money in trust for you so that you would get a good start in life, maybe go to school, find yourself a husband, settle down. I’d be a fool to give you more.”
“I know that, too,” Eden said. “And I’m not here to ask for more. I’m here to tell you that I’ve made some decisions about my life.”
“That’s it?”
“From now on, I think it’s best that you hear these things directly from me. You won’t have to read about them in the tabloids.”
He leaned back in his chair and studied her intently. “That will be a change.”
Eden took another deep breath, attempting to calm her pounding pulse. “First, I should tell you that I’ve fallen in love. You may not approve, but that really doesn’t matter to me. I plan to spend the rest of my life with this man.”
Her father threw his hands up and shook his head. “Who is it this time? I hope he has money so he can finance your lifestyle.”
“Actually, he doesn’t. He works for a living. In fact, he works for you. Marcus Quinn.”
Her father gasped. “How is it possible that you even know Marcus Quinn?”
“It’s possible,” Eden replied. “I’ve come back here to be with him, if he’ll have me. I don’t want to live without him, Daddy. I can’t.”
“You’re going to propose to him?” her father asked.
Eden shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. I just want to make sure that he and I have a future together and we’re never apart again.”
“Eden, you’re still very young and-”
“Daddy, this is what I want. I know I’ve said that before and you have no reason to believe me this time. But so much has changed for me. I want to have a life with him and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
“What do you see in this man that you didn’t see in the others?”
Eden smiled. “Oh, Daddy, there’s so much. He’s kind and he’s steady and he watches over me. And when I make mistakes, he helps me to understand what I’ve done wrong, but he doesn’t judge me. He lets me be myself but a better Eden Ross than I’ve ever known.”
“How will you live?”
“That’s why I asked for this meeting,” she said.
“Well, now we get down to business.”
“I don’t want money. I want a job.”
Trevor Ross chuckled. “You’ve never had a job in your life.”
“I know, but it’s time I did something productive. And I was hoping you could find a place for me in your company. It doesn’t have to be anything important. I could work in the mail room or I could do filing. I’d be willing to go back to school to learn what I needed.”
“You’re not serious,” Ross said.
“I am,” Eden replied. “But I’ll understand if you don’t want me working for you. I can’t offer much in the way of references or previous experience. But I promise I’ll work hard.”
He considered her offer for a long time, his face caught in a deep scowl. “All right,” he finally said. “But the first time you screw up, I’ll-”
“I understand,” she said. “And I won’t.”
He stood and held out his hand, then realized what he was doing and pulled it back. He circled his desk and gave her a perfunctory hug. “Report to the Providence office on Monday morning at 9:00 a.m. I’ll have you meet with Human Resources and see what we can find.”
Eden smiled, emotions overwhelming her. The first piece of her plan had fallen so easily into place. “Thank you, Daddy.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a long hug. “I promise I won’t disappoint you.”
He drew back, and for the first time in a long time Trevor Ross smiled at his daughter. “I suppose I have Marcus Quinn to thank for this?”
“Maybe,” Eden said with a smile. “A little bit.”
“Well, why don’t you invite him to lunch with us? He’s down on the boat, finishing up the job I gave him.” Her father paused. “He’s good at what he does, Eden. I like his work. And I like him. You could do a lot worse than Marcus Quinn.”
“But I couldn’t do better,” Eden said. She drew a deep breath and steadied herself. “Wish me luck.”
He reached up and cupped her cheek in his hand. “How could he refuse such a beautiful woman?”
Eden pushed up on her toes and kissed her father’s cheek. “Thank you, Daddy.” She hurried to the door, but her father’s voice stopped her.
“There is one other thing.” He opened the drawer of his desk and pulled out a videocassette, then held it out to her. “I just received this by messenger. I thought you might like to dispose of it yourself.”
“I’ll leave that up to you,” she said with a grateful smile. “And I promise, I’ll do my best to pay you back, Daddy. I’ll make you proud of me.”
He nodded, and Eden hurried out of the study through the main hall. She threw open the wide doors to the terrace and kicked off her shoes. The grass was cool on her feet as she ran down the lawn toward the water. When she reached the dock, Eden shaded her eyes and stared out at
Her heart began to beat faster again and she couldn’t help but smile. Though it had been only a week, the days had seemed like years since she’d seen Marcus. She felt like a silly schoolgirl, all flushed and nervous.
It was a first date of sorts. From now on, things would be much simpler. She wouldn’t have to always be watching her back, waiting for her past to catch up with her. She had a chance to begin again.
The dinghy was tied up to the swim ladder, and she couldn’t see Marcus anywhere on board. Eden shrugged out of her jacket. She’d made the swim once before, the day they’d met. Making it again would give her time to calm her nerves and prepare her for her proposal.
She finished stripping down to her underwear, then dived neatly off the end of the pier. The water was warm and clear, and as she swam she felt a curious serenity overcome her. For the first time in her life she knew exactly what she wanted, who she wanted, and he was waiting on that boat. She ought to have been afraid or at least a little nervous, but Eden realized that she had nothing to lose. She’d already lost it all and was determined to get back what she couldn’t live without.
Even if he didn’t accept her proposal, she wasn’t about to give up. Now that she’d be living in the area, she’d find a way to convince him that what they had was worth saving. No man had ever touched her the way Marcus had, and in her heart Eden knew they were meant to be together.
By the time she reached the boat, she was breathless, not from the swim but from anticipation. She’d thought about Marcus so many times over the past week, imagined them together, lost in an endless kiss. As Eden climbed the swim ladder, she shivered, the breeze causing goose bumps to rise on her skin. She brushed the wet hair from her eyes, then walked to the hatch for the master suite.
He was there, sitting in the center of the berth, his back to her, tools spread out around him. A tiny smile twitched at Eden’s lips as her gaze slowly took in the broad shoulders and narrow waist. Her fingers clenched and Eden realized that she knew exactly how his skin would feel, how his mouth would taste.
The man had burned himself into her being, and everything about him, from the tiniest detail, now fascinated her. She stood in the hatchway, her arms braced on either side of her, her body still dripping water.
Eden watched as he shifted, then slowly straightened, his back still to her. She held her breath, wondering if he’d sensed her presence. “Hi, Barney,” she said softly.
He tipped his head back and took a deep breath, as if he’d merely imagined her voice. But then he slowly turned. His gaze met hers and Eden felt her limbs go weak.
