“Davis Software?” Mitch felt his pulse jump, jarred not by his morning cup of coffee but surprise. “That’s a helluva lot bigger than a small family business.”
Brad handed his computer tablet to Mitch. “Here, check out this picture. There’s Jaye, standing next to her parents. They attended some fundraiser last weekend.”
The caption below the photograph read Simon Davis entrusts his philanthropy projects to his wife, who ensures their business is known for good works, as well as cutting edge technology. A shock of disbelief splintered Mitch’s body. He read on. Jaye Davis is preparing to take a full-time position in her father’s firm to spearhead a partnership with Cruz Technologies.
“Cruz Technologies? She quit working for them weeks ago.” Mitch wondered aloud, handing the device back to Brad. “Why would she want to collaborate with that company?”
“Because her father is developing some new software with Cruz. Better to have them as a partner than a competitor. Jaye went to college with the son of the guy who owns Cruz. They’ll be working together when she joins her father’s firm.”
Suddenly, Mitch remembered Jaye’s plea when she begged him not to pry into her private life. Let me pretend my life isn’t complicated for a few more weeks.
His pulse pinged against his right temple. “What’s the name of the guy she’ll work with?”
“Uh, let me check. They mention him in this article.” Flicking his finger across the tablet, Brad scanned the screen. “Oh, here we go. David Butler.”
“I figured.” Mitch’s jaw clenched tight. No wonder Jaye wanted him to stop digging for information. She wasn’t running away from her ex, after all. Turns out, she was running right back to him.
“Mitch?” Jaye peered down the hallway toward his dark bedroom. A thin moonbeam trickled across his bed, catching on the rumpled covers.
He wouldn’t be working on a Sunday night, would he?
She strode through the living room and found no sign of him. Heading into the empty dining room, she gazed out the glass door leading to the deck. Bright outdoor lights lit the back yard. Someone had shoveled a path across the snowy deck. Beyond the wood partition blocking the hot tub, steam wafted into the air.
Jaye jogged into her room. Luckily, she’d packed a bikini when she thought she’d be living in a hotel with a pool. Living in a glassblower’s home with a hot tub was much, much better.
After changing into her swimsuit, she wrapped up in a towel and walked into the night air. Anticipation blazed across her skin, warding off goose bumps. Her flip-flops crunched softly along the cleared path of snow leading toward the partition. Peering around the solid cedar wall, she spotted Mitch seated in a large hot tub.
A fierce roil of white bubbles foamed around his broad shoulders. Blue light from the underwater lamps threw cool shadows on the clean-shaven planes of his face. His eyes were closed, the curve of his bronze lashes rimming a faint smudge of fatigue under his eyes.
She couldn’t wait to loop her arms around his strong neck and kiss him.
His heavily muscled arm lifted out of the water, turning a dial to quiet the water jets.
The ten hours she’d spent away from him felt like ten lonely decades. Just the sight of him made her heart pound with elation. “Can I soak, too?”
Blue eyes opened. His gaze zipped to her.
She hung her towel on a hook beside his, pulled herself onto the edge of the tub, and slid into the warm, foamy water.
He half stood, frowned at her blue bikini top, and then lowered himself into the water. An unforgiving sneer tilted his mouth. “When were you going to tell me who you really are?”
Despite the warm water swirling around her, she shivered. “You already know who I am.”
“I’m tired of being lied to, so stop playing games. Simon Davis is your father.”
The revelation she was a software magnate’s daughter hurled thick tension into the air, dimming the night sky’s starry glow. “How did you find out?”
“Brad figured it out. His architecture firm is designing an addition for your company headquarters. He told me you look a lot like your mother.” The corner of Mitch’s mouth twitched. “Judging by the picture I saw, I’d have to agree.”
Dread tumbled into her stomach, bubbling hotter than boiling water. Her secret was out. Now everything would change.
Jaye moved her gaze away from the angry accusation in his eyes. Letting her bangs fall over one eye, she stared into the back yard. Near the edge of the forest, a large black shadow shifted. The dark blotch reminded her of how the ugly truth always snuck into the open. She longed to take her camera, flee into the countryside, and shift her focus to the beautiful reality behind her lens.
The shadow emerged from the woods, a shuffling blotch against the white snow. Jaye squinted and sucked in a lungful of chlorinated air. The shadow lumbering toward them looked like a bear. A very big black bear.
Jaye stood, flinging water across the tub. “I’m going inside.”
“Not so fast.” Mitch rose, pushing the droplets off his face with an abrupt swipe.
She pointed past the ridge of his shoulder, her hand remarkably steady despite the approaching menace. “Look.”
“Don’t change the subject, Jaye.” He jammed his hands on his hips. “You owe me an explanation.”
The bear lifted its big head, sniffing the air. Jaye imagined his sensitive nose picking up the delectable scent of a poached consultant. “Turn around, Mitch.”
His eyes darted to her breasts and back again. “Don’t worry. There’s nothing here I haven’t seen before.”
“I beg to differ.” She’d have to turn the bullheaded man or he’d never look, so she grabbed his waist.
He jerked and fell into the water, throwing a huge flume into her face.
Jaye swallowed a mouthful of hot water. Chlorine burned down her throat.
Mitch resurfaced, pulling himself into one of the tub’s seats.
A
