She leaned forward and rubbed her hand over his jaw, feeling the roughness of his whiskers. “Your father has come to his senses. This is a good thing.” She paused. “Besides, you’re a damn good attorney. You’ll get him out of jail.”
“You’re not calming me down. Crap.” He pushed to his feet. “I need to go over there.”
“I know,” Zoe said. “I’ll find my way home. You go take care of your parents.”
“No,” he said. “Stay. I’ll be back soon.”
“I need to write up last night’s review. I’ll go home.” She waved him on. “Go, Declan. I’m a big girl. Your parents need you.”
He hesitated and then bent down and kissed her cheek. “You’re amazing.”
Zoe felt a sizzle of awareness and even satisfaction from his words. “You can prove it later.”
Straightening, he winked. “You can count on it.”
Chapter Fourteen
Zoe walked in her front door and heard the phone ringing. She ran for it just in time to hear a dial tone. Her cell was dead so she plugged it up and then headed toward the bedroom to take a shower. She made it two steps when both phones started to ring and someone knocked on the front door. About to reach for her cell, she stopped when she heard her brother Mike call her name.
“Zoe Marks, open up. I know you’re there. The doorman told me you were here.”
Her brows dipped as she stomped toward the door and yanked it open to expose her scowling brother. “What the hell are you doing, Mike? I have neighbors.”
He shoved a newspaper at her. “What the hell are you doing?” Pushing past her he entered her apartment.
Zoe made a frustrated sound and slammed the door shut, turning to face her brother. “You have a lot of nerve—” She stopped mid-sentence as she read the paper’s headlines. Her hands started to shake as she read it again hoping she’d seen it wrong.
Marks’ daughter and opposing counsel…up close and personal. The words were above a picture of her and Declan coming out of Serendipity.
Her eyes lifted to her brother. She couldn’t seem to read the rest of the page. “Who is he?”
Her brother gave her a hard look. “You don’t know?”
“No. I mean I do. I know he’s an attorney.”
“Representing Ray.”
Zoe’s mind went back to the night before. To their conversation about her father and Ray. Betrayal stung hard. “I…didn’t know.”
“You have to be careful—”
She cut him off. “Careful? You tell me nothing. How the hell am I supposed to know what’s going on and with whom?” She glared at him. “How?”
“Zoe—”
“I’ve had it this time, Mike,” she bit out in a tight, harsh voice. “Had it.” She tossed the paper across the room and it flew in pieces all about. “You…you let me get used. You made me a victim.”
He took a step toward her and she did the same. “Mike, leave. Go home. Go to Dad. Go to Rick. Hold your little meetings and leave me out of it.” She didn’t yell or scream though she wanted to. God, how she wanted to. Somehow, she kept the words low and cold. Had to. If she let her emotions take hold she was afraid she would lose it in a big way. And that was something she preferred doing alone.
For a moment he looked as if he might argue then he walked toward the door. She kept her back to him, doing her best to keep the tears from falling until she was alone.
“We were wrong, Zoe. I’m sorry.” And then the door opened and closed.
She didn’t let herself cry right then. Instead, she followed Mike’s exit path and flipped her locks in place. Right now she felt as if she’d been raped. It hurt. Really, really hurt. And she felt more alone than she had her entire life.
With slow steps, she found her way to the shower and stripped off her clothes. She stepped under the spray of hot water and let it deliver warmth and ease the strange ache that had taken hold of her body. It was then that she cried. Alone. In the privacy of her shower. She’d been a fool to let down her guard with Declan. A part of her had wanted to love him. That thought sent a jolt of pain through her chest and stomach. She hugged herself, water trickling over her lips and face, mingling with her tears. Zoe let it come. Let it take hold. Because when it was done, when the hurt had torn her insides out, she would heal.
And she would never let her guard down again.
* * * * *
Since he’d arrived at his mother’s apartment, Declan had succeeded in getting his father out of the hallway and that was about it.
“This is ridiculous, Mary. Get your things. You’re coming home.”
“I am home,” she said, sitting down on the couch and crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Declan watched as his father reached for his mother’s arm. She jerked it away. “Stop, Tom! You don’t own me. You can’t just show up here and demand I jump to your command.”
“Damn it, Mary—”
“Don’t you curse at me,” she spat, interrupting him, and then looked at Declan. “Are you going to let him curse at me?”
Pressing two fingers to the bridge of his nose, Declan prayed for patience. “Both of you sit.” Declan issued the order because he really didn’t know what else to do. His father started to speak. “Please just sit.”
After a bit of argument, Declan managed to get one on each end of the couch. A little more resistance and he managed to get them talking. An hour into it, his father was on his knee in front of his mother promising he’d change. They’d take a vacation and fall in love again. Declan agreed to watch over the firm, but even as he made the promise he knew it complicated his life all the more. It felt like the weight of the world had decided to plant two feet on his shoulders. Zoe…she really mattered to him. Even while watching his parents argue and then make up, he kept thinking about her. He had to fix things. She needed to know about his firm and her father. Then, he’d go to work Monday, meet with Ray and the DA in place of his father and see what he could do to make this go away. He hoped. He needed a good look at the case file.
With that thought in mind, he was ready to leave. To go see Zoe and tell her what he should have last night. He said his goodbyes and headed for the door. Noting the newspaper on the hall table, Declan reached for it. “You going to read this, Mom?”
But he didn’t hear her reply. A picture of him with Zoe stared back at him. A picture sure to destroy every ounce of trust he’d earned with Zoe.
* * * * *
Monday morning came with dread. Declan and her boss had been calling and calling. She hadn’t taken either call. Zoe knew what her boss wanted. A story and a reason why she made the other papers look good. Declan had even tried to call that morning. By now, she’d thought he’d get the idea…she had nothing to say to him except “go to hell”. She’d half feared he’d show up at her door but after his attempts Saturday he seemed to give up the in-person attack. Maybe he was afraid of her making a scene and then both of them ending up in the papers again. Dinner the night before with Lucy had helped though she’d barely eaten. Talking had done her more good than anything.