Barefoot in the Sun (Barefoot Bay)

chapter Fifteen



The soft vibration of her phone pulled Zoe from a surprisingly deep sleep, followed by a split second of confusion. Where was she?

Then she remembered last night. The disbelieving stares, the dropped jaws, the confused questions, and, finally, the silent click of the door when Tessa walked out into the gray whispers of dawn. Zoe had crawled into the guest room to sleep.

From somewhere in the house a baby cried and high-pitched women’s voices replied—Jocelyn and Lacey cooing over Elijah.

The phone vibrated again and she reached for it, longing for news about Pasha and, almost as much, a call from Tessa. Oliver’s deep voice greeted her with a simple, “Hey,” and that was enough to send off a flock of wild hummingbirds in her stomach.

“Hey back. Any news?”

“I just talked to the hospital, and Pasha’s doing very well.”

She looked skyward, silently thanking whatever power ran this universe. “Should I go and get her now?”

“They’re going to release her this morning and I’d like to take her straight to our clinic. We have round-the-clock care and she’ll be in good hands. We have a battery of tests to do before we can actually perform the gene-therapy treatment. I want to start today.”

His competence and confidence covered her like the puffy down comforter she curled under.

“What about Evan?” she asked. Funny how he already figured into her logistics.

“I’ll have to figure something out.”

“I’m still at Lacey’s. Why don’t you bring him here? Ashley can watch him.”

“Perfect. We’ll be over in a few minutes. You need anything?”

“Just you.” The words were out before any sleepy brain cells could engage and stop her.

He didn’t answer right away, sending a little wave of heat and nerves through her chest as she waited.

“I can fix that, Zoe,” he finally whispered.

She closed her eyes, falling on the pillow with a dreamy smile. “Ah, the man who can fix anything.”

“We’ll see, won’t we?”

The guest bedroom doorknob twisted and, very slowly, the door inched open, not revealing who was behind it. Please be Tessa. Please be—

A hand holding a coffee cup jutted through the door. “I come in peace.”

Tessa. She almost melted with relief.

“Hey, I gotta go, doc.” When she clicked off, she put down the phone and took a deep breath before asking, “Two sugars and extra cream and no arsenic?”

“The garden is fresh out of arsenic,” Tessa replied from behind the door.

“Then you may enter.”

Tessa stepped in, her doe-brown eyes much softer than last night. “We are growing a bumper crop of humble pie and I’m planning to eat some for breakfast. Join me?”

“Oh, Tess.” Zoe sighed the exclamation. “You don’t owe me an apology. I owe—”

“No.” Tessa waved the hand not holding the coffee, coming closer. “I lost count of how many times you said you’re sorry last night. It hit triple digits, though.”

Zoe took the mug and patted the bed next to her. “I feel one more bubbling up.”

“Drink instead.”

She did, letting the warm liquid comfort her throat and send much-needed life into her veins. “Where are Joss and Lacey?”

“Where do you think?”

She thought about that for a minute, frowning. “Listening outside the door?”

They appeared almost instantly, making Zoe laugh so hard she almost spilled the coffee. Baby Elijah stirred in Lacey’s arms.

“You guys,” Zoe said, shaking her head and carefully setting down the mug. “I love how predictable you are.” She reached out. “Let me smell the mini-guy.”

Lacey obliged, propping herself on the edge of the bed to hand the baby to Zoe. Jocelyn came around the other side, and then all four of them were on the bed, surrounding Zoe and the baby.

“Look at us, all gathered on one bed on a Sunday morning for a rehash of Saturday night,” Jocelyn said. “This reminds me of dorm days.”

“Only I’m not hungover,” Zoe said, cuddling the tiny bundle of boy into her arms. “And there were no itty-bitty sweet wittle babies.”

“Trust me, he wasn’t so sweet at one, three, four-thirty and six-eighteen,” Lacey said.

Zoe looked up. “Don’t let the kid take all the credit for annihilating your sleep. I own that wreckage.”

Elijah made a soft shuddering sigh, and they all used the excuse to stare at him and not say a word. Last night’s conversation was obviously not over yet.

“We’ve been talking about you, Zoe,” Jocelyn finally said.

“I’m sure you have,” she replied. “I have provided gossip fodder for years to come.”

Lacey looked indignant. “We don’t gossip about each other.”

Zoe lifted a brow. “You whisper about me behind my back. What’s the difference?”

“The difference,” Jocelyn said, “is that you gossip about strangers or people you don’t care about or someone who isn’t…”

“Family.” Tessa supplied the word, and put her hand on Zoe’s. “Because, like it or not, we are yours.”

Shit. Now she was going to cry. She finally met Tessa’s gaze, her brain rummaging through a lifetime of smart-ass answers for the right one. Nothing came. “Thank you,” she managed, her voice cracking. “And I’m so—”

“Don’t.” Tessa squeezed her hand. “We know you’re sorry.”

“And I know you’re hurt by all the years of lying. I hope that, over time, you can forgive and forget.”

“Zoe, we love you,” Lacey assured her. “You know that, don’t you?”

She nodded, her throat tightening.

“Do you know what that means?” Jocelyn asked.

Sometimes she wondered. But not now. Not right this minute, wrapped in a lifetime of friendship. “It means I’m forgiven?”

“Before you even woke up,” Lacey said.

Zoe tried to smile, but her lips quivered. “You guys always were very productive while I slept.”

“You have no idea,” Jocelyn told her. “I’ve already made a list of all the things you need to do to address this issue, personally, professionally, and emotionally.”

Zoe smiled. “Ever the life coach, Joss.”

“And I’ve gotten the phone numbers for three attorneys,” Lacey added. “Right in Naples, so you can meet with them soon.”

“Oh, thanks.” I think.

“And I picked a whole sachet of herbs,” Tessa said, reaching into her pocket. “I have a mix of tumeric and meadowsweet in a compress to get those swollen eyes back to normal, if you promise me no more tears today.”

But she was already breaking that promise, overwhelmed by the three women who loved her more than any family could. “You guys…” Moisture blurred her vision and she attempted a laugh. “I’m sorry.” She blinked, and one tear rolled right onto Elijah’s cheek.

“Oh, boy,” Jocelyn said, wiping it away. “Pasha would probably say that means it’s going to rain on his wedding day or something.”

“Speaking of Pasha,” Tessa said. “Latest?”

The doorbell rang before Zoe answered. “She’s good and that’s Oliver. He’s bringing Evan here and we’re moving Pasha to the IDEA clinic to start the whole process of preparing for the gene therapy.”

“I’ll go let him in,” Lacey said, reaching for the baby. “You better get dressed.”

“I’ll get you my list,” Jocelyn added, following Lacey out the door.

“Thanks.” Zoe didn’t move for a minute, looking at Tessa and waiting for her to chime in. But Tessa didn’t say a word, even though something was clearly troubling her.

“What is it, Tess? I know it’s going to take you a while—”

“No.” She shook her head. “That’s not it. I want to…I’m sorry, Zoe.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

“I do.” She took Zoe’s hand and lifted it. “I’m sorry for what I said about foster children.”

“Oh, that.” Yeah, Tess probably did owe her an apology for those comments. “You didn’t know.”

“I should have been more sensitive.”

“I should have been honest, so we’re even.”

From the living room they heard the baritone of Oliver’s laugh, and Zoe’s eyes widened in response. Zoe threw back the covers and leaped out of bed.

“Like him, do you?” Tessa asked.

She shrugged, but Tessa snagged Zoe’s T-shirt and kept her in place. “Hey. No more secrets, Zoe Tamarin.”

Zoe turned slowly, a typical retort brewing, but she tamped it down. “I more than like him, Tess, and that’s what scares the holy shit out of me.”

“Why? He’s great, Zoe. He’s smart and gorgeous and charming and obviously makes terrific babies.”

Zoe laughed. “Yes, from a sociological and reproductive standpoint, he’s a ten.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Zoe shook her head, tugging her T-shirt free. “I can’t, Tess.”

“Can’t what? Tell me? Take a risk? Stop moving long enough to make a commitment? We’re going to work on all that for you, Zoe, and you’ll be able to—”

“I can’t do a whole…long-term, permanent, happily-ever-after thing.”

“Also known as marriage.”

Zoe waved off the word with a shrug. “Whatever you want to call it.”

Tessa snorted. “That’s generally what it’s called.”

“Whatever name you give it, Tess, I don’t know how it’s done.”

“What?”

“I don’t…I’ve never…I don’t have a flipping clue what the rules are,” she finally managed.

“It’s not a card game, Zoe. There aren’t rules and winners and losers.”

Really? “I beg to differ. Lacey’s a winner.”

“Then I’m a loser.”

Zoe closed her eyes, cursing herself for causing the hurt in Tessa’s voice. “Look,” she said. “This is hard for most people to understand, but I never had parents, Tessa. I lived in shitty foster homes and then spent the rest of my life with a crazy old lady who was ready to move every time a librarian asked for ID when we tried to take out a book.”

“And that’s what’s stopping you?” Tessa sounded dumbfounded, and Zoe didn’t blame her.

“Nothing’s stopping me. Trust me, I’m doing my level best to get the man in bed.”

“Just in bed?”

“Well, I tried the pool but, you know, he’s a traditionalist.”

“Zoe.” Tessa smashed a decade and a half of exasperation into both syllables of Zoe’s name. “You know there’s no future, and yet you want to have sex with him?”

She held out her wrist. “Pulse, beating.” She touched her lower abdomen. “Body parts, female.” Then her forehead. “Pituitary gland, operational. Yes, I want to have sex with him.”

Tessa just stared.

“What? You’ve never f*cked for fun, Tessa? It’s always for a baby?” She heard her voice turn thickly defensive, and mean. God, why did she and Tessa always fight? “Sex is normal. It’s natural, it’s—”

“A cop-out.”

Zoe closed her eyes and turned away, walking to the bathroom as fast as she could, but only because she couldn’t get up enough speed to run.





At the end of a long day that had put Pasha through a battery of tests and examinations, Oliver and his team had almost everything they needed for an accurate diagnosis, second and third opinions, and then a final decision on the treatment.

Driving over the bridge back to Mimosa Key, they’d left the top of Zoe’s Jeep down, and the wind whipped so loudly there was no chance for conversation. Oliver had given Evan permission to stay at Lacey’s for dinner and then go to a late movie with Ashley and Clay, so he and Zoe drove in a comfortable quiet.

The clunk of the tires on the metal bridge, along with a sense of peace that there was truly hope for Pasha, nearly put Zoe to sleep, but Oliver’s hand on her leg woke her up when they reached Mimosa Key.

“How about dinner,” he suggested.

She moaned softly. “I don’t want to go into a restaurant. Let’s pick up.”

“Choices?”

She thought about them. “There’s bad burgers at the Toasted Pelican, gooey enchiladas at the SOB, or some of those lovely might-not-really-be-meat hot dogs that Charity overcharges for at the Super Min.”

“The Super Min is the convenience store?” He slowed at the corner. “How about I grab a frozen pizza and beer?”

“Heavenly. Can I wait here?”

“Sure. Be right back.”

Before she answered, he climbed out of the car. Almost instantly Zoe closed her eyes, drifting off to a peaceful place, too tired to think about anything but the need for—

“Ms. Tamarin?”

She jumped, blinking into the fading light and seeing a vaguely familiar face, then bolted upright when she realized who it was. “Deputy Garrison.”

He nodded, coming closer. “I’d hoped to hear from you today.”

Oh, yeah. She owed him a call and information. “It’s Sunday,” she said quickly. “I thought you’d be off today.”

“So I did a little research on your aunt.”

Oh, this can’t be good.

“How is she feeling today? I understand they released her from the hospital.”

Crap. Crap. Crap. He was totally on to them. Every old instinct rose up and dusted itself off; Zoe began wondering where the hell they’d put the panic bag.

Run, Zoe—

No. Not anymore. Not tonight, anyway. And she surely didn’t have to give any more information to a law-enforcement officer until she talked to one of those attorneys that Lacey’d lined up.

“She’s in a clinic in Naples getting a special treatment for esophageal cancer,” Zoe explained. “So it’ll be a week or more before you can talk to her.”

“I had a hard time pinning her down on any database.”

Zoe pushed up in the seat, completely awake now. How could she answer that? And she had given him Pasha’s real name, so it was only a matter of time until he found out—

“I found seven U.S. citizens named Patricia Hobarth who met her general description and age. They’re all in old-age homes, incapacitated, or dead.”

She’d be the dead one.

Raking her hands through her hair, Zoe didn’t say a word. She wasn’t ready to do this yet. Not now, in this parking lot. Not this tired, not this…not yet.

“The dead one was wanted by the law before she passed, actually.”

F*ck! “You don’t say.”

“Seems she was involved with a missing child.”

She slid a look to the door of the convenience store, willing Oliver to come out and save her. But if he did, he’d probably spill the beans to the sheriff because it was the right thing to do.

Maybe it was, but she couldn’t do it yet. She would, when Pasha was strong and healthy and cured and Zoe had the comfort of a lawyer on her side. Right now, she sat silent.

“But she was cleared of that murder,” he added.

What? Murder? “That’s not my aunt,” she said.

“Oh, obviously,” he replied, a little color rising. “ ’Fraid I have a weakness for those interesting cold cases and I got wrapped up in the reading. Anyway, be sure to call me when she gets settled so I can finish that paperwork, right?”

“I will.” Relief poured through her as he stepped away. Then she felt a sudden burst of goodwill. “Oh, and—Deputy.” When he turned, she gave him a genuine smile. “Please tell Gloria thanks again for helping out when Pasha collapsed. It was so sweet of her.”

His shoulders slumped a little. “I would, but…” He blew out a breath and looked toward the store. “We’re not together right now.”

“Oh, sorry to hear that.”

He came right back to the car and she silently cursed herself for not letting him leave before Oliver came out and made a full confession. “Yeah, speaking of aunts,” he said with a thumb over her shoulder. “If there were an Olympic event for meddling, Charity’d take the gold.”

Zoe offered a sympathetic nod. “I’ve heard she’s got…opinions.”

He laughed. “You can say that again. So you’ll have to thank Gloria yourself, if you see her around Casa Blanca.”

“I will. I hope things work out for you.” She gave him a little wave. “I’ll give you a call.”

He nodded good-bye and walked to the sheriff’s car parked across the lot. As he crossed in front of the store, Oliver walked out, nearly bumping into him.

Zoe held her breath as the two men greeted each other. Her fingers squeezed the leather seat until her nails dug in. Please, Oliver, don’t push this. Don’t do the right thing, not now.

After a quick second Oliver walked away, and Zoe collapsed against her seat with relief. When he got in and turned to put the bags in the back, she grabbed his face and pulled him into her for a kiss.

“What was that for?” he asked.

“Because…” Oh, she was too tired to explain. “Just because.”

He smiled. “You thought I was going to tell him, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.”

He leaned forward and kissed her. “I’ve got, what? Three or four hours alone with you? You really think I want to spend it being interrogated by the local sheriff?”

“How do you want to spend it?”

He tunneled his hand under her hair and angled her face for one more kiss. “Like this.”