“It’s our fault, not yours,” Tom said, his voice heavy.
Though Trish wished she had someone else to blame, in her heart she knew Angie and Tom were good parents, and they would watch over Cassidy as if she were their own. “It’s not your fault,” Trish said. “But please, please call me as soon as you hear
anything.
”
“I promise.” Tom paused. “What about Steven? Are you going to call him?”
Trish pushed herself to her feet, too restless to sit any longer. “He’s hard to reach. By the time I’d get through, she’ll be back.”
Hopefully.
“Trish.” Angie’s voice sounded on the other end of the phone. “Sally is there with you, isn’t she? I don’t want you to wait alone.”
Trish took a deep breath. She didn’t want to lie to her sister but Angie had enough to worry about. “I’m not alone.”
“Good,” Angie said, and Trish could hear the relief in her sister’s voice. “We’ll find her. We…we have to find her.”
Somehow Trish managed to say goodbye and close the phone before she dropped into a nearby chair.
Then, folding her hands, she closed her eyes and began to pray.
T
HEO KNOCKED AGAIN
, this time a little harder, on Trish’s cabin door. He’d looked for her in the dining room earlier but her chair had been empty.
Helena had noticed he was distracted and had sent him on his way immediately after dinner. Instead of returning to the penthouse, he headed straight for Trish’s cabin. He couldn’t believe she wasn’t inside. Unless she’d gone to an early show in the theatre…
Disappointed, he turned to go when he heard a sound coming from inside the cabin. He stopped and listened for a moment, then moved closer and placed his ear against the door. Only then did he recognize the sound. It was a woman crying. It was
Trish
crying.
“Trish.” He pounded a fist against the door, ignoring a curious look from a couple walking down the hall. “It’s Theo. Open the door. Let me in.”
For several long seconds, nothing happened. He was ready to break the door down, when it suddenly swung open.
Trish’s eyes were red-rimmed and her face blotchy. But it was the despair in her eyes that affected him most.
“Trish,
koukla
, why are you crying?” Without waiting for an invitation, Theo stepped inside, letting the door shut behind him. “What’s wrong?”
He opened his arms to her and she took a couple steps forward. When he held her close, she began to sob.
“Tell me what’s got you so upset.” Gentling his tone even more, Theo stroked her hair. “I can’t make it better if you don’t tell me the problem.”
“It’s Cassidy,” Trish said between sobs. “She’s gone.”
“What do you mean
gone
?” Theo asked, trying to keep his tone even.
“She was with my sister and her family at Disney World,” Trish said in a shaky voice. “They turned around and she was gone.”
Theo had never met the little girl, but after seeing her picture and listening to Trish’s stories, he felt as if he already knew her. He took a steadying breath. “Did they call the police?”
“They notified Security right away,” Trish said. “Tomhe’s my brother-in-lawhe says they’ll find her.”
Theo could tell Trish was clinging to that hope so he agreed heartily. “I’m sure that’s true.”
“I told him if they haven’t found her in an hour, I’m flying back.” Trish lifted her face to his, a determined glint in her eyes. “I don’t care what it takes to make that happen.”
“If it comes to thatwhich I’m sure it won’t” Theo brushed a strand of hair back from her face “I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”
“Thank you, Theo. I just feel so alone, so helpless.”
“You’re not alone.” Theo put his hands on her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. “I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere.”
“I can’t tell you how much that means to me,” Trish said. “I”
The ring of her phone stopped her words, and a mixture of hope and panic skittered across Trish’s face.
“Aren’t you going to answer it?”
He slid an arm around her shoulders and she flipped her phone open.
“Hello.” Theo could feel Trish’s body go slack beneath his arm. “Cassidy,” she breathed. “Mommy was
so
scared.”
At that moment, Theo knew everything was going to be okay.
S
HORTLY AFTER SNUGGLING
next to him on the sofa, Trish fell into an exhausted slumber, a smile still on her lips. Theo let her sleep, knowing she’d survived a horrible fright and needed to recharge.
Trish had talked to Cassidy, then her sister and brother-in-law, then Cassidy again. He couldn’t help remembering the joy on her face when she’d gotten off the phone and given him the details.
Apparently Cassidy had thought she’d seen a girl who went to school with her and had gone over to say hello. But the child had been farther away than Cassidy thought….
By the time she caught up to her she’d realized it wasn’t her friend after all. She’d also realized something else…she was lost. Following her mother’s frequent warnings not to talk to strangers, Cassidy had tried to find her way back to her aunt by herself.
Finally, scared and crying, she’d seen someone she knew she could trust. Five minutes after Cassidy had approached Mickey Mouse, she was in her aunt’s arms.
Gazing down at Trish, Theo found himself overwhelmed with emotions that he had no way of deciphering. In a few short days this woman had somehow managed to worm her way into his heart. He wanted to care for her…to protect her…to love her. And to love and protect those who were important to her.
He leaned over and impulsively brushed her lips with his.
Trish smiled even before her eyes fluttered open. “I fell asleep.”
Theo trailed a finger down the cheek which had been wet with tears only an hour earlier. “Yes, you did.”
She sat up and stretched. “You didn’t have to stay.”
“I wasn’t going to leave you,” Theo said simply.
Trish laid her a hand flat against his cheek. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
As Theo continued to watch her, Trish realized with sudden horror how she must look. She pushed herself to her feet, groaning as her muscles protested. “I’ll be right back.”
Once inside the tiny bathroom, Trish washed her face, brushed her teeth then reapplied her makeup. Despite the drops she put in them, her eyes were still red and her lids puffy. But outward appearances, Trish reminded herself, didn’t matter. All that mattered was that Cassidy was safe.
When she stepped back into the main cabin, Theo was sitting out on the deck. She moved to his side and he looked up, a concerned expression on his face. “How are you doing?”
“I’m happy,” Trish said, her lips curving into a smile. “I can’t begin to tell you how relieved I am that my little girl is safe.”
“Why don’t we go to the penthouse and celebrate the good news?” Theo said. “I’ll have some decadent desserts brought up. We’ll put on music, have a little champagne, maybe even check out the whirlpool?”
“Sounds…heavenly.” Actually it sounded like a scene tailor-made for seduction, but for some reason, the possibility didn’t scare Trish anymore.
Tomorrow would be soon enough to face the real world.
Cassidy was safe.
Tonight she would celebrate.
T
HE NEXT MORNING
Trish left Theo sleeping in the king-size bed and headed for the shower, a big smile on her face.
Last night had exceeded her wildest expectations. After dining on chocolate-covered strawberries and champagne, Theo had given her a massage intended to “relax” her. It had the opposite effect. By the time they moved on to the whirlpool, Trish had been in the mood for some serious loving.
She remembered the look in Theo’s eyes when she’d removed her clothes and stepped into the whirlpool. Her body quivered as memories of last night’s lovemaking washed over her. When the door to the bathroom opened and Theo stepped inside, Trish couldn’t keep from smiling.
“May I join you?”
For a second Trish hesitated, feeling suddenly shy. It had been one thing to make love at night, with the lights out…
But Theo had already shown her that there was a whole new world of possibilities in life and love. By the look in his eye, the shower presented just one more possibility.
Her momentary shyness forgotten, Trish pushed the glass door open.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
E
XHAUSTED AFTER A FULL DAY
in Monte Carlo, Trish found talking to Cassidy to be energizing. It took every ounce of control not to laugh when Cassidy complained she now had to hold Aunt Angie’s hand when they were out as if she was some
baby
.
After she hung up, Trish was still chuckling to herself when the phone rang again. This time it was Twyla on the line. Trish filled her in on what had happened with Cassidy and Twyla updated Trish on a couple of ongoing projects in the office. Then Twyla brought up the Liberty deal.
“How’s it going?” Twyla asked. “Did Mr. Catomeris make his decision yet?”
Trish hesitated. Though Theo could change his mindafter all anything was possibleTrish knew it wasn’t fair to give Twyla and James false hope.
“It’s not going to be as easy as I first thought,” Trish said finally. “Theo Catomeris is actually Elias Stamos’s son and there is bad blood between them.”
“Oh, no.” Even across thousands of miles, Trish could hear the disappointment in Twyla’s voice. “At least he’s agreed to think about it, right?”
“Actually he said no,” Trish said. “Theo wants nothing to do with his father.”
“Theo?” Twyla’s tone turned curious. “Sounds like you’ve gotten to know him quite well.”
Trish felt her face warm. “I admit it. I genuinely like the guy. That’s part of the problem.”
“I don’t understand…”
“I know if I tell him what is at stake for me, he’ll sign the contract.” Trish paused, trying to unravel her tangled emotions and thoughts. “But I’m afraid if I do that, Theo would hold the fact that my business was threatened against his father and the two would never reconcile. Do you see my dilemma?”
“No,” Twyla said. “Because I think you just answered your own question.”
“I did?”
“You’ve built your business around honesty and integrity. That’s why James and I wanted to work for you. You know it wouldn’t be right for you to use your friendship with Mr. Catomeris for your own gain. Especially if your actions hurt him in the process.”
Trish stared at the phone. In a few succinct words, Twyla had not only articulated what Trish had been trying to sort out, she’d put it in a neat little package and tied it with a bow.
“Nothing good comes from doing something immoral or illegal,” Trish murmured.
“That includes exploiting a friendship for your own betterment,” Twyla agreed.
“We may have to cut back for a while,” Trish said. “But I promise I’ll be out there drumming up new business the second the plane touches down.”
“I’m not worried,” Twyla assured her “We just have to have faith and stay the course.”
Gratitude filled Trish’s heart. What had she done to deserve such a wonderful and wise employee? “Twyla, thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being such a good friend. For keeping me honest. For reminding me how lucky I am to have you and James.”
Twyla laughed. “I’ll remind you of that the next time we land a big account and I need a raise.”
“You won’t need to remind me,” Trish vowed. “That raise will be yours.”
The two talked for a few minutes longer, and when Trish hung up the phone, it was as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Her company might struggle, but it would survive.
Now Trish could only hope that Theo would find a way to reconcile with his father…on his own terms…when the time was right.
S
EATED IN THE SHIP
’
S
darkened theater, Trish cast a sideways glance at Theo. From his rapt expression it appeared that he was enjoying the Broadway Revue, too.
She had just finished speaking with Twyla when Theo stopped by after meeting with his sister. They’d had dinner in the penthouse, then headed to the theater for the late-night show. The click-clack of tap shoes brought Trish’s attention back to the stage, but she couldn’t concentrate. Not with Theo mere inches away.
She couldn’t remember when she’d enjoyed a day more. Getting her to try parasailing in Monaco had taken a little coaxing. But once they were up and soaring, Trish’s fears had disappeared.
Hanging there, high above the earth, she’d realized how long it had been since she’d done something she enjoyed just for the fun of it. Life as a single parent revolved around work commitments and Cassidy’s activities.