turned and left, trying to keep things low-key with Caroline. She knew the child would have to come to her, not the other way around.
She unpacked, giving Will time with his niece. After an hour, she went downstairs to look for him. She finally spotted them outside in the sparkling pool.
Declining to join them, she sat near the pool and watched Will with Caroline. Finally he swam a lap and then climbed out.
Ava drew a deep breath as her gaze ran over his muscled body and the thick mat of dark chest hair that tapered in a narrow line to disappear below his black swim trunks. Her mouth went dry and she could not keep from looking at his broad chest, lean body, long legs. He was tanned, fit and handsome. He raked his wavy black hair back from his face, wrapped the towel around his middle and strolled over to pull a chair close to her. “You should have joined us.”
“I will some other time. Caroline seems to enjoy herself.”
“She loves to swim. It’s easy to tell that she likes the water. She always has, and learned to swim early. My brother Adam swam with her all the time.”
“You said you were closest to your older brother.”
“Yes. I’m getting closer to Zach. There’s a big age gap between Ryan and me. We’re not as close and we have different interests.”
“I’m closer to Trinity, but that’s because of age. Now that she’s in college, I’m getting closer to Summer. Summer is the one who will be the teacher so we’ll probably become even closer later.”
All the time Will talked, he kept his attention on Caroline, as did Ava just out of habit from watching kids at school and on playgrounds. One time Caroline went under; when she didn’t bob right up, Will was almost in the pool before she popped up, splashing and obviously enjoying herself. While he paused at the edge of the pool to talk to her, she splashed around. She played with a ball, and after a few minutes, Will returned to his chair.
“She does that sometimes. It always scares me. So far, I’ve never had to pull her out, but she still scares me.”
“Better to be safe,” Ava said. “How long will she stay in?”
“Probably until I get her out. She loves the water. I told Rosalyn to keep a close eye on her because I always worry about her wandering off and going in without anyone watching. She’s getting big enough now it’s not the worry it was. When we’re not in the pool, we keep the gate locked on the surrounding fence. The gate helps, but I travel, and when I’m away, I don’t want to worry about something happening to her.”
“I don’t blame you,” she said. “I can see why your brother appointed you guardian.”
“I had the gate put up before I became her guardian, way back before she was toddling around. I couldn’t bear to have anything happen to her.”
“That’s good, Will,” she said, thinking it was one more facet of Will Delaney that she had to admire. Her gaze ran over his broad, bare shoulders that had dried. His black hair was still wet.
“I’m going to get her out and start dinner. I’m grilling tonight.”
She smiled. “I’ll watch her so she can stay longer.”
“Okay,” he said, walking away while her gaze raked over his wide shoulders, down his long legs briefly before she turned her full attention to Caroline. Pulling her chair closer to the edge of the pool, she sat watching Caroline, who swam to the edge and gazed back solemnly.
“You’re a good swimmer,” Ava said.
Caroline blinked and swam away and continued playing and splashing. Playing, she looked as happy as any other kid, and it made Ava hurt for her.
Finally Will returned to check on food in an outdoor oven. He walked over to the edge of the pool. “Time, sweetie. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Leave on your swimsuit. After you dry, you can pull on a T-shirt and shorts.”
Caroline climbed out and in minutes she had on a T-shirt and shorts. Slipping on flip-flops, she picked up the small brown teddy bear.
Will held out his hand. “Come over here while I cook. Ava, want to join us?”
She sat near them, aware of Will talking to Caroline, smiling at her, and Caroline gazing back gravely at him.
Through dinner Will talked about trips Caroline had taken to Disney World, things she had seen and managed to include her even though she never said a word.
“You’re a talented man,” Ava said. “This is a delicious steak.”
“Thanks. I’ve had a good teacher. It’s not Caroline’s favorite, so soon we’ll have fried chicken, which is what she prefers. But we’re not eating a steady diet of drumsticks,” he said, smiling at Caroline.
When dinner was over they moved to the edge of the pool while Caroline went back into the water.
“You’re good with her all the time,” Ava said.
“Maybe. I haven’t been able to break through that wall she keeps around herself.”
“Has she ever talked to you?”
“Other than ‘thank you’ and ‘please,’ very rarely. And that was when I first got her. Most of the time it was telling me she wanted her daddy. That’s heartbreaking.”
“Yes, it is,” Ava agreed, watching Caroline splash in the shallow end of the pool. “To watch her now, she looks like any kid having a good time.”
“That’s why I think swimming may be good for her. It’s exercise and may relieve tension in a kid as much as it does in an adult. It’s a healthy, normal activity.”
“You’re paying me way too much, you know,” Ava said.
His dark gaze shifted to meet hers. “If you can bring her out of this, it will be worth every penny.”
“There are definitely no guarantees.”
“I never asked for any,” he replied, turning to watch Caroline again.
Later, Ava went to unpack while Will took Caroline to bed. It was a couple of hours later when she heard a light knock on her door and she opened it to find Will.
“Caroline’s fast asleep and Rosalyn is here. Take a break, come have a drink with me—we have everything from milk and cookies to fizzy drinks to wine or cocktails. We can talk about the coming week.”
“For a short time,” she said, pushing her door wide and stepping into the hall with him. They got tall glasses of iced tea and sat on the veranda. Will pulled a chair close to hers. “I’ll be in Los Angeles this week. You have my cell number. I’ll leave you my secretary’s number because she knows my schedule. You can always get me on my cell. I’ll call during the day and in the evening.”
“Fine. I can’t imagine needing you, and if it’s something with Caroline, Rosalyn will be here.”
“Yes, she will. She can be quiet and blend into the background
