Page 118 of A Soldier's Return

“No way,” Ben exclaimed. “It was totally fair!”

“Need a hand up?”

At the low, masculine voice, Sage opened her eyes and found Eben standing over her, his hand outstretched.

Her heart gave a sharp kick in her chest at his features silhouetted in the sunshine. He looked gorgeous in a pair of khaki slacks and a casual cotton shirt.

Of course he would. She was hot and sweaty and probably smelled like a tide-pool again. She wanted to burrow into the sand like a geoduck clam. Instead, she released a tiny sigh, reached for his hand and let him help her to her feet.

“I have to say, the kid’s right. It looked fair to me. If anybody jumped the gun, I think it was you.”

She brushed sand off her butt. “Whose side are you on?”

He grinned and she forgot to breathe. She had no idea he could look so lighthearted. It was a disturbing revelation.

“Did you need Chloe?” she asked to cover her reaction. “Her group is down the beach. See the kites down there?”

“No. I saw them first and already stopped to talk to her,” he answered. “Your assistant—Lindsey, I think is her name—told me I could find you out here.”

Note to self, she thought,remind Lindsey not to send gorgeous men out searching for me when I’m crab-walking in the sand.

She pushed wind-tossed hair out of her face. “Is there some problem with Chloe?”

“In a way.”

His temporary lightheartedness seemed to slide away again and he shifted a little, looking suddenly uncomfortable.

She had no idea what he wanted and he didn’t seem in any big hurry to enlighten her. “Do you need me to keep her after camp ends again?” she said, hazarding a guess. “It’s really no problem.”

“It’s not that.” He let out a long breath. “The truth is, I need to ask a huge favor and I’m not sure quite how to go about it.”

The kids in her group seemed happy enough with continuing their crab races so she led him down the sand a little. “Just ask, Eben.”

“You make it sound easy.” He paused. “All right. Will you come to dinner at The Sea Urchin tonight?”

She gave a surprised laugh. “This is your huge favor? Inviting me to dine at the finest restaurant on the northern coast? By the tone of your voice, I was expecting you to ask me to donate a kidney or something.”

“That might be less painful in the long run. The truth is, I need help with Chloe. Stanley has invited me to dinner tonight.” He paused. “No, that’s not right. There was no invitation involved. Heorderedme to come to dinner tonight and to bring Chloe along. Apparently, before the man will make a final decision to trust me with his hotel, he wants to see how I interact with my daughter.”

Sage flushed, embarrassed that she had initially allowed herself to feel flattered, to imagine he might have been asking her on a date. “And how do I fit into the picture?”

“You’re so good with Chloe. With you, she’s a different girl. She’s polite and well-mannered. Happy. I need her to be on her best behavior and you seem to bring the best out in her where I seem to usually have the opposite effect.”

It was ridiculous to feel this hurt that spread out from her stomach like the paralyzing venom of a jellyfish sting.

“So you’re inviting me as your daughter’s handler in order to help you clinch the deal?”

He winced. “Put like that, it sounds pretty damn nervy, doesn’t it?”

“Yes,” she clipped off the word.

“I’m asking you to help me for one night. This is important to me. You have the magic touch with Chloe. Everything seems to go more smoothly when you’re around. Please, Sage. It’s one night.”

All her instincts cried out for her to tell him to go to hell. She thought of that kick in her heart when she first saw him. How ridiculous. She was allowing herself to have feelings for a man who only viewed her as a convenient caregiver for his daughter.

With every ounce of her, she wanted to tell him no. She even started to form the word, but her mouth seemed to freeze.

She couldn’t do it.

---