Page 27 of Summer on Sunshine Bay

He nodded. “Don’t get me wrong. David loves Lila very much, and he’s a good man. He’s stable and responsible.”

She rolled her eyes. “He’s a stuffed shirt with absolutely no personality.”

“You barely know him. Give him a chance.”

“So why put the beach house in Lila’s name only?”

He emptied the teapot, then unplugged the whistling kettle and poured the boiling water into it. “As much as you think I spoil her, I really don’t. And that’s mostly because she won’t let me. Lila’s independent and wants to make it on her own. I admire and respect that about her.”

Eva smiled, pleased that all the hard-earned life lessons she and her mother and sister had drilled into her daughter had stuck. Sage and Willow were the same way. But Eva had to give credit where it was due. James’s parents had been wealthy, but he’d also insisted on making it on his own merit.

“And as much as I like David and think he and Lila will be happy together,” James continued as he reached into a cupboard for teacups and dessert plates, “I don’t ever want her to feel trapped in an unhappy marriage.”

Eva picked up the tray of pastries. “You’re a good father. Lila’s lucky to have you.”

James’s head came up, and his gaze roamed her face as if he were waiting for the punch line. Then he gave her a tentative smile. “Thank you. I appreciate that, Eva. More than you know.”

The words, as much as the quiet way he stated them, bothered her. Did he really not know how wonderful a father he was? She remembered some of their fights over the years and wondered if she bore some responsibility for that. And then she responded as she always did when she got uncomfortable or emotional and made a gimme gesture with her hand. “Myturn now.”

He shook his head and laughed, picking up the tray with the teapot, teacups, dessert plates, and napkins. “You’ll never change.”

“Admit it, you wouldn’t want me to.”

“Surprisingly, I think you’re right.”

Their eyes met and held for a moment too long. “Let’s go meet the parents,” she said, sounding breathy and flustered, which was exactly how she felt at that moment.

“For Lila’s sake, please don’t bring up the Rosetti curse or tell Westfield what you think of him owning Windemere.”

There was no sign of that breathy, flustered voice when she said, “I am who I am, and I don’t change for anyone, James. Some people actually think it’s one of my best qualities. And if you, our daughter, or the Westfields have a problem with that, you’ll all have to deal with it, because it’s not my problem. It’s yours.”

“Eva, don’t—”

She flipped him off and walked into the living room. Lila and David and his parents were just coming in from touring the two-tier deck. David’s mother wore a pretty pink floral sundress with delicate pink sandals, while his father wore a powder-blue button-down with white pants and white dock shoes without socks. Eva rolled her eyes at his outfit as she placed the tray on the rattan-and-glass coffee table, and then she straightened and smiled.

David’s mother came forward with an outstretched hand and a frozen smile. She was a beautiful woman with dark shoulder-length hair and warm dark eyes, who had perhaps gotten a little too much Botox—the frozen smile and shiny forehead were dead giveaways. Her husband obviously went to the same plastic surgeon. But whereas his wife’s eyes were warm, his were cool and condescending.

“I’m David’s mother, Jennifer, and you must be Lila’s cousin,” the woman said, taking Eva’s hand in hers.

Eva smiled. “I’m Lila’s mother, Eva, and I can tell you and I are going to be fast friends, Jennifer,” she said, clasping the woman’s hand between both of hers.

“Gavin Westfield the Third,” David’s father said, nudging his wife out of the way to shake Eva’s hand.

Unable to resist, she said, “Eva Rosetti the Fourth.” The man was a pompous prig.

Beside her, James choked on a laugh, which he covered with a cough.

“It’s not possible. Only men use the suffix,” Gavin said.

“Actually, that’s not true, but even if it was, it wouldn’t stop me from using it.”

“Why don’t we all sit down?” James said, and took a seat on the white leather couch opposite the matching love seat where Jennifer and Gavin now sat.

Eva moved to sit on the white leather club chair closest to Jennifer, but David got there first. Lila glanced at her father and Eva before sitting in the club chair beside David. James raised an eyebrow at Eva and patted the place beside him.

Instead of joining him, Eva picked up the tray of pastries in one hand and the dessert plates and napkins in the other and offered them to Gavin and Jennifer.

Gavin waved his hand. “None for me, thanks.”

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