The Mighty Quinns: Ronan (32 page)

“I didn’t have a lot to say,” Marcus replied.

“Still don’t,” Ian countered.

“Shimmy out there and put that socket wrench over the bolt. I need to tighten this a little more.”

Ian did as he was told, lying on his stomach and reaching over the bow. Marcus carefully tightened the last bolt, then swung the bosun’s chair back to the rail of the boat. He crawled back on board and dropped the wrench into his toolbox.

“I’m almost done here,” Marcus said. “Maybe a week and that’s it.”

“What’s up after this?”

Marcus shrugged. He felt as if he was at loose ends. In truth, he wanted to go find Eden and make things right between them. Their relationship hadn’t had a proper ending. There were so many things left unsaid that Marcus couldn’t seem to move forward.

“Did you bring my video camera back?” Marcus asked. He’d been waiting for the moment to pose the question casually.

Ian cursed. “Yeah. We didn’t use it after all,” Ian said. “One of the guys brought his camera and it had a tripod. But I lost the tape. I pulled it out of the camera and set it down somewhere and—”

“You lost the tape?” Marcus asked, his stomach twisting into a knot. God, this was all he needed. The furor over Eden’s first sex tape was beginning to cool. All she needed was another home movie to hit the market. Hell, she’d trusted him with this one and now it was out there.

According to Dec, Trevor Ross had purchased the other tape for a tidy sum. Due to that unexplained expense, he’d decided to hold off on further investments, including Marcus’s business. But with the check for the commission and a generous bonus, Marcus had enough to get by for a while.

“I’m sorry, I—”

“I need that tape,” Marcus insisted. “Come on. We’ll go over to the station right now and get it.”

“What is so damn important that it can’t wait a day or two? I have the tape. It’s in my office somewhere, I’m sure of it. Jeez, Marcus, what has gotten into you lately? You’ve been acting really weird,” Ian said.

Marcus shrugged, then grabbed the beer he had wedged against the rail. He stared out at the horizon, his gaze fixed on the white sails of a boat nearly a mile out into the sound. “I was talking to Da the other day. Doing a bit of research on our…project. He told me he fell in love with Ma the moment he first saw her. Do you think that’s possible?”

Ian frowned. “There is something wrong with you.”

Marcus cursed. “Just answer the question. Is it possible to fall in love in a day or a week? I always thought it took a long time.”

“No,” Ian said after some consideration. “I think it’s definitely possible. Yeah, it could happen. Kind of like lightning striking. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it knocks you on your arse.”

“What are the odds?” Marcus asked.

“You want a number?”

Marcus leaned back and closed his eyes, turning his face up to the sun. “Yeah. A hundred to one? A thousand to one?”

“I don’t think it makes a difference,” Ian said. “When it happens, it happens. It’s not a science, Marky.”

“I know.” He paused and glanced over at his brother. “I mean, I figured that’s the way it was.”

“So how are you doing with the pact?” Ian asked.

“Fine. Women don’t come swimming out here every day, so I’m safe.”

Ian lowered his voice. “Between you and me, I think Dec might be breaking the vow of celibacy.”

Marcus scoffed at the notion. “He’s got a girl?”

“You know he’s been playing bodyguard to some radio-talk-show lady named Dr. Devine. He says she’s an uptight egghead, but I’ll bet she’s gorgeous. There’s no way he’ll survive guarding a beautiful body without indulging in it at the same time.”

“Dec is pretty tough when he wants to be,” Marcus said.

“Not that tough. No guy is that tough. We all have our weak spots.”

“Maybe we should call off the deal.”

“No way!” Ian cried. “Dec is going to cough up two thousand, and I intend to make him pay. Hell, he’s the one who suggested this—I think we should hold him to it.”

“I thought you were the one who came up with this brilliant idea.”

“Nope, it was Dec.” Ian pushed to his feet. “Let’s go get some lunch. All this hard work has made me hungry. Afterward, we’ll go look for your tape.”

Marcus got up and gathered his tools, then carried them down to the cockpit. He braced his arms on the boom, his gaze coming to rest on the dock. How many times had he caught himself looking for her, hoping that the next time he looked she’d be standing there waiting for him?

“Get a grip,” he muttered to himself. It was over. And if he wanted to fancy himself in love with Eden Ross, then this torture would go on forever. As soon as he and his brothers called an end to this ridiculous pact, he’d go out and find another woman to occupy his mind—and his body.

Ian climbed down into the cockpit and stood next to Marcus, staring over the water to the Ross mansion. “This is the life, huh?”

“It looks like it from the outside, doesn’t it? But it’s not that much different from ours when you strip away all the pretty stuff.”

Ian gave him an odd look, a frown wrinkling his brow. “You’re turning into a bleedin’ philosopher, Marky. I don’t know the cause, but I’m gonna figure it out.”

“There’s nothing wrong with me,” Marcus murmured. “I swear.”

It was easy to say but not so easy to believe. He was determined to forget her and he vowed to do just that. Starting right now.

* * *

E
DEN
STARED
OUT
THE
tinted window of the limousine, watching the familiar scenery of Ocean Avenue pass by. She’d hopped the red-eye last night at LAX and had arrived on schedule in Providence just shortly after noon. The limo had been waiting and whisked her away on the fifty-minute drive home.

“Home,” she murmured. How many homes had she had over the years? Malibu, Newport, her father’s house in Providence, her favorite hotels scattered across the world, even
Victorious
had been a home. But home was no longer a place, it had become a person. Marcus Quinn was home to her now.

The limo turned off Ocean Avenue and continued along the winding road toward the water. The gates of her father’s house loomed in the distance, and Eden’s nerves began to fray as they approached. She smoothed the skirt of her tidy Armani suit and ran her fingers through her hair.

She’d called her father yesterday afternoon, requesting a meeting with him. To her surprise, he’d agreed and asked her to meet him at the house for a late lunch.

The limo pulled into the circular drive and her father’s chauffeur jumped out and ran to open her door. Eden thanked him and asked him to leave her bag in the foyer.

With a steely resolve, she walked up to the house and rang the bell. A moment later the door flew open. Sarah Corrigan stood on the other side, a smile coloring her cheeks rosy. The housekeeper threw out her arms and gathered Eden into a fierce embrace. “You’re home.” She kissed both of Eden’s cheeks.

“I am,” Eden said. “I’ve missed you.” Tears flooded Eden’s eyes. She’d avoided seeing Sarah during her last visit, knowing that she couldn’t test the housekeeper’s loyalty to her father. In truth, she’d been so ashamed of her behavior she hadn’t been able to face the woman who was like a second mother to her.

But that didn’t seem to matter to Sarah now. “I’ve made all your favorites. The minute your father told me you’d be coming, I started cooking. And your room is made up.”

She took Eden’s hand and led her through the house. “He’s in the study. I took him coffee a few minutes ago and I think he’s a little nervous. He’s pacing.”

Eden stopped in the hallway and grabbed Sarah’s other hand. “Thank you,” she murmured. “And not just for today but for every day that you watched over me and fed me and read me to sleep. I know I’ve never said this, but you were one of the only people that made my childhood tolerable. And I’m sorry if I’ve disappointed you in any way.” Eden sniffled, brushing an errant tear from her cheek. “I just wanted to say that.”

Sarah kissed her again, then pressed her palm to Eden’s cheek. “Go see your father. When you’re finished, you and I will spend some time catching up.”

“I’d like that,” Eden said. She turned to the door of the study and took a deep breath. The rest of her life started today, at this moment. And though she wasn’t sure what the future held, she was finally ready to face it.

Eden knocked softly on the study door, then opened it. Her father looked up from his desk, his reading glasses perched on the end of his nose.

“Hi, Daddy,” she said.

“Come in,” he said. He pointed to one of the leather wing chairs, silently ordering Eden to sit. “Your mother says you’ve run through most of your trust fund. I suppose you’re here to ask for money. Well, I’m not going to give you any more.”

“I realize that,” Eden said. “And that’s not why I came.”

“You went through nearly three million in four years, Eden. I put that money in trust for you so that you would get a good start in life, maybe go to school, find yourself a husband, settle down. I’d be a fool to give you more.”

“I know that, too,” Eden said. “And I’m not here to ask for more. I’m here to tell you that I’ve made some decisions about my life.”

“That’s it?”

“From now on, I think it’s best that you hear these things directly from me. You won’t have to read about them in the tabloids.”

He leaned back in his chair and studied her intently. “That will be a change.”

Eden took another deep breath, attempting to calm her pounding pulse. “First, I should tell you that I’ve fallen in love. You may not approve, but that really doesn’t matter to me. I plan to spend the rest of my life with this man.”

Her father threw his hands up and shook his head. “Who is it this time? I hope he has money so he can finance your lifestyle.”

“Actually, he doesn’t. He works for a living. In fact, he works for you. Marcus Quinn.”

Her father gasped. “How is it possible that you even know Marcus Quinn?”

“It’s possible,” Eden replied. “I’ve come back here to be with him, if he’ll have me. I don’t want to live without him, Daddy. I can’t.”

“You’re going to propose to him?” her father asked.

Eden shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. I just want to make sure that he and I have a future together and we’re never apart again.”

“Eden, you’re still very young and—”

“Daddy, this is what I want. I know I’ve said that before and you have no reason to believe me this time. But so much has changed for me. I want to have a life with him and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.”

“What do you see in this man that you didn’t see in the others?”

Eden smiled. “Oh, Daddy, there’s so much. He’s kind and he’s steady and he watches over me. And when I make mistakes, he helps me to understand what I’ve done wrong, but he doesn’t judge me. He lets me be myself but a better Eden Ross than I’ve ever known.”

“How will you live?”

“That’s why I asked for this meeting,” she said.

“Well, now we get down to business.”

“I don’t want money. I want a job.”

Trevor Ross chuckled. “You’ve never had a job in your life.”

“I know, but it’s time I did something productive. And I was hoping you could find a place for me in your company. It doesn’t have to be anything important. I could work in the mail room or I could do filing. I’d be willing to go back to school to learn what I needed.”

“You’re not serious,” Ross said.

“I am,” Eden replied. “But I’ll understand if you don’t want me working for you. I can’t offer much in the way of references or previous experience. But I promise I’ll work hard.”

He considered her offer for a long time, his face caught in a deep scowl. “All right,” he finally said. “But the first time you screw up, I’ll—”

“I understand,” she said. “And I won’t.”

He stood and held out his hand, then realized what he was doing and pulled it back. He circled his desk and gave her a perfunctory hug. “Report to the Providence office on Monday morning at 9:00 a.m. I’ll have you meet with Human Resources and see what we can find.”

Eden smiled, emotions overwhelming her. The first piece of her plan had fallen so easily into place. “Thank you, Daddy.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a long hug. “I promise I won’t disappoint you.”

He drew back, and for the first time in a long time Trevor Ross smiled at his daughter. “I suppose I have Marcus Quinn to thank for this?”

“Maybe,” Eden said with a smile. “A little bit.”

“Well, why don’t you invite him to lunch with us? He’s down on the boat, finishing up the job I gave him.” Her father paused. “He’s good at what he does, Eden. I like his work. And I like him. You could do a lot worse than Marcus Quinn.”

“But I couldn’t do better,” Eden said. She drew a deep breath and steadied herself. “Wish me luck.”

He reached up and cupped her cheek in his hand. “How could he refuse such a beautiful woman?”

Eden pushed up on her toes and kissed her father’s cheek. “Thank you, Daddy.” She hurried to the door, but her father’s voice stopped her.

“There is one other thing.” He opened the drawer of his desk and pulled out a videocassette, then held it out to her. “I just received this by messenger. I thought you might like to dispose of it yourself.”

“I’ll leave that up to you,” she said with a grateful smile. “And I promise, I’ll do my best to pay you back, Daddy. I’ll make you proud of me.”

He nodded, and Eden hurried out of the study through the main hall. She threw open the wide doors to the terrace and kicked off her shoes. The grass was cool on her feet as she ran down the lawn toward the water. When she reached the dock, Eden shaded her eyes and stared out at
Victorious,
rocking at anchor.

Her heart began to beat faster again and she couldn’t help but smile. Though it had been only a week, the days had seemed like years since she’d seen Marcus. She felt like a silly schoolgirl, all flushed and nervous.

It was a first date of sorts. From now on, things would be much simpler. She wouldn’t have to always be watching her back, waiting for her past to catch up with her. She had a chance to begin again.