Page 19 of Daddy's Double Surprise

“No, not telling Dad. But I’m not going to lie and say what’s going on is nothing.” Sunny rose up on her tiptoes and pressed another kiss to my lips, this one chaste. “Because I might yet be tempted to drop anchor here.”

The grin as she walked away mesmerized me. Her comment caused an explosion of emotions and thoughts as I backed into the house to finish getting ready for golf this morning. I closed the door behind me, leaning on it as I thought about what had just happened. I had feelings and responsibilities I hadn’t had in a long time. And it terrified me…and thrilled me at the same time.

If I kept walking around with this cloud-nine giddiness, however, Rick would ask questions. I warned Jackson off already, so he knew better than to say a word about me seeing Sunny. I just had to fight my own instincts and I’d be good.

The sun was hot when I pulled up to the country club. Rick was already at the first tee, tossing a ball in the air and catching it with one hand. Jackson and Joseph were standing a little behind him, talking shop, but the moment they saw me, their voices dropped.

“Don’t think I didn’t hear that last bet, Price,” Rick called, a grin tugging at his lips as I approached. “You trying to take us for a ride today?”

I smirked and shook my head. “I’ve got a bad feeling about today. I might just give you guys a head start.”

Jackson chuckled, raising an eyebrow. “Please, Carter. We all know you can’t let anyone beat you. Not even on a bad day.”

Joseph’s smile was quieter, more knowing, but I could tell he was already sizing up the course, mentally plotting his strategy.The guy was sharp—he had a way of looking at a green and immediately figuring out how to work it.

Rick slapped me on the back. “Grab your club. Let’s see if you’re as good as your reputation.”

I picked up my driver, setting it in the ground with an easy swing. The sun was still low, casting long shadows across the fairway. Rick went first, his swing smooth, the ball flying high, cutting through the air with the usual precision. Jackson followed, a little wilder, but still on the mark. Then it was my turn.

I focused, lining up the shot. The moment the club made contact, I felt it—solid, satisfying. The ball shot forward, landing just shy of Rick’s.

“That’s the way to do it,” Rick called, his voice full of mock approval.

As we walked down the fairway, the conversation shifted. We were all easing into it, letting the game do its work. But then Rick, always the one to throw in a curveball, asked casually, “So how’s Soleil? She doing alright?”

I could tell by the way he phrased it—so offhand—that he wasn’t just asking out of concern. There was something else there. I shrugged, trying to keep it light. “She’s fine. Adjusting.”

Rick didn’t let it go. “I know it’s tough for her, but…How’s she really doing, Carter? She’s had a hell of a few months.”

I took a breath, watching as Jackson took his next shot, a little wayward but not too bad. I didn’t want to make a big deal of it. But something about Rick’s tone made me pause.

“She’s tough, Rick,” I said, my voice a little tighter than I wanted. “She’ll be alright.”

Jackson was the first to tee off, slicing it badly to the right. The wind kicked up, pushing it back into the fairway, but he lost a lot of distance. Joseph teed off next with a beautiful shot, and I could read Rick’s body language as he prepared his clubs to takehis shot. Something was bothering him, and I had a feeling I was going to hear about it.

After a few holes, Rick cleared his throat and stood a bit closer to me than was necessary. He often did that when he felt upset by something, and I knew it was coming before he said it.

“I’m worried about her, Carter. I could’ve asked a dozen different men to help me out by giving her a job. You know her best friend died. They were practically sisters. So tell me, how she’s really doing.” His fatherly concern etched deep crevices into his forehead.

“She’s really okay, Rick. What’s actually going on here?” Jackson glanced at me as I spoke. He was fidgety, like he knew something too, but he said nothing even when I narrowed my eyes at him.

“I swear I just found this out from Kira’s parents, but it turns out the drug trial she was involved in was connected to your company.” Rick spoke in hushed tones like it was a secret, and when I looked at Jackson, he gave me a sheepish expression. The two of them spoke about this before he came to me. It irritated me, but maybe he was trying to leave me out of it as much as possible. I was her employer, not her best friend—at least to his knowledge.

“Yeah, wow,” I said, genuinely feeling shocked. I didn’t know if Sunny knew what drug trial Kira was taking part in, let alone which company manufactured it. But I did know she had no clue who I really was, what part I played in the pharmaceutical industry as a whole. It wasn’t something I was proud of, but for now it was a saving grace. I still had a chance to turn the sinking ship around and right the wrongs before she found out.

“So, I’m just concerned. When I bring up her job, she gets all clammed up. Refuses to talk to me. I just wanted to make sure she hadn’t connected the dots.” Joseph took his shot while Jackson listened to our conversation and managed to keep astraight face. He and I both knew why Sunny was uncomfortable around Rick’s discussion of her work life.

“I’m sure she’s fine, but if you’d like me to, I’ll ask her again.” I patted him on the shoulder when Joseph’s ball launched into the air, then I pulled out my five iron and walked to my ball to take my stroke.

I had a lot on my mind, and the distraction had me playing an awful game. I was already plus three with a ball in the rough and the wind in my face. The entire afternoon went about like that too, until finally we were loading our clubs into our trunks and Rick came over to shake my hand.

“Thanks for being my ears to the ground,” he said, and his grip of steel felt crushing. Or maybe that was the weight of the guilt I was carrying from the secret I was keeping.

“No problem, Rick.”

“You know, has Soleil said anything to you about me? I just feel like we’re not connecting well.” He eyed me, making me nervous.

“Rick, you lean on her too much. She’s twenty-eight, a grown woman. Give her some space.” The minute the words were out of my mouth, I realized they’d upset him. I shut my trunk and gritted my teeth, waiting for his reaction, but his phone rang and he pulled it out.

---