Page 3 of Finding Forever

Behind the shield of my sunglasses, my hazel eyes inched over her small curvy frame and I was not disappointed with the view as I got up close and personal. Everything I had admired from afar only improved as I got closer. When I came upon her earlier, I was so occupied with getting Penny to apologize that I hadn’t been able to fully admire the work of art in front of me.

“I’m Maverick, Penny’s dad,” I introduced myself, my hand extended in her direction.

The woman placed her hand in mine, sparking an immediate zing that shot up my arm, and she frowned. My interest in her was heightened by my body’s involuntary reaction to her. Until that moment, I hadn’t known it was possible to feel that much from so little contact.

Who was she?

“Gina,” she spoke, answering my unspoken question. There was a hitch in her voice, and I wondered if this was how she normally spoke.

“Thank you for keeping an eye on Penny while I took that call.”

“Don’t mention it. Mycah was happy to see her. In case you didn’t notice.” She laughed, and the sound reminded me of the gentle lull of the lazy waves kissing the shore. The hitch from her voice earlier was gone.

Her voice was soft and feminine, possessing a gentle quality I could listen to all day. She hadn’t said much to me, but I was already convinced that I could listen to her talk about almost anything.

“These two have clearly met, but I’ve never seen you before. I’m sure I would remember.”

Gina’s lips twitched ever so slightly before she spoke again.

“We’ve never met,” she confirmed. “Mycah is my son. He met Penny when he went to work with his dad.”

That piqued my interest. I never brought my daughter into the office because my business was no place for kids, so the odds of this man working for me were slim.

It was as if she saw the wheels spinning in my head and provided an out.

“Chris Sampson.”

Victoria’s driver. I’d signed enough of his checks for that name to stand out to me by now.

“Your husband is my ex-wife’s driver?”

The woman in front of me shook her head, sending the cloud of curls on top of her head swaying back and forth. “Oh, no.”

My confusion returned tenfold. Then who was she?

“Ex-husband.” She laughed without a trace of humor before her attention shifted, the kids having caught her attention.

Victoria bringing her driver along on this vacation was news to me. There was absolutely no possible reason for her driver to be on vacation with us. How had she managed to justify prioritizing a driver but not a nanny? The way she sometimes treated Penny like an afterthought irked me to no end.

None of it made sense because Penny was the best kid anyone could ask for. Even when she ran off and made me chase her through the sand.

“Is everything alright?” a gentle voice called out.

It was only then that I remembered I was standing on a beach with a beautiful stranger and our two kids. I sighed, resolving to confront Victoria about her priorities later.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry,” Gina explained. “It’s just that you were standing there with a frown and I didn’t know if something happened.”

She’s observant,I noted. Her picking up on a subtle shift in my mood or mannerisms shouldn’t have mattered so much. But I couldn’t remember the last time someone had paid close enough attention to me to notice. I was the problem solver in most people’s lives. It was usually me troubleshooting.

“Well,” she hedged, and I realized I never verbally answered her question. Her dark eyes were swimming with questions, but she didn’t pry. Instead, she looked back at Penny and her son and said, “These two seem to be too busy having a good time for us to break it up. I have some chairs and snacks set up over there.” She extended a manicured finger in a direction over my shoulder and asked if I wanted to join.

When we had made it to her little set up, I was impressed by the spread. Two full-sized chairs, a blanket and a cooler full of snacks were waiting for us.

“Did Chris bring all of this out for you?”

She looked confused by my question before sending those fluffy curls on the top of her head swaying again.

“No, I did.”

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