Evan had shown up at the Center last night after her tutoring session with Matt, giving the child his personal email address so they could keep in touch. The gesture had almost brought Randi to tears. The thought of a man as busy and important as Evan giving a kid his contact information to hear about his progress was so damn touching that she’d wanted to cry. The sincerity in Evan’s expression, and his personal interest in a little boy who had the same disorder he had was just so damn . . . sweet.

  Afterward, she and Evan had gone for coffee at Brew Magic. Randi could still hear his voice saying that he was happy just because he had a chance to see her. They hadn’t done anything except talk about their day, but it had seemed almost as intimate as sex.

  Evan had seemed disappointed when he had to leave their impromptu meeting to go see Julian, who was just about to arrive in Amesport.

  I’m totally, completely, and undeniably addicted to him. I was just as sad to see him go last night.

  Conflicted, Randi got up to head to her bedroom to get ready for Hope’s ball. Because she was going with Evan, she wished tonight could last forever, but the pragmatic woman in her knew it was going to end.

  She looked at her computer, thinking about the distance that seemed to be growing between her and S. Randi was glad he had a woman in his real life, but she missed their uncomplicated conversations, too.

  No Evan.

  No S. to console her anymore.

  “It’s going to be lonely,” Randi murmured to Lily as she stroked the dog’s head, wondering why in the world a streetwise woman like her had been stupid enough to fall head over heels in love with Evan Sinclair.

  “I’m worried about Evan,” Mara Sinclair shared with her husband, Jared, as she looked at herself in the mirror and changed her earrings. She was almost ready to leave for Hope’s ball, but she had a bad feeling about how things were going to end for Evan after tonight.

  Jared stood above her, adjusting his bow tie. “Why?” he asked curiously.

  Mara’s breath caught as she looked up and saw her husband’s handsome reflection in the mirror. She still wasn’t used to being married to such an amazingly gorgeous man. Sighing as she picked up her lipstick, she didn’t ask herself why they had fallen for each other so hard or so completely. She was just grateful for that love every single day.

  “All of us are worried,” Mara confessed. She, Hope, Sarah, and Emily had shared their concern during their coffee time. “He’s in love with Randi. I know he is. What happens when he leaves?” Would he retreat inside himself again, lose all the progress he had made in coming out of his defensive shell? Mara was pretty certain that Randi was the reason for the change in Evan. And he had changed. She was doubtful he’d ever lose his know-it-all arrogance. That was just part of Evan. But he was different, less guarded, more connected to the family. She didn’t want him to lose that now.

  “I know he’s in love with her,” Jared answered nonchalantly. “I’m just not certain he knows it yet. It’s pretty evident to Grady, Dante, and me because we’ve been where he is right now. After the way he stuck his nose into my relationship with you, I shouldn’t feel sorry for the asshole, but I do.”

  Mara turned and punched him lightly in the stomach. “That’s a terrible thing to say. You love Evan and you know it.”

  “I love you more,” he answered promptly. “I love you more and more every single day.”

  Mara’s heart melted. There wasn’t a single day that Jared didn’t declare that he loved her more today than yesterday. “You love your siblings, too.”

  Jared shrugged. “I do love them, and yes, Evan saved my life. But I’m not going to meddle in his business.”

  Mara smiled, knowing that Jared would absolutely intervene with Evan if necessary, as she took a final look at herself in the mirror and stood up. She didn’t look bad for a plain, ordinary woman. She’d never be a stunner like Randi, or as eye-catching as Sarah, but the way that Jared looked at her was all that mattered.

  Jared whistled as he caught her around the waist. “You’re gorgeous.”

  Mara wrapped her arms around his neck. “You don’t look so bad yourself, handsome.” She paused before looking up at him, meeting his gaze. “You know you will interfere if Evan is miserable. He deserves to be happy.”

  Jared’s expression changed to one of regret as he answered, “I owe Evan my life and my happiness now. But I don’t think anyone knows what to do. None of us really knows how Randi feels, and Evan holds everything in a place where no one can see that he’s suffering. I’m hoping they’ll resolve this on their own.”

  “She loves him,” Mara said confidently. “She wouldn’t be sleeping with him if she didn’t. She hasn’t been with anyone since college. I tried to pry some information out of her during our lunch today, but she wasn’t talking.”

  Randi had arrived to their women-only lunch late that day, after the others had finished talking about how concerned they were for Evan.

  Mara was just as concerned about Randi. If she loved Evan, which Mara was pretty sure she did, his departure was going to break her heart. Randi had been through so much in her life. She deserved to be loved by a good man.

  “She’s sleeping with him?” Jared asked with a false tone of shock.

  Mara rolled her eyes. Her husband knew damn well that Randi and Evan had been hot and heavy with each other. “I don’t know what to do, either. Randi lost Joan so recently; I don’t think she’s quite recovered from that. Her relationship with Evan could hurt her badly.”

  Jared stroked her cheek and said softly, “Hey, sweetheart, don’t worry so much. We don’t know that they won’t work everything out for themselves.”

  “I don’t have a good feeling about it,” Mara replied sadly. “Evan hasn’t been here long enough to completely lose his guard, and he went through such a lot. I guess I’m worried he’ll leave before he realizes how he really feels.”

  “He’s learning fast.” Jared wrapped his arms around her waist again and stroked her back. “Dante pressed him just a little about whether or not he was interested. He told Evan if it wasn’t serious, he wanted to introduce Randi to some friends of his at the station. I thought Evan was going to have a heart attack or a stroke.”

  Mara raised an eyebrow. “So Dante was baiting him just like Evan did to you?”

  “That was different. Evan did it personally,” Jared grumbled.

  Mara laughed. “Why do I have a feeling you enjoyed it just a little?” she asked as she recovered.

  “I did,” Jared admitted unabashedly. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to see him happy. Hell, I feel guilty about not knowing about his problems. I feel like a selfish bastard. I know Hope, Grady, and Dante do, too.”

  Mara lifted her palm to Jared’s cheek gently. He’d suffered enough guilt in his past, and she didn’t want him taking on blame that he didn’t need to carry. “You didn’t know. Nobody did. Evan wanted it that way. You know he’s protective of all of you in his own way.” The eldest Sinclair was hyperprotective, but he’d probably never admit it.

  “I wish I would have known, but I know it isn’t my fault. Because of you, Mara, I’m done carrying baggage,” he told her fiercely. “If I need to, I’ll do what I have to do to make my stubborn brother face his own ghosts from the past and learn how much better it is to be happy.”

  She smiled at him, proud of how far Jared had come at being brutally honest about everything in his life. “I know you will.”

  “I wonder how Randi took the news that Evan was her secret email buddy. Did she say?” Jared was curious.

  “She didn’t mention it,” Mara answered thoughtfully, wondering herself how Randi had felt when she found out that she’d been talking to Evan all this time. “I’m sure she was shocked. Hope mentioned that they’d been anonymous friends for over a year, but Randi thought it was an employee of the Sinclair Fund.”

  “Would it matter to her?” Jared queried, his expression concerned. “Do you think she’d be pissed?”

  “I’m not sure. I don’t know exactly how they related to each other, but she won’t be happy that he lied all this time.”

  “He said he didn’t exactly lie. He just didn’t correct her whenever she mentioned him being an employee of our fund.” He hesitated before adding, “And he might have acknowledged it as the truth once or twice.”

  Mara gave Jared an admonishing look. “He lied.”

  “They agreed not to share identities,” Jared argued.

  “He’s Evan Sinclair. He could have told her the truth once they got to know each other. I doubt that Randi blatantly lied to him.”

  “It’s over. She knows now, and she’s obviously forgiven him,” Jared said confidently. “Hope told him to come clean and see what happened from that point on.”

  Mara nodded. “I hope everything goes okay tonight. I hope I’m dressed okay. The party didn’t start out to be formal, but once Hope started calling it a ball, everyone seemed to think they needed to dress for a fancy do.” Her sister-in-law was still calling it a come-as-you-are event, but she knew the attendees were excited to put on their best dress and have a good time. “The ballroom looks beautiful. We all stopped to do a last-minute check before we came home.”

  Jared pulled her closer. “You look beautiful, Mara. Can’t you tell?”

  She shuddered as his rock-hard erection connected with her body. “You always think I look beautiful,” she told him in a teasing voice.

  “That’s because you always do,” he answered immediately, his hands moving down to caress her ass through the silky fabric of the blue cocktail dress.

  Mara sighed as he moved closer, getting drunk off his scent and the deep timbre of his voice. Jared invariably affected her that way. Just that quickly, he could set her body on fire with a desire so strong that it was unstoppable.

  “I love you,” she told him softly, looking into his adoring eyes.

  “I love you, too, sweetheart,” he rasped, lowering his mouth to hers as he threaded his hands through her hair, undoing her hard work in trying to tame it into an upswept, more sophisticated style.

  Any regret she had about her spoiled hair dissolved as she melted into Jared’s embrace.

  They were going to be late for the ball, but even that thought was erased from her mind.

  A few seconds later, all she could think about was Jared.

  CHAPTER 17

  I can never fall in love with a man like him.

  Evan could still picture those words from Randi, written in her email, over and over again. Of course, she hadn’t been talking about some unknown male. If so, Evan would have been pretty damn happy knowing she was blowing off another guy. However, knowing it had been him she was referring to made him almost certifiable.

  Evan rarely got angry, and he still couldn’t figure out why he was so pissed off. After all, did he really think a woman like Randi was going to fall in love with a defective man like him? He was an unromantic, anal type of fucked-up man, focused more on business than anything else in his life.

  I’m still trying to prove myself worthy of her friendship, much less her love.

  Hell, it didn’t matter, and it didn’t relieve the burning pain in his chest when he thought about the fact that she had written that she could never love a man like him.

  I’ll make her love me. She will love me.

  Evan wondered if that was even possible, but he didn’t accept defeat well at all. Maybe this wasn’t about business, but it had become just as damned important to him.

  It’s more important.

  Even as the thought slipped into his mind unconsciously, he admitted it was true. For the first time in his life, someone other than his family took precedence over his portfolio.

  “What’s your driver’s name?”

  Evan straightened the cuffs of his tuxedo—which didn’t really need fixing—as Randi’s voice jolted him from his rampant thoughts. He was seated next to her in the backseat of the Rolls, on their way to the ball.

  She was dressed in a beautiful red cocktail dress that showed off every one of her curves and revealed way too much of her flawless skin, as far as he was concerned. He could have done without the low-cut back and the plunging neckline. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see her in the dress she was wearing; he’d just prefer that nobody else did.

  Mine!

  It had taken everything he had not to lock her inside of her house with him and keep her there. His dick had been hard from the moment she’d smiled at him when she opened the door.

  Her killer smile got to him. Every. Damn. Time.

  Finally, he answered her question. “His name is Stokes.”

  “What’s his first name?” she asked in an insistent whisper, obviously not wanting the older man to hear.

  “I have no idea,” he answered honestly. Evan rarely knew the first name of any of his employees.

  “He’s a new driver?”

  “He’s been with me for years,” he corrected.

  “And you don’t know his first name? Does he have a wife and children?” she whispered adamantly.

  “I don’t concern myself with my employees’ personal business. If I did, I’d never get anything done.”

  Evan knew he was in trouble from the moment he saw the disapproval on her face. “That’s not true and you know it. He’s a personal employee. He takes care of you. Maybe it’s true that you need to be impersonal with some people, but not the people you let into your personal life.”

  Evan shrugged. Truth was, he didn’t let anybody into his personal life. Hell, he’d never really had a personal life. It was always all about business.

  Stokes drove the car.

  Evan worked in the backseat until he reached his destination.

  They didn’t exchange personal comments.

  He watched as Randi leaned over the front seat. “What’s your first name, Stokes?”

  To give Stokes credit, Evan noticed that his driver seemed completely unflustered. “Gerald, madam. My family calls me Jerry.”

  “Are you married?” Randi questioned conversationally.

  “Yes, madam. The wife and I just celebrated our fiftieth wedding anniversary,” Stokes told Randi in a stoic voice.

  “Children? Grandchildren?” Randi prompted.

  “Three wonderful children, six grandkids, and now three great-grandbabies so far,” Stokes answered, his voice warming as he spoke about his family.

  “You didn’t want to retire?” Randi shifted positions so she could lean closer to the driver from the backseat.

  Evan hated that.

  “No, madam. I lost my job when I was almost retirement age. Mr. Sinclair was kind enough to give an old man a chance instead of hiring a younger body. I needed the work then. My daughter was sick and needed help. He made it possible for me to help her with a more-than-fair income as his driver. I’ll be a loyal employee until the day I can’t drive anymore,” Stokes answered, his voice a little more emotional as he spoke of his employer and his past.

  Evan fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat, wondering why he never knew about Stokes and his family. It wasn’t that his driver wasn’t willing to talk. Evan realized he’d just never bothered to ask.

  He made a vow to find out if Stokes was financially set for the rest of his life. The man usually traveled everywhere with his car, always there at Evan’s beck and call. If he had family, maybe it was time for him to enjoy some kind of retirement.

  “I hired you because you were qualified. I’ve kept you on because you’re one of the best employees I’ve ever had,” Evan stated loud enough to be heard by Stokes.

  “Thank you, sir,” the driver replied humbly, his voice filled with pride. “We’ve reached your destination.”

  Evan looked out the window to see that they were parked right in front of the Center. People were filing into the building slowly, all dressed for a party.

  “It’s an open party, Jerry,” Randi said brightly. “Would you like to come in and get something to eat?”

  Stokes turned around and smiled at her. It was the first time Evan had ever seen his driver actually smile.

  Stokes shook his head. “No . . . but thank you, madam. I’ll just pop over to that little restaurant with the lobster rolls. Great food there.”

  “Sullivan’s,” Randi answered with a kind smile and a nod. “Have a nice dinner.”

  Evan waited as his driver got out and opened the door for him. He stood and said quietly to Stokes, “Talk to me when you’re ready to retire. I’ll make sure you’re well taken care of, Stokes.”

  His driver nodded. “I know that, sir. Thank you.” He paused before adding, “That’s one sweet girl you have there. She’s a keeper.”

  “I plan on keeping her,” Evan answered fiercely. “She just doesn’t know it yet.”

  He saw Stokes smile in the dim light. “Very good, sir.”

  Evan moved to the other side of the vehicle, but Randi was already out of the car and headed straight toward him. She seemed totally unconcerned that she had to open her own car door. Most of the women he knew would have sat and waited for somebody to do it for them.

  Not his woman. He needed to be faster if he wanted to keep up with her.

  Randi had been independent most of her life, and she knew nothing about the rituals of the super-rich.

  That was one of the things Evan liked about her. Randi was unpretentious and as real as a woman could get.

  She just found out more about my employee in two minutes than I have in all the years Stokes has worked for me.

  He offered his arm as she reached him, and he dismissed Stokes to go have his dinner.

  “It wasn’t that painful, right?” Randi asked quietly as they walked arm in arm to the front entrance of the Center.

  “What?”

  “Learning something about your employees. He idolizes you.”

  “I pay his salary,” Evan replied solemnly. “But you’re right. I’m glad I know his situation. I can set him up for retirement as soon as he’s ready.”

  Randi nodded. “There’s nothing wrong with caring, Evan.”