Seth laughed, confused by their presence, but too pleased to see Joy’s beautiful, smiling face and outstretched arms to worry at the moment. He gave his niece a big bear hug and peered down at her for a moment. She looked radiant from good health and her vacation tan. Still, he saw the edge of concern in her hazel eyes as she studied him back.
“You okay?” she asked him quietly before he had a chance to ask her the same.
“Oh. So Katie’s been talking,” he said, understanding dawning. Katie had obviously observed some of the chemistry and conflict occurring between Gia and him. The sparks between them during and after that kiss were sort of hard to disguise.
Katie had called him three times since Gia had left. Seth had thought he’d explained the circumstances of Gia’s sudden absence calmly, but had heard the worry in Katie’s reaction to the news. Katie’s response had been to suggest that Seth come down to dinner or that they could come up to see him. When he’d refused, saying he needed some quiet time to work, Katie’s concern had obviously only grown. Given the anxious look in Joy’s eyes right at the moment, Katie had called in Joy for reinforcements.
“Talking is Katie’s specialty, haven’t you figured that out by now?” Everett joked, coming around the front of the car. He and Seth exchanged a handshake and a half hug.
“Yeah, I’ll be talking to your sister about that,” Seth told Everett darkly. “What does she think I am, a hysterical teenager or something?”
“It wasn’t Katie’s fault. She was worried about you,” Joy insisted, giving first Seth and then Everett a repressive look. His wife’s remonstrance didn’t dent Everett’s easy confidence in the slightest. He looped his arm around Joy’s waist and pulled her against him. “When I heard about my half brother,” Joy told Seth, resting her cheek against Everett’s chest, “I thought a trip to Vulture’s Canyon might be called for.”
Alarm went through him. “Katie didn’t blab about that and then not tell you the rest of—”
“She told me all about Gia Harris,” Joy said. “She didn’t consider her promise not to tell me about it until I came back to be binding once the secret of Gia’s true identity was out and she had returned to L.A. She knows Everett and I aren’t going to say anything about Gia being here with you . . . or about her leaving. And like I said, Katie was worried about you being up here all alone. I’m glad she told me.”
Seth rolled his eyes.
“I can’t believe you cut off your vacation,” he said in a stiff tone. Everett’s shrug seemed to say it all. You can’t stop family from worrying.
Knowing it was a done deal at this point, Seth led them into the house. He entered several steps ahead of them and immediately went to the coffee table, where the sketches still lay. For the past few days, he’d found himself adding small nuances to Gia’s expression.
Never satisfied.
Missing the real flesh-and-blood woman like hell.
He gathered up the nudes quickly and hid them away in his leather portfolio before Everett or Joy could see them. Given their expressions, they had noticed his haste, but didn’t comment.
Both of them stared down at the remaining sketches on the table though. He saw Joy’s mouth fall open in amazement as she moved aside the sheets, studying the multiple sketches with an artist’s empathy and skilled eye.
She looked up, meeting Seth’s stare. She smiled tremulously.
“We did the right thing to come,” she said.
“Well, it’s great to see you,” Seth sidestepped.
“That’s not what I meant,” Joy said. “We need to talk.”
Everett cleared his throat. “I have a sudden urge to be in the . . . kitchen?” Everett asked Seth, pointing, clearly unsure as to where he suddenly needed to be.
Seth gave a tired nod.
“No, Everett. You stay. Seth needs to hear from you as much as he does me.”
“Really?” Seth asked, unable to hide his exasperation.
“Really,” Joy said, grabbing Everett’s hand and sitting. Seth lowered to a chair. He really didn’t want to discuss Gia with Joy right now, but he recognized that determined look on her typically serene face.
“You’ve fallen for an actress.”
“Don’t beat around the bush, Joy,” Seth seethed.
“So it’s true?” Joy asked, leaning forward slightly. “Katie said she thought she saw the signs. She said you had the look of a man caught in a trap of his own making.”
Joy couldn’t seem to repress her smile, despite Seth’s glare.
“I’m sorry. But you have to admit, it is kind of ironic, Uncle Seth. Out of all the people in the world, you fall for Hollywood’s ‘It’ Girl? You—who had all those glamorous actresses throwing themselves at you on movie sets for years, but you always abstained with an almost religious fervor?”