Barefoot in Lace (Barefoot Bay Brides Book 2) Read Online Free PDF

it.”
    She got a ridiculous thrill at the thought. “Get Gussied Up. I mostly talk fashion and style and blabber on about the weddings we plan and hold right here at Casa Blanca Resort & Spa. Nothing, you know, major like what you do.”
    He accepted a water of his own when a waiter stopped by. Which was a shame. Gussie kind of liked the idea of sharing a glass with him.
    “Don’t denigrate what you do,” he said. “It’s bloggers like you who get my work out there.”
    “I have to say I enjoyed glomming your work today. You really are a storyteller. There’s always so much emotion in your work.”
    The amusement left his gaze, darkening to something else as he eyed her long enough to feel a spark of electricity in the air.
    “I guess I sound like some kind of fangirl now,” she said.
    “Not at all.” He glanced down at the table, his hand casually rubbing his arm, right over the words tattooed there.
    “What does that say?” she asked.
    He didn’t look up, but his whole body grew still as he lightly grazed the purple ink that wrapped around his muscular forearm. “ Panta monos ,” he said, turning his arm so she could read the script. “It’s Greek for ‘always alone.’”
    She stared at the strange words, barely recognizing the Greek alphabet.
    Πάντα μόνος. Always alone .
    “Wow. How…” Sad. Serious. Such a personal statement. “Permanent.”
    He laughed. “That’s the general idea of a tattoo.”
    She stared at the letters. “Always?”
    He acknowledged the question with a nod. “Which is why my sister’s decision, or lack of it, is so ironic.”
    “Her decision?” What did he mean? She’d done a little snooping around the resort, talking to some of the staff about Ruthie Whitman’s death, and learned that the young, single mother died of an aneurysm while at work as a receptionist in a local dentist’s office.
    “Her decision to let me be the one to take care of Alex.”
    Gussie gasped softly. “She’s…yours?”
    “At least until she’s eighteen.” His jaw set as he stared ahead. “Imagine handing over the care and nurturing of your twelve-year-old daughter to a man who spends three hundred and fifty days of the year on the road, rarely stays in one city for more than a week, works all day, and plays all night.”
    That was his life? “Had you and your sister talked about this?”
    He closed his eyes and gave his head a slow, dramatic shake. “No, we did not. We really didn’t talk that often at all, a few times a year at best. Her passing was…completely unexpected.” Closing his eyes with obvious grief, he helped himself to a healthy gulp of water. “My schedule doesn’t allow for long family reunions.”
    But he was certainly having one now. “So, what are you going to do? Move here?”
    He almost choked on the water. “Not likely. But I have to work.” He managed a wry smile. “And there isn’t much demand for high-end photography on Mimosa Key, except for the occasional wedding.”
    She returned the smile, still wrapping her head around his predicament. “And there’s no one else?”
    “Her father’s out of the picture. We don’t have any other relatives.” He stared out the window, the last rays of sunset reflected in his eyes as he studied the scenery. “I guess I’m going to adjust my life to take care of one very hollowed-out young girl. Which is why I was so moved by your ability to make her laugh today.”
    “Hollowed-out?” She sank into the palms of her hands, resting her elbows on the table. “I couldn’t tell that from her at all. I mean, obviously she’s sad, but she didn’t seem…gutted.” But who wouldn’t be in her situation?
    “She’s distant and depressed, and I can’t seem to connect with her, no matter how hard I try. And, believe me, I’m usually very good at getting people to take down their defenses, since it’s a big part of my job.”
    “Maybe she’s just more comfortable around a woman, since it was only