What a Girl Wants Read Online Free PDF

is?”
    She pressed against the back of the chair. “I’m here, aren’t I?”
    “Yeah, but people don’t really think these things through, and the next thing you know Pandora’s box has been opened and it’s too late to close it back up.” He pushed the photo back toward her. “Some stories are better left buried.”
    Looking down at the picture, she stared at the woman holding her. “You think I’m going to regret finding out who this is?”
    “Yeah, I do.” He shrugged. “I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve uncovered a lot of secrets. You think you want to know, but once the secret is out, you’ll wish you had let it be. Are you happy?”
    Pursing her lips, she nodded. “Yes.”
    “Then leave this woman in hiding.”
    “Are you saying you won’t let me hire you?”
    “No, but I want you to be sure of the consequences.”
    What consequences could there be to a woman who’d never been in her life? She glanced at the photo, knowing she wouldn’t be able to resist. “I’ll think about it and let you know.”
    “Good decision.”
    “But for the sake of the discussion, if you were going to look for her, where would you start?”
    “Well”—he tapped the pen against the desk—“she knew your parents when you were a baby, so I’d probably start by researching the people they knew. Their friends, their neighbors, coworkers they associated with. Classmates they kept in touch with, that sort of thing.”
    She nodded. She could do all that online.
    Rick narrowed his eyes. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
    “Probably not.” She smiled ruefully at him.
    “Then I’m here if you need help.” He picked up the picture and frowned at it, obviously puzzled. He shook his head and handed it back. “I’m telling you my gut says this is a mistake.”
    “It’ll all be good.” She slipped it back into her pocket.
    “Good luck,” he said, sounding dubious.
    “Thanks.” She stood with a confident smile. It was just a strange woman. What was the worst thing she could possibly discover?

Chapter Five
    ‡
    S ebastian stepped out of the car service that dropped him off on the corner of Fillmore and Greenwich, where Google Maps said Ariana Warren’s shop was located.
    Before he looked for her shop, he walked around the neighborhood. He’d expected Edward Warren’s daughter to live somewhere upscale. Not that this area was dodgy, as his cousins would say, but there weren’t any Gucci stores here. The fanciest shop appeared to be an optometrist’s office that had Barbie dolls hanging from nooses in the window.
    He stopped to look at its large display window. Beyond the court-martialed Barbies, there was a grand piano. Just inside the doorway, there was a shiny red Ducati parked to the side.
    Sebastian thought of his friend Luca, who’d married Beatrice, the most difficult of his Summerhill cousins. Smiling, he made a mental note to call them. He missed them.
    Turning, he narrowly escaped being trampled by the svelte women coming out of the yoga studio next door. He noted the juice bar around the corner and then, phone in hand, he pulled up the address. Ariana Warren’s shop should be directly across.
    He looked but all he saw was a tiny wine shop called In Vino Veritas. He stared into the window as he crossed the street. Inside, there was a woman with dark curly hair unpacking a box, sipping from the glass of red wine in her hand, despite the early hour.
    It was kind of tempting to join her. Smiling, he ignored the urge and found the address Edward had given him. There was no sign, but the intercom had a listing for Dew Me.
    Pausing, he looked up at the building. It looked like an ordinary apartment complex, not the headquarters for a skincare conglomerate. He thought about everything he’d told Mark Schaffer from Whole Foods when they’d talked that morning. Mark had been very interested in Dew Me and had requested a prospectus. Sebastian wondered how interested he’d be if he