“I don’t remember going anywhere like this as a kid.” Johnny readjusted his sunglasses, looking around the open air, stately interior of the resort.

“That’s because we weren’t geniuses like Carly.” Unmistakable pride tinged Alice’s voice. “This is the kind of thing that happens when you reach the upper echelon of high school academia. These kids are the rock stars of the scientific future.”

Dozens of high school age kids moved through the breezeways, laughing and talking. Some were in bathing suits and heading toward the pool area. Others, dressed more conservatively, were gravitating toward some of the conference rooms. Carly wasn’t among either group, but Alice wasn’t surprised. Though brilliant, Carly was a social introvert when it came to dealing with kids her own age.

“Are you sure she’s here?” Johnny asked.

“Positive. Carly wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

The well-dressed gentleman at the reservation desk offered a polite smile of regret when they approached. “If you were hoping for a room, I’m afraid we are completely booked.”

Alice offered a polite, friendly smile in return. “We are a bit late in arriving. I believe our daughter has already secured a suite.”

“Her name?”

“Carly. Carly Løve.”

The man tapped a few times on the touch-screen before him and smiled. “So she has. The VIP suite in the North Wing. Welcome.” He snapped his fingers for assistance and a young bellhop appeared out of the shadows.

The young man led them out of the lobby. The furtive glances he gave Johnny along the way suggested he recognized, or at least suspected, who he was. That theory was confirmed when they reached the suite.

“I’m a huge fan,” the bellhop said reverently.

Johnny flashed his megawatt smile and slipped a hundred-dollar bill into his hand. “I appreciate that. But let’s keep it our secret, shall we?”

“Yes, sir!”

Alice was chuckling as they stepped inside. A quick look around the posh suite revealed Carly’s things, but not the girl herself. Johnny found a schedule of events left out and showed it to Alice.

“Knowing Carly, she’s soaking in everything she can, probably from the shadows,” Alice said.

“What now?”

“I think we should stay here and keep things as low key as possible until Carly returns.”

“Agreed, as long as we can order room service.” Johnny picked up the remote and stretched out on the sofa with a feline arch.

“You just ate on the plane!”

“I’m a panther. I eat a lot.”

Her lips quirked. “I thought panthers were sneaky.”

“That, too. We’re sneaky, and we eat a lot.”

They didn’t have too long to wait. Carly came in about an hour later, squealing when she saw them. “What are you guys doing here?”

“You didn’t think we’d miss the finals, did you?” Alice returned Carly’s fierce hug with one of her own then pinned her with a stern look. “Even if you didn’t see fit to tell us.”

“I was afraid you’d tell me not to come. You know, after you took me back last time.”

A fresh wave of guilt washed over Alice. “I’m sorry about that, kiddo.”

Carly nodded, her expression one of a much older soul. “I know, and I get it. I’m just glad you’re here.”

“You didn’t tell your dad where you were going though, did you?”

“I tried, I really did, but that puss in heat he’s got now wouldn’t let me anywhere near him.” Her shoulders lifted and fell in an elegant shrug. “And it’s not like he’d come anyway. He probably doesn’t even realize I’m not there.”

Alice exchanged a look with Johnny. “About that ... he does know.”

“He does? How?”

“I’m sorry, Carly. I thought I’d surprise you in Chicago, but you weren’t there. Rex caught me in the suite.”

Her eyes grew wide. “He knows?”

“He knows you aren’t there, but not where you are or what you’re doing. He’s worried about you, Carly. You need to let him know you’re okay.”

Disbelief clouded her young features. “He doesn’t care. He wishes I’d never been born, or at the very least, that my mother hadn’t died so he wouldn’t have to be saddled with me.”

Carly went into her room and closed the door. Alice immediately followed, unwilling to let the conversation end there. “Rex cares.”

“He has a funny way of showing it.”

“Can’t argue with you there,” Alice agreed. “But he does care, in his own way.”

Carly snorted softly. “Like he cares for you?”

It was a direct hit, one that Alice couldn’t deflect. Rex’s apathy toward her hurt as much now as it had then.

“I’m sorry, Alice,” Carly said quietly. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

Alice summoned a weak smile and searched for the words to explain something even she failed to understand completely. It might have been easier had Carly not been so astute. “That’s a completely different situation. I was just his PA. You are his daughter, and he wants you with him. If he didn’t, you wouldn’t be.”

When Carly opened her mouth to speak, Alice held up her hand. “Let me finish. I’ve known Rex a long time. Long enough to know he doesn’t do anything he doesn’t want to. He might not qualify for Father of the Year, but he does ensure you have the best of everything. If he didn’t care, why would he do that? If he didn’t want you around, don’t you think it would make more sense to set you up in a boarding school somewhere?”

She let Carly process that for a minute, then added, “Rex doesn’t think like everyone else. That’s part of what makes him such an amazing artist. His world is his music, and everything else—with the exception of you, Carly—is superfluous. That might not be ideal, but it should mean something. Just think about that, okay?”

Alice got up and went back into the living area. Her hands were shaking as she poured herself a drink. Everything she had said was true. She truly believed that, deep down, Rex loved his daughter in his own way. Unfortunately, it was also a reminder that she would forever be in the “superfluous” category.

Johnny patted the seat beside him then wrapped an arm around Alice as she leaned against him. “You okay?”

“Yeah, of course.” And she was. Sort of. She had a great job, an amazing friend who had proven time and time again that he would do anything for her, and she had her health. Once her heart accepted the cold, hard truth and stopped mooning over a certain lion, she would be golden.

She pulled out her cell phone and tapped out a text to a familiar number. Then she hit send, turned off her phone, and tossed it onto the counter.

“What did you tell him?”

“That Carly is fine and we’ll meet up with him in Boston in a few days.”

“That’s all?”

Alice nodded. Her conscience had demanded that she let Rex know Carly was okay, but there was no benefit in saying any more than that. This was Carly’s time to shine, and Alice was going to do everything possible to make sure the next few days were drama free.