Dinah Coulter was in the cool-down phase of a yoga session with her private trainer when she heard the clanging. She stopped, cocking her head as she glanced at the man beside her. “Did you hear that?”

A sly grin slid over his lips as he looked her up and down. “The only thing I can hear is the beating of my heart as I look at you.” He let out a low whistle, his gaze lingering on her long, toned legs. “You look like a walking felony.”

“Thanks,” she said offhandedly. She tossed her long hair, the color of sun-kissed honey, thanks to her frequent visits to her highly sought-after hairdresser. She placed the flat of her palms onto the floor and eased into a down-dog pose, liking the taut feel of her stretched hamstrings and calves. She could feel Bronzer ogling her.

In his late twenties, Bronzer (his real name was probably something boring like Bill or Henry) had been training with her for over a year. Their affair had begun four months ago. With his good looks and large ego, Bronzer had turned her head at the gym, reminding her of a Stretch Armstrong doll. Unfortunately, the steroids and energy drinks he downed like water seemed to have eaten away at his brain cells. A walking cliché, Bronzer was starting to bore her to tears. She’d have to find a delicate way to get rid of him. She and Bruce had an open-marriage arrangement, allowing each other free rein on their flings, so long as they didn’t disrupt their social lives or cause them any embarrassment. It wasn’t the life Dinah wanted when she was young and starry-eyed, falling so hard for Bruce Coulter that she could hardly breathe. But as it turned out, Bruce married Dinah for her upbringing and social status. After his first affair, they’d gone to counseling where a tearful Bruce pledged his fidelity. After his fourth indiscretion, Dinah had to grow up and realize that her charmed, high society life came with a price. She could either accept things the way they were and make the best of it or let it crush her. One thing Dinah Coulter was not, was a wilting violet. She got tough and took solace in Bruce’s money, her friends at the club, the never-ending barrage of social events, and most importantly, her precious son whom she loved more than life itself.

She stopped, hearing the noise again. It sounded like metal clanging or crunching. Bruce left for the office at six. She cocked her ears. “I hear something.” Riley had come home last night rather than going to his condo, but he liked to sleep late, so she doubted it was him. Then again, he was in a foul mood, refusing to answer her when she asked what was wrong. Of course, she really didn’t have to ask because she already knew—Silver. She scowled. For the life of her, she never could understand what Riley saw in the wretched girl. Granted she was beautiful and charming, but she was also poor and devoid of good breeding. At first, Dinah went along with Riley’s infatuation, feeling Silver was a safe bet because she had very little family and seemed easy enough to manipulate. Then Silver grew up and developed a mind of her own. Riley was obsessed with getting her back. Dinah had hoped Silver would come around and realize all the privileges her marriage to a Coulter would bring, but all of that was lost on Silver, who didn’t seem overly impressed with money or status. While Silver’s mother was still alive, Dinah could wield a certain amount of control over Silver, but that avenue was closed now. There was still Gracie though. Silver would do just about anything to protect her daughter. In that one aspect, Dinah and Silver were exactly the same.

Dinah had taken a step back, allowing Riley space to work out his own problems, but it didn’t seem to be working. Bruce accused her of coddling Riley, being one of those helicopter parents who swooped in to solve everything for their kids. He said her desire to fix everything had made Riley weak. Perhaps it had, but it wasn’t in Dinah to turn a blind eye to Riley’s suffering. Lately, he’d been in a pattern of self-destruction. In the past, Riley had relied on his looks, but he was drinking too much and not taking care of himself. If he had any hope of getting Silver back, he was going to have to step it up a notch. Maybe she needed to hire a personal trainer for Riley or send him to one of those fitness camps. His hair was starting to recede, just like his father’s, but that could be fixed with a hair transplant. She’d casually mentioned it once to Riley, but he balked. Maybe it was time to insist.

When Dinah heard the noise a third time, she thought she’d better check it out. She left Bronzer gazing at his reflection in the wall of mirrors as she stepped out of the workout room and into the hall. The noise was coming from the garage. Unease trickled over her as she made her way to the kitchen and opened the door. She gasped at what she saw.

Riley was beating his motorcycle to a pulp, using one of Bruce’s golf clubs. Rage twisted his features as he banged it again and again. She could hardly believe this red-faced lunatic was her son.

“Stop it!” Dinah screamed, balling her fists.

Either Riley didn’t hear or was ignoring her because he kept hitting it.

She ran down the steps. “What’re you doing?” She grabbed his arm. Reflexively he jerked out of her grasp, sending her toppling backward, where she landed on her rear-end. “Riley Scott Coulter, you stop this,” she ordered, angry tears stinging her eyes.

Riley came out of his daze, focusing on her. Then he sprang into action, leaning over and helping her to her feet. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were there.”

She cursed him at the top of her lungs, eyes blazing. “What do you think you’re doing? Have you lost your mind?”

“It’s about Silver,” he said haltingly.

“Of course it is,” she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “It’s always about Silver.” She sighed heavily, when Riley flinched. “You know Rile, maybe it’s time to let her go. She was never good enough for you. And besides, there are plenty of other fish in the sea who would love to have a chance with you.” Her eyes narrowed into dark slits. “If Silver’s too stupid to realize what she’s losing, then good riddance to her.”

His face crumbled, the words coming out in short bursts. “Silver’s with Ace Sanchez.”

Her heart dropped. “What?”

“I stopped by yesterday to congratulate Silver on Gracie’s acceptance into The Wexton Academy, and he was there with her.”

Indignation seized Dinah with a vengeance, shooting a blinding pain through her head. She had half a mind to grab the golf club and finish the job Riley had started—beat the motorcycle to a pulp. She looked at Riley, feeling his pain and humiliation as if it were her own. The ladies at the club would have a field day if they ever got wind of this. She could hear it now the way it would go down in hushed whispers. “Did you know that Riley Coulter’s ex-wife is now with Ace Sanchez?”

“The Ace Sanchez?”

“Yeah, poor Riley. He must be devastated. The sap couldn’t hold onto his wife. He used to be something once, but can’t hold a candle to Ace and his accomplishments.”

The imagined comments zigzagged through Dinah’s head like a renegade pinball as she tried to figure out what to do. Ace had been a pebble in her shoe from day one, and that’s when he was a mediocre-looking nobody. He was now a formidable contender with his looks, money, and fame. She looked at Riley—his inadequacies magnified a hundred-fold. Since when did he get that paunch? He looked soft and pathetic. Her motherly instinct came out full force as she put her arms around him and gave him a tight hug.

“Don’t worry,” she assured him, “I’ll fix this.” She’d make Silver pay dearly for the trouble she was causing. The twit didn’t know who she was dealing with. It was one thing to divorce Riley, claiming she needed space to sort things out. But, it was another thing entirely to hook up with the one man who embodied everything Riley could’ve been and wasn’t. The one man Riley secretly idolized and rivaled. Riley was the privileged one who’d been given all the opportunities. He had every reason to succeed and Ace had every reason to fail. And yet, in a strange turn of events, Ace was the one who’d come out on top.

Riley had always been an ugly crier. His face was blotchy, emphasizing the pronounced veins on his round cheeks. He half-snorted, half-gulped as his shoulders shook. She pulled back. “Dry your eyes,” Dinah snapped, her voice cracking like a whip as it echoed through the garage.

The whites of his eyes popped as he jerked, his cries vanishing faster than a rabbit under a horse stampede.

“Stand up straight and act like a man.”

He nodded, swallowing hard.

Dinah let out a long breath. She was starting to hate Silver for putting Riley through this. First, she’d given birth to a defective child and now this. There seemed to be no end to her treachery. “I want you to tell me everything you know about Ace Sanchez. Every little detail, do you understand?”

“Uh, huh,” Riley croaked.

“Silver won’t get away with this.”

Hope sprang in Riley’s eyes. “You’ll fix it?”

In many ways, Riley was still very much the fragile child who’d looked to her for help when he fell and scraped his knee. Dinah longed for those days when a simple band-aid would do the trick. Things were much more complex now. Her voice rang with determination as she looked at Riley. “Yes, I’ll fix it.”

* * *

There was no way Ace was going to let Silver walk out of his life without a fight. He needed a strategy, and he needed it fast. The fortress around Silver’s heart was crumbling bit by bit. If only he had more time, he could make her see that the two of them could build something lasting together. He had no doubt that Riley and his mother were forces to be reckoned with, but that didn’t mean Silver should just roll over and allow them to walk all over her. Even if Ace couldn’t persuade Silver to give him a chance, she deserved to be free of Riley, once and for all. He reached for his phone.

“Ricardo … this is Ace.”

“Hey, ese,” Ricardo drawled in a singsong, gravelly voice. “Nice party last night.”

“Yes, it was.”

“Who was that hot mamacita on your arm?”

“Her name’s Silver. Hey, dude, I’m hoping you can help me out.”

“Sure, ese, what’s up?”

“Silver’s roof caved in last night due to all the rain.”

“Aye yai yai. That’s bad.”

“Yeah it is. Can I hire you to fix it for her?”

Long pause. “I wish I could, Ace, but I’m booked up on several jobs right now. It’s hard to find good help these days, everybody wanting something for nothing. My people wanting to get paid when they’re not doing their part. My clients demanding for the job to be done yesterday.”

“I’ll pay you extra,” Ace inserted when Ricardo paused to draw in a breath.

Ricardo let out a nervous laugh. “How much extra, ese?”

“As much as it takes to put Silver’s job first.”

“Dude, you must have it bad for this flaquita. I thought you had the girls lining up, eating out of the palm of your hand. What’s so special about this one?”

Ace ignored the comments. “Will you do the job?”

A slight hesitation as Ricardo blew out a heavy breath like he was doing Ace a huge favor. “Yeah, I’ll do it. Give me the address.”

“Silver will call you with the details.”

“Oh, okay. That’s cool.”

“Ricardo, one more thing.”

“Yeah?”

“When Silver calls, don’t tell her we’ve had this conversation.”

“How’s that?” Ricardo said, sounding confused.

“Under no circumstances are you to tell Silver that we spoke, understood?”

“Yeah, man. I got it. Whatever you say.”

“And I want you to extend the job as long as you can.”

“Man, you’re not making a whole lot of sense. Did you drink one too many cervezas last night?”

“Can you do that?” Ace said, tightening his hold on the phone.

“Sure, I can extend it as long as you want, but it’ll cost ya.”

“I don’t care what it costs. But when Silver calls, you quote her a dirt-cheap price.”

“Huh?”

“Quote her a dirt-cheap price and then I’ll pay you the rest.”

“Okay, ese, sounds like a good plan. I look forward to getting the call from your woman.”

“Thanks,” Ace quipped, quickly ending the call as a knock sounded at the door.

“Come in.”

Silver stuck her head in the door. She’d showered and gotten dressed, but her hair was still wet. “Is it okay if I make Gracie something to eat?”

“Sure. Help yourself.” Ace made a mental note to get groceries. Most of the time, he either went out to eat or lived off protein bars and smoothies.

“I saw some eggs in the fridge … and bread in the pantry. I’ll make scrambled eggs and toast. Would you like some?”

“That would be great.” He could tell from the polite tone in Silver’s voice that her guard had gone up full force. He shouldn’t have pushed things by kissing her in the pool, but she’d wanted him to. He could see it in her eyes. And then things got a thousand times worse when X showed up and razzed him about it. He didn’t blame X for teasing him. He would’ve done the same if the situation were reversed. He and X were always going back and forth, teasing one another.

Silver forced a smile. “Thanks.”

“Oh, do you want my cousin Ricardo’s phone number?”

“That would be great. I need to call him and a couple of other companies.”

Ace’s brows drew together. “A couple of other companies?”

“Yeah, to get three estimates.”

“Okay.” He hadn’t thought about that. But on the upside, Ricardo would give her a rock-bottom price and could get to it immediately. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if Silver got someone else to do the job, but he was hoping to keep her and Gracie here with him as long as possible. Plus, he knew Silver couldn’t afford to fix the ceiling. It would be good to help her out without making the situation awkward. He couldn’t stand the thought of Silver being in need and not doing anything to help, especially when he could. If Silver knew he was helping though, she’d resist, just like his parents did. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d offered to invest in his parents’ restaurant so they could open new locations. Plus, he wanted to hire additional employees for the existing restaurant to make it easier on his mom and dad. But they were stubborn, insisting that they had it under control.

“It’s not your job to support the family,” his dad told him over and over. “I’m the head of this family,” Raúl insisted, “and that right goes to me.” Then he would launch into a tirade about how he built the restaurant with his own two hands from the ground up and how it was doing just fine on its own. He had a grudging admiration for his dad’s stubbornness, even though Ace wished he’d let him help. Ariana let him give her seed money to start her gym and that was turning out well. Ace assumed that when his parents saw that, they’d come around, but no. Whether his parents liked it or not, Ace was setting aside funds to pay for his brothers’ college. That would give them a good start and what they chose to do from that point forward was up to them. Lucas gave him a shot by introducing him to the coaches, and it had set him on the right path. The old familiar pang went through Ace as he thought about his older cousin. He still missed him terribly, even after all these years. When Silver asked about Lucas the night before, it brought back pain, but it was also comforting to know that she remembered.

The smell of cooking eggs wafted over him as he stepped into the kitchen. Silver was at the stove, a spatula in her hand. Gracie had pulled up a stool and was right by Silver’s side, watching everything she did. The two were a picture of domestic bliss. It went through Ace’s mind that this was how it should be—Silver and Gracie here with him, putting the kitchen to good use for once.

“Smells delicious.”

“Scrambled eggs,” Gracie explained. She wrinkled her nose. “But no cheese to put on top. Mommy says you have no groceries except for blasted protein bars.”

Silver’s eyes flew open wide. “Gracie,” she mouthed, mortified.

Gracie rolled her eyes like well, that’s what you said.

Ace laughed. “Your mom’s right. We need to buy groceries.”

“Fried ice cream?” Gracie said, her eyes sparkling from the wonderment of the night before.

“I don’t know how to make fried ice cream, but we can get the regular kind.”

Gracie lips puckered like she was doing some hard thinking. “But the restaurant?”

Silver chuckled. “What Gracie means is that it’s strange you don’t know to make fried ice cream since your family owns a restaurant that makes it.”

Ace tipped his head. “Ah, I see. My mom never trusted me to make the ice cream. My job was always taking out the garbage and putting out the silverware. To this day, whenever I go home, she makes me do those same jobs.”

“I help at the restaurant,” Gracie said eagerly.

“Gracie’s fascinated with the restaurant,” Silver added.

“I’d like that very much,” Ace said to Gracie, impressed she was offering to help. He cast a surreptitious glance at Silver. She looked more relaxed than she had earlier when she stuck her head in his bedroom door. His goal was to keep her relaxed, make her feel comfortable enough to stay here.

A few minutes later, the three of them were seated at the table. Ace was about to dig in when Gracie said, “prayer.”

“Oh, of course.” Growing up, Ace’s family always said prayers over their food, but now that he was on his own, meals were informal, and it seemed odd to pray over a smoothie.

Silver looked expectantly at him. “This is your house. Who would you like to say the blessing?”

Ace couldn’t help but smile when Gracie’s little hand shot up like she was in a classroom. Silver was trying hard not to laugh. A smile wiggled at his lips. “Gracie, would you like to say the prayer?”

“Yes,” she exclaimed, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

Ace imagined Gracie was thinking I thought you’d never ask. The girl had spunk, Ace had to give her that.

“Hey,” Silver cautioned, “be respectful.”

Gracie’s eyes went down to her plate. “Yes, Mommy,” she said contritely.

“Okay,” Silver instructed, “bow your head and fold your arms.”

“I do it,” Gracie countered, her brows forming a sharp V.

Silver’s expression suggested they’d been through this same process too many times to count. It was obvious Gracie was trying hard to be independent. Her prayer was simple and sweet, and Ace was touched when she included him. Even though he couldn’t understand every word Gracie said, he caught the gist of it. “Bless Ace for us stay here. Ceiling broke. Help fix it. Go back to the restaurant for fried ice cream. Amen,” she chirped.

“Amen,” Silver and Ace said in unison.

“Sorry,” Silver said as they spooned food onto their plates, “I couldn’t find any butter or jam.”

“No worries. This looks delicious.” It would’ve sounded crazy for Ace to admit it out loud, but this was the first time he’d sat down at the table and had a real meal in this house. “We’ll go grocery shopping later this afternoon,” he promised. “And get some ice cream,” he winked at Gracie.

“But we’re going back home in a few hours,” Silver protested, her forehead furrowing. Her hair was now dry and styled, capturing the light from the light fixture above as it bounced happily on her shoulders. Her subtle make-up was expertly applied making her look more like a woman in control as opposed to the tousled, granola look from earlier. Both looks suited Silver. Ace had long ago committed her every feature to memory—the intelligent light in her bright, azure-blue eyes. The cute way her nose tilted up on the end. Her high cheekbones and full lips that were just right for kissing, as he’d been so aptly reminded earlier. At present, her chin was set in a stubborn stance as she locked eyes with him, a silent battle of wills taking place.

“Mommy, we can’t,” Gracie said, shoving a large forkful of eggs into her mouth. Her speech was even more slurred than usual as she continued. “Ceiling broke.”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Silver reprimanded.

“She has a point,” Ace said, trying to keep his tone easy to avoid a confrontation. “Why don’t you call and see what the contractors say? Then you’ll have a better idea of the amount of time it’ll take to fix the ceiling.”

“It’s not appropriate for Gracie and me to stay here, not after …” Her voice trailed off, pink tingeing her cheeks, giving her a rosy, apple-polished look.

Ace thought she’d never looked more beautiful. He sought for words that would make her stay. Heck, at this point, he was wondering if there were any words in the human vocabulary that would help. His eyes held hers. “I’ll be a perfect gentleman. If you don’t want things to progress between us, then so be it.” His heart did an end-zone dance, the kind he did after scoring a touchdown, when he saw the blip of disappointment on her face. Then she seemed to catch herself as she shifted, a guarded expression cloaking over her. He cocked his head, his voice searching. “Where will you go?”

She looked glum as she dropped her eyes from his and looked down at her plate, pushing the food around with her fork. “I don’t know,” she finally said.

Gracie made a face. “We stay with Nana and Papa … or Daddy.”

“No,” Silver blurted.

Gracie rocked back, her lower lip trembling. Silver reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Sorry, sweet pea, Mommy didn’t mean to snap at you.” She offered an apologetic smile. “I’m just tired.”

“You need a nap,” Gracie said, concern filling her eyes.

“Yes, that’s a good idea, maybe I can later this afternoon,” Silver said in a placating tone.

“You can stay here as long as you need to,” Ace said, giving her a firm look.

“Why’re you being so nice to us?” Silver asked, a note of sadness in her voice. “After everything that has happened between us.”

Ace forced a smile, even though it broke him up inside to see Silver so vulnerable. “I guess I’m just that kind of guy,” he said lightly. “Besides, this big house gets a little lonely sometimes.”

“Thank you,” she said softly, a slight smile tipping her lips.

“Okay,” Ace said, trying to lighten the mood. “How much time do you need to get your work done?”

Silver pursed her lips together, thinking. “I dunno. A couple of hours, maybe.” The irony was that one her most pressing tasks was to secure a location for Ace’s dinner date, a week from this coming Friday. She had to act fast to get everything set up on such short notice.

“Good. Once you get work taken care of, I thought we’d go to the Ft. Worth Zoo.”

“Yippee!” Gracie exclaimed.

“The zoo?” Silver said dubiously.

Ace took a large bite of toast and washed it down with a couple gulps of water. “Yep. Gracie will love the monkeys and zebras. Afterwards, we’ll pick up some groceries.” He grinned. “Something other than those blasted protein bars.” He loved how color crept back into Silver’s cheeks as she shook her head, her crystal eyes appraising him. “Ace Sanchez, you are persistent.”

He chuckled. “That’s what they tell me.”