Page 30 of Hidden Resolution

“Papa!” Shonda groaned, jumping in. “We’ve known each other for less than two weeks. Please don’t.”

Luigi narrowed his gaze. “Two weeks? But you only returned today.”

“We met on the plane,” she said quickly.

Although she wasn’t technically lying, she was clearly attempting to make their connection sound more innocent than it was.

The twisted troublemaker in Mason couldn’t help it.

“We were seated together on the flight to St. Thomas, shared dinner that night, and spent most of the next week enjoying… the island.”

Why he felt compelled to force her to acknowledge their time together, he couldn’t say.

Horror dawned in Shonda’s eyes before they narrowed with promised retribution.

“I suppose your mother is all right with this… this…” Luigi flailed for words, his face becoming a concerning shade of red.

“Mason, please excuse us.” Shonda hauled her father toward the back of the restaurant. When she returned five minutes later, her expression was pinched and her lips thinned. “We should go.”

“Shonda…” He was unsure what to say, but figured it had to start with an apology.

“We should go,” she repeated firmly as she gathered her things.

Regretful, Mason climbed to his feet and tossed cash on the table. But she was quick to shove the bills back into his hand.

“He’ll be offended,” she said by way of explanation.

On the drive home, he couldn’t help but try. “Want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know why you did what you did, Mason, but it was a dick move.”

“I know.” He shifted tactics, hoping she’d open up or soften. “How is it you’re Luigi De Vitis’s daughter but your last name is Grant?”

“My mother left him and married Nolan Andrews when I was a baby. She wanted Nolan to adopt me, but Papa refused, insisting I keep his surname. He felt it was good enough for generations of De Vitis, and so it was good enough for me.” Shonda scoffed. “Of course, Mama had to thwart him and used her maiden name on my school records. Afterward, changing it was too much of a hassle.”

“That’s right! I remember now. Luigi was married to…” He did a double-take, gaping. “Wait, your mom was Eva Grant?TheEva Grant? Centerfold and supermodel?”

“The one and only.”

She clearly wasn’t thrilled about it.

Darting quick looks between her and the road, he cataloged all the similarities.

“The resemblance is definitely there. Her hair is redder than yours, but the features are the same. And the body…” He trailed off, suddenly recalling exactly how familiar his teenage self had once been with the swimsuit spread featuring her mother. Awkward didn’t begin to cover it.

Shonda’s arch look said she knew exactly what memory he’d tripped over.

He barely managed not to squirm in his seat.

They fell into awkward silence for the rest of the drive, but as soon as they arrived at her apartment, Mason halted her escape.

“You’re far more stunning than your mother,” he said, meaning it and willing her to believe him.

Her eyes locked with his, and whatever she’d been stewing over during the ride vanished.