The Wilde Side (21 page)

As if on cue, Sophie grew bored with the grown-up conversation and began to fuss, demanding her own share of attention. Ashley twirled the little girl around in her arms, did a little dip, then blew a raspberry on her neck. Sophie squealed in delight and giggled, and the infectious sound had Ashley and Scott laughing, too.

But it was the wide, affectionate smile and the love wreathing Ashley's face as she played with her niece that captured Scott's attention and made his chest go tight with a bit of envy. He wanted to be the recipient of that unconditional adoration and wondered if that would ever come to pass between them, wondered if Ashley would be able to let go of her past and insecurities so she could take a chance on the real thing.

"Do you have any nieces or nephews?" she asked, once she had Sophie perched on her hip again, drinking apple juice from her bottle.

Ashley's hair was tousled from Sophie grabbing at the long strands, and her skin was glowing. She looked beautiful, happy, and content – a combination she wore extremely well.

"None of my brothers or sister are married. But two of my cousins' wives are pregnant and are due any time. Do you remember Liz at The Daily Grind?" At her nod, he explained, "She's my cousin Steve's wife."

Ashley grinned. "Who is obviously
very
pregnant."

"Exactly." He stuffed the crepes with the seafood mixture and set them in a dish to bake. "I can't wait until my cousins have their babies so I can spoil 'em. Kind of like being a surrogate uncle since my siblings don't have any kids."

"You like children?" she asked, and took a drink of her wine.

"Honestly, I haven't been around little ones much. But yeah, I like kids, and I'd love to have two of my own some day."

"Two?" Humor laced her voice. "You've already planned that far ahead?"

He shrugged. "Two is a nice even number, and after growing up in a house with four kids, and being the oldest, I know how much work goes into having a big family." He poured the cheese sauce over the crepes, added a sprinkling of Parmesan, and met Ashley's gaze. "How about you? Do you want kids?"

She glanced away, took another drink of her wine, and answered him in a soft voice. "Sure. Someday."

"With the right guy?" he replied, meaning it as a lighthearted, throwaway comment.

Except her reaction didn't echo his playful attitude. Instead, a small frown formed on her brow, and a sad smile touched her lips. "Does one ever really know who the right person is?"

Her question hit him hard, and he struggled to find an answer that wouldn't make her feel threatened in any way. "I'd think you'd feel it in your gut," he said, believing that to be true. "You'd feel it in your heart and soul." Just as he was feeling those things for her.

A troubled look encompassed her features as she considered his words. Was she thinking of her past with Greg? Or maybe her relationship with Evan? Either way, he hadn't meant to put a damper on her mood.

He touched her elbow gently and waited until she was looking up at him again. "Why don't you go feed Sophie her dinner, and I'll finish up with ours?" he said easily. "I just need to bake the crepes and put the salad on the table, and we'll be ready to eat."

"Okay," she agreed, seemingly grateful for the suggestion, then headed out of the kitchen with the baby and into the adjoining dining room.

By the time he had their dinner on the table, Ashley was giving Sophie her last spoonful of baby food, her mood seemingly back to normal. She wiped the little girl's messy face clean with a damp washcloth, then dropped a handful of Cheerios on her high chair tray so she'd stay busy while they attempted to eat their meal.

Scott served up the crepes and grinned wryly. So much for a romantic dinner for two. There was nothing the least bit seductive about having a baby sitting between the two of them, banging on her tray and making high-pitched noises as she talked gibberish to her pieces of cereal before eating them.

But the child's antics were entertaining and amusing, and before long Scott got used to the distraction, enough to carry on a dinner conversation with Ashley

"So, tell me, how did your family get into the hotel business?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"Actually, it was my grandfather St. Claire who bought the hotel over forty years ago, after my grandmother died. The previous owner had gone bankrupt, and he purchased the place for an unheard-of price back then," she said, warming to the subject. "The hotel needed a lot of repair work since the previous owner let it get so bad, but within a year of buying the building he had the doors open for business."

"Very impressive." He washed down a bite of his dinner with a long drink of the fresh lemonade Ashley had made for him, since he wasn't into fruity wine. Your grandfather sounds like he was quite the entrepreneur."

"He was." A fond smile lifted the corners of her lips. "He went on to do the same with a rundown hotel in San Francisco and one in New York, turning them both into luxurious, five-star hotels in those cities, as well."

"And your father?" he prompted. "When did he get involved in the hotel business?"

"My father, Charles, was an only child," she explained as she used Sophie's bib to wipe the drool off of the little girl's chin, then gave her another Cheerio to eat. "He worked beside my grandfather from the time he graduated from college. So, naturally he inherited the chain of hotels when my grandfather died of a heart attack twenty-five years ago."

Scott quickly did the math in his head, realizing that Ashley had only been five at the time. "You were just a little girl when he passed away."

"Yes," she said, returning to her own meal now that she'd taken care of Sophie. "My sister, Madison, wasn't even born at the time. But I remember him as very affectionate and loving, and he spoiled me rotten."

Scott grinned at that. "What about you, Ashley? What made you decide to follow in your father's footsteps and work in the hotel?"

She lifted her gaze to his, just in time for him to witness a play of rueful emotions chase across her face – sentiments he didn't fully understand until she went on to explain.

"Actually, growing up, I never intended to work at the hotel." She absently pushed her fork against the last few bites of crepe on her plate and managed a small smile. "I had my heart set on working in the fashion industry, and when I graduated from high school, I went to FIT in New York, which is a private college dedicated to fashion, marketing, and merchandising. Four years later I graduated with a bachelor's degree in fashion merchandising."

Fascinated, Scott urged her to go on.

"I returned home for the summer, fully intending to go back to New York in the fall to secure myself a job working for some big name company like Yves St. Laurent or somewhere fun like Betsey Johnson," she told him, a hint of wistfulness in her voice. "But my parents really wanted me to settle back down here in Chicago and be a part of the family business, especially since my younger sister had no interest whatsoever in the hotels."

"I take it they were looking for one of their own children to eventually pass the chain of hotels on to?" It had been the same with his own father, but Scott had
willingly
taken over Nolan and Sons.

She set her utensils on her plate and gave Sophie her clean spoon to play with. "I can't blame them for wanting that."

Except she'd given up her own dreams for them – out of duty and obligation, he wondered? – and that couldn't have been an easy choice. "Are you happy now, working in the hotel's boutiques?"

She thought for a moment as she swirled the pale pink liquid in her wineglass. "Yes, I'm happy with my job. It's a huge challenge, I love what I do, and my parents are thrilled that at least one of their daughters has a vested interest in some part of the hotels."

Finished with his meal, he pushed his plate away and leaned back in his chair, studying her from across the table. "So, you're content with where you are, then?"

She glanced away and sighed. "I don't think I've been
content
with my life for a while now," she replied, the quiet honesty in her tone revealing just how much she was trusting him with such a private glimpse into her deepest thoughts and emotions. "I've been feeling stifled and restless for a variety of reasons, which is part of the reason why I made the decision to move to San Francisco. I want to be on my own. Truly on my own, without familial influences and other expectations hanging over me on a regular basis."

He saw an opening, an opportunity to sate his own curiosity on a particular issue, and seized it. "Does Evan Monterra have anything to do with any of those expectations?"

Her glass of wine halted halfway to her mouth, and her startled gaze cut sharply to him. "
Excuse me?
What do you know about Evan?"

Awww, shit
, he silently cursed. He watched her emotional barriers rise and realized he'd been way too abrupt in the way he'd handled the delicate subject of Evan, and Ashley's relationship with him. But Scott wanted and needed to know where the other man stood with Ashley and how he fit into her life.

That meant Scott needed to lay his own cards on the table and tell her how he knew about Evan and that the two of them had a history together. "When my cousin's partner, Cameron, investigated your background, I was told that your most recent dating history included Evan Monterra, the CEO of your father's company, and that it seemed serious between the two of you at the time."

Her entire posture tensed. "Since you had someone dig into my past, then you must already know everything that happened between Evan and I."

He winced at the sarcastic bite to her tone, but understood where it was coming from – pure defense. "No, I don't know everything, just the fact that the two of you dated for about a year. Cameron asked me if I wanted to know more about the two of you, and I told him no. At the time it was something I just didn't want to deal with, but now it is, and I want to hear the details from
you
."

She shrugged stiffly. "Evan is a great guy."

"I agree," he said, wondering if that was going to be the extent of her sharing. "He's been great to work for and with on the restoration project."

She grew stubbornly silent, staring at him, seemingly debating whether or not she wanted to give him the information on Evan he sought, and he knew he had to let her make that choice for herself. Ashley drained the last of the wine and checked on Sophie, who was sitting quietly in her high chair and sucking her thumb while watching Scott with big, round, curious eyes.

Another few moments of silence passed before she spoke, offering Scott the insight he craved. "I told you that after what happened with Greg I was hesitant to date, and I certainly didn't trust my judgment with men," she said, her tone soft and calm this time. "When my father encouraged me to go out with Evan, who'd been interested in me for years, I did, mainly because I didn't want to disappoint my parents again. A part of me wanted to make up for the disaster with Greg, and I knew my mom and dad wanted Evan and I to get together in hopes that things would work out between us."

It wasn't difficult for Scott to see the bigger picture. "Marriage to Evan would be the perfect arrangement, considering his position in the company and you standing to inherit a good portion of the St. Claire fortune, including the hotels."

"We were all well aware of that," she said wryly. "Me. Evan. And my parents, who thought of Evan as the son they never had. But after a year of trying to force something that I just didn't feel, emotionally or physically, I ended the relationship."

He couldn't help but be secretly pleased that there had been no sparks between Ashley and Evan. But he couldn't imagine such a big rejection had been easy for the other man. "How did Evan take the news?"

"Like the gentleman he is. He was very understanding, and I think he knew what was coming." She tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear, the gesture as eloquent as the woman herself. "We ended things amicably, but I know he still has very strong feelings for me. As for my parents, they just think I need time to realize what a perfect match and husband Evan would make for me."

Which didn't bode well for
him
, Scott thought.

So, he figured, why not torment himself further. "And now, how do you feel about Evan?"

"I care for him and I respect him." She paused, meeting his gaze. "But I doubt he'll ever be anything more than a good friend and business partner."

Scott's breath seemed to unravel out of him in a rush of relief. That's all he needed to hear – for now.

Sophie yawned, rubbed her eyes, and made a small whimpering sound, which immediately grabbed Ashley's attention and effectively ended their conversation.

"I need to give Sophie a quick bath and get her ready for bed," Ashley said as she stood and lifted the baby out of the high chair.

"Go ahead." Scott smiled as Sophie laid her head on Ashley's shoulder, her tired eyes drooping sleepily. "I'll do the dishes and fix your hot fudge sundae."

"Extra nuts, please," she said with a grin.

They went their separate ways, with Ashley heading down the hall to her bedroom, and Scott to the kitchen. He cleared the table, put the leftovers in her refrigerator, and cleaned up the dinner dishes and countertops. Once everything was done and put away, he scooped ice cream into a big bowl and piled on all of Ashley's favorite toppings.