Rainy Day Lovers (The Rocklyns Book 3) Read online

  Roman knew that wasn’t true. Most of the time Logan didn’t show at all, but for the sake of peace, he instead tried to say something positive. “I’m sure Sydney appreciates you taking the time to sit with him. It’s good for him to have family there in the room.”

  Logan snorted, giving Roman a condescending look. “Yes, family. Real family. Not a needy vagrant he picked up off the street.”

  Was he going to start this crap again? Well over a decade had passed since Roman was adopted by Sydney and Logan still saw him as an interloper. “I thought respect for your uncle’s condition would make you put aside your petty resentment. Don’t you dare upset him with any of this—”

  “Don’t you give me orders. I was his surrogate son long before you wormed your way in. I bet you’re chomping at the bit hoping it won’t be long before you inherit this house.”

  Roman stepped forward, getting up in Logan’s face. “Fuck you.” But then he thought of how a disturbance might affect Sydney, so he tamped down his urge to wipe off Logan’s smug grin with a short right to the jaw. “That subject is off the table. He’s still got a lot of life left in him.”

  “You and I both know that’s not true,” Logan said. “And believe me, if my Uncle Sydney has left even one percent of his estate to you, my attorneys will be all over you until I get every penny of what is rightfully mine.”

  “You are welcome to it all. Now excuse me, I need to go take care of my father.”

  Taking the stairs two at a time, Roman raced along the second-floor hallway to the master bedroom, an elegant corner suite furnished in beige and browns, with a fireplace in the spacious sitting area and French doors that opened to a balcony patio overlooking the landscaped gardens. Of course the room now had a nurse’s station, an oxygen tank next to the bed, and other medical paraphernalia.

  As he stepped into Sydney’s room, he heard him grumbling to his latest day nurse. Aside from being the most intelligent person Roman had ever met, Sydney had always been so kind and patient, but lately his moods shifted radically. Roman guessed it was partly the pain he was in, partly the meds, and a good part of it anger at being helpless for the first time in his life.

  “Hey, Dad, I’m back. What’s going on? What do you need?”

  “This lady says she’s not hired to make iced tea.” Sydney flung a hand out toward his nurse. Emma, was it? Aside from the nursing service’s rotation, Sydney asked for a new nurse so often that Roman could hardly keep up. He glanced at Emma, who stood there with her arms crossed over her chest, looking like she couldn’t wait for her shift to end.

  “Judy is the one you should ask for iced tea,” Roman said to his dad. Judy was his home health aide and she’d lasted longer than the others so far. “I’ll go see if she’s in the kitchen.”

  “Don’t bother,” Sydney said. “Judy made it with a junky mix. Tasted like crap.”

  Roman couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ll go make it.”

  “With a real tea bag. And steep it for—”

  “I know how you like it.” Roman turned to go, but Sydney stopped him with a hand to his arm.

  “Wait a minute.”

  Roman glanced at Emma. “Is everything okay?”

  Emma nodded, and Sydney snickered. “Have you forgotten I’m a doctor? I can take my own vitals. Now, come here, Roman, and let me look at you. I don’t think you’re getting enough sleep. If it were because of a woman I wouldn’t mind, but it better not be your old man that’s keeping you awake.”

  Sydney reached for the blood pressure cuff and told Emma to bring him the SureTemp, as Roman stepped close to the bed and indulged his dad in one of his routine checkups. It was a routine that had begun when Roman developed an infection after getting his first facial surgery. That was when Roman had realized that Sydney needed him as much as he needed his adoptive father.

  And he knew the cancer was taking its toll on Sydney’s ego as well as his body, so he would gladly act like a child in need of a checkup if that allowed Sydney to feel like the capable professional he’d been for so many years.

  “Your blood pressure is up. Are you drinking too much coffee? Worrying?”

  Roman laughed. “I just ran up the stairs.”

  Sydney pursed his lips. “Emma, I need to have a private conversation with my son.” She nodded and left the room.

  There was that gut twinge again. “Did Logan say something to upset you?”

  “He was asking me about my will again.”

  “That little scumbag,” Roman growled.

  “Calm down or I’ll get the blood pressure cuff out again.” Sydney patted the bed and Roman sat. “It seems Logan has run through most of what he inherited from his father.”

  “Was he asking for another loan?”

  Sydney lifted one side of his mouth in a smirk. “Actually, he was asking a lot of medical questions. I think he was feeling around to see how soon he’d inherit my money.”

  Roman sprang up, fists in the air. “You’re not going anywhere yet. Dr. Weinstock said that new trial drug was—”

  “Sit down, Roman. There’s something I want you to know.”

  When Roman settled down, Sydney went on. “I’ve told you that I used to take Logan on trips and buy him things and pay special attention to him when he was a kid. Since my brother had three boys, not to mention all his daughters, he appreciated it. And I guess it was my way of hoping to have someone who could be a son to me. But my brother and his wife had already spoiled Logan so much that it never quite worked. He was not a nice kid.”

  “Still isn’t,” Roman murmured.

  “But his mother filled him with expectations around an uncle who had even more money than his triple-digit millionaire father. Except for this house and of course our medical practice, which are both rightfully yours, I have left Logan fifty percent of my financial holdings in thanks for the days when he tolerated outings with his pain-in-the-neck uncle. Although you get the other fifty percent, you and I both know that you deserve all of it. Are you…upset that I’m giving Logan so much?”

  Roman’s heart squeezed at the incredible compassion of this man. “Are you kidding? I would have been mopping floors in some factory or else found dead in some alley by now if it weren’t for you.”

  “I owed you at least that for saving my life. And what a rewarding surprise for me when you took every challenge I offered and paid me back tenfold with your diligence and loyalty. You’re the best son I could ever have asked for. You know how many colleagues envy me, wishing they had someone like you to take over their practice and continue their work?”

  “I’m grateful to have the medical practice, but Logan can have everything else if that makes it less stressful for you.”

  Sydney gave him a hurt look. “I thought you loved this house.”

  “I do. But he—”

  “If Logan gets it, all those things that we’ve collected over the years that are special to our little two-man family would be sold or given to people we don’t know and probably wouldn’t like.”

  His shoulders slumped. “I didn’t think of that.” Yeah, this whole thing was keeping Roman awake at night, but the thought of dealing with Logan wasn’t nearly as upsetting as losing this man who was the only family he had. No, Sydney wasn’t a blood relative, but he had taken Roman from the dead zone and given him life in a way that was just as profound as any real father.

  “I see that look in your eyes.” Sydney held Roman’s gaze. “It’s that desolate look you had when you were living on the street. I know what you’re thinking. That you’ll be alone in the world again.”

  Roman breathed out a short laugh. “How do you always know what I’m thinking?”

  Sydney grinned, and despite the way his bones protruded now that he’d lost so much weight, he still had that wiseass spark. “You’re man enough to handle it. You have a good profession, loyal patients, friends. I just wish you also had a devoted wife. I wasn’t a very good example when it came to that, but I just never found
a woman who could hold my interest the way my work did.”

  “That reminds me—I, uh, did meet a woman I like. And she knows how to cook healthy meals. So I invited her over tonight to teach me how to make chicken rice soup for you.”

  Sydney’s eyebrows lifted. “I was never a ladies’ man, but I think most women would rather be taken out to a nice restaurant for dinner than being put to work in a kitchen.”

  “She isn’t most women.”

  “Uh-oh. Sounds like she’s got her hooks in you already. How well do you know this girl?”

  The frequent wariness Sydney now had for strangers made Roman hesitate. Then the intercom for the front door buzzed and Janet, the latest housekeeper who came in four days a week, reported that Les Bromer was at the door.

  “He’s going to check out my office for a camera installation,” Sydney said. “My collection of Art Deco pottery is in there and next time one goes missing I want the thief on record.” A former military man, Les owned a security firm and was also one of Sydney’s oldest friends and comrade-in-arms on the golf course. “Les will also make sure the door and window alarms are in good shape since you’ll be gone for four days.”

  Roman had forgotten about that—the American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ conference in San Diego. “I don’t think I should leave you for so long. I should cancel.”

  Sydney shook his head. “Don’t do that. I want our practice represented. You need to go.”

  Les stepped into the room. Tall and lean with salt-and-pepper hair. “Don’t worry, Roman. I’ll be over each day to keep him out of trouble.”

  “He has a treatment at the hospital on Thursday.”

  “Yes,” Sydney said, “that’s the day none of my help staff will be at the house.”

  Roman noticed Sydney giving Les a pointed look. What did it mean?

  As if wanting some privacy with his friend, Sydney made a scooting motion with his hands and said, “Go on and leave the two old geezers to our private conversation.”

  Roman laughed. “I’ll go and make your iced tea, Dad. Just the way you like it. Les, would you like iced tea, beer, hot or iced coffee?”

  “Hot coffee sounds good.”

  As Roman descended the stairs and headed for the kitchen, he couldn’t help wondering if getting involved with Rainy was a mistake. In the kitchen, he saw Emma, the nurse, and Judy, the home health aide, relaxing with a snack.

  “Everything okay?” Judy asked and Roman nodded.

  “I’ll head back up there,” Emma said.

  Roman stopped her. “He’s with an old friend now, Emma, and he just kicked me out, so let’s give him some more time.”

  After Roman made the iced tea and coffee, he said to the women, “I’ll take these up and see if my dad wants more alone time with his friend.”

  Roman climbed the stairs, iced tea and coffee on a small tray, and as he was about to knock on the door to his father’s suite, he heard Les and Sydney bickering, which they did often. There always seemed to be some kind of bet or challenge or debate going on between the two of them.

  “I’m telling you, I’ve seen it happen too many times to throw caution to the wind,” Les said.

  “Not possible,” Sydney said. “My son is as good as gold.”

  Are they talking about me?

  “I hope you’re right,” Les said. “But leave us not forget that I’ve spent over fifty years in all aspects of this business and I’ve seen everything. And I urge you—”

  “All right,” Sydney said, cutting him off. “Have it your way. But I’m only agreeing for one reason—to prove you wrong.”

  Not wanting to interrupt a conversation he obviously was not supposed to hear, Roman held back. Confused and curious about the debate, but swelling with pride and love from Sydney’s faith in him, he waited silently at the door, hoping to hear more of what it was about. But the conversation changed to Les’s golf game and Roman decided it was just another one of their crazy debates.

  Although Rainy grew up in modest circumstances, she was used to her aunt and uncle’s big house on the vineyard, but three of those could fit into the Great Gatsby-style mansion she saw as she rounded the winding drive.

  No wonder Roman had been turning away her flirtatious hints. He was totally out of her league. It was a sunny April day, so at least she’d worn tight jeans and a fitted long-sleeved tee instead of her usual cargos and hoodie. But still, she had heard Roman dated actresses and other women in the South Fork high-roller crowd, so how could she have thought he would want someone like her?

  Except he’d told her he liked her. And that sizzling kiss—that he had initiated—proved that. Didn’t it? Or maybe he’d just gotten a little tipsy at the party. Or maybe he did like her but his family wanted him to marry someone in their own circles, of their own status.

  Marry? Where did that come from?

  Okay, so maybe it was the fact that her siblings and cousins, most of them younger than her, seemed to be getting married or at least finding their one and only. Seeing them was making Rainy long for that husband and kids she’d always dreamed of.

  But as her sister had drummed in her ear—if that was what Rainy wanted, why had she always put her work ahead of her personal life?

  “Mrs. Burke?” she said to the woman who answered the door.

  “No, sweetie, I’m the housekeeper. Roman said a friend named Raina was coming. That you?”

  “Yes.” A housekeeper. Rainy almost felt like running the other way. Why was she here?

  Hello, this was your suggestion.

  She followed the maid through rooms designed in white, gray and brown, decked with sleek modern furniture and unusual art objects that probably cost a mint. The center area had a cathedral ceiling with a balcony and tons of light coming in high windows.

  Ooh, a slatted stairway with a short glass wall as a railing. And the sexiest guy in the world walking down the steps.

  Just friends? What a dumb suggestion. She couldn’t so much as glance at Roman without her bones turning to Jell-O.

  “Hi, Rainy. Thanks so much for coming over.”

  “No problem. How’s your dad today?”

  “He’s okay,” Roman said in a way that told her he was worried.

  Feeling awkward, Rainy just smiled and said, “This is an incredible house.”

  “Thanks. My wing is down there”—he pointed to a hallway—“the kitchen is this kitchen is this way”—he gestured left—“or if you like golf, it’s sunny enough to go up to the roof and work in your putting game.”

  “How about we just go to the kitchen?”

  As Rainy walked along next to him she wondered how she got herself into this and hoped making food would relax her because right now—she gasped as Roman took her hand.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I just want to say what a sweet and generous thing this is for you to do.” His deep voice and dark eyes boring into her gave Rainy a weightless feeling—and woke up parts of her that had been dormant way too long.

  She just squeezed his hand. “But I’ve got a feeling you’re a really good student.”

  He nodded, his gaze still on her. “Yeah, I’m good.”

  Her cheeks flamed and she started walking again.

  The kitchen was big with state of the art stainless steel fixtures and a center island. Roman made her a cup of tea and she set out cutting boards and chose pots and pans. First she showed him how to mince garlic, which he did beautifully.

  “That’s great. Are you sure you don’t know how to cook?”

  “I don’t, but I am a surgeon, so using tools isn’t foreign to me.”

  Rainy loved his hands. They were strong and articulate at the same time. By the time they had chopped the carrots onions and spinach and had the chicken rice soup cooking, her nerves had settled.

  They also made zucchini bread and a yogurt apple mousse.

  “Hey, you’re not allowed to eat it yet,” she said, laughing, when Roman started sampling the mousse.
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  “Ah, come on, I thought all chefs ate while they cooked.”

  He had a blob of it on his cheek and she was dying to lick it off. Instead she reached her hand out and swiped it onto her fingers. But then Roman snatched her hand and licked it off her fingers, his eyes once again meeting hers.

  Raina turned back to her cooking. After the switches he’d pulled on her, she wasn’t going to make to easy on him—or let herself fall victim to a curve ball.

  So where did she expect this to lead? Roman had her head spinning and her libido on ready-to-go and her wary heart on watchful guard.

  Roman told Sydney he would bring Rainy up to meet him, but he hadn’t told him any more about who she was. He had no idea what to expect and just hoped his dad didn’t get into one of his moods. That part of Roman that was still Robbie Makalo wanted very badly Rainy to see the kind and loving man that had taken him in—and for that man to see the girl whose attitude and courageous heart was the impetus for Roman’s bold move.

  “Hey, Dad, I hope you’re hungry.”

  “I could eat a little.” Sydney’s gaze went immediately to Rainy and he smiled.

  Roman let out the breath he’d been holding. “Dad, this is Rainy Rocklyn. Rainy, this is my father, Sydney Burke.”

  “Nice to meet you, Dr. Burke.”

  “Please call me Sydney. I hate feeling like the old man in the room, even though I am.”

  That got a sweet grin from her. Roman already knew Rainy’s bossy, take charge side, but tonight he’d seen her sweet and even shy side—and he liked them all.

  “Your home is beautiful,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in a house this big.”

  Sydney shrugged. “When I bought this house, I thought I would meet a woman and fall in love and have a big family. But I got so involved with my work, including a foundation I had set up, that I never had time for romance or marriage.”

  “Including traveling around the world and doing plastic surgery on people in need. I admire you so much for that.”

  Sydney reached out and silently patted her hand.

  Roman held his breath, hoping Rainy wouldn’t react to what Sydney had just revealed. That he had never married, meaning Roman was either illegitimate or adopted. When she didn’t seem to notice, he quickly changed the subject. “Try the soup, Dad,” Roman said.