Kara Lennox - The Good Father

“She’s a great kid,” Max said.

“I know. I’m lucky. She likes you an awful lot.”

“You say that like you think it’s a bad thing.”

She answered cautiously. “Kaylee’s vulnerable right now. She’s anxious to attach to someone.”

“And you don’t think I’m the right someone.”

This discussion wasn’t going so well. She started to argue that she hadn’t meant any slight, but he interrupted.

“It’s okay, Jane. I know what you mean. She might have gotten the wrong idea in Houston.”

“Exactly. I explained it as best I could, but she’s too young to reason with.”

“So you won’t ever have another man around because you’re afraid of disappointing Kaylee?”

She frowned. Single parents shouldn’t be forced to isolate themselves just because they’re afraid of disappointing their children. Yet…

“Okay, Max, let’s just put it on the table. If you and I should, um, start dating, I know you and Kaylee would grow close. It’s obvious. Then what if something happened and you suddenly disappeared from our lives? She’s already so confused about her father’s vanishing act-”

There, she’d said it. The worst was over. Now he knew how she felt, what she’d been thinking about.

“I understand. More than you know.”

“So…we move on.” She had to force the words out of her mouth. “If I ever get involved with someone else-and that’s a big ‘if’-it will be when I’m ready to settle down, and the man is, too. That doesn’t describe you and me. I mean, I just got divorced and you…well, I’ve seen your little black book.”

She held her breath, half hoping he would argue with her. And for a moment, he stared at her intently. But then suddenly he grinned. “You looked in my black book?”

So, he agreed. He wasn’t the settling-down type. “Just by accident.”

“I haven’t put a girlfriend in there in months. Well, weeks, anyway.”

“Slowing down, are you?”

His grin faded. “You don’t have to put it like that. I’ve been too busy to date. No, that’s not it,” he quickly added. “Maybe I’m not ready to settle down. But since the day you walked into my office and strong-armed me into a job, I haven’t been interested in other women. If I were, I’d be all over Wendy. Dating her would be easy-no complications.

“But I don’t want Wendy. I want you.”

Max tried to swallow, but his mouth was too dry. Had he actually just said that? Had he thrown himself at Jane Selwyn, his employee and a freshly divorced single mom who was not interested in a casual relationship?

Yes, he had. He’d broken every rule he’d ever made for himself regarding women.

Max pinched the bridge of his nose. “Before you say anything, let me just make it clear that no matter how you react in the next thirty seconds, your job is completely secure. You could throw your drink in my face and I would still be happy to see you at the office come Monday morning.”

At least she wouldn’t have to worry about her job, which she seemed to do on a daily basis.

Her eyes widened slightly. “So despite everything I just said, you…uh…”

“I’d like to see you outside of work. Socially.” Sexually. He trusted she understood that part without him spelling it out. “You can say no.” Please, don’t say no.

“It wouldn’t be smart for either of us,” she said a little desperately.

“So was that a no? One simple word, Jane, and you can easily put an end to this discussion. I’ll never bring it up again.”

She opened her mouth. But no words came out.

“Just think about it.” He walked away while he was ahead.

J ANE MANAGEDto get through the fish fry with no further contact with Max. She took him at his word-she was going to think long and hard about taking the next step with him. No impulsive moves.

She had until Monday, anyway, before she saw him again. She spent the weekend quietly shopping for a new place to live. She’d thought she would probably go with one of the new beach condos. They were small, but they had ocean views.

Then the Realtor showed her a quaint little cottage. Well, not so little. Three bedrooms. It was in desperate need of paint and repairs. The kitchen was completely outdated, the tiny yard overgrown. But it had a big deck overlooking the dunes and the ocean beyond.

“I like this one, Mommy,” Kaylee said as she stood at the railing, watching a trio of seagulls fly overhead.

“Really. What is it you like?”

“I don’t know.”

Funny, but Jane felt the same way. As dilapidated as the place was, it had a good feel to it. She could see it all fixed up, floors refinished, new furniture, a fresh coat of bright blue paint.

Of course, if she bought it, she wouldn’t have any money left over for repairs. But the place was livable even without a makeover. She could work on it slowly, maybe finance the renovations with her portrait work. She’d been working like mad every evening, and she almost had enough finished drawings that she could send them to Erin Freeman.

She resisted the urge to sign a contract on the house. If she was being cautious about Max, she should be cautious about her new home, too.

J ANE WAS STILL THINKINGabout both decisions Monday morning when she arrived at work bright and early. She immediately sensed a hushed tension in the office. Carol’s brow was furrowed as she sat at her desk making notations on her computer. Max was in his office with the door closed. She could hear his voice on the phone, and he didn’t sound happy.

She put her things away in her desk, then returned to the reception area. “Is something wrong? It’s not the real-estate magazines, is it?”

“No, the client was thrilled and he actually wrote us a check on the spot.”

“Then what’s going on?”

“I’m not really sure.” Carol took a sip of her coffee. “But I do know there’s a loan payment due this week. Max has been counting on being able to put it off, even though Reece said no way.”

“That’s terrible.” Jane would be crushed if her bailout only delayed disaster a few days. “How much are we talking about?”

“Again, I don’t know for sure. But I overheard some figures being bandied about-we’re talking mid-five figures, at least.”

“Oh.”

“The good news is, we have paychecks.” Carol handed Jane an envelope. She peeked inside, a little disappointed in the amount. Still, it was her very first paycheck ever. She couldn’t wait to show it to Kaylee.

Her first, and possibly last, paycheck from the Remington Agency.

A thought occurred to her. She would close the deal on her boat in a few days. She could invest the proceeds into the Remington Agency.

That would mean she couldn’t buy the beach cottage. Her salary alone wouldn’t qualify her for that high of a mortgage.

Was she crazy, even thinking about throwing away her entire divorce settlement, all so she could keep a low-paying job? But she believed in Max. Furthermore, she believed in herself. They could get things going, she knew they could. They just needed a little more time, and the cash would come rolling in.

Then Max would pay her back, and she could buy herself the beach cottage. Or a different one, if her first choice was no longer on the market.

Max came out of his office and joined them in the reception area. He looked a little pale and not quite himself. “Good morning, Jane,” he said with unusual formality.

“Hi. Everything okay?”

“Ah, not exactly. In fact, I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

Carol put a hand to her forehead, as if she’d suddenly developed a killer headache. Jane just felt a dull ache in her stomach.