Kara Lennox - The Good Father

“I’m about to default on my business loan. The bank will start foreclosure proceedings, which means my operating accounts will be frozen. I’ll have to close the doors. I’ll try and come up with some severance funds for both of you-”

“No.”

Max looked at her quizzically. “You don’t want a severance check?”

“I don’t want to be severed,” Jane said. “Listen, Max-I can cover the loan payment. I think I can.”

He shook his head. “I can’t let you do that. It was bad enough, borrowing as much as I did-which I will pay back, by the way, I swear to you I will. But I can’t let you throw any more money down a bottomless pit.”

“It’s not a bottomless pit. You’re going to make it. I know you are. All you need is a few more weeks and you’ll turn the corner, I know it.”

“Jane. I appreciate your faith in me-”

“In me, too. I do good work. Look how happy Coastal Bank was with our presentation.”

“Oh, yeah, they’re thrilled, all right.”

“Don’t tell me they hold the loan.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Then they should understand we’ve got what it takes to succeed. Although it’s probably a completely different department. Still…never mind. Tell me how much you need, and how much time that buys us.”

“I can’t let you-”

“Let her, for God’s sake,” Carol said. “I need this job.”

“Jane, if you have all this money lying around, why were you so desperate for me to hire you?”

“It’s a recent windfall. That’s all you need to know. If you don’t let me help you, I’ll just march right over to Coastal Bank and handle it myself.”

By noon, it was a done deal. She had backed Max into a corner, she knew, but in the end he’d grudgingly agreed to let her make the loan payment, buying them three whole months.

In three months they could conquer the world.

As they walked out of the bank, she was trembling. Had she completely lost her mind? If her parents got wind of her recent actions, they might just take steps to have her committed.

“Max, I need the rest of the afternoon off.” She needed to start all over in finding a place to live, this time looking for a cheap rental. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah, of course. You want me to drop you off at the marina?”

She nodded.

They were silent as they settled into Max’s Corvette, fastening seat belts. Max adjusted his mirror. “Second thoughts?”

“No,” she answered without hesitation. “I know I did the right thing.”

“I can’t even begin to thank-”

“No, don’t go there. My motives are purely selfish. I love my job and I don’t want to lose it.”

He put the brakes on, halfway out of his parking space. “Really? I thought I was a pretty horrible boss.”

“No, you aren’t. You work me hard. You challenge me to be my best. I need that.”

“I pressured you to lie to a client. I forced myself on you in the break room.”

She had to laugh at that. If that kiss involved any force at all, she was Angelina Jolie. “I guess I needed that, too.”

He finished backing out of the parking space, unable to conceal the half smile on his face.

Jane felt warm all over just remembering that kiss. How had her life gotten so complicated? When she was married to Scott, she essentially had no choices except for whether to stay or leave. Now that she was single, her life was a mass of crazy decisions and complex, multilayered situations. Nothing was black and white anymore.

They were driving down Front Street, Port Clara’s main drag, when Max’s cell phone rang. He answered it, and Jane clicked her tongue and shook her head. She’d lectured him before about the dangers of driving and cell phones.

“You’re kidding.” He slammed on the brakes and stopped in the middle of the street. “You’re kidding,” he said again. “You wouldn’t kid about this, Carol, would you? I mean, you’re not getting back at me for never cleaning out the coffeepot-”

Jane closed her eyes. Was Carol quitting? That would be terrible. She was a crucial component of the Remington Agency, not to mention that Jane now considered her a good friend.

When Jane opened her eyes, traffic was backing up behind the Corvette and people were starting to honk.

“Max! You’re blocking traffic!”

“Hold on, Carol, I have to drive.” He set the phone in his lap and whipped onto the nearest side street, then pulled into the first available spot at the curb. “Okay, I’m back.” He extracted a gold pen from his shirt pocket and searched for something to write on.

Jane pulled a notebook from her purse and Max scribbled something in it. “Okay. I’ll call her right now…yes, I’ll let you know.” He disconnected, looking stunned and puzzled at the same time.

“Max, what is it? Have we had another disaster?” Another fiasco like the pink real estate magazine would finish them off.

“I don’t know. Ellen Lowenstein wants me to call her.”

“Really.” That was interesting. “Do you know what she wants?”

“She wouldn’t tell Carol. Maybe she plans to sue me for fraud or something.”

“If she were going to sue you, her lawyer would call. Are you going to call her back or not?” Now Jane was consumed with curiosity.

“Carol said she seemed impatient to talk to me. That was why she tracked me down.”

“Well, call her!” Then something occurred to Jane. “If you want some privacy, I can take a walk. I’ve been meaning to check out that quilt shop across the street.”

“Don’t you dare leave me alone. If it’s bad news, I’ll need you. If it isn’t, I’ll want someone to share it with.”

Jane felt flattered that he would need her for anything. He’d always struck her as such a strong, self-sufficient man, though the events of the last week had shaken him, that was for sure.

“So, call her.”

Max took a deep breath and dialed the number he’d just written down. His blood pounded in his ears. “Ellen Lowenstein, please. Max Remington, returning her call.”

Ellen picked up almost immediately. “Max? How the heck are you?”

“I’m good. How are you?” he asked cautiously.

“I’m good, too. Listen, I’ve been thinking. And I don’t like the way we left things.”

“That makes two of us.”

“It seems silly, now, getting our feathers ruffled over the fact you were pretending to be a husband and father. I mean, it’s kind of flattering, the lengths you went to to get our business.”

Max was afraid to say anything, so he didn’t, but he reached over and grabbed Jane’s hand, squeezing hard.

“I mean, even if you are a bachelor, clearly you like children and feel comfortable around them, and that’s all I care about. What I’m trying to say is, I want you to do our advertising. None of the other agencies we talked to had your vision. And I want Kaylee to model for the magazine ads. Maybe the TV commercials, too.”

Max thought his heart had stopped beating altogether. “That shouldn’t be a problem.” He was amazed he sounded halfway normal.

“I’m sending over a retainer check by FedEx. You should receive it tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Ellen.” He forced himself to breathe as they worked out the details of their next meeting, during which they would outline the specifics and sign a contract.

When he hung up, he realized he was still holding Jane’s hand-nearly crushing it. He loosened his grip but didn’t let go altogether.

“You got the Kidz’n’Stuff account?” Jane said.

“Yes.”

Jane squealed and threw her arms around him, though it was an awkward hug in the Corvette’s close confines. “I’m so happy for you! Your first national ad campaign.”