Ruth Herne - Her Secret Daughter

She winced, then tried to cover it with a smile. “Brian’s got three kids of his own, so he probably understands this stuff way better than most. I’m sure he’d be fine with it, but I’d advise you to pick a female.” She raised a brow to him, and after a few seconds, he got her gist.

“Easy enough because Addie already has a name picked out.”

“You do?”

As Josie slanted her gaze to Addie, Jacob realized she hadn’t really eaten with them. She’d only taken a bite or two while Addie had plowed through a piece of the thick, delicious toast, a bowl of warm berries and two sausage patties. She might be small but she had a trucker’s appetite, and he couldn’t fault her because the meal was delicious.

Addie started to grin, then realized she was chewing. “Polly,” she told her once she’d swallowed and washed down the food with chilled orange juice. “Polly the cow. I think it’s a good name for one, don’t you?”

“It’s a marvelous name. So.” She swiveled on the stool back toward him. “I know you’re busy, and I don’t mean to take up too much time. If you have ideas, Jacob, I’d like to hear them.”

“I do.” He spoke cautiously, still wondering if he was doing the right thing, but then scolded himself. Offering her a spot couldn’t be a bad idea, not with the reviews he’d read on the internet and the glowing reports from customers. Those were backed up by mighty impressive figures because new restaurants rarely succeeded. Hers had not only succeeded, but flourished in an area surrounded by busy chain restaurants in nearby plazas. And yet the Bayou Barbecue stood tall. “You were right about the lack of available waterfront.”

She grimaced.

“But what would you say to a cooperative effort?”

The grimace turned to a quick frown.

“Carrington has given me the go-ahead to offer you premier restaurant space on the ground floor of the hotel, facing the north-end beach. It would have outdoor seating and gathering spots during the warm months, and indoor seating during the rest of the year, and a take-out shack.”

She stared at him, then Addie, then him again. She swallowed hard, then brought a hand to her throat. “I could put the Bayou Barbecue there? In the hotel?”

“It makes sense to us for multiple reasons. First.” He held up one finger. “We’re taking your space, and this could be in your best interests because then you’re virtually in the same location. A matter of beach frontage would be the only difference.”

She held his gaze, listening.

“Second, you’ve got a successful business you’ve worked hard to develop, and the hotel would love a beach-themed restaurant on the ground level. Why not yours? Why go outside the area for a chain when we’ve got top quality right here? And before you ask how I know that, your reviews and numbers have been checked thoroughly. You’re not even a gamble for us, Josie. The Bayou Barbecue is the real deal, and we’d be stupid not to extend this offer.”

“To put the restaurant in the hotel?” She made a face of consternation. “What about the locals? Could they access it? Where would they park? I don’t want them to feel like they have to get dressed up to come get food.”

“Casual, beachwear, flip-flops, totally dive-friendly. We’ll even do the decor to reflect what you’ve got here, and if you’d throw your smokers into the deal, we’ll move everything under your supervision and design the kitchen to your specifications with a July 1 opening date. The take-out shack would make it easy for folks to do drive-through like they do here, and we could have that staffed twelve months of the year if it’s heated.”

* * *

She should say no.

She should say no because to oversee the restaurant at the hotel, with Addie right there... How could she do this, then watch her leave in a few months? How could she put herself through that?

But then she looked over at her daughter’s happy face, a face bearing her grandmother’s sea green eyes and pale, Celtic skin. The narrow dusting of powdered sugar around sweet pink lips cemented her answer, because looking at Addie, there really wasn’t a choice. “I’d like that, Jacob. I’d like it a lot. How soon can you have the paperwork ready for me to run by my lawyer?”

He handed her the folder. “We were hoping you’d consider the idea.”

Her heart went tight. Stark reality said she needed to hand back his folder and quietly walk away because of the deal she’d struck with the agency over six years before. But now—

Things were different now, and not by her doing. Something had gone wrong shortly after the adoption papers were filed, and if Ginger and Adam O’Neill had done that intentionally, they’d accepted Addie under fraudulent terms.

Josie wasn’t sure how to set things right. She needed more information, and taking this rental contract to Cruz would give her the excuse to put him on the trail. But one way or another, the thought of working in the same area with her beloved daughter was too good a chance to pass up. “I like a company that plans ahead. I’ll run these by my lawyer’s office this afternoon and get back to you.”

“By five o’clock Thursday?”

She nodded, stood and slipped the folder onto a stainless steel countertop. “Absolutely.”

“Then we should go.” He stood, too, and when Addie sighed, he angled his head. “Really? I brought you over for the best breakfast we’ve had in a long time, kid. Don’t push it.”

Addie didn’t whine. She didn’t pout. She slid down off the stool, then grabbed Josie in a hug—a hug she’d dreamed about for six long years. A hug that made her realize she would never want to let the girl go again...

“Thank you, Miss Josie! It was great!”

“You’re welcome, Addie.”

“And I’ll look forward to hearing from you, Josie. If your lawyer offers approval before Thursday, just call me. I’ll get a crew right over to dismantle everything and bring it up the beach.”

Two months with Addie.

Two months watching the child she’d given away as she laughed, skipped and hopped her way through life.

She didn’t need Cruz’s approval for that. No matter the terms, she’d grab this contract because it offered her something she never thought she’d have, time with her daughter. And that was a dream come true, no matter what the terms.

Chapter Four

“Josie.” Cruz Maldonado set the contract down on the upscale desktop. He bridged his hands, thoughtful. “This deal with Carrington looks fine. I’ve got a few tweaks to make, nothing they should balk at. But then we come to the other situation, your little girl...”

His words made her swallow hard.

No one ever talked about “her little girl,” even when she was donating a life-giving organ. Everyone treated her as a kindly benefactor, while Ginger had gotten all the sweet mother references. Josie had swallowed it like a bitter pill then, determined to save Addie’s life, but hearing Cruz speak the phrase made it real.

She had a little girl. A precious child. Here. Now.

“I’ve got a friend in New York who specializes in adoptions. I’m going to send the facts to her, and she’ll have a team sort through it and find out what went wrong. She’s got resources I can’t access, and she’s good. Rory and I used her to ensure everything went fine with Lily and Javi.”

Lily and Javi were his cousin’s orphaned children, two beautiful youngsters he and Rory had adopted months before.

“Life can be weird.” When she frowned, Cruz raised a hand of caution. “Sometimes coincidental timing messes things up. But on first look, I have to agree with you. The timing sounds contrived, and while it’s unfortunate, it’s nothing that hasn’t been done before, according to my friend. She described it as an upscale bargaining point in pricey marriage breakups.”