The Good Father

Chapter Ten

“Max, I found someone.” Carol stood at Max’s office door. For two hours last night and an hour this morning, both of them had been on the phone, trying to find a printer that could do the job within the required time frame. “Sharp Printing in San Antonio. They have a narrow window on Wednesday they can fit you in, but you have to commit by noon today.”

If Jane didn’t come through by noon today, he was sunk anyway. She was noticeably absent from work, and Max had chosen not to call and check on her. He hoped-perhaps irrationally-that she was out doing something to raise the ridiculous sum of money he needed.

“How much do they want?”

Carol stepped into the office and handed Max a slip of paper with the quote on it. Max winced, though it was pretty much what he’d expected.

“Good work, Carol.”

“I’m counting on someday getting a bonus. And a raise.”

“Don’t get your hopes up.”

“Aw, come on, boss. We’ll get through this. Every new company takes a few missteps.”

“Not like this. I screwed up. I spent too much of my money on the office remodeling. I was sure business would come rolling in a lot faster than it has, and I didn’t keep near enough money in savings as a contingency fund.”

“We’ll get through this,” Carol said again. “Don’t you have a bunch of rich relatives who would lend you money?”

“No way,” he said automatically, because he had promised himself he would do this without any help from his family. He could just imagine how his brother would spin it. He would call it a bailout. He would turn it into a joke.

But so what if he suffered some humiliation? The alternative was to close his doors and put people out of work, people like Jane and Carol who really needed their jobs, and Finley, the account executive he’d just hired, the one who’d turned down another, less risky position because he’d been swayed by Max’s enthusiastic forecasts for the future.

He reached for the phone just as Jane burst through the front door. “I got it. I got it!” She stormed through the reception area and nearly ran Carol over as she plowed her way into Max’s office. “Max, if you’ll come to Coastal Bank with me right now, we can set up a line of credit for ten thousand dollars with a whole lot more to come in five days.”

Max was too stunned to speak.

Carol wasn’t. “Get out of here. You are da bomb, girl!”

“Come on, Max.” Jane came over and grabbed his arm, attempting to drag him out of his chair. “Did you find a printer?”

“We did,” Carol answered. “Should I call them back, Max, and commit?”

“Jane, where did you get ten thousand dollars?”

“That’s not your worry.”

He was tempted, but only for a moment. “I can’t borrow money from you.” If he wouldn’t borrow from his own family, how could he justify accepting money from his employee, a struggling single mom?

Jane looked crestfallen, but only for a moment. “Let’s not call it a loan, then. I’m investing in the Remington Agency.”

He shook his head. “I can’t let you do that. Much as I want to believe this is only a temporary cash-flow problem, I can’t guarantee a return on your investment.”

“I don’t need a guarantee. I believe in you.”

He started to turn her down again. But then he saw something in her eyes, and he knew he couldn’t. Jane wasn’t just bailing him out. Keeping the agency afloat was important to her, personally.

Then there was Carol, staring at him with hope glowing from her face. How could he disappoint her, too?

“You understand that getting these magazines reprinted is only a temporary solution. I have a balloon payment on my business loan coming up next week.”

Jane didn’t seem fazed. “We’ll deal with that when the time comes. Just take the money, okay?”

Max was out of his chair and across the office in two seconds flat. He scooped Jane into a bear hug. “I don’t know what you did, or what I did to deserve having you come to the rescue, but thank you.”

She returned the hug, and they probably held each other for too long, given that Carol was standing right there looking on with a knowing half smile.

With determined effort, Max withdrew from the hug. Jane was beaming up at him. “What next?”

“Carol, tell the printer they’ll have files by the end of the day. Jane, you and I will go over the page files one more time and make sure everything’s perfect, then we’ll send them to the printers. On Wednesday I’ll go to San Antonio to personally oversee the printing.” He crossed his fingers. “Then this nightmare will be over.”

MAX DIDN’T ASK Jane again where she’d gotten the money, for which she was grateful. He would have a fit if he knew she’d sold her boat. But the more she thought about it, the more she knew she’d made the right decision.

A boat was no place to raise a child. Kaylee was old enough now that locked doors wouldn’t contain her for long. What if she wandered outside when Jane wasn’t paying attention?

Kaylee needed a backyard to play in, or at least a neighborhood playground, and a neighborhood where there’d be playmates rather than rough dockworkers and fishermen.

With the proceeds from the sale of the Princess II, Jane could comfortably buy a two-bedroom condo or maybe even a little house. She’d seen several cute cottages in the real-estate magazine as she and Max went over the proofs.

“Let me fix the color balance on that picture,” Jane said. She and Max were nearly finished going over the real estate magazine, sitting almost side-by-side at her computer. After an hour and a half of this, his nearness was getting to her. Every time he reached for the keyboard to move to the next page, his sleeve brushed her bare arm.

But nothing had been said about yesterday’s incendiary kiss. She still didn’t know how she felt about it, only that she’d been reliving it on a regular basis since it had happened.

She wasn’t going to bring it up if he didn’t. He’d probably put it behind him. He’d probably kissed three or four women since her.

Once they were done fine-tuning the magazine, Jane retreated to her office and worked on some sketches for another potential client, this one a chain of veterinary clinics. Sketching puppies and kittens relaxed her as nothing else could, and the day flew by. Again she was struck by how lucky she was someone would pay her to do this kind of work.

At five o’clock Max was engrossed in a phone call. Tomorrow he would be in San Antonio for most of the day. Some separation would do them good, Jane thought. She waved to Carol and slipped out the door.

When she arrived home a few minutes later, the Dragonfly was just pulling into its slip. “Hey, Janie!” Cooper called as he hopped onto the dock. “Hey, Flipper!”

Kaylee giggled as she always did when anyone called her that. Allie had christened her with that name because she swam like a dolphin, and it was catching on.

“Hey, Cooper,” Jane called back. “Good day?”

“Better than good. Never saw so many fish. In fact, we were planning to ask you and Kaylee to dinner at the house on Friday for a fish fry. Sound good?”

Jane’s mouth watered. Since she started working, she’d been subsisting on anything quick and frozen. “What time? I’ll bring a salad and some bread.”

When Friday rolled around, Jane was more than ready to forget about work and Max, and enjoy a relaxing evening with her friends. After work she quickly changed into shorts and a halter top, as the summer heat still gripped Port Clara despite the fact the calendar said it was late September. She grabbed some bagged baby spinach and a few other things from her fridge, as well as a bottle of wine she and Scott had bought months ago and never opened.

Kaylee was happy to be spending time with her mom and didn’t much care where they did it, so they were both in high spirits as they drove up to Cooper and Allie’s cute white brick house. Cooper had rented it a few months ago, but when the couple had gotten married, Allie had so fallen in love with the house that they’d arranged to buy it.

Jane loved it, too. It was nothing like the cold, contemporary house she and Scott had shared, nor the stiffly traditional home in which she’d grown up. Though it had half the square footage, it felt warm and welcoming.

Jane and Allie hugged just inside the door. “I’m so glad you came,” Allie said. “What’s the use of living by the sea if you don’t have fish fries and invite all your friends?”

It quickly became apparent that this wasn’t just a cozy dinner, but a party. Sara and Reece arrived, then some neighbors with a little boy just Kaylee’s age.

Jane’s happy, warm mood vanished when Max showed up-with a gorgeous, auburn-haired beauty in tow.

Allie ran to the door to meet them while Jane cowered in the living room. Oh, God, how was she going to handle this? She hadn’t expected the surge of jealousy that welled up inside her at the sight of her boss with another woman.

Deep breaths. He didn’t owe her anything, she reminded herself. Just because she’d sold her boat for him, just because two days ago he’d been so hot for her he hadn’t been able to control himself, was no reason she should start thinking they shared something special.

It was better if he was interested in someone else. Her divorce was still so fresh; bouncing into another relationship, even a casual one, was a terrible idea. Yeah, she’d let herself fantasize about it, trying to justify the attraction that simply would not go away. She had told herself that maybe it could work if they were careful…

But it had all been a useless mental exercise, because here he was with this stunning woman who had a laugh like a chimpanzee-

“Jane?” It was Sara. “What’s wrong?”

“Uh, nothing. Nothing.” Deep breaths.

“You’re hyperventilating. Something must be wrong.”

“Fresh air.” She turned and headed out the sliding glass door to the patio, where Cooper and Reece were debating how best to arrange the charcoal.

“Jane, you’re all pale.”

“It’s nothing. I’m okay now.” She forced herself to slow her breathing. Talk about an overreaction. She’d had no idea her feelings for Max were such a big deal, but apparently she’d been hiding them even from herself.

“You’re not pregnant, are you?” Sara whispered.

That made Jane laugh. “Of course not!”

“I just thought…since you stayed at the Hotel Alexander with Max-”

“Nothing happened. I told you that. Anyway, even if it had, I’d hardly be having pregnancy symptoms yet. It’s only been a week.”

“It didn’t take me long to notice something was up. Hey, look, I’m showing!” She raised up the hem of her shirt slightly to reveal a small baby bump.

Jane smiled, relaxing. “That’s great, Sara.”

“And I feel fantastic.”

The sliding glass door opened, and Max stepped out, with the beautiful woman hot on his heels. Jane instantly tensed up again.

“Oh,” Sara said with a knowing nod. “I see what’s got you all discombobulated.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

Sara rolled her eyes. “Give it up, babe. It’s all over your face.”

Hell. She was going to have to leave if it was that obvious.

Unfortunately, Max made a beeline for her. “Jane. Can I talk to you a minute? Oh, hey, Sara. It’s about work. You don’t mind, do you?”

Sara grinned. “Of course not.”

The auburn-haired siren watched intently as Max touched a hand to Jane’s back, right on her bare skin, and guided her away. She shivered from the roots of her hair to her toes.

“You’re not cold, are you?” Max asked solicitously.

“No. Is something wrong at work?” Maybe she shouldn’t just leave without telling him.

“Everything at work is fine. I just wanted to ask you, if you don’t mind, not to mention our pink-magazine disaster to anyone else.”

“I won’t, of course. But why would you worry? From what I can tell, your cousins are completely supportive.”

“Yeah, but not all of the family is. I just don’t want it to get back to my brother or either of my parents that…well, that I let an employee bail me out.”

“I won’t say anything.” She didn’t really want it to get around that she was selling her boat, either. Cooper and Allie knew, but since Cooper was acting as her attorney, he wouldn’t blab it to anyone.

“You look hot.”

“A minute ago you thought I was cold.”

“No, I mean…hell, what am I doing? I told myself I wouldn’t do this.”

Oh, now Jane got it. Duh. She looked hot. Her nipples tightened beneath her halter top, and she really, really wished she’d chosen a shirt she could have worn a bra with.

“Maybe you better get back to your date,” Jane said primly.

“Who?”

Goodness, he had a short attention span. “The gorgeous, six-foot woman you arrived with?” She nodded toward the woman in question, who was staring holes through Max’s back.

Max glanced over her shoulder. “Her?” He laughed. “I just met her.”

“You work fast, then.”

“No, I mean, I really just met her. We arrived on the front porch at the same time. She’s Cooper’s neighbor.”

Jane’s face grew even warmer, if that were possible. She had just made a complete idiot of herself. Worse, Max was no longer safely out of reach. He was a free agent.

She was in trouble.

“Are you jealous?” Max whispered.

“Stop flirting with me,” she whispered back.

“I’ll stop if you really want me to. So long as you know-anything personal between us has nothing to do with work.”

That wasn’t really her biggest concern. Yes, workplace romances could cause heaps of trouble, but she was more concerned about her heart. She wasn’t just attracted to Max. She saw the potential for a deep emotional attachment, as well. And how could she trust her judgment right now?

He made her feel appreciated and valued, all the things she hadn’t gotten from Scott. And he related well to Kaylee, also another of her ex’s shortcomings. Her budding feelings for Max could be nothing more than a knee-jerk reflex.

“We shouldn’t, Max. Really.”

His mischievous grin disappeared. “Okay. Guess I’ll have to flirt with Wendy.”

“Wendy?”

He nodded toward the siren.

Jane’s reaction was swift and instinctual. “Stay away from her. She’s a barracuda.”

Max’s grin returned. “I like barracudas.”

Just then something catapulted into Max’s leg.

“Max!”

He looked down as Kaylee wrapped herself around his leg, and his grin widened. “Hey, there, Kaylee. Are you ready to eat some fish tonight?”

She nodded and held her arms out, wanting to be picked up, and Max obliged. Apparently she’d either forgotten or forgiven him for kicking Scott at the restaurant. Max hugged Kaylee and she hugged him back, her eyes squeezed shut as she reveled in the experience.

Jane watched with a lump rising in her throat. Scott had never hugged his daughter that way. The child was starved for fatherly affection. Last weekend during his visitation he’d barely spent any time with her, leaving her with his parents while he partied.

But Max?

Why had Kaylee formed a bond with him so quickly? She’d spent a lot of time around Cooper and Reece, both of whom had babysat, and she liked them fine. But she had especially close feelings reserved for Max.

Maybe it was that overnight trip, when they’d behaved so much like a family.

Kaylee had pretty much lost the only father she’d ever known, a father she loved, as lousy as he was. Jane was determined to prevent her daughter from forming an attachment to Max, who certainly wasn’t destined to be around long-term.

That meant she had to keep Kaylee and Max apart.

Though it pained her to do so, she pulled Kaylee out of Max’s arms and set her on the ground. “Kaylee, your new little friend looks lonely. Don’t you want to play with him? Why don’t you two try out the teeter-totter?”

“Okay, Mommy.” She dashed off, unconcerned, confident that Max wasn’t going anywhere. How many disappointments would it take before she would become mistrustful, slow to give affection?

“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.”