by Susan Meier
“Hello, darling.”
Everyone turned at the sound of Amelia Sloan’s voice. As Harper faced her mom, Amelia took her by the shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. “I told you we’d be running into each other.”
She motioned to her right. “Seth, this is my husband, Harper’s dad, Peter.”
Peter shook Seth’s hand. A tall brute of a man, he wore his tux with as much grace and elegance as Amelia wore her slim pink dress.
Seth said, “It’s nice to meet you.”
Pete’s eyes glowed. “It’s great to meet you, too.” He didn’t say anything about Seth and Harper being an item. Amelia must have threatened him with death if he ruined this for Harper. But he didn’t have to. His happiness over their dating was there in his eyes.
Everything sunk in a little more for Seth. This might be a charade to fool Harper’s mom, but by the next morning most of the city of New York would believe he and Harper were an item. His family, his friends and the people he did business with would know he was dating his best friend’s widow.
Because he was. That was the bottom line. What started out as fake was feeling very real. And maybe that wasn’t bad. He’d always liked her. He’d always wanted to woo her. Tonight, he’d wanted to show her a good time, not for the charade but because he liked her.
He liked her.
Maybe this was his chance.
Older, wiser, maybe he could have something with her?
“Peter, Amelia, this is Jake and Avery, my brother and sister-in-law,” he said, and Pete shook their hands. “And my sister, Sabrina.”
“Nice to meet you,” Pete said politely as he shook Sabrina’s hand.
“Aren’t the renovations divine?” Amelia said, taking in the tall windows that reached almost to the ceiling, which was two stories high.
“We’re pleased with them,” Avery said, her eyes brimming with happiness as she, too, admired the handiwork.
Amelia faced Avery. “You played a part in this?”
“I did a bit of work with the architects and designers who did the renovations.”
Amelia inclined her head. “How generous of you.”
“Not really,” Sabrina said. “We enjoy the arts. We have several galleries in our neighborhood but this one holds a special place in our hearts. So, we’re fairly healthy contributors.”
“It does host some of the best events,” Amelia agreed. But her eyes drifted to Harper and then Seth. They narrowed a fraction of an inch, then they lowered to gaze at their hands.
Even as Seth noticed that, he also saw that Jake had his free hand on the small of Avery’s back. Possessive. But also, affectionate.
Seth smoothly raised his hand to the bottom of Harper’s back. Harper shifted closer to him, as if she too had seen her mother’s curious gaze.
“Who has the baby?”
“Seth’s neighbor, Mrs. Petrillo.”
Amelia’s eyebrows rose. “Seth’s neighbor?”
He let Amelia figure that one out for herself. If he and Harper really were dating, they’d be spending the night together. And if they were spending the night together, who better to keep Crystal than the woman next door?
Seth knew the minute Amelia pieced it all together. Her slim lips tipped up into a pleased smile.
Harper’s mother liked him. If he and Harper were dating for real, Harper wouldn’t ever again have to worry about her mom’s feelings for Clark.
The man behind Jake tapped him on the shoulder and when Jake turned he said, “Jimmy! My gosh! How long has it been?”
Avery turned, too.
Sabrina mumbled something about needing to find her boyfriend, one of the artists whose work was being exhibited.
As Harper and Seth spoke with her parents, Jake and Avery drifted into the crowd. Then Amelia and Pete excused themselves to mingle. Seth followed Harper as she walked among the exhibits, thoroughly engrossed in the art and thoroughly enjoying herself.
The way she should. The way he wanted her to.
At eleven, Harper reminded Seth that they’d promised Mrs. P. they’d be back by eleven-thirty, so she could get into her pajamas to watch a movie that was playing that night.
They walked toward the door, Harper’s mom’s eyes following them, and nearly plowed into his mother.
“Seth, Harper.” She smiled warmly as she took in their clasped hands. “I hope you enjoyed the evening.”
“Most fun I’ve had in a long time, Mrs. McCallan.”
“There’s another event coming up in a few weeks, a ball. I think you’ll enjoy that, too.”
Harper reluctantly said, “We’ll see,” but Seth thought that was a fine idea. The more they got out, into dating situations, the more they’d be able to decide if they shouldn’t make this real.
“We’ll definitely be at the ball.”
His mom smiled. “Good!”
They stepped out into the night air and Seth motioned to the valet.
“Are you sure going to a ball is a good idea?”
“We’re dating. There’s a ball.” He almost laughed at his own cleverness. “You do the math. If we don’t go, people will wonder.”
The valet roared up in his Ferrari. The top was down but he didn’t make a move to put it up.
When they were settled, he pressed the gas pedal to send the powerful car careening down the street. The moon was full, the air still warm as summer held on. Her laughter wove through him, pleasing him, relaxing him.
And he couldn’t remember why he’d been fighting this.
* * *
Harper couldn’t contain the joy that bubbled up and spilled out, as the glorious car roared up the nearly empty streets. She loved the Ferrari, the smooth speed that took them effortlessly from stoplight to stoplight. But most of all she marveled at the ease of luxury. How simple life was when one had a good family and friends.
She wished the drive could go on forever, but she had a baby to care for, so when Seth pulled his beautiful car into the basement parking garage, she didn’t sigh with disappointment.
She also didn’t correct Seth when he put his hand on the small of her back, guiding her into the elevator. It wasn’t easy to pretend they were together one minute and jump apart the next. She could understand his slipup. But she also had to admit it had felt pretty good to have his undivided attention that night. True, most of his actions were directed toward making sure her mother believed they were dating. But sometimes it felt as if they really were dating.
After a glass of champagne, she had to keep reminding herself they weren’t.
He hit the button for the elevator to take them to his condo. She combed her fingers through her windblown hair.
He caught her hand. “Don’t.”
“Don’t?”
“I like it sort of crazy like that.”
She did, too.
Their gazes met.
He smiled.
Her insides trembled.
He stood near enough that she could touch him, and her fingers itched to. All she’d have to do is raise her hand to his face and run her fingers along the rough shadow of dark hair that had begun on his cheeks. She knew he was off-limits, Clark’s friend whose money allowed him to date any woman he wanted. But she hadn’t had this intense longing to touch someone in over a year. Fresh and surprising, it rippled along her nerve endings and tumbled to her fingertips.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?”
She shook her head at the silliness of her thoughts. “Nothing.”
“Didn’t look like nothing.”
That’s when she realized he still held her hand. They weren’t even two feet apart. And she wanted to touch him.
The elevator seemed to slow to a crawl.
He inched closer. “It looked a lot like something. And it made you smile.” His lip
s curved upward. “Really smile. I know you enjoyed the ride in the Ferrari. I think you enjoyed the night. You wouldn’t by any chance be considering giving me a good-night kiss to thank me?”
Her heart stumbled as her gaze fell to his full mouth. Funny how she’d never noticed how sensuous his mouth was. She should have. The memory of those lips on hers the day they’d run into her mom should have told her his mouth wasn’t just plentiful; it was clever.
But so was she. Even if he was attracted to her, she’d already worked all this out in her head. Starting something with him wasn’t right. No matter how lonely she’d been. She still missed Clark. That wasn’t any way to start a relationship. Plus, he wasn’t the kind of guy she’d date. Even as she told herself she needed to get them out of this, her heart pinched. Something about walking away from him just didn’t seem right.
Still, when the elevator reached their floor, she slid her hand from his and stepped out into the hall, striding toward his condo door.
“You know as soon as Mrs. P. leaves you and I will be alone.”
Oh, she knew that. And her pattering heart almost exploded with the possibilities. None of which she was ready for. None of which seemed any more right than walking away had seemed.
He walked up behind her and slid his arm across her body to put his key into the lock. His scent drifted to her and she could almost feel the heat of his body on her back.
Hard as it was, she wouldn’t let herself shudder. Refused to let her mind go blank and her senses kick in. This man would kiss her tonight and call a girlfriend in the morning—
All the same...she couldn’t remember ever feeling like this with a man. Part of her really wanted to see it through. Tease him. Kiss him again...
Mrs. P. opened the door. “Get in here, you goofs. My next movie is about to start.” She edged past them into the hall as they walked inside the condo. “Baby was good. An angel. But she hasn’t even stirred so my guess it you’ll be getting a two- or three-a.m. wake-up call.”
And that was reality. Harper wasn’t the woman who dated playboys, indulged in their games, amused herself.
She was a mom.
A widow and a mom.
She also wasn’t a coward.
Fortifying herself with a deep breath, she faced Seth. “I did have a good time.” When she heard Mrs. Petrillo’s condo door close, she added, “I did want a good-night kiss.” And everything it might have led to. “Not because I’m crazy for you or even to thank you, but because I’m curious. I don’t think you’d take advantage of that because I’d be a willing participant. But that doesn’t make it right. You were Clark’s best friend.”
CHAPTER SIX
SHE TURNED AND walked to her bedroom, leaving Seth standing in the little space between his kitchen island and the living room. Challenge rolled through him, but it was tempered by something that stopped him cold. She was right. He wouldn’t take advantage of her, but not because she would be a willing participant. Because he liked her. That’s why he’d flirted with her. Teased her. Why he’d had the urge to toss caution to the wind.
He shook his head once, as annoyance with himself became red-hot anger.
Was he falling for her again?
No matter that he’d stepped back all those years ago and let Clark ask her out, he’d loved her. But even as a twenty-two-year-old, he’d known he was damaged goods. He hadn’t become a playboy because he loved women—though he did. He’d become a playboy because he knew he couldn’t settle down and he didn’t want anyone to get hurt. Not even him.
Now, here he was, tempting himself with emotions he wasn’t allowed to feel. With a woman he wasn’t allowed to have. Which was crazy.
Still, lust had roared through him when she’d said she was curious. Since they’d already kissed that had to mean she was curious about other things. That had taken his brain straight to the gutter. Because he was curious about those other things, too. How different would it be to make love to a woman who wasn’t just a friend, but was somebody he loved?
Had loved. Past tense. He might be getting new feelings for her, or resurrecting the old feelings, but now that he was aware he could stop them in their tracks. He did not want to hurt her. And he didn’t want to find himself in a situation he couldn’t get out of. A prison. To him that’s what marriage was. He could see himself marrying Harper, simply so he wouldn’t hurt her, and then living a life in a cage...or becoming his dad. A cheat. A man who justified being unfaithful because he was bored.
A cold chill sliced through him.
He would not be his dad.
Never.
Not ever.
* * *
He left the condo early Sunday morning, but the scent of her perfume from the night before lingered in the air and followed him to his car. Annoyed, he punched the accelerator and headed for the family beach house in Montauk for some time alone.
The huge, empty McCallan mansion gave him some perspective as his solitary footsteps echoed around him. He was a man meant to be alone. He loved solitude. He liked his own company. He didn’t need to be around people. But when he wanted to, he could. He had tons of friends, and women loved him.
One of the family limos pulled up and his mom exited. Morris, the older driver his mother favored, followed her up the walk carrying bags as if she’d been shopping.
When they opened the door and saw him standing in the echoing foyer, they both jumped.
His mother said, “What are you doing here?”
He rolled his shoulders. “Looking for some peace and quiet. What are you doing here?”
She motioned for Morris to take the enormous bags to the kitchen down the hall. “I found the most adorable new cushions for the lounge around the fire-pit table on the back deck.”
“And you had to bring them here today?”
Not happy with the challenge, his other’s eyes narrowed. “Where’s Harper?”
“With Crystal.” Clark’s daughter. Clark’s baby girl. The child his friend had always wanted.
His resolve to not get involved with Harper strengthened. He might have to play his role, but he also didn’t want his mom to get her hopes up. His time with Harper would definitely end. He didn’t want questions or, worse, a scolding.
“Our relationship is casual.” He shrugged. “I don’t think it’s going to lead to anything. Two weeks from now, we might not even be dating.”
“You don’t like her?” his mom asked, breezily heading toward the kitchen. “Or Crystal?”
The suggestion that he didn’t like Crystal infuriated him. For a little squirmy thing she was no trouble. “If you’re saying that I’d never settle down with Harper because she’s a mom, you’re wrong. There’s nothing wrong with Harper or the baby. I’m just never getting married. And you of all people should know that.”
“Seriously? You’re still saying that?”
Fury rolled through him again. He knew it was time to back down, walk away before he said something they’d both regret. But he wouldn’t let her brush his miserable childhood aside. “Yes. I’m still saying that. Because it’s true.” He rolled his shoulders again, trying to get rid of a tightness that wouldn’t let go today. “You know what? You enjoy the day. I’m going back to the city.”
She sighed. “Don’t leave on my account. We could do something together. Maybe play Scrabble or take a walk on the beach.”
The things they’d done when his dad was MIA? “No thanks. I’ve gotta run.”
He was at the front door before he realized he had nowhere to go and nothing to do. On a normal weekend, he’d have had dates lined up or fishing trips with friends. He might even be in Monte Carlo, just for the hell of it. To keep up this ruse for Harper, he’d bowed out of everything.
Antsy, he ambled to his car. Not only had he been edged out of his home, but the big house he’d hoped to be his sanctuary was also off
-limits.
He managed to stay out all day by taking a long drive, getting dinner at a bistro close to his home and taking a walk to stretch his legs, only returning to the condo after he was sure Harper was already in her room for the night.
But seeing her sunny smile on Monday morning, he stopped dead in his tracks. Warming a bottle in his kitchen, she looked beautiful and sexy, slim and sensual in those soft blue pajamas that were probably still warm from sleep.
His feelings from Saturday night returned. That he liked her. That he wanted to make this real—along with her declaration that she wanted nothing to do with him.
Because of Clark. His friend.
“Okay. I have some early meetings,” he said, forgoing coffee for a quick escape. “I’ll see you after I get home tonight.”
He raced to the front door, hearing her say, “Okay. ’Bye.”
But the image of leaving her confused, standing by the kitchen island, burned in his brain. By the time he got to the office, he knew something had to be done about their situation. If proximity was causing him to get real feelings for her, then proximity was what he had to fix. He couldn’t kick her out. But she would move once she had a job.
He’d already called the one friend who might have had an opening for an assistant. That had failed.
He decided on another route and marched to the Human Resources office.
Karen, Mary Martin’s assistant, looked up. “Mr. McCallan!”
“I’d like to see Mary for a few minutes, if I can.”
“Sure!” She tapped a few buttons on her phone, told Mary he was there and within seconds Mary’s door opened. Fiftysomething with kind green eyes, she motioned him inside her office.
“What brings you here?”
He took the seat in front of her desk as she sat on her tall-backed chair behind it. “I have a friend who needs a job.”