The Daddy Gamble

by Debra Salonen

  “Really? He didn’t mention any of that in his message.”

  Yetta’s smile disappeared. “You’re mad at him, aren’t you?”

  “No.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  Kate was too tired to argue. “I could have used him around today. That’s all.”

  “Does that mean you two are officially a couple?”

  “Huh?”

  “Well, usually it takes more than one date for someone to feel comfortable hanging around in the middle of a family crisis. If you wanted him here the whole time, then you must be pretty sure he’s the one.”

  Kate’s cup nearly slipped from her fingers. “I…he…we haven’t really had time to talk about how we feel. I guess I was a little hurt that he went to work, but you’re right. He had every right to.”

  Her mother stepped closer and patted Kate’s shoulder. “I was just making a point, dear. People sometimes make hasty decisions in times of crisis that they later regret.”

  Kate felt a stab of guilt. Like making up my mind to move?

  “Rob is a good man, Kate. I know you see that, but you’ve been through a lot lately. No one would blame you if you were a bit gun-shy when it comes to love.”

  Love? Kate wasn’t sure she even knew what the word meant, but she didn’t have time to think about it for long. The man in question suddenly appeared at the kitchen door. Dressed in a tux.

  “Rob? My gosh, where are you going?”

  He stepped inside and took a deep breath. His hair looked slightly damp. Kate was positive she’d never seen anyone more handsome. Even the frazzled look in his eye was sexy.

  “Dinner. At some five-star place. On the wharf.”

  Her heart thudded hard against the wall of her chest.

  “Wh…what wharf? There’s no wharf in Las Vegas.”

  He ran a hand through his hair. She recognized the gesture of frustration. “I know,” he said. “The partners are in town. They’re flying back to San Francisco tonight. The corporate jet. That’s why I wasn’t here. Had to put on the dog and pony show. Now, they’re hauling me back with them for some meetings tomorrow.”

  “Why?”

  He looked down—embarrassed or reluctant to say? “It’s not a consensus. My would-have-been father-in-law, whom I’m pretty sure orchestrated my being sent to Vegas in the first place, can’t bring himself to admit that I’m not the screw-up he wants everyone to think I am, but two of the partners want me to come back.”

  “To San Francisco?”

  “Uh-huh. They said they need my energy and grit.” He smiled. “I think that means I was so frantic to get in touch with you, I walked out of a meeting. People don’t usually do that to these guys.”

  “I called your office. Your secretary said—”

  “I know. Sorry about that. That woman was a temp. My regular admin. went home with a stomachache.”

  He reached out and touched the side of her face with his fingertips. “This really wasn’t how I saw this day happening. I wasn’t here with you, and I’m really sorry about that. At least Maya’s home safe and sound, right?”

  Kate nodded. “Pretty much. She’s a little confused and her trust in men rivals mine, but…” She tried to keep her tone light. “When will you be back?”

  “A day or two. But what’s really crazy is I got a call this morning from the Realtor who’s had my condo listed ever since Serena and I broke up. Talk about weird timing. He has a buyer. With cash. I have to give them an answer by Friday.”

  “Wow. That’s fast.”

  “I know. Yesterday, I would have jumped at the offer, but, now…well, I won’t know until I hear the partners’ terms. But I think they’re going to ask me to take over our Walnut Creek branch. This is huge. I’m a little shell-shocked. One minute I’m certain they’re here to fire me, then next I’m some kind of wunderkind.”

  Kate didn’t know what to say. “Why? I mean, you are amazing, but what changed their minds?”

  He paced a few steps away, his brows drawn. “I’m not sure exactly. The cynical side of my mind thinks it’s because of you.”

  “Me? Why me?”

  “I told them how April bungled your custody hearing and I hooked you up with another lawyer who specializes in family law. They liked the way I handled the matter. Not trying to sweep it under the table. My almost-father-in-law tried to suggest that I started dating you so you wouldn’t sue us. Which is ridiculous, of course. But that’s the kind of thing he would have done. And probably did at some point in his career. He’s as ethical as a—” He stopped mid-sentence when he looked at Kate.

  Her mouth had dropped open; her eyes expressed dismay.

  “Kate? You’re not buying that. No way.”

  “Your dad’s wedding? Was that a bribe?”

  Rob heard the words and her tone—pure hurt. “No. Of course not. I just wanted to help. My God, Kate, this is nuts. Why would you think that?”

  She gave a bitter laugh. “Historically, the men I’ve cared for the most are handsome, glib and pathetically short on principles. Why should you be any different?”

  “Because I am. I haven’t lied to you. This—us—what happened last night has nothing to do with your case. The partners might see it that way, but that’s because their lives are tweaked. You know me. I’m not like that.”

  “Do I? Rob, what I know is we have very little in common. You hate Vegas and can’t wait to leave it. My business, my family, my life is here. Despite the fact that you’re amazingly good with kids, you claim to not want children. I have one, in case you didn’t notice.”

  “Dammit, Kate, you’re twisting things to make me look like the bad guy here. Your ex ran off with Maya today, not me. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help, but I had fifteen people—and their families—counting on me to save their jobs. My bosses want to reward that. Period.”

  “You’re right. I’m overreacting. Probably because I’m emotionally shot at the moment. You need to go to San Francisco and figure out what you want to do with your life. I already know what I want to do with mine. I want to make Romantique a huge success, take care of my daughter without worrying that someone from my past is going to snatch her away from me and, last but not least, buy a place of our own because a woman my age shouldn’t be living at home with her mother.”

  Rob appeared to be a complete loss for words.

  “This is a lot to process, Rob. My brain isn’t completely over what happened to Maya. I’ll wish you good luck, then we’ll see what happens.”

  He looked at her and frowned. “It is a lot to process, and we’re both a little sleep-deprived. But I am coming back, Kate. We’ll talk then. I promise. Okay?”

  Kate didn’t have a chance to answer. His phone rang. He looked at the number and groaned. Impulsively, she put her arms around him and squeezed tightly, hoping she didn’t mess up his tuxedo too badly. “Sure. Grace is planning a little pool party to thank all the volunteers who helped us get Maya home safely. If you get back in time, I hope you’ll come.”

  He took her face in his hands. “That I can’t promise, but I will if at all possible.” Then he kissed her, hard and fast. “I…” He paused, obviously reconsidering whatever he’d started to say. “I’ll miss you. Tell Maya I’m glad she’s okay and I hope she likes her fish.”

  “You can tell her yourself. She’s in her room…no. Forget I said that. I don’t want you to get a speeding ticket on your way to the airport. Go.”

  Rob hesitated. He had to leave. Now. But his feet felt encased in concrete. Kate’s smile wasn’t the same one he’d seen this morning when he tapped her on the shoulder at the craps table. This one said friend, not lover. But we aren’t a couple, are we? We made love. That didn’t automatically imply a lifelong commitment. Did it?

  Rob replayed their conversation in his head as he drove to the airport. His gut told him he’d blown it. He hadn’t said any of the things he should have said. Like what last night meant to him. Or how much he adored Maya and wanted to do
whatever it took to make her like him. Or the most important words of all, I love you.

  He pounded the heel of his hand on the steering wheel. His glib tongue had failed him. Why? Was it because he didn’t really want to commit to her? Before today, he had assumed he’d be living in Nevada for the next several years. Now, it seemed he had a choice.

  Or do I?

  Las Vegas meant Kate and Maya. And his mother. And a group of people who now appreciated him because he’d managed to buy them another year with the firm and saved two careers in the process. And the Dads Group. His little swimmers.

  But was any of that worth the kind of emotional risk that went with marriage? Serena, the woman he’d almost married, had claimed he was a screwed-up emotional mess who wouldn’t know commitment if it bit him on the ass. What if she was right? Was he really the right guy for Kate? Could he possibly be trusted to give her and Maya the life they deserved?

  He just didn’t know.

  Chapter 16

  The next morning, Kate stumbled out of bed too early. She’d suffered through a restless night—one chase after another. First, she’d spent hours searching for Maya, only to find her home in bed. Then, she’d followed Rob across a bridge that kept getting narrower and shakier. She’d awoken just before she stepped into a pool of black water.

  “Good morning, dear,” Yetta said, entering the kitchen as Kate popped the top on a cola. Her mother was carrying a bouquet of cut flowers, including roses.

  “You have rose bushes?” Kate exclaimed. “Where?”

  “At the cemetery. Grace planted them on either side of your father’s headstone. Your sister and I went for a visit this morning. She’s at Alexandra’s now.”

  “Oh.”

  “How’d you sleep?”

  “Crummy.” She followed Yetta to the sink and watched as she clipped the stems to a uniform length. Kate picked up one dark pink bud and held it to her nose. “It doesn’t smell.”

  “Many of the newer varieties were bred for beauty only. They don’t need to attract bees because they’re not pollinated the old-fashioned way.”

  “Hmm. You and Grace didn’t happen to talk about dating, did you? As in, you and some attractive older man?”

  Her mother fumbled with the utility shears.

  “Someone like Zeke Martini?”

  Yetta sighed weightily. “I’ve raised a gaggle of gossips.”

  “We love you, Mom. We want you to be happy. None of us would be upset if you started seeing him. Or someone else. You’re too young to live the rest of your life without love.”

  “Ezekiel is an interesting man, but not my type.”

  “Oh, really. Why is that?”

  “He’s a solitary person. A loner. He wouldn’t know what to do with all my kids and their…”

  “Problems,” Kate supplied.

  “Issues.” Her mother smiled. “But I enjoy having coffee with him now and then.”

  “Having coffee, huh? Is that old-person speak for making out?”

  Her mother gave her a look Kate remembered all too well from childhood. “Katherine, if I were you, I’d figure out my own love life before I meddled in someone else’s.”

  The advice was blunt, but the tone was gentle. Inviting. “I wish I could, Mom. There’s a part of me that feels ready to move forward—shake off the weights that have kept me down. But I swear those shackles are attached by Velcro. I just get one side open and the other falls back on itself.”

  “I can picture that. Maya on one hand, Ian on the other.”

  She finished arranging the flowers then sat down and motioned for Kate to join her at the table. “What’s really on your mind, dear?”

  Kate swallowed the lump in her throat. “Mom, I’m afraid. A part of me is already in love with Rob, but another part points to Ian and says, ‘Look. You blew it once. What if you make the same mistake again?’”

  “If you want to talk mistakes, why not start with mine. When you came to me and said you were pregnant, I immediately heard my mother’s voice. Lord, how she drummed a litany of shame and recriminations into my head about what would happen if I ever ‘got in trouble.’ That’s what we called being pregnant out of wedlock back then. I convinced myself that any husband—even one like Ian—was better than no husband. I couldn’t have been more wrong, could I?”

  Neither spoke for several minutes. Kate could tell this confession had cost her mother. “I didn’t have to follow your advice, Mom. I made up my own mind. And for a while, I think we all believed I’d made the right choice. Ian put on a good show.”

  “Not all men are deceivers.”

  “Maybe not, but they all have their own agendas, Rob included. He’s back in the Bay area and who knows what will come out of his meetings? Maybe a chance to move home. And, maybe that would be best for both of us. The timing is all wrong. He’s—”

  Her mother interrupted her. “He will be here on Saturday,” she said, her tone indisputable.

  Saturday. The thank-you party for everyone who’d helped bring Maya home. Kate didn’t argue with her mother. Yetta had a fifty-fifty chance of being right, but even if Rob showed up, he could just be coming to tell her he was leaving for good.

  Rob was surprised by how strange it felt to be back in the Bay area. And by how bad the traffic was. As he sat in his rental car on a virtual parking lot called Highway 101—eight lanes going nowhere fast—he had time to think about what the past two days had meant to him.

  A new job offer was on the table. More money. Company perks. The fast track to partner.

  It had become clear very fast that his ex-fiancée’s father was not happy about this offer. Jordon Ames had ambushed Rob in the parking lot after their fancy dinner to dispel any illusion Rob might have been under about the ax being buried between them.

  “You’re not a man of your word,” the older man had said, gripping Rob’s elbow in an iron clasp. “You make promises you don’t keep and break hearts that don’t deserve to be broken. Your father is a philandering prick posing as an educator, and you know what they say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

  Rob had tried to shake off his words. He’d carried on with the interviews and meetings as scheduled. By asking the right questions, he learned that the company had suffered some embarrassing harassment allegations that had gone public shortly after he’d moved to Las Vegas. A media firm had been consulted to try to spruce up the law firm’s image. Rob’s rather modest, but truly compassionate, efforts on behalf of his employees fit seamlessly into their agenda. And all Rob had to do to benefit from this providential set of circumstances was sign on the dotted line.

  Same with his condo. Given the housing market, he stood to make a tidy sum, which would serve him well if he wanted to re-invest in Vegas real estate but if he planned to move back here, he’d be better off keeping it.

  So, he called his father for advice. Predictably, Adam called for a tee time.

  A horn alerted him that traffic was moving. Forty minutes later, he was at Amberlein. Rob and his dad had golfed at the private course many times in the past. This would be their first round since his father’s wedding, though.

  “Does Haley golf, Dad? She could have joined us.”

  “She’s not feeling too well at the moment.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Too much honeymoon fun?”

  His father didn’t reply. Instead, he drove a high, solid tee shot right up the fairway. “Nice,” Rob said, watching it land. “You’re going to annihilate me if you keep that up.”

  By the time they reached the eighth hole, Rob was down by six strokes.

  Adam sank a four-foot putt then looked up. “So, when are you going to spill your guts?”

  Rob kept his head down as he addressed the ball. “I’m being offered the promotion of a lifetime.” He followed through—or thought he did. The ball missed the cup by a foot.

  “And this is a bad thing because…?”

  Rob tapped the ball into the hole then walked to
the cart. “It would mean moving back here. Which I thought I was prepared to do in a heartbeat, but there are complications. Mom’s not well, for one thing.”

  “I know. I talked to her a couple of days ago. But she’s finally seeing a doctor about the symptoms, so this can’t be what you’re upset about.”

  “Dad, do you believe that adage about the fruit not falling far from the tree?”

  His father had just started to get into the cart but straightened abruptly. “I beg your pardon?”

  Rob’s stomach was in knots. “When you and Mom were married, you had a certain reputation. You—”

  Adam cut him off. “Now, wait a second, that was a long time ago. I’ll admit your mother and I didn’t have the most conventional marriage, but—”

  “I knew about your special students, Dad. The Brighten Scholarship was a standard joke on campus. Only young beautiful women need apply. The name of the recipient always made its way back to me. And Mom,” he added.

  Adam sat down, heavily, his hands gripping the steering wheel. He hung his head. “I didn’t know that, son. Maybe I did and didn’t want to admit it.”

  Rob waited, unsure of what to say.

  Adam looked up. “Rob, I won’t lie to you. I was a conceited, self-important fool. I tried to pretend that what I was doing benefited both parties, but I knew it was a lie. I haven’t actually had a special ‘friend’ for the last ten years. I hope you believe that.”

  He did. He wasn’t sure why.

  “I’m sorry you had to deal with those rumors, Rob, but it’s the past. Why are you asking me about this today?”

  “Because I’ve found somebody who means a lot to me, and I’m afraid I might disappoint her. What if I don’t have what it takes to stick it out through thick and thin? You and Mom didn’t. I’m your son.”

  Adam put his hand on Rob’s shoulder. “You’re also yourself. You’re the guy who read the Chronicles of Narnia every night for six months until you finished it. At age eleven. You’ve never walked away from anything in your life.”