Emma might not have Tess, but she wasn’t alone.
Unexpected tears filled Amy’s eyes but thankfully Dan was too busy tucking Emma into bed to notice.
“I’ll see you downstairs.” Amy rose from the rocker and moved quickly across the glossy hardwood to the door. Dan believed she was a strong, practical woman and she didn’t want him to think differently.
Dan brushed a kiss across Emma’s cheek and turned to find Amy hurrying toward the door. “Hey, wait for me.”
He rose and followed her with his lengthy stride but she didn’t slow down. If anything, she increased her pace.
Then, like a scene from a slapstick comedy where someone slips on a banana peel, Amy’s feet flew out from under her. A startled cry sprang from her lips.
Dan responded instinctively. With his heart in his throat, he lunged forward and grabbed her from behind. There was no time to think. No time to consider where to place his hands.
Amy wore a bra, but the moment his hand gripped the soft mound of flesh, the contact might as well have been skin-to-skin.
Amy gasped and turned, her cheeks two bright spots of pink. He immediately dropped his arms to his sides and took a step back. Heat rose up his neck.
While Amy’s face gave nothing away, her hand trembled as she carefully straightened her shirt.
Guilt coursed through Dan. He captured her gaze, willing her to see by the look in his eyes that he was sincerely sorry. “Amy, I—”
“Daddy?” Emma’s sleepy voice sounded from across the room.
Dan whirled. But he’d barely taken a step when Emma snuggled into her pillow and her eyelids drifted shut. “Love you, Daddy. Love you, Amy.”
“Love you, princess,” Dan called softly, but the girl was already asleep.
Dan took a deep breath and turned back to Amy.
“Thanks for catching me,” she said, not giving him a chance to continue his apology. “I’m usually not so clumsy.”
“I’m usually not so rough.” Dan shoved his hands into his pockets. “I didn’t even realize where I was—”
“I was thinking of making some hot cocoa,” Amy said.
Hot cocoa? It was seventy degrees outside.
But the desperation in her smile told him all he needed to know. She preferred to pretend nothing had happened.
Dan returned her smile, relieved they wouldn’t have to have an awkward discussion.
Amy lifted her gaze, her tongue nervously moistening her lips, her eyes wide and very green. “Want some?”
It was a simple question but Dan’s body put its own spin on the words. Heat flowed through his veins like molten lava and he suddenly felt like a hormone-ravaged teenager. The intense feelings took him by surprise. But feeling crazy was one thing. Acting crazy something else entirely.
This was Amy, after all.
“Dan?” she prompted, her voice sounding oddly breathless. “Hot cocoa?”
He shook his head. “I’m not in the mood.”
Not for hot cocoa, anyway.
Amy met his gaze and her cheeks darkened to a deep rose. For a second he had the sinking feeling she could read his thoughts.
“Suit yourself,” she said with a slight smile. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you change your mind.”
After she left, Dan checked Emma one last time before heading for the stairs. This morning, he hadn’t a care in the world. Now, he was lusting after his daughter’s nanny and he had nothing but worries.
As he approached the kitchen, he could hear Amy humming. The Broadway show tune sung a trifle off-key told him more than words that he hadn’t completely screwed up. At least not yet.
The last remnants of tension eased from his shoulders and Dan decided that maybe he was in the mood for that cup of hot cocoa after all.
Chapter Four
“I understand you’re upset about your neighbor dying in that car accident,” Dan said in a soothing tone, his fingers tightening around the receiver. He’d been sympathetic for the first twenty minutes of his mother-in-law’s call, but his patience was wearing thin. For the last half hour she’d talked nonstop about George, her neighbor, and how he wouldn’t have died if he’d heeded her advice and not ridden his bike after dark.
It didn’t help that Dan had had a particularly crummy weekend. Amy had gone out with Steven on Friday night and Emma had been cranky.
Today he’d thought they’d all go in-line skating down by the lake after breakfast and maybe catch some lunch at Navy Pier, but once again Amy had plans with Steven. Dan couldn’t help but wonder if she was deliberately avoiding him…
“—Emma’s welfare.”
Dan realized with a start that while his thoughts had been wandering, Gwen had continued to ramble.
“What did you say about Emma?” He relaxed his hold on the phone. There was nothing he liked better than talking about Emma with her doting grandparents. In fact, he’d tried to steer the conversation around to Emma several times in the last thirty minutes but Gwen had been too focused on her neighbor.
“I said you need to make sure that your will names us as Emma’s guardians if anything happens to you.”
“Nothing is going to happen to me.” Dan forced a halfhearted laugh.
“We all think that,” Gwen said. “But George didn’t plan to die and neither did my daughter.”
Though Gwen had never come right out and said it, Dan knew she blamed him for Tess’s death. Tess wouldn’t have gotten pregnant a second time if he hadn’t been so adamant about wanting another child.
“I’ve already made provisions for Emma,” Dan said.
A moment of stunned silence filled the phone line.
“I’m surprised your mother would agree,” Gwen said. “What with having a new husband and all.”
“Actually my mother didn’t think she’d have the stamina for a young child.” Dan had been disappointed but he’d appreciated his mom’s candor. “A friend here in Chicago has agreed to raise Emma if something happens to me.”
After his mother had said no, Dan had approached Amy and she’d seemed touched by the offer.
“A friend?” Gwen’s voice rose. “Who is this person? Have I met him?”
Dan hesitated. Gwen had been wealthy her entire life and in her mind a nanny was a servant and as such would never be considered an appropriate guardian for her only grandchild.
“Emma belongs with family,” Gwen continued when Dan didn’t respond. It wasn’t so much what she said as how she said it that reminded him of Tess. Spunky Tess, who used to lift her chin and show him her stubborn face when they disagreed.
Some of his irritation dissolved in the remembrance. Gwen and Phil had loved their daughter and they loved Emma. Unfortunately they could be harsh and unyielding in their views and he had no doubt, given time and opportunity, they’d end up crushing Emma’s gentle spirit.
Even now, he had to monitor their interactions with his daughter. They compared Emma to Tess at every opportunity and Emma always came up lacking.
“My mind is made up,” Dan said. “I’m not going to change it.”
“Well, if anything happens, this friend of yours will have a fight on his hands.” His mother-in-law’s voice turned frosty. “We will not let our granddaughter be taken from us. And I happen to know that family is always given extra weight in custody issues.”
Dan’s knuckles turned white at her obvious disregard for his wishes.
C’mon, Dan. I know she can be difficult, but be nice to them. Please. For me.
The memory of Tess’s familiar plea stopped his sharp retort. Instead Dan forced a conciliatory tone.
“Gwen, it’s been great talking to you but I need to go.” He ignored her murmur of protest. “Be sure and tell Phil hello.”
Dan clicked off before she could get another word out. Though he had a thousand and one things to do, he didn’t move a muscle. He sat staring at the phone, cursing his mother-in-law’s high-handedness and wondering what in the world he was going to do now.
Dan sat at the kitchen table and tried to read the paper, but his gaze kept straying to Amy. She’d returned from her afternoon with Steven in a lighthearted mood. Her skin was rosy from the sun and her green eyes sparkled like emeralds. She looked, he thought, uncommonly pretty today.
When she leaned over to put the casserole in the oven, he found himself staring at her smooth thighs and the rounded curves of her breasts.
Dan inhaled a deep, steady breath. This had to stop. He really hated that his gaze lingered on those long, supple legs. And he didn’t like noticing the way her shirt clung to every curve or just how nice those curves were.
This was all Jake’s fault, he thought irritably. If he hadn’t mentioned Amy dating, Dan wouldn’t have looked at her in that way at all. For three years she’d been his daughter’s nanny. Now, all of a sudden, he’d realized she was a woman, too.
Oblivious to the turmoil her shapeliness was causing, Amy closed the lower oven door and turned. “Have I told you how much I love this double oven?”
Her cotton top accentuated her full, generous breasts, and for a fleeting moment Dan found himself wondering what she’d look like naked. His mouth went dry and it took everything he had to return her smile and concentrate on the question. “Only about a million times.”
She laughed. “I think you’re exaggerating just a bit.”
The sound of her laughter made him smile. Maybe he was exaggerating, but Dan had no doubt the reason she’d been so content in his household had a lot to do with the kitchen. Last year he’d had the entire area redone and Amy had supervised the construction. Since she used it the most, it had only made sense she should have input into the final product.
She’d been so thrilled with the results that when the last contractor had walked out the door, in a moment of pure joy she’d thrown her arms around Dan’s neck and given him a hug. He hadn’t given it a second thought. Afterward she’d been embarrassed, but he’d understood. She’d just been given her dream kitchen on a silver platter.
But it wasn’t really her kitchen, was it?
Maybe that was why Amy continued to date Steven. Amy was practical. The Lasagna Man might not make her heart beat faster—not yet anyway—but he could give her companionship and a permanent home of her own.
But so could I…
The thought surprised him. He shoved it aside but it immediately boomeranged back. This time he considered the idea. He and Amy shared many common interests and most importantly, they both loved Emma. In a way, he and Amy hooking up made its own kind of sense.
Dan glanced at his watch and headed to the back porch. When Amy got home, he’d be waiting.
Amy shifted her gaze out the window of Steven Mitchell’s lakeshore condo. The lights of Chicago blinked back at her. All evening she’d found herself mesmerized by the view.
Her lips curved up in a smile. It had been a wonderful evening, thanks to her very gracious host. She turned back to tell him that but before the words could leave her lips, Steven reached across his dining room table and took her hand.
She wasn’t surprised he’d gotten caught up in the mood. Though that’s not how it had been intended, the evening had taken a decidedly romantic turn. Crystal glittered in the candlelight and classical music in the background added to the ambience.
“Dinner was fabulous.” In the dim light, Steven’s eyes looked more black than gray. “You really outdid yourself.”
Amy resisted the urge to gently remove her hand from his grasp. It wasn’t that she minded holding hands with Steven, she just didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. After all, she’d meant it when she’d told Dan that she and Steven were merely cooking buddies. Though it was beginning to look like Steven might want more…
“Simply fabulous.” Steven breathed the words, his gaze riveted to her.
Amy forced herself to chew and swallow. She wasn’t sure why Steven was laying it on so thick but she couldn’t help but be flattered. Still she forced a nonchalant air as if having a handsome man flirt with her was an everyday occurrence.
“Beef tenderloin can be so boring.” Amy lifted the wineglass to her mouth with her free hand. “The secret is the parsley sauce with cornichons and capers.”
“You have just the right touch.” Steven’s thumb caressed her palm and Amy almost inhaled her Merlot.
What was happening? The stars definitely had to be in some kind of funky alignment. First, she’d found herself practically salivating over Dan and now Steven—who’d always respected the boundaries she’d set—seemed determined to push into new territory tonight.
Amy had the feeling she was partially to blame. Two weeks ago, when Steven had taken her to a fancy French restaurant, she’d happened to mention how tired she was of cooking the same boring meals that were Dan and Emma’s favorites. She longed to cut loose and try some fun, fancy recipes for a change.
Steven had immediately jumped on the idea. He’d suggested that every week they take turns making each other a meal of their own choosing. Last week Steven had treated her to a fabulous evening of Indian cuisine.
Tonight had been her turn to shine. But when she’d agreed to the plan, she hadn’t considered where she would prepare a meal when it was her turn. After all, she could hardly use Dan’s kitchen to entertain Steven.
When she’d said as much to Steven, he’d merely smiled and offered her the use of his place. Unfortunately the only night this week that worked for him was Sunday, a day usually reserved for Dan and Emma. But Steven was going out of town on business for two weeks and he’d insisted he couldn’t wait that long to see what treat she had in store for him.
“Amy.” Steven’s husky, deep voice broke through her reverie. “Have I told you how beautiful you look this evening?”
Amy lifted her eyes to find his gaze focused on the cleavage displayed by the silky black cocktail dress. Her face heated beneath his admiring gaze and she shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Dressing up for the evening had been Steven’s idea. She’d been a bit hesitant, but had decided to go along with the suggestion.
It certainly had helped set the elegant, romantic mood. Of course, the fact that Steven’s condo overlooked the lakefront didn’t hurt, either. The first time he’d brought her up here, she’d been stunned. In class, dressed in blue jeans, he’d seemed like just another food devotee. Sure, she’d known he was an attorney, she just hadn’t realized he was so wealthy. Or so…attractive.
The tuxedo he wore emphasized his lean, muscular build. Like Dan, his hair was dark and cut short, but instead of being blue, Steven’s eyes were a piercing gray. She could see why he was so successful in the courtroom. Those eyes missed little.
“I’m flattered,” she said.
“You don’t believe my compliment.” His brows pulled together in puzzlement. “Why is that?”
This time Amy gave in to the urge and slipped her hand from his, nervously brushing back a stray strand of hair from her face.
She wondered if he’d be as impressed if he knew that the black cocktail dress she wore had been purchased at a consignment boutique. But even she had to admit the cut flattered her full, firm breasts while minimizing her curvy hips. She’d pulled her hair back in a loose, French knot and taken extra care with her makeup. At the last minute she’d impulsively added the pair of diamond earrings Dan and Emma had given her last Christmas.
“Amy.”
She blinked, realizing his question hadn’t been simply rhetorical.
“Beautiful?” Amy forced a laugh. “C’mon, Steven. Even you have to admit extra pounds and freckles place me squarely in the nice-looking but definitely-not-beautiful range.”
She made the observation without the slightest hint of guile. She wasn’t fishing for compliments. She was, quite simply, stating the facts.
Still, she half expected Steven to argue. Instead he laughed, the tiny lines around his eyes crinkling. “No wonder I like you so much.”
There it was again, a shift into the personal realm. An
d the smoldering look in his eyes told her if she didn’t shut it down now, things could get uncomfortable.
“Did I tell you Chez Gladines at Navy Pier has contracted with me to provide French pastries on a trial basis?” Amy couldn’t keep the note of pride from her voice. “Apparently their chef had been a real prima donna and an expensive one to boot. When she up and quit on them, they decided to give me a chance.”
While the restaurant manager hadn’t given Amy a long-term commitment, at least she had a foot in the door.
“Congratulations.” A smile split Steven’s face. “I wish I’d known earlier, I’d have taken you out to celebrate.”
Amy had waited to mention the news for that specific reason. She didn’t want to give him the chance to act like a boyfriend. He was doing enough of that already. Last time they’d eaten out, he’d refused to let her pay her share. If he were her boyfriend, she’d be all about letting him treat her. But they were simply good friends and that’s how she wanted to keep it.
She let her gaze linger on his handsome face. Steven was a great guy with all the qualities she was looking for in a man. Why couldn’t she like him as more than a friend? Why couldn’t she love him? What was holding her back?
Amy smiled and held out her glass for more wine.
After filling her glass, Steven leaned back in his chair and shot her a speculative gaze. “What did King Dan have to say?”
Amy rolled her eyes. Steven had never met Dan but he’d taken in a few of her comments and decided he didn’t like the guy. Like when she’d mentioned once in passing how much Dan liked to be waited on, she’d never expected Steven to take the funny, little incident and make a big deal out of it.
“Was he happy for you?” Steven pressed.
Amy shrugged and took a sip of wine. “I haven’t mentioned it to him yet.”
“Why not?” Steven lifted a sardonic brow. “Too busy making his coffee?”
“Making the coffee pays the bills.” Amy kept her tone deliberately light and offhand, refusing to get sucked into rehashing something that had already been discussed. Still, it seemed no matter how many times she tried to tell Steven taking care of Dan and Emma was her job, he always tried to push her to think of herself, too.
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