They’d have to resolve this. Avoidance was not an option. “Yes.”
Melinda patted her hand and headed off. Alyssa held in a grin when she saw the glare Melinda gave Grant in passing.
“I see I’ve earned two enemies tonight.”
“Huh?”
“Your mentor and his girlfriend both hate me now.”
Alyssa smiled and ducked her head.
“At least, I hope it’s limited to two.” He reached out as if to hold her hand, thought better of it, and skimmed one finger down her bare arm. “I’m sorry for what happened. It was completely unprofessional and it was all my fault.”
Alyssa appreciated the apology. She should just accept it and put the whole event behind her. And yet … “Can I just ask – why did you kiss me?”
His eyes widened momentarily and he cleared his throat. So she’d caught him off-guard and made him feel awkward.
Good.
“I have no idea. I wasn’t thinking. I guess I was just caught up in the moment. I mean, you look beautiful, and you were in my arms. It just seemed the thing to do. I didn’t think. It was wrong. Jesus, I feel like a teenager with a crush right now.”
She laughed.
“So, would you please put me out of my misery and accept my apology?”
She melted at his boyish smile. For a moment, she could picture him at a younger, more carefree age, when he and his young wife headed off to a well-deserved vacation in Hawaii. Remnants of the happy young man he used to be glimmered through the workaholic loner he was now. “Yes. I forgive you.”
His relieved smile grew wider. “It’ll never happen again, believe me.”
Alyssa nodded. “For that matter, I guess a few ground rules are in order. There is to be no romance between us. We are business colleagues, and our dealings should be completely professional. Can you live with that?”
Grant studied her a moment. “Yes. But knowing that you’re new to New York, I’d like to offer you friendship as well. Consultant about the city, tour guide, whatever. Heck, even a babysitter if you need one.”
“That’s not necessary, I assure you.”
“Come on. The better we know each other, the more in tune we’ll be about my advertising needs. You’re new in town and could use a friend. Besides, it’s the least I can do to make up for my behavior.”
She was curious about his offer, and more than a little interested. He was right – she could use some help navigating her new city. And knowing few others in town, she could occasionally need help with Caroline. The pressures of single parenthood were demanding, to say the least.
But from Grant Fontaine, President of Calibrite Electronics? Multi-millionaire business tycoon, offering to babysit her child? How odd.
“We’ll see. What I’m most worried about now is surviving the gossip that will surely be circulating through the office next week.”
He smiled. “I could write a press release, if you like.”
“No! You’ve done enough damage.” She laughed.
“Okay, then the next best thing I can think of is another dance.”
Alyssa punched his arm. “No, thank you.”
He grabbed her fist. “No, seriously. Ever heard of the hair of the dog? Falling off a horse and getting right back on again?”
She smiled. “You have a thing for animal-related clichés, don’t you?”
He chuckled. “My point is, we go back out there and dance again, and we keep it completely platonic, and by the end of the night, the misguided kiss will be forgotten. Gossip eliminated.”
“Just like that?”
Grant snapped his fingers. “Just like that. We’ll be like a couple of siblings out there.”
Alyssa sighed. “It’s worth a try. But I think I need a drink first.”
Grant held out his arm and she looped hers through it. “Let’s go, sis.”
* * * *
The limo pulled up to the curb outside Alyssa’s house and glided to a quiet stop. The darkness cast a murky shadow over his face as he turned to face her in the seat. “I had a good time. More than I thought I would. Thanks for going with me.”
Alyssa turned toward his hushed voice. “Me, too.” She didn’t mention the kiss again, and he didn’t either.
“I don’t get out much. Social events usually bore me.”
She nodded. She could say the same, but her motivation was completely different than his. Hers was by necessity – raising a child by herself didn’t leave much time for parties. “For a black-tie business affair, it wasn’t half bad, was it?”
“And it allowed me to get to know you a little better.”
A few seconds ticked by in silence. Alyssa reached for the doorknob.
“I was serious about helping you adjust to New York in whatever way I can. In fact, how about tomorrow afternoon?”
“Tomorrow?”
“I could pick you up and take you sight-seeing. Out to eat.”
“No, that’s okay, …”
“Or, if you need to run any errands that require a car, I’d be happy to help out. Pick up, delivery, anything you need.”
Alyssa hesitated. “Sundays are always family days for me. It’s an uninterrupted day to spend with my daughter before the work week starts.”
“Of course. Caroline’s welcome too.”
Alyssa narrowed her eyes at him.
“Bring her along. The more the merrier.”
Alyssa sighed. It was late, she was tired, a headache was starting and darn it, her feet hurt after spending several hours on them whirling around the dance floor with this man. She’d enjoyed her evening, probably more than she should have, considering they both were under a renewed promise of professionalism. Spending another whole day with him wouldn’t help diminish her budding romantic feelings for him. “Grant, does this have anything to do with …?”
“No. Absolutely not.” He shook his head determinedly.
“You don’t feel obligated …?”
“Huh uh.”
“Then why …?”
“Because I want you to make a good transition to New York.”
She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. “I assure you I will make a good transition without your help. Caroline and I have done this before, you know.”
He ducked his head, and internally she swore. It was late and she hadn’t meant to be rude. She needed to remind herself how important this man was to her future. Snapping at the guy when he was trying to be nice really wasn’t a good plan. In concession, she reached over and squeezed Grant’s hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”
He nodded, let half a grin escape his lips. “I’m offering you a friend in the big city, Alyssa, that’s all. Nothing to be suspicious of.”
She thought a few moments longer. “Okay. Give me some time to sleep in and go pick up Caroline from her friend’s house. Then, why don’t I give you a call?”
His grin beamed like a lighthouse in a storm. “Deal.” They got out of the car and he walked her up the steps. He gave her a wave that could only be considered platonic and jogged down the steps. She watched him get in the car.
The man was a mystery, she couldn’t deny that.
Chapter Eight
The next afternoon, Grant maneuvered his Jaguar through the busy streets of Manhattan until he reached the relatively calmer streets of Alyssa’s Tribeca neighborhood. He had spent a sleepless night in anticipation of this approaching moment, and now, it was close. He would meet his daughter – Caroline, the miracle he’d discovered only a few years ago. She represented his chance at parenthood, at passing on his name, his business, to someone related to him. It was an opportunity he never thought he’d have after one deceptively sunny day on a beautiful island a lifetime ago, when the approach of a misguided truck put an end to everything he held dear, both his present and his future.
Grant shook his head to clear it. He pulled up to a stoplight and braked. No sense letting his thoughts go back to the most tragic time of his
life, not when this day was so monumental. Besides, he needed to brainstorm a strategy so he wouldn’t blow it like he did last night with that irresistible kiss. As hard as it would be, he would have to act like Caroline was just any other daughter of a business colleague. He’d be interested, but not too much so to raise suspicion in Alyssa. Kids were perceptive too. He didn’t want to set off alarms for Caroline. For his plan to work, he needed to take it easy – play it cool. Get the two of them to accept him as a casual friend, and see what would build from there.
He’d never been an actor, but he’d have to draw on whatever inner thespian he might possess to pull this off.
He passed Alyssa’s home, all street parking filled. He drove to the next block and pulled into a spot. He locked the car and jogged back to Alyssa’s front door. He pushed the button next to her name on the panel.
“Yes?” Her voice reached him through the tiny speaker.
“It’s Grant.”
“Come on up.”
She stood in her doorway. She was dressed as casually as he’d ever seen her but she was a woman who looked equally beautiful and put together whether she wore a jeweled evening gown or a pair of worn jeans and a zipped hoodie jacket, as she did now. He approached her, and concentrated on being casual while he tamped down feelings of attraction that were playing havoc with his insides. “Hi.”
“Hi, Grant.” She stepped back so he could pass her into her apartment.
“Did you sleep well?” He hadn’t, but of course he could never admit that to her, or why.
“I sure did. Maybe I should dance till dawn every night.” She laughed.
He nodded. “It was fun. McDunn and Early clients know how to party hardy.”
“I sort of saw it as the start of a new exercise program. All that dancing was good for the leg muscles.”
“Probably more so for you than me. I didn’t dance for hours while wearing high heels.”
She let out a laugh. “Now that would be a sight I’d pay money to see. Grant Fontaine, President of Calibrite Electronics, wearing size twelve stilettos while making the rounds on the dance floor.”
He shook his head. “Not an image I’m comfortable with.”
“I bet.”
He looked around. He couldn’t help himself. He was pleased Alyssa was in a good mood after he’d practically twisted her arm to see him today. And their rapport together was comfortable after getting to know each other last night. But it was time to get down to business.
The business of meeting his daughter.
He didn’t have to wait long. A shout of “Mom!” sounded from another room. He glimpsed at Alyssa.
She smiled. “Excuse me. I’ll be right back.”
He nodded, a rush of adrenaline shifting through his body, affecting the steadiness of his breath. He heard muted conversation and took advantage of the moment to rub his damp palms on his jeaned legs.
“Grant? This is my daughter, Caroline.”
He turned and came face to face with the little girl. Fighting the urge to reach out and touch her, he fixed his gaze on her. She was beautiful.
A gorgeous shade of blonde hair like her mother, his own eyes with their unique shade of copper. Being face-to-face with Caroline drove home that she did, indeed, have his eyes – and his mother’s. Pictures never did them justice. At eight, she was petite and her skin looked as soft as satin. Her eyes fairly sparkled with life, a detail he’d never been able to pick up through the frequent photos he’d seen of her. This little girl was real. This little girl was his.
“Caroline, this is Mr. Fontaine, my client at work.”
“Nice to meet you.” Her voice was quintessentially childlike and a shiver flitted in his chest.
He knelt so he could be closer to her, struggling to control his impulse to pull her into his arms and hug her. “So nice to meet you too, Caroline.” Although he thought he’d succeeded in keeping his voice casual, truer words had never been spoken. “And please, don’t call me Mr. Fontaine. Just call me Grant.”
Caroline smiled and swung her eyes to her mom. Alyssa shook her head in response. “Sorry, Grant. I have certain rules for Caroline when it comes to common courtesy and one of the foundational ones is addressing seniors properly.”
Caroline looked back at him and nodded. “Not by your first name.”
Grant felt a little stab in his euphoria. He didn’t want his daughter to call him a formal name. Of course, in a perfect world she’d call him “Dad.” But in absence of that, “Grant” would be preferable to a stuffy “Mr. Fontaine.”
But it wasn’t insurmountable, he reminded himself. One step at a time. “I understand. Your mom’s right. Mr. Fontaine it is.” He winked at her and ruffled her hair. The grin he received in response was happy and perfect, and it hit him right in the heart. He pulled away from her and stood, but noticed his hand was shaking just a little.
It was the most monumental moment of recent years, but if he didn’t keep it under wraps, he’d blow it.
“So,” he said to Alyssa, “what’s on the docket for today?”
“I decided to take you up on your offer of a vehicle. Caroline picked out a beautiful new armoire for her room and I think in its box, unassembled, we could fit it in a trunk. I’d rather do that than have them deliver it.”
“Terrific. We can bring it home and I could help you put it together.”
Alyssa smiled. “Great.”
They walked to the car. Alyssa watched Caroline buckle herself into the backseat before joining Grant in the front seat. An action she’d done a thousand times, he was sure, but never in his car. A strange pressure formed in his chest, making him a little breathless. The three of them together, like a family, running a domestic errand. It was kind of nice.
As he pulled away from the curb he gave himself a stern internal talking-to. Get a grip, Fontaine. Such sentimentality was foreign to him, at least in the last ten years since Marguerite died. He’d worked hard to suppress unnecessary emotion, the only way he’d survived and went on since the tragedy of her death. Now suddenly, being face to face with Caroline and Alyssa was compromising his carefully formed control.
Caroline was talking from the back seat so he tuned in to her. “I saw a picture of it in a catalog and Mommy said we could look at it in the store. It’s so awesome. It looks even better when you see it all put together.”
“Don’t be in a rush, honey, because when we get yours it’ll be in a box. We’ll have to bring it home and read the directions. Make sure we have all the pieces and tools before we start, then follow the directions step by step. It could take hours.”
A grin snuck onto his face.
“What?”
He glanced over at Alyssa and tried to hide it. “Nothing.” He concentrated on driving, then said, “That’s one way to do it, I suppose.”
“And what would you suggest?”
“I’m more of a free-for-all kind of guy. You know, open the box, shake everything out on the floor, throw the directions aside. Study it a while, then just dive in.”
Alyssa frowned. “You would put it together without the directions? There could be hundreds of pieces!”
He chuckled. “Extra points if you don’t use them all.”
She gasped softly and turned back to the road, shaking her head. But Caroline giggled in the back seat. “You mean it actually works that way?”
“Sure,” he said while Alyssa simultaneously said, “No way.”
“But if you don’t use all the screws and stuff, wouldn’t it be a little wobbly?” Caroline asked.
“You bet,” said her mom, while he said, “Nah.”
He and Alyssa looked at each other, eyebrows raised. Then they laughed.
“I can tell this is going to be an adventure.” Alyssa shook her head.
Later, they drove home, the big box sticking out the back of the trunk. He jumped out of the car after he parked it and pulled the box out, his biceps tight with strain.
“Here, here,” Alyss
a said, hurrying over. “You get that side, I’ll get this side.”
“No, that’s okay, I got it.” Even as he said it he was chagrined to hear the struggle in his voice. It was heavy, but more than that, it was an awkward shape. Too big and wide to get his arms around.
“Grant, come on. Even the guys at the store needed two people to carry it. It’s an odd shape – as wide as it is tall.”
Grant puffed out some air and leaned the far side of the box against his car. “You’re right. Sorry about that. I wanted to keep you out of the heavy lifting.”
Alyssa laughed. “Believe me, I am accustomed to my share of the heavy lifting in life.” She bent her knees to squat and wrapped her arms around the box. As she straightened her legs they moved away from the car.
He tried not to think of her breasts smooshed against the cardboard. He tried not to think of her breasts smooshed against his chest.
He cleared his throat. “Want to change positions?”
She shook her head, a little breathless. “No, I’ll go backwards. Just don’t let me stumble into something.”
He nodded. “Hey Caroline, you be our set of eyes, okay? You direct your mom, and I’ll just follow.”
She jumped into place, pleased to be given such an important job.
They made it across the small front yard before taking their first break. They struggled together up the outside stairs before taking their second. Their third occurred directly outside her apartment door. They were both panting as they lowered the monster box to the floor in her hallway. She collapsed on top of it, and he slid to the floor, his back up against it. Caroline bounced over and joined her mom leaning on the top of the box.
“You did it! It’s here!”
“There’s a reason why I’m not in the furniture moving business,” Alyssa groaned.
“No doubt,” Grant agreed.
They stayed there a moment, catching their breath. Alyssa dragged herself to her feet and came around to Grant. She reached a hand out to him. “Why don’t we drag this thing in, then I’ll make us some drinks?”
“Sounds great.”
Ten minutes later, Caroline was in her room, moving her belongings around, trying to make room for her new armoire. Grant sat on the couch. Alyssa joined him from the kitchen and handed him an iced tea with a slice of lemon. She glanced at the seat beside him on the couch, then chose the loveseat on the other side of the small room.
Hidden Agenda Page 8