by Aubree Lane
Phoebe’s eyes grew wide, and her hands raised in surrender. “Fine, you don’t have to jump down my throat.”
“Good. Go make sure Nathan is up to speed on all our other projects so he can field any questions that might come up while we’re gone. I’m going to talk with David for a moment and then we’re out of here.”
Phoebe made a beeline for the door, but before she left she asked with a grin, “Are we going to Mrs. Barrington’s or your place for you to change?”
Annie looked down at her clothes and sighed.
“We’re going to be late,” Phoebe sang out as she exited the room.
“I have news for you,” Annie sang back, “we already are.”
As soon as Phoebe left, Annie cleared her desk and headed upstairs to find David.
She caught him coming out of his office. The dark shadows under his eyes warned that he probably wasn’t in the best of moods. Well, his day was about to get worse. Annie was determined to get to the bottom of this.
He saw her approach, gave his head a disgusted little shake, and brushed past her. “Not now, Annie.”
“Is that because you don’t want to have to admit that you’re Erika’s father?”
David pulled up short. His shoulders squared then he slowly turned and faced her. Anger raged in his eyes. In three giant steps, he stormed back, grabbed her arm, and heaved her into his office.
“How could you ask me that?” he bellowed as he slammed the door. “After all these years haven’t you caught on to how much I love Marissa? That I always have. How can you possibly believe I could do that to her?”
Annie knew she made a colossal error, but she forged headlong anyway. “Maybe you wouldn’t now, but at Larry’s birthday party, Marissa was furious. Larry was distraught, and Hannah acted like the cat who had just swallowed the canary,” she railed back at him. “Don’t try to tell me I’m wrong. I know them well enough to realize when something isn’t right. You were the only new element thrown into the mix. It had to have something to do with you!”
David threw his hands up in frustration and plopped down into the chair behind his desk. Annie watched as he visibly regained control of his anger. “You’ve actually put a lot of it together, but you’re way off base with your conclusion. I did not, nor will I ever, sleep with Hannah. I am not Erika’s father.”
Annie took her cue from him and forced herself to calm down. She dropped desolately into a chair as the enormity of her hideous assumption sunk in. When Marissa heard what she accused David of, she was going to be in a lot of trouble. Annie had crossed the line. She owed David an apology. It was childish not to give it, but the words stuck in her throat.
Her dilemma must have been written all over her face because David smirked. “Can’t do it, can you? You just can’t admit that you were wrong about me and apologize.”
Annie opened her mouth to retaliate, but before she had a chance to speak, David jumped in. “That’s okay. I have something I want to say before we pretend to be friends again.”
“Go ahead,” she blasted back, “let’s clear the air.”
He looked surprised then made a disgusted little huffing sound. “You sit there so self-righteous, but you wouldn’t have anything if it weren’t for Larry and Marissa. You have taken advantage of them for years. The office space you occupy costs us a few thousand dollars every month. The privileges this family offers you, which you take for granted, makes me ill!”
Annie was livid. Talk about calling the kettle black. Where would he be without Marissa and Larry? Without Marissa, he would have been just another run of the mill gumshoe. She wanted to accuse him of the same thing, but for once she held her tongue. Instead, she rifled through her purse, found a bank statement she had received in the previous morning’s mail and flung it at him.
“I know exactly what I owe this family,” she said coldly. “I have kept track of every nickel all the way back to the prom dress Larry helped me buy back in high school. He would never accept my money, so I created this account, of which your children are the beneficiaries. If Larry, Marissa, YOU, or your kids ever need it, I’ll be able to return at least some of Larry’s generosity. And for your information, I have offered to vacate these premises many times and Larry won’t hear of it. He likes having me around, and the feeling is mutual. Some things are worth more than money.”
David withdrew the statement from the envelope and checked the balance. Annie loved the shocked look on his face when he saw the total.
“You have over two hundred thousand dollars in this account! How were you able to save that much money?”
Annie shrugged. “I don’t need much. I live pretty frugally. Thanks to Larry, my clients can afford to pay me well, and as you so eloquently pointed out, my overhead is low.”
He tucked the statement back inside the envelope and handed it back. “I’m stunned. I guess I owe you an apology.”
Annie grinned. David had been the first one to apologize so now she could concede. “I’m sorry, too. I should have known you would never cheat on Marissa, especially not with Hannah.”
David appeared calm, but his voice still threatened. “Can I assume that our relationship will move on to a more mature level than in the past?”
Annie was tempted to stick her tongue out at him, but for Marissa’s sake, and not seeing the need to add any more fuel to the fire, she replied, “Probably for a while, but old habits die hard. Why don’t we try to grudgingly respect each other instead?”
David got up and opened the door, inviting Annie to leave. “Works for me,” then he added with a grin, “for a while anyway.”
Annie smiled back, dumbfounded by the fact that David had let her off the hook extremely easy. She had the distinct feeling he wasn’t going to inform Marissa of their conversation, and that realization blew her away. She left his office thinking that every once in a while, David could be an all right kind of guy.
David followed her out the door. “You should think about investing that money. It isn’t keeping up with inflation just sitting in a savings account.”
Annie rolled her eyes and repeated over and over to herself, grudging respect, grudging respect, grudging respect…
• • •
“Wow, my apartment is bigger than this,” Phoebe observed upon entering Annie’s home. “Isn’t the boss supposed to live better than the help?”
Annie ignored her. She was not about to explain why she lived the way she did to her assistant. “The bathroom is back there. Help yourself to whatever you need to fix your hair while I change.” Phoebe trotted off, and Annie went into the bedroom to change into a fresh outfit. As she was putting on her shoes, the cell phone in her purse began chirping. She clomped one shoed through her cramped living room and rummaged in her bag until she found the phone. She saw who the caller was and groaned. “It’s Mrs. Barrington,” she called out to Phoebe. “I think I need to talk fast and make nice.” She hit the talk button and sounding as upbeat as possible said, “Mrs. Barrington. What can I do for you?”
“Annie dear,” Mrs. Barrington said in her distinctively snooty voice, which surprisingly held a cordial happy tone. “There is a handsome gentleman here with his darling daughter. They are in search of you. It seems they are under the impression that you were supposed to be here this morning. They wish to take you to lunch. I have informed them that since I have plans this afternoon and will not be available for whenever it is that you decide to make an appearance, that you are free to do whatever you wish.”
“Mrs. Barrington,” Annie stammered. “I am terribly sorry I missed our appointment. There was an emergency―”
“No need to explain,” Mrs. Barrington interrupted. “Your young man has already done that for you. I suggest the three of you meet at the Riva. It has excellent food, as well as being child friendly. Is that acceptable?”
Was Mrs. Barrington letting her off the hook, too? What had got into all of her nemeses today? Whatever the reason, she wasn’t about to look a gif
t horse in the mouth. “May I inquire as to whom it is I appear to be lunching with?” She was pretty sure it was Terence and Erika, but how would he know she was supposed to be at the Barrington’s this morning, and why would Erika be with him?
Mrs. Barrington whispered into the phone. “Don’t be coy, Annie. Mr. Javier is gorgeous, don’t mess this up.” Then in her regular voice she added, “I’ll make sure a table is ready for you in half an hour. Bye now.”
Annie was still trying to comprehend what just occurred when Phoebe walked into the living room, her hair now back in its usual short, neat, professional style. “What did Mrs. Barrington have to say?”
Annie eyed her assistant. “Phoebe, how did Terence Javier know I was going to be at Mrs. Barrington’s?”
Phoebe smiled brightly. “He called while you were in with David. I was hoping to meet the guy important enough for you to ditch me and Nathan for.”
Annie leveled a glare at her assistant, determined to wipe that smug look off her face. “Let me get this straight. Not only did you invade my privacy, but you gave out a client’s address!”
Phoebe took the reprimand in stride. “Sorry, it won’t happen again. So what happened with Mrs. Barrington?”
Annie hadn’t fazed her quirky assistant one bit. Someday she was going to have to lay down the law about exactly what she expected from her employees, but not today. Today she was going be just as forgiving as David and Mrs. Barrington. “All I know is that I’m about to have lunch with him and that Mrs. Barrington is making the reservation.”
“You’re kidding!”
Annie gathered her things and slipped on her other shoe. “Nathan can handle the office by himself. Take the rest of the day off, Phoebe. I think I am.”
• • •
Annie arrived at the restaurant five minutes early and found Terence and Erika already seated and waiting. She slid into the booth next to Erika, sent a smile in the direction of tall, dark and handsome, then proceeded to tickle his daughter’s ribs. “What are you doing out of school?” she asked Erika as the child squirmed with delight under her touch.
Between giggles, Erika held out her arm and showed off a cotton ball taped to her forearm. “We got our blood tested, and mommy said I could have lunch with my daddy.”
Annie studied the little girl’s arm. “Did it hurt?”
Erika shook her head. “Nope, not a bit.”
Annie was impressed. “You’re braver than I was at your age. When I was little, I use to pass out every time I saw a needle.”
“No way,” Erika giggled.
“Yes way. I still get a little woozy when I see them.”
Erika laughed harder, and Terence smiled, clearly delighted with their banter.
“Hey, don’t laugh at me,” Annie said in mock defense. “It happens to be a very common response to needles.” She picked up the menu and straightened her back. “Shall we order?”
Annie peeked over the top of her menu into Terrance’s dark, smoldering, and slightly defeated eyes. “Sorry I took off this morning.”
His leg reached out under the table and brushed her calf. “Don’t worry about it.” He turned his attention to Erika. “Decide what you want to eat. We don’t have much time. Your mom won’t be happy if you miss any more school.”
“Daddy, I miss school all the time.” Oblivious to the bombshell she just dropped, Erika belted out her lunch order. “I want a hamburger, no mayonnaise, no mustard, no lettuce, and NO tomato.”
Terence leaned over the table and shot a stern look in his daughter’s direction. “What do you mean you miss school all the time?”
“Mommy doesn’t get up in time to take me. When she does, I’m still late. Don’t worry, my teachers are used to it.”
Terence scowled, but didn’t seem to know how to proceed.
Hoping to save the child from further interrogation, Annie chimed in, “You want a plain hamburger on a bun, right?”
Erika nodded. “Just a little ketchup, and fries and a chocolate milk shake.”
Annie’s stomach started to rumble, and her mouth began to salivate. She hadn’t eaten all day, and she couldn’t remember the last time she had a chocolate shake. It called to her. She had to have one. “Sounds yummy, I’ll have the same thing, except I want as much produce on my burger as possible. Terence, what would you like?”
With his head buried in the menu, he mumbled something to the effect that whatever they were having was fine, so Annie flagged down a waitress and placed their order.
When the food arrived, they ate hastily while still providing ample time for Annie and Erika to suck down every last drop of their chocolate shakes before they raced Erika back to school.
As Erika got ready to exit the car, Terence told her to call him if Hannah failed to pick her up. Then he planted a couple of big fat kisses on her cheeks and hugged her tightly.
Erika beamed. “I love you.” She turned and gave Annie a little one finger wave before she trotted happily off to class.
Once Erika was safely on school grounds, Terence turned to Annie. “Thanks for meeting us. I suppose I should get you back to your car.”
Annie declined his offer. “No need. Whatever you said to Mrs. Barrington relieved me of all my responsibilities for the day.” She paused momentarily considering her earlier decision, but it wasn’t necessary, she knew what she wanted. “By the way, your hotel sucks, so you’re going to come and stay with me.”
Terence pulled back. “Can I have a moment to think about that?”
Annie’s lips curved into a slow enticing smile and she shook her head. “That’s just the point.” She placed a hand on his stubbled cheek. “It’s my intention to take your mind off of everything.”
He closed his eyes, took her hand in his, and pressed his lips to her palm. “Are you sure you want to get involved with me? My life is a mess.” He brushed her thumb lightly across his lips. “I am going to fight for Erika, regardless of the test results, and that might place you in an awkward position.”
Awkward Annie could handle. It was the damn gear shift separating them that was causing her problems. “That’s business, this is pleasure.” She leaned over and kissed his forehead. Then she kissed his chin. When he closed his eyes, she kissed his mouth and made the entire world disappear for both of them.
• • •
After the totally inappropriate kiss out in front of Erika’s school, Terence and Annie went back to his hotel and packed his belongings. Terence was not sorry to leave the place. It held nothing but bad memories. All he had done in that crappy little room was pace, worry, and work his brains out. The small consulting job he picked up before leaving Oahu had helped keep him flush and sane while waiting around for his lawyer’s sporadic phone calls.
He thought it was ironic that he paid Marissa quite a bit of money to screw up his life even worse than it was before. Knowing how thorough his savvy lawyer was, he was fairly certain the paternity tests were just a formality, and that Marissa knew exactly who Erika’s father was.
He wondered why Marissa sent Annie to him last night. What was so different now? He informed Marissa, in no uncertain terms, that his fight wasn’t over. As his lawyer, wouldn’t she want him to uphold the same moral code?
The answer hit him hard. He was out. He didn’t have a chance in hell, so how he conducted his personal life was of no further consequence. Before that little slice of reality had a chance to destroy him, he shut down that line of thought and moved on to happier ones.
Shortly after arriving at Annie’s apartment she was called back to the office. He expected her apartment to look like something out of a magazine, but it was a mess. She lived in a good neighborhood, but her apartment was small and acted as an extension of her office with a bedroom and kitchen tacked on for good measure.
The bedroom looked lived in with Annie’s clothing scattered haphazardly throughout, but the kitchen sink held only one solitary coffee mug, and the dishwasher was filled only with drinkware. No pots
, plates, or silverware. She obviously didn’t cook, and there wasn’t enough food in the cupboards for him to drum up a snack.
Papers and drawings were set in small piles throughout the living room. He was afraid to move anything in case she had some undecipherable filing system going on, so he lounged back into the recliner Annie cleared for him and closed his eyes. Too many thoughts raced through his head. Unable to relax, he stood up and snooped around just a bit more. It wasn’t long before he caught sight of a high-tech sound system tucked in the corner, and Terence smiled.
Every time he met with Marissa, he’d kept an eye out hoping to run into Annie. Once he even went so far as to ask the receptionist where Annie H. Designs was located. The receptionist smirked and pointed down a corridor. “Just follow your ears.”
With his curiosity piqued, he took off in the direction of the receptionist’s finger. Halfway down the corridor he felt a bass thumping so deeply it pulsated throughout his entire body. A little further on down he came to a large bronze plaque cast with her company name and logo. The thing was immense and had aged to a beautiful green patina. At first Terence couldn’t understand how the wall could support such a beast, but upon closer inspection he realized it wasn’t real. The sign was made out of molded plastic and painted to resemble the copper and tin alloy. It probably didn’t weigh more than a few pounds.
Feeling like a kid about to stick his hand in the cookie jar, he cracked open the door and peeked inside. The reception area held two oak writing tables. The unoccupied table to the right sported a colorful arrangement of wild flowers, so Terence assumed that desk belonged to Phoebe. The other table had a functional male feel to it, probably due to the functional male with a receding hairline working there. Nathan was conversing through a noise-blocking, hands-free telephone headset, a wise investment when working in such melodic conditions. He clicked away on his keyboard, unaware of Terrance’s presence.