Daddy Plus One: A Single Dad Secret Baby Billionaire Romance

by Brooke Valentine

  Sure, she’d been the only guest around for the last couple of days, but that didn’t give her any right to act like a shrewish bitch and disturb the serenity of an otherwise peaceful situation. She could already see that everything Aiden had said about her was not just worried ramblings, but was in fact shaping up to be a fairly accurate prophesy.

  Brynn is burning up my cell calling you a royal bitch, baby. What did you do?

  Cat rolled her eyes. Told her that all guests are meant to treat the staff at Whitney resort with respect and if she didn’t curb her attitude I would need to ask her to leave. I also told her that once you learned of her behavior over the last two days that you’d completely agree with me.

  Why, what did she do?

  Cat then proceeded to list the numerous complaints, saving the two o’clock in the morning demand for a drink from the kitchen as the final straw. Aiden didn’t comment or call for several minutes, during which time Cat convinced herself that he was probably having a discussion with Brynn. She didn’t begin to worry that he was upset with her for her part in the conversation.

  Aiden’s ringtone sounded as she sat down behind her desk, and she quickly answered. “Hi, what’s up?”

  “I managed to pick up a hundred cards,” he said with a heavy sigh. “They weren’t easy to come by, though. I had to call Ocean Reef and ask them where they get theirs, and Kyle Morgan said he could spare me one pack, and told me a better company to order them from. So now I’m clear up on the northernmost part of the island. It’ll be about a half an hour before I can get back there.”

  “Well, another group of five just arrived, but apparently they’re all bound for Brynn’s cabin, so nobody needed to be concerned about them getting keys before you get here. And if anyone else shows up, I’ll just explain what’s going on when I take them to their rooms. I’m sure this will soon blow over.”

  “I suppose I should tell you,” he said. “One of Brynn’s company is a reporter who may very well be looking for reasons to blast the resort in his news column, so stay sharp. We don’t need more negative publicity after the way I just got raked through the tabloids.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” she chuckled. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, right?”

  Aiden chuckled. “Cat? I would have loved to see it when you blasted my wife.”

  “One thing, though,” Cat said worriedly. “She appears to believe she’ll get you back onto your leash in record time. She hasn’t given up on her idea to reconcile.”

  “Sounds like she must be running scared,” Aiden replied. “I’ve spoken with my lawyers just now, and they believe they’ll be able to push forward with the offer of a severance package including spousal maintenance which lasts two years. They even sweetened the deal with the offer of a money manager to help her grow the funds she’ll be getting. Her lawyers, as you might expect, are pushing for half the marital assets. I don’t see how they could win them, though. Not with that prenuptial.”

  “So you’re not mad at me, though?” she chuckled. “I didn’t think you would be.”

  “I’m not,” he agreed. “But I wouldn’t suggest doing something like that to a real guest though. We’ve got a budding reputation to uphold.”

  “Duly noted, sir.”

  EIGHTEEN

  Cat was sleeping later that night when she smelled smoke. Springing from her bed, she grabbed the phone and called down to the front desk. Nobody answered, so she threw on a robe and rushed out of the employee quarters, following the smell.

  “What the hell? That’s coming from the kitchen!” she gasped as she began to run across the field.

  Glancing at her watch, she saw that it was about three in the morning. Nobody was supposed to be in the kitchen at that hour. She rushed over and used her universal card to open the door, discovering that something in the middle of the breakfast grill had been set on fire. She immediately grabbed the fire extinguisher and put it out, then stormed over to the phone to call Aiden, who was fast asleep in his condo.

  “Cat? What’s up, baby? Did you decide you wanted to come home with me after all?” he asked, sleepy but hopeful.

  “It’s lucky for you I didn’t go back tonight, Aiden, but I think you’d better come over here right away,” she commented dryly. “There’s been a bit of an incident. Nothing has been damaged from it, but the implications are pretty frightening.”

  “Incident?” he repeated woodenly. “What do you mean?”

  “Just get over here already.”

  Cat didn’t budge from her position just outside of the kitchen door until she saw headlights, and then she hurried over to Aiden’s SUV. By that time, about fifteen minutes had gone by and she’d had plenty of time to allow her imagination to run rampant. Somebody was playing with fire, literally, and they could have easily destroyed at least one building. And a vital one, too. Without a kitchen, the guests would have to go elsewhere looking for meals.

  When Aiden got out of the car to greet her, she was trembling.

  “Hey, come on, what’s the story?” he asked, giving her a squeeze.

  “I don’t really know,” she explained. “But somebody got into the kitchen and lit up a pile of bones and vegetable remnants in the middle of the breakfast grill. There’s no way it was any of the chefs attempting to get a jump on the upcoming meal. Come on, I’ll show you.”

  The smell of smoke was still in the room, and she’d left the pile right where it had been so he could have a look. Aiden frowned as he took it in.

  “I don’t think the intention was arson,” he pronounced decisively. “It seems more like whoever did this was going for a disturbance more than anything. I don’t know, though. Brynn can be a bitch, but I don’t think she’d do something like this. If we were to check in on her right this moment she’d probably be clocked out on some sleep medication or other. No. This has got to be something else.”

  “First the magnet strips, and now this?” Cat pointed out.

  “Not to mention one of the cars being sabotaged the other week,” he added, rubbing at his temples. “I’ve got back the report from the mechanic giving the car a clean bill of health but for one issue. Sugar in the gas tank.”

  “How poetic,” Cat snorted. “So it sounds like there’s definitely a snake in our woodwork. The question is, who? A disgruntled wife who isn’t getting what she wants, some random troublemaker with no motive—or one of the members of the staff. You’ve only just hired almost all of us. You don’t know who you can really trust, and you don’t have a clue about our motives or mindsets after such a short amount of time.”

  “Why are you lumping yourself into that group?” he grumbled.

  “Because like it or not, you’ve known me just one month, and you don’t know if I could be capable of doing something like this as a result,” Cat sighed. “From a business point of view, it makes sense to distrust me too. I haven’t done anything wrong, and have no interest in doing so, but that doesn’t mean you should assume that without examining all the facts first.”

  “Cat, there’s no way it was you,” he scoffed. “It doesn’t matter how long I’ve known you, it matters how well. And I feel confident when I discluded you from the others since I’ve known you on a much more intimate level than anyone of them.”

  “Well good,” she chuckled. “Then you’ve ruled at least one of your suspects out. Now, all that’s left is the maids, laundry workers, cooks, lifeguards, divers, administrative staff, the Wilson family, the Cumen party of four, or one of the six people staying in Brynn’s cabin which is, I feel the need to point out, directly adjacent to the kitchen itself. You tell me how likely it is that Brynn had no involvement, and if you still insist she didn’t then I’m looking at a fool.”

  “Now Cat, don’t bring out the claws just yet,” Aiden told her sternly. “I never said the trouble didn’t stem from that quarter, only that it didn’t seem like something Brynn would do herself. Hell, I’ve never seen the woman go anywhere near an oven and I’ve known her alm
ost eight years. Then again, that mess sure doesn’t look professional.”

  “We need to call in an investigator,” she insisted. “This all needs to be documented so we can find out what is really going on.”

  “Yes, that’s so, but I’d like to do it as discreetly as possible,” Aiden agreed. “Why don’t you go back to bed for now? I’ve already got a man right here on the inside who can document this whole thing.”

  “You’re sure?” Cat asked reluctantly. “I’d like to help out in any way possible.”

  “I don’t want even you to find out who this guy is, sweetheart,” Aiden told her. “The less you know, the easier it will be to avoid any slip-ups that could spoil the surprise.”

  “You sure do like masquerades,” Cat complained. “Remind me when we’re planning Halloween activities next year to suggest hosting a costume party in your honor.”

  “Come on, Cat, this is business,” he sighed. “We need to take this whole thing seriously. How do we even know you’ve hit upon the culprit in your list at all? Maybe there’s a disgruntled neighbor who resents us being here. Maybe there’s just some psycho running around who likes to grill useless chicken parts in the middle of someone else’s kitchen. We have no clue, really. And since I’ve already got a detective nearby, doesn’t it make sense to have him check it out? I mean, especially since he followed Brynn here, and is already keeping an eye on her and her party. If they did do this, he’ll soon figure it out.”

  “Fine,” Cat sighed. “But for the record, I’m perfectly capable of keeping a secret, you know. Even if you told me little Tommy Wilson was a midget detective in disguise I’d still be able to keep my cool. He isn’t, is he?”

  “Of course not,” he chuckled, drawing her in for a hug. “Don’t look so worried, Cat. I’m not going to let anything happen to this place. Trust me, will you? We’ll get it all figured out.”

  “See you in a couple of hours,” she said, nodding. They hugged each other, and then Cat turned and headed back across the field to the employee housing units. Still, try as she might sleep did not come to her, and she wondered what their second day of business would hold. With any luck, things might settle down, but considering what had gone on so far, she harbored a serious doubt.

  When she opened her eyes later, she realized she’d slept late. Dragging herself out of bed, she showered and headed for the hotel, where for once things seemed to be moving fairly smoothly. Over the next few hours five new groups arrived, and Ellen was easily able to make keycards for them all. As a precaution, Aiden had insisted upon putting the new batch of cards inside the employee break room in locker fifteen, only allowing five or ten of the cards out to the front desk at a time. It meant Ellen had to disappear into the back room a bit more often than she would have liked, but that was a whole lot better than the alternative.

  “Don’t look so worried, Cat,” Ellen told her when she came out to check on things for about the fifteenth time in the past hour. “Everything is great. There’s no need for you to stress out over things this early on, or how will you ever make it through the long haul, eh?”

  That was easy for her to say, since she was clueless about what was troubling Cat at the moment. She hadn’t been the one to find out someone had lit up a pile garbage on the kitchen grill, and she was unconcerned that Aiden had yet to make any sort of appearance for the day. Maybe he and his detective friend were hot on the case, but the very fact that a case existed in the first place meant none of them were safe.

  What if the fire-starter hadn’t gotten the reaction they were hoping to obtain, and the next time something much worse might happen instead? What if the next time they lit up the whole place? Cat worried that keeping the incident quiet might be a big mistake.

  NINETEEN

  Aiden felt a migraine coming on as he headed for the water that morning. He didn’t think it would be a good idea for him to dive, but he’d be damned if he was going to allow himself to become so worried he didn’t at least go out with the team in the small boat and participate in some way or other. He had never let anything bring him down before this, and he wasn’t about to start now. He couldn’t afford to be distracted or, like the domino effect, his whole carefully laid world could come crashing down.

  “Aiden, you really look like hell,” Declan felt the need to point out. “Something’s sure got you pretty worked up. Would you care to tell me what this is all about?”

  “I don’t want any of the noobs to overhear,” he said, glancing over Declan’s shoulder at the group of men who were currently double-checking each other’s gear. “My wife may be up to no good, yet as usual she’s clearly got somebody else doing the dirty work. But the question is, what would Brynn gain by ruining this place if her goal is to force me to sell it off? No, Dee, I’m convinced it’s something else.”

  “Maybe she heard about Cat and jealousy is rearing its ugly head,” Declan suggested.

  “No, that’s not accurate,” Aiden sighed. “I don’t think she was aware of anything between Cat and I until she actually got here. I think maybe she’s figured out she can’t get half the assets, and it’s got her running scared. She’s practically begging me to forgive her for filing for a divorce and give her another chance. Four years, she hasn’t given a damn about patching things up, and now this? Something just isn’t right.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you, buddy,” Declan sighed. “But I can’t have you coming out with the team looking like this. You know that, right? Even if you’re the boss, I’m the guy in charge of safety around this joint, and it’s just going to have to be a no go.”

  “Yeah, I know you’re right,” he sighed. “I need to get my head screwed on right. The sooner Brynn and her groupies leave, the better I’m going to feel.”

  “I know that’s right,” he agreed. “Maybe tomorrow you’ll be feeling more able to dive. But do you know what you need to do? Grab Cat and take her with you for a drive. Kellen can easily hold down the fort here for an hour or two, and I’ll have this group out doing more clean-up in the coral beds. I doubt that even if Brynn and her people are up to no good that they’d try another stunt in broad daylight.”

  “I’m not so sure Cat will leave her post after what happened last night,” said Aiden with a sigh. “Somebody lit a fire in the kitchen, and I had to call in Max and get it all cleared up before breakfast time. I’m almost afraid to leave myself, for fear of what we’d find when we returned.”

  “Fear of the possibilities is not how Aiden Whitney lives his life,” Declan scoffed. “But I gotta go now, before these men start trying to find out what’s up with you. I really do urge you to take my advice. That fire may have been a onetime thing, you never know.”

  “All right, I guess I’ll go,” Aiden sighed. “But Kellen needs to be told about everything first. I’d hate to have a mishap just because my main administrator was not informed of the entire situation.”

  “Look frosty, boss,” said Declan, squeezing his shoulder. “Things are going to be all right.”

  “Thanks, Declan,” said Aiden, grinning wryly. “See you later.”

  When he stepped into the office, Aiden found that Cat wasn’t even in the room. Kellen told him that she had been called away to deal with a power outage in the laundry room, and he told him what had happened last night, postulating his idea about all of the incidents that had happened being related to one another.

  “Come on, Aiden, do you hear yourself?” he scoffed. “Why would that car incident tie in with some weird garbage burning? And more importantly, if somebody burnt garbage on the grill, why didn’t the smoke detectors go off? Don’t you think you should be more worried about that aspect of the thing?”

  “Dammit, I hadn’t even thought of it,” he sighed. “We’re going to need to check them all. I can’t believe this! Could this really be all Brynn’s doing? She’s never done anything like this before.”

  “You’ve never given her a reason before,” Kellen shrugged. “Every other time, you’v
e given her exactly what she wants. Let her get away with her indiscretions and allowed her to come crawling back. But now that the tables are turned, who knows what she might be capable of?”

  “I’m going to take Declan’s advice and bring Cat out with me somewhere,” said Aiden. “I mean, what’s the point of having you in charge if I can’t take advantage of that once in a while?”

  “I’m sure I can manage for a couple of hours,” Kellen agreed. “You two go on out and blow off some steam. Maybe if it’s steamy enough you might even feel ready to work when you return.”

  “Kellen, I never said I was taking her off for that!” Aiden protested.

  “And why not?” he teased. “Last night was the first evening she didn’t go home with you in two weeks. Who could blame you if you wanted a little reminder of what you missed?”

  “You’re such a twisted Brit,” Aiden chuckled. “I’m going to find Cat and see if she’s gotten the electric mess fixed. I’ll see you later.”

  “Yes, sir,” he said, smiling.

  Aiden found Cat just leaving the laundry room. Apparently they’d gotten the power working since all the machines were spinning just as they should be. He smiled at her surprise when she saw him coming.

  “Weren’t you going to dive?” she asked curiously.

  “I was about to, but I’m just feeling way too stressed,” he admitted. “Declan sort of grounded me. He doesn’t want me to get into any trouble because my mind isn’t in the game, and really I can’t blame him. So what do you say you let Kellen handle this place for a while and go out for a drive with me? I think you’re pretty stressed out too.”

  “A drive?” she repeated, smirking. “And did you have a particular destination in mind?”

  “I’d like to visit some old friends of mine,” he replied, though he did not elaborate.