“You mean my not drinking in the mornings?”
“That little fact didn’t hurt your case.”
“That was so embarrassing.”
“It was interesting to meet your mother. Whatever else she did, she raised a wonderful daughter.”
“That’s a very nice thing to say.”
“I mean it.” Brody put a hand on the small of her back as they walked from the hearing room. “Now, what should we do first? Plane tickets, baby gear, lawyer’s office?”
Kate had already said she didn’t want to go back to the mansion to pick up any of Anabelle’s things. She had Annabelle and the chickadee necklace, and that was all she wanted. She was after a fresh start, and Brody didn’t blame her.
“You don’t need to babysit me, Brody.”
“That’s not what I’m doing.”
“You must have things to do.”
“I have a lot of things to do. But what I want to do is help you. Let’s start with a lawyer.”
“We just finished with a lawyer.”
“That was step one. Next you need to hire someone to represent Annabelle’s interests.”
“They told me she’d have a court-appointed advocate.”
“You still need a lawyer. It’s going to be a complicated estate.”
“What about Kalvin?”
“He’s a junior associate, and Beast Blue is worth millions.”
Brody couldn’t help but wonder if Annabelle might be better served by someone more experienced. But it wasn’t his decision. Kate’s comfort level was what counted.
“I liked him.”
“He is backed by a solid firm. So he would have the more senior partners to support him.”
“We could ask him if he’s interested.”
Brody couldn’t imagine any circumstance under which Kalvin wouldn’t be interested. “Okay. Let’s see if we can catch him in the lobby.”
* * *
Kate was relieved to finally be home.
Nadia greeted them at the door, oohing and aahing over Annabelle, giving Kate a warm hug, and politely greeting Brody who carried in armloads of baby paraphernalia.
“Will you come to Auntie Nadia?” she cooed to Annabelle.
Annabelle looked perplexed for a moment, but then smiled.
Kate handed her over.
“We’re going to get along just fine,” Nadia singsonged as she wandered away. “Do you want to see the kitchen?”
“Anywhere in particular I should put all this?” Brody asked.
“In the living room, I guess.” Kate’s condo suddenly felt small. “The bedrooms are upstairs, and there’s room in the basement for storage. But I can see this is going to take some organizing.”
“You’re here,” he said. “That’s what counts.”
Kate blew out a big breath of relief. “I’m here. And Annabelle’s here. And everything else will work itself out.”
Nadia reappeared. “Are you staying in Seattle?” she asked Brody.
There was something funny in her tone, but Kate couldn’t put her finger on it.
“For a few days,” Brody said.
“Downtown?”
Brody hesitated.
Kate realized they hadn’t talked about where he’d stay. They’d spent the last three nights in his hotel suite. They’d slept together there—partly because there’d only been one bed, but mostly because their physical attraction had shown no signs of fading.
She wondered if she should ask him to stay at the condo. Should they continue to sleep together?
“I was going to check for a hotel nearby,” he put in smoothly. Unless a person had been looking for it, the pause in the conversation was barely noticeable.
“The Seabreeze is about ten minutes away,” Nadia said.
“I’ll check them out.” He set the packages down on the sofa.
“Good idea.”
His expression was puzzled for a few seconds while he looked at Nadia. But then it softened, and he turned his attention to Kate. “Do you want to shop later on? You’ll need a crib right away.”
“Yes,” Kate said, enthusiastically. “Are you going to be around this afternoon?” she asked Nadia.
“I can be here for this one.” She gave Annabelle some mini kisses on her fingers, and Annabelle laughed.
“If I get Annabelle down for her nap before we go, do you mind watching her?”
“Not at all.”
“It’ll be a big help to pick up a few things right away.”
“In the meantime,” Brody said. “I’ll go check out the hotel.”
“Are you sure?” Kate asked. She felt like she was rushing him out the door. “Are you hungry? I can make us something for lunch.”
“Don’t worry about me.” He gave her a squeeze on the shoulder. “I’ll call you in a while.”
“Okay.”
It felt strange to have him leave. They’d been together pretty much constantly since the FBI raid. She realized she was coming to depend on him.
When the door closed behind him, she felt strangely alone.
“Tell me everything.” Nadia pushed aside the bags, packages and boxes, and sat down on the sofa, settling Annabelle on her lap.
Kate perched on an armchair. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“Start with Brody. Who is he, and what’s his angle?”
“What kind of a question is that? He doesn’t have an angle.” Kate found herself looking to the front door where Brody had left.
“I don’t trust him.”
“Why on earth not?”
“He came out of nowhere.”
“He came from Scotland.”
“And now he’s here?”
“He’s helping. He’s been terrific, Nad. He changes diapers and everything.”
“And you don’t find that odd?”
“It’s not odd. What are you getting at?”
Nadia lifted Annabelle so that she was standing on her lap. Annabelle reached out to grab Nadia’s nose.
“You said Quentin stole from him,” Nadia said.
“He did. And—I hate to say it, because it sounds terrible—I’m glad he did. If it hadn’t been for that, we’d still be in LA in that horrible mansion with those awful people, and I might be fighting a losing battle to get Annabelle.”
“You don’t think he’s ticked about that?” Nadia asked, her focus still on the baby.
“You mean ticked at Quentin?” Kate wasn’t following.
“At anybody who has anything to do with Quentin.”
“You mean me?” The question didn’t make sense.
Brody wasn’t angry with Kate. Quite the opposite. He seemed to like her a lot, quite a lot, and he’d been nothing but helpful and supportive.
“From what you’ve said, he’s stuck to you like glue since he found out you were going for custody.”
“We’ve been in danger. It was real.”
Sympathy and concern immediately flooded Nadia’s expression, and she finally looked at Kate. “I know. I’m so glad everything turned out okay.”
“Thanks to Brody.” Kate couldn’t believe she was having to defend him.
“I’m not saying he wasn’t brave.”
“He stood in front of a bullet for me.”
“Earning your undying trust.”
Kate came to her feet. “I don’t understand what you’re saying. It wasn’t a ploy.” The idea that Brody had risked his life to get her to trust him was preposterous.
“Tell me about the lawyer,” Nadia said a little more softly.
“Kalvin? I like him a lot. He’s young, but he’s eager. And he’s got a lot of support from the senior partners. They all c
ame to the meeting, as well.”
“And Brody introduced you to him?”
Kate did a double take of her friend. “I picked him. Brody would have supported anyone I chose.”
“So he made you think.”
“Good grief, Nad. You’ve been reading way too many conspiracy theories.”
“Your lawyer is from a firm that represents Shetland Tech.”
“They’re a very highly respected firm. They represent a lot of clients.”
“But Shetland Tech and Beast Blue Designs are competitors.”
“Quentin was the crook,” Kate said.
“He did crooked things. Absolutely. And I’m perfectly glad he’s gone. But things linger, Kate.”
“Whatever you’re getting at, just spit it out.”
“What I’m getting at is Brody and his company, Shetland Tech, have an innate conflict of interest in helping Annabelle because she will inherit Beast Blue Designs. That conflict extends to you as her legal guardian.”
Kate stilled, parsing through the statement. “He’s not thinking that way.”
“I can guarantee he is. Consider it, Kate. A rich Scottish royal suddenly romancing you.”
“Who said he was romancing me?”
Nadia coughed out a laugh of disbelief. “The expressions on both of your faces. It’s plain as day that you’re sleeping with him.”
Kate considered denying it, but realized it was pointless to lie. “What if I am?”
“Oh, Kate.”
“Don’t ‘oh, Kate’ me. It’s a fling. He’s hot. I’ve had flings before.”
“He’s staying close to you and gaining your trust to benefit his corporation.”
“I don’t buy that.” Kate refused to believe Brody would be so callous. She moved directly to the kitchen. She was thirsty, so she opened the fridge to look for a pitcher of iced tea.
Nadia followed, carrying Annabelle. “Please, just listen, Kate. You tell him you’re going for custody. He knows about Quentin’s crimes, so he knows you’re going to win custody of Annabelle. And suddenly, of all the women in the world that Scotland’s most eligible bachelor can be with, he chooses you?”
“Thanks a lot. Want some? And what makes you say he’s Scotland’s most eligible bachelor?”
“You’re welcome. Yes. And I did a thorough search on him, and there’s a reputable magazine that officially named him Scotland’s most eligible bachelor.”
Kate set two tall glasses on the counter. She didn’t know why she was surprised. Brody would be a great catch. He was hot, wealthy and titled to boot. He was funny and smart, and he was amazing in bed. Word might have gotten around about that.
She poured the iced tea.
“I don’t like the look on your face,” Nadia said.
“I don’t have a look on my face.”
“Where do you think this is going?”
“Nowhere. It’s nothing. He’s here for a few days, and then he’s got some wrap-up in LA, and then he’s going back to Scotland. Where he has a brother. Who is going to be the earl. And who, by the way, is probably a more eligible bachelor than Brody.”
“What’s he wrapping up in LA?”
“The Beast Blue thing. They need to pull all the code from ‘Blue Strata Combat’.”
Nadia took one of the glasses. Her tone went softer. “Which will do what?”
“Give Brody’s family back their rightful property.” Kate took a drink, soothing her parched throat.
“What will it do to Beast Blue Designs?”
Kate hadn’t thought about that. “It’ll hurt the company for sure.”
“It’ll destroy the company. He may bankrupt Annabelle’s company.”
“It’s not—”
“But it is. And he doesn’t know what you’ll do. You might fight for Annabelle’s interests. You should fight for Annabelle’s interests. And that would be counter to Brody’s interests.”
Kate pulled up a stool at their small breakfast bar. “It’s not like that.”
But she was trying to figure out what it was like. What was Brody planning? Was he worried she’d make some kind of a move to protect Beast Blue? He didn’t need to worry. She didn’t have the first idea of what that move might be.
Nadia took the stool beside her. “Shetland Tech could easily bankrupt Beast Blue. They probably will, and then Annabelle will have nothing.”
“Annabelle doesn’t need anything.” Kate reached out and took Annabelle’s little hand. “She has me. She doesn’t need anything else.”
“But Brody doesn’t know that.”
“He trusts me.”
“He could be hedging his bets.”
Kate refused to believe Brody was being manipulative. “He stood in front of a bullet for me. You didn’t see it. Rex was absolutely going to shoot him.”
“Maybe,” Nadia said. “If you’re right, then that’s terrific, and he’s an exceptional man. I’m just saying be careful. There’s a lot at stake, and you’re a babe in the woods.”
“Your confidence in me is inspiring.”
“I love you, Kate. But I’ve got to be honest. You need to go into this with your eyes wide-open.”
“I will,” Kate said.
She believed in Brody. Everything he’d done so far seemed to be for her well-being and Annabelle’s. But she couldn’t deny that Nadia had made some good points. Brody was a highly successful and eligible man who could have any woman in the world. Did it make any sense at all that he’d fall for Kate?
“Love the hair, by the way,” Nadia said.
Kate’s hand went to her short locks. Would the son of an earl honestly opt for a woman with purple hair?
Thirteen
Brody picked Kate up in his rental car, taking her to a nearby shopping mall while Annabelle napped and Nadia babysat. Kate had talked a lot about Nadia their past few days in LA. She made her friend sound intelligent, open and friendly.
That sure wasn’t the vibe Brody was picking up. She seemed impatient and resentful. It was clear she loved babies, so it wasn’t the introduction of Annabelle into their lives. It was equally clear she was suspicious of Brody.
She and Kate were obviously close. Maybe it was as simple as wanting to reconnect with Kate and settle into their new life without Brody around to get in the way. He had to admit, it was a reasonable thing to want.
He and Kate were strolling through the baby section of a department store. They’d picked a crib with a top safety rating, and they were now looking at blankets and something called bumper pads which apparently protected babies from the dangers of top safety rated cribs.
“I was thinking,” he opened.
Kate stopped to look at a puffy blanket with an elephant pattern. “About?”
“About how long I should stay.”
She turned to look at him. “Do you need to go back to Scotland? Because I wouldn’t want to keep you from your family.”
He wasn’t wild about her enthusiasm to get rid of him. He’d hoped she’d seem at least a little bit disappointed.
“It’s not about getting back to Scotland,” he said.
“Oh.” She didn’t ask him to elaborate.
He elaborated anyway. “I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”
“In America? Is there a visa thing?”
“In Seattle.”
She looked puzzled. “I don’t think anyone cares how long you stay in Seattle.”
“What about Nadia?”
Kate’s expression faltered and she went back to checking out the elephant quilt. “What does Nadia have to do with anything?”
“I bet this is a lot for her, with Annabelle coming home. I don’t want to get in the way.”
“What do you want
?” Kate asked.
He could be honest about that. “What I want is to spend more time with you. But your feelings are more important than mine. You’ve been through a lot. Your life has drastically changed, and I don’t want to make your life any more difficult.”
At the same time, he couldn’t deny he was worried about her. She’d been catapulted into a world of big money and big stakes, about to be put in de facto charge of a company that had committed a major crime.
Beast Blue had hundreds of employees. Who knew how many of them were involved, and how would she ever sort through the mess? Lawyers, accountants and technical specialists could only help so much. Ultimately, she was going to have to look after Annabelle’s financial future.
“I want to help you,” he said, reaching out to draw her into a loose embrace. “If you’ll let me.”
At first she was stiff in his arms. He chalked it up to them being in a public place. But then she relaxed and leaned into him.
“I don’t want you to go yet,” she said.
“Good. That’s settled.” He gave her a light kiss on the temple. “I’m going to miss you tonight.”
She smiled. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
Then she seemed to realize what she’d said. Her smile disappeared, and her cheeks flushed. “I didn’t mean. That is...”
“You didn’t mean to make it sound romantic.”
“Yes.”
He knew what had her uncomfortable. It was preying on his mind, as well. They didn’t know what this was, or if it was anything. And he knew they weren’t in a position to figure it out.
He tried to put her at ease by lightening the mood. “I supposed it can only be so romantic here in the linens section.”
She didn’t smile at his joke.
“I don’t know what this is either, Kate.”
He truly didn’t. And he was starting to wonder. His feelings for her were beyond friendship and support. But they’d been thrown together under such bizarre circumstances, and their lives couldn’t be further apart. Still, he seemed to be falling fast and hard. And he couldn’t begin to guess how far it would go.
“It’s a fling,” she said. “It’s a wonderful fling, and in some respects, it’s so much more. You saving my life for instance, and you proving Quentin committed a crime so that I got custody of Annabelle. That’s beyond your average fling.”
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