Rather than admit that the absence of his daughter had been a relief, Todd frowned. “Who’s watching her?”
“Sissy. They’re looking at The Little Mermaid. It’s Angel’s favorite.”
“Sissy is too young to be baby-sitting,” he said, on his feet at once. “What the hell were you thinking, Heather?”
Even as the angry words left his mouth, he headed for the door. She shot after him and caught up with him on the sidewalk. “Todd, Angel is perfectly fine with Sissy. Henrietta and I are both right downstairs.”
That didn’t seem to appease him. He bolted for the stairs, not slowing until he was at the screen door and could see Angel and Sissy in front of the television.
As Heather reached his side, she noticed how pale he’d gone. When she touched his arm, he jerked as if he hadn’t even realized she was beside him.
“Todd, what was that all about?” she asked in a low tone that wouldn’t be overheard by the two girls.
He turned away and braced his hands on the railing. He drew in several deep breaths before meeting her gaze. “I just don’t like the idea of Angel being left with a ten-year-old, even if you are nearby. If there was a real emergency, Sissy might be too upset to come and get you. She’s just a kid. You shouldn’t forget that.”
“I’m not forgetting it. But Sissy is very responsible, and I explained before that Henrietta and I are both within shouting distance. We could be up here in seconds.”
That clearly didn’t pacify him. His expression set stubbornly. “If you’re not going to keep her downstairs with you, then hire an adult to watch her,” he insisted.
“Baby-sitters cost money. Why waste the precious little I’m making when Sissy is willing and Angel adores spending time with her?”
“I’ll pay for it.”
“Todd—”
“I mean it, Heather.”
“Maybe you’d like to come over here and spend time with her,” she suggested. “It would be the perfect opportunity for the two of you to get better acquainted.”
“Absolutely not.”
Heather knew there had to be more going on here than Todd was saying, but for the life of her she couldn’t figure out what it was. For a man determined to have no role in his daughter’s life, he was awfully insistent on how she should be cared for in her mother’s absence.
Was that instinctive paternal protectiveness surfacing? If so, maybe it was a promising sign. Maybe when push came to shove, Todd wouldn’t turn his back on Angel. Maybe he would become part of her life by default, one tiny step at a time.
If only he could do it enthusiastically, Heather thought, biting back a sigh.
When she glanced his way, she saw that he had turned back toward the door, just enough so that he could see Angel reciting the dialogue from memory, and periodically bouncing with excitement. He seemed to watch her with total absorption.
“Does she know every word?” he asked eventually.
“Pretty much. I probably know most of them myself from watching it so often.”
“If she’s that good at learning lines, maybe she’ll grow up to be on stage like her mother.”
“And her father,” she pointed out.
He scoffed. “I’m an executive, not an actor.”
“Just because you work in an office doesn’t mean your talent dried up and went away,” she countered. “Talent like yours is as ingrained as breathing. You just turned your back on it.”
“Let’s not go there, okay?”
“I wasn’t judging you. You made a choice you had every right to make. It just makes me sad when I think about what you gave up.”
“You mean lousy pay and bit parts in bad plays?”
“You were one step away from getting a big break and you know it. That one producer all but promised you the lead in the next play he did.”
“Promises don’t pay the bills.”
She eyed him skeptically. “So you’re totally content with the decision you made?”
“Totally. Working for Megan is challenging. I’m in television, even if it is on the production side. I couldn’t be happier.”
“You know I almost believe that,” she said, after studying him intently. “But maybe that’s because you always could deliver a line with just the right degree of sincerity.”
He frowned. “It’s the truth, Heather. I don’t look back.”
She sighed. “No, you probably don’t. You always were able to live in the moment, accept the hand you were dealt. I envied that. I was the romantic, the dreamer, and I was always butting up against reality.”
“Is that what brought you here? Reality?”
She nodded, opting for total, unvarnished honesty, since the mood seemed to call for it. “I couldn’t do it alone anymore, just as you said the other day. I wanted to. I wanted to make good as a mom and an actress without taking help from you or anyone else, but the truth is, I was at my wit’s end. My parents weren’t willing to help out. Like you, they thought I should have told the father. Of course, they assumed I would have gotten the help I needed from him.”
She paused significantly, then continued, “I discovered all too quickly that it’s almost impossible to work two jobs to make ends meet, go to auditions and raise a baby, not and do any of it right. I knew I had to make Angel the priority, but I was afraid I was going to start resenting her if I couldn’t take the kind of risks for acting that I needed to take.”
“Maybe you should have gone to your parents again,” he said. “Told them what a tough time you were having.”
“Pride almost kept me from doing exactly that, but I finally broke down and tried a few months ago. They said they’d help out, but only if I’d give up my silly pipe dream, as they called it, and come back home.” She shrugged. “I wasn’t willing to sell out, not yet.”
“Then coming to me was the lesser of two evils?”
She nodded.
“What if I can’t give you what you need, either? What will you do?”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Either one. They add up to the same thing.”
She met his gaze evenly, stared into those pale-green eyes that had once mesmerized her, and allowed a smile to slowly spread across her face.
“I’m the romantic, remember? I believe in happy endings.”
He shook his head. “Not this time, sweetheart,” he said with what almost sounded like regret. “I can’t give you one this time.”
She reached up and rested her hand against his cheek, saw the once-familiar flash of heat in his eyes. “We’ll see.”
“Heather—”
She cut off the protest with the press of a finger against his lips, then stood on tiptoe to replace finger with lips. The kiss lasted no longer than a heartbeat, was gentler than a breeze, but it was enough to convince her that her faith in this man was not misplaced, that the feelings they had once shared were as alive as the pulsing streaks of electricity flashing in the distant night sky. She might not understand why he was fighting her so hard on this, but he would come around eventually. She was certain of that much.
8
The image of Angel sitting in front of the TV reciting lines from The Little Mermaid stayed with Todd for the next few days. Every time it popped into his head, he found himself grinning. The kid was a natural. Maybe Heather was right about it having to do with her genetic makeup.
Learning lines had always been a breeze for him and Heather. How many nights had they curled up at opposite ends of the sofa and run lines from either his latest script or hers? How many times had he gone to see her in a play and been able to mentally recite every line from every scene in which she appeared?
But even as that image of Angel continued to amuse him, the stark reality of her being upstairs alone with a ten-year-old baby-sitter made his stomach churn. The fear that Heather wouldn’t listen to him, that she would send Angel off with Sissy again, made his visits to the diner assume a certain urgency.
When Megan tried to catch
him on his way out of the office one night, he brushed her off in a way he never would have done in the past.
“We’ll talk about it in the morning.”
She regarded him thoughtfully. “Big plans tonight?”
“Just going to dinner, same as always.”
“And you can’t put it off for five minutes?”
“No,” he said very firmly.
“Not even to talk about the suit against Dean and Micah?”
Todd was tempted. Those two had almost destroyed Megan’s syndication deal. Although Dean Whicker had ultimately been pressured to keep the deal in place, Jake had insisted that Megan consider suing them both. Todd had agreed, though his desire for revenge had a lot to do with his own sense of betrayal; he’d been infatuated with the beautiful Micah Richards, his predecessor as producer. Her attempt to sabotage Megan with the syndicator had been a bitter blow on several levels.
But that was then and this was now. He had something more important on his mind: Angel’s safety.
“No,” he said again, just as firmly.
“Is it because Heather’s there?” Megan asked point-blank. “I know how deeply she hurt you when she walked out right after you came to work for me.”
“You knew about that?” he asked, surprised.
“I’m observant. If anyone should know that, it’s you. Are the two of you getting something going again? Is that why she’s here? Have you been seeing her on your trips back East?”
He shook his head. “Never even thought about it,” he said honestly. Until Heather had shown up in Whispering Wind, he’d considered their relationship long over.
Now, though, he couldn’t help thinking about that kiss on the landing. It was hardly passionate, nothing at all like kisses they’d once shared, but there had been the promise of something in it. He was very much afraid that he didn’t want to know exactly what.
Megan studied his face. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” he said more fiercely than he’d intended.
Megan grinned. “What’s the old line about protesting too much?”
“Don’t even go there. I’m just hungry, that’s all. I missed lunch.”
“And whose fault was that? You’re the one who scheduled a meeting at lunchtime, then ignored the sandwiches that were sent in.”
He chuckled. “Ignored them? They vanished before I could even reach for one. Pregnancy has definitely improved your appetite. Jake’s, too.”
Megan laughed at that. “I know. We’re both going to be as big as houses if we keep this up. He swears it’s sympathy hunger pangs, but I notice he’s not the one craving pickles with ice cream. Doesn’t mean he doesn’t eat it to keep me company, though.”
Todd shuddered at the thought. “It’s true? Women really do crave those things?”
“Disgusting, isn’t it?”
He wondered suddenly if Heather had had such cravings when she was pregnant, and if so, who had been around to run out and get whatever odd food she longed for. Or had that been another of those things she’d insisted on handling for herself? He couldn’t seem to decide which bothered him most, that she might have been all alone or that there might have been someone doing the things he should have been there to do.
“Hey,” Megan said. “Where’d you go?”
“I told you. My mind’s on dinner. All this talk of pickles and ice cream has made me even hungrier.”
“If you say so. Go, then. We’ll talk in the morning.” Her expression brightened. “Unless you’d like me to come along? We could talk about this over dinner.”
Talking about Micah would definitely ruin his appetite. Worse, though, was the thought of Megan at the Starlight where she might get a good look at Angel. That was enough to make him cringe.
“No,” he said sharply. “Morning’s soon enough. Go home to your husband. I’m sure if you’re not there right on time, he’ll send out a search party and I’ll catch the blame.”
“You’re probably right. I never thought I’d say this, but all this attention is very trying. I’ve got Flo practically begging him to come into the office and Tess trying to lure him into going riding with her, just so I can have a few minutes to myself.”
“To do what?”
“Think,” she said wistfully. “With Jake trying to anticipate my every whim, I never even get to think for myself, it seems. I’m not sure I’ve had a new idea in weeks.”
Todd tapped his briefcase. “I have the paperwork in here to prove otherwise. Your creative juices are flowing just fine. Go home, put your feet up and let your husband pamper you. Enjoy it while it lasts. Once the baby comes along, my hunch is you’re going to be playing second fiddle to his heir.”
Megan sighed. “You’re probably right about that, too. I’d better get home and claim my share of his attention now.”
The mention of heirs reminded Todd that he’d heard nothing from Jake about the blood test he’d promised to schedule. The minute he got in the car, he punched in Jake’s number on his cell phone.
“Have you scheduled that blood test yet?” he asked without preamble.
“First of next week. Why?”
“I don’t want to waste any more time. I want this over with.”
“Why?” Jake asked again. “Is there a problem?”
Just fear, Todd thought, but didn’t say. Heather was a beautiful, desirable woman with a mission. It was a dangerous combination and he was no more immune to it than the next man. He wanted her—and Angel—back in New York before he acted on impulse and did something all of them would live to regret.
“Just take care of it, Jake. Move it up, if you can.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem. One of these days, though, we probably ought to talk about what you’re so afraid of. Despite what you think about my having taken this case, I am your friend and I’m a good listener.”
“Then listen to your wife. Let up on her before you drive her nuts.”
Jake chuckled. “She’s complaining about the hovering again?”
“You’ve got it.”
“I’ll try, but I’m not promising anything. Meantime, remember what I said. I’ll fight for Heather because it’s my job, but Megan and I also want what’s best for you. We both owe you. Right now you’re obviously tied up in knots.”
Apparently he wasn’t nearly as good at hiding his emotions as he’d thought, Todd concluded. He found it especially annoying that Jake was the one who could see through him so easily. Men were supposed to be oblivious to nuances and undercurrents. Since Jake seemed no more insightful than the next guy, that must mean Todd’s panic was plainly visible to anyone who cared to notice.
“I just want my life back,” he said tightly. “Make it happen.”
“I’ll do what I can, but I work for Heather, not you,” Jake reminded him.
“Believe me, this is to your client’s advantage,” Todd assured him.
The sooner an agreement was reached, the better for all of them.
Todd was barely seated at the diner when Angel climbed into the booth beside him, a book in hand. This was a development he hadn’t figured out how to handle. It was one thing when she stood beside the table or slid in opposite him, a nice, safe distance away, but having her snuggled trustingly up against him made him yearn for things that couldn’t possibly be, reminded him of things he’d hoped to forget.
“I been thinking,” she told him.
“Oh?”
“I really, really need to have a story.” She gazed up at him with a hopeful expression. “You gots time to read to me?”
Praying for a reprieve, he patted his briefcase. “Sorry, kiddo. I’ve got papers to go over.”
“It’s not a very big book,” she said, shoving it into his hand. “It’s gots lots of pictures. See?” She opened the book and began turning pages. Sure enough, there were a lot of pictures and very few words. The little minx seemed to know most of them because she reci
ted them from memory as she flipped the pages. When she’d reached the last page, she shot him another hopeful look. “See? It’s not very long.”
“Sounds to me as if you know that story by heart,” Todd said. “Why do you keep reading it?”
She regarded him as if that were the silliest question she’d ever heard. “Because I like it.”
“Good reason.”
“So will you?”
“Will I what?”
“Read it to me,” she said with a hint of impatience.
Todd was beginning to feel claustrophobic, even though he was in a large, well-ventilated room. Maybe if he read her this one story, she would be satisfied. Maybe she would take her wistful smile and big eyes and go away.
He sighed in resignation. “Okay,” he said.
He took the book and began turning the thick pages, reading the simple words about a bunny. Before he’d turned the third page, he felt Angel snuggle closer—and something deep inside him melted just a little. He waited for the panic to follow, but it was slower in coming and not as severe.
As he read “The end,” he felt someone else’s presence. He looked up to find Heather standing beside the table, his dinner in her hand and an unreadable expression on her face.
“I see Angel shared her favorite book with you,” she said as she made room for his plate amid the scattering of papers.
“Quite a story,” he said. “I couldn’t wait to see how it turned out.”
She grinned. “The plots will get a little more complicated in a few years.”
“I can’t wait.”
She gave him a questioning look. “Does that mean you’ve decided to stick around for those?”
“Absolutely not,” he said fiercely, realizing that his dry rejoinder could have been interpreted exactly that way.
As if she sensed the sudden tension between the adults, Angel squirmed to get down. Looking as if she was about to cry, she ran straight for Henrietta, who scooped her up and shot a scowl in Todd’s direction. He knew he’d hear more from her later about upsetting Angel. Henrietta had added Angel to her flock, protecting her as fiercely as she did Sissy and Will. There was only one way he could think of to avoid it.
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