by Nelson, Cara
“I might actually be able to help you with that. I got one thing done today.”
Heading out into the living room, he came back with a tablet. He swiped a finger across it to open a file. “What time I had, I didn’t waste. Officially, Rose is lead on making sure this never happens again, but security needs IT for that, so she needs my help. Rose wanted a print out of all the times you logged into the system, so I took myself a copy.” He handed her the tablet.
Putting down her glass, she glanced at the file and scrolled down. “That’s a lot of logins.”
“Considering if you’re away more than five minutes, you have to login again, that means an average number of logins for any employee is about twenty a day. You average about thirty, because you just work too damn hard. Go over each entry and see if you can find any discrepancies with the times you’ve written out.”
She glanced at him, uncertainty in her eyes. “What if I didn’t remember everything?”
“We need just one or two incidences. Then we’ll dig deeper.”
She nodded. Sipping her wine, she studied the tablet. She glanced up, a speculative gleam in her eyes. “If the company finds out you’re helping me, you’ll get into trouble.”
“That won’t happen.”
“It could. Everyone in the office knows how close we are. Someone might assume you’re feeding me information.” She narrowed her eyes. “Did Peter specifically forbid you to do anything that would help me?”
He poured and picked up his wine. The pale chardonnay glinted in the fading light. “Not really!”
“You’re a terrible liar.” She lowered the tablet. “I don’t want you to get involved in anything that could cost you your job.”
Knowing that she was about to tie herself in knots over this, Trent came over to her and put a hand on her waist and drew her toward him. “Too late. Already am. And I’m going to be careful.”
“But—?”
“I’m willing to take on the risks. What’s more, it doesn’t—” The doorbell rang, cutting off his words. Someone pounded on the door, rattling it. And here he was with his hands on Victoria at last.. Man! Was he never going to get a break? “Shit!”
Blinking as if she’d just come out of a trance, Victoria stepped away. “Guess you’d better answer.”
Muttering curses, Trent strode to the door and yanked it open. For a moment, he stared at the voluptuous brunette. A tight green dress clung to every curve of her body. Dark straight hair fell past her shoulders. She turned big black eyes on him, and stoplight-red lips parted on a smile.
Trent’s mouth hung open. He snapped it closed, swallowed and sputtered, “Cynthia?”
She stepped past him and looked past his shoulder, her eyes narrowing. “Victoria?” She pouted as if she hadn’t expected to find anyone else in his apartment. Cynthia’s gaze shifted to the tablet in Victoria’s hands. She turned to Trent. “You guys working from home?”
“Yeah, something like that.” Trent ran a hand through his hair. “What are you doing here? I thought we had this out two months ago?” It hadn’t been an amicable breakup, and he didn’t relish the idea of having another argument with Cynthia in front of Victoria. “Did you forget something?”
Cynthia turned to face him. “I’m pregnant. You’re the father.”
He put out a hand to brace himself on the wall. Pulling in a sharp breath, he asked, “Pregnant? With my child? Is this a joke?”
“Not really.” Cynthia flipped her hair back. “I didn’t intend to blurt it out…but…what the hell? There’s no easy way to give anyone this kind of news.”
Bewildered, he stared at her face. His glanced at Victoria—she looking pale. Certain he looked about the same, he folded his arms and stared at Cynthia. “How? Are you sure?”
She darted the tip of her tongue out to lick her lips. “I’m sure you don’t need a lecture on how babies are made. I’m nearly two and a half months pregnant. I knew about it right after we broke up, and I considered an abortion, but decided against it. And…well, I figured I’d get your input into this whole mess.” She ended her speech in a breathless voice, as if she’d wanted to get this information out as quickly as possible.
He shook his head. “Mess? A baby is not a mess.”
Cynthia lifted a hand and pushed back the heavy curtain of her hair. She was still as beautiful as the first time he’d seen her, and he’d once thought he might fall in love with her. It hadn’t happened. Now that he’d figured out how much he liked Victoria, he knew that was part of the reason why he hadn’t connected with Cynthia. Subconsciously, he must have been comparing every woman to Tori. And they’d all paled in comparison.
Glancing from him to Victoria, Cynthia wrinkled her nose. “Sorry. Didn’t mean it that way. My hormones are kinda all over the place right now.”
“Really?” He shook his head. Why the hell couldn’t he say anything meaningful? His brain cells appeared to have degenerated. This had to happen right when he was trying to get something started with Victoria. He stole a glance at her. She stood so still it looked as if she wasn’t even breathing. He turned back to Cynthia. “We were careful. We always used protection.”
“Which is never a hundred percent safe,” she said, her voice low and throaty. Cynthia sent him an apologetic grin. “I know that this is a shock, but I’ve decided to keep the baby. I just wanted to know if you’re interested in being a part of the child’s life.”
“What?”
She adjusted her purse strap. “Raising a baby isn’t easy. I thought about this—a lot. It’d be nice if we were together. If not as a couple then as partners who share the responsibility. I could use the help.” She sighed. “You don’t have to decide now. Take your time. Think about it. You know my number.”
“Yeah, sure.” This was a nightmare. There was no right thing that would make this situation any bearable.
Leaning forward, Cynthia raised a hand and waved. “Bye, Victoria.” She let herself out, closing it behind her. Trent remained rooted to the spot.
I’m going to be a father! The idea hit him in the gut. He sucked in a deep breath of air. What the hell was he going to do? He couldn’t process it, couldn’t even seem to make himself move off the spot where he stood.
Victoria came over with both glasses of wine. She pressed one into his hand. “Drink,” she ordered.
“I just can’t…”
“Drink first, talk later.”
He took the glass and gulped down the wine. The wine bloomed sweet in his mouth and hit his stomach. He shuddered. “How the hell did this happen?” Heading over to his couch, he sat, put the empty wine glass on the coffee table and held his head in both hands. “This can’t be real. It just can’t be.”
Victoria took a seat next to him. “According to Cynthia, it’s very real.”
Trent couldn’t believe he was discussing imminent fatherhood with Victoria. A week ago, she would have been the first person he consulted. Right now, he wished she was somewhere far away. This put a damper on any thoughts of taking her to bed. He didn’t even want to think about sex now. He was about to become a father. The timing couldn’t have been worse.
“But I damn well took every precaution!”
She lifted a shoulder. “It happens sometimes. The question is what are you willing to do about it?”
He met her stare. “What am I supposed to do? This is my child. I can’t just abandon it.”
She nodded, as if she understood exactly what he meant. He could see the lines of distress pulling at the corners of her eyes and at her mouth. He could see it in the stiff way she sat. This news had hit her just as hard. With one announcement, Cynthia had created havoc.
Victoria put a hand over his. “You need to take some time to think about it—take it in.”
Leaning back, he closed his eyes. He kept hold of her hand. “I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. My parents’ divorce wrung me dry. I…well, you know some of it, but my mom…after dad discovered she’d been having
an affair with his boss, he was devastated. I chose to stay with him—so did Tom, but he was just a kid. So little. He didn’t really know what was going on, just that he wanted to be with me and Dad. And I missed my mom every day. It wasn’t the same. I vowed if I ever had a kid, he or she would grow up in a stable, loving family. I’d be the best father I could. I might fall short in the long run, but I’d sure as hell try.”
Her fingers tightened around his. “I knew the divorce was hard on you, but I never realized it left such a lasting impression.”
A dry laugh escaped. “You want to talk gaping wound? Dad tried really hard to fill the gap, but…he had his own issues.”
He closed his eyes, trying to shut out everything. The experience of seeing his father dive into bitterness and loneliness had put him off the idea of marriage and commitment. Opening his eyes again, he glanced at Tori. “Dad once told me that women were best if they didn’t have a ring on their finger. Sexist? I know. But those words stuck with me. I couldn’t shake them off, and now…makes me wonder if he’s up in heaven laughing at me.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
Trent couldn’t help but smile at her offer. It was so like her to forget they were in the middle of trying to help her get her life back on track. Her generosity amazed and touched him.
“Tori, I don’t know what to do.”
She squeezed his hand and let go. Leaning forward, she propped her elbows on her thighs. “You have to put aside all your…other issues and focus on this for now. The baby will need you. So will Cynthia.”
He chewed on his bottom lip. It was hard to point at the elephant in the room, but someone had to do it. “What about us? What about you?”
She gulped and looked down at her hands. “There is no us. Not that way. Not now. Maybe not ever. But we’ll always be there for each other. Let’s just…forget about that other thing.”
“I can’t. But…yeah, I’ve got to put the kid first. I do need some time to…figure things out.”
He turned away. Confusion, anger and shock tumbled through him. Becoming a father hadn’t been something he’d planned on for at least another few years. Now that he was about to be a dad, that had to matter. There was no denying that.
Victoria stood. “I should go.”
“We need to work on the login tracking.” He waved a hand at the tablet lying on the kitchen counter. “Ignoring that would be foolish. If we don’t do anything about it, you’re going to be stuck with the label of thief.”
She shook her head. “Why don’t you take an evening off? I’ll take your tablet home and study the times. If anything strikes me as odd, I’ll mark it and we can talk about it tomorrow.”
His brain wasn’t working as fast as he would have liked. Trent forced himself to focus. Whatever happened in his personal life, he didn’t intend to leave Victoria in the lurch. “We need to work out how we’re going to eliminate suspects.”
“I came up with some ideas. I’m going to visit Sue and see if I can tell if she’s been making some unexpected money. It’s sleazy—but whoever did this has to be working for cash. And I’d rather know right away if she’s it the clear.”
“You won’t be able to tell that with one visit. She might be saving any paydays in her bank.”
“Which means we need to look into her finances.” She waved a vague hand as if that was the simplest thing in the world.
He raised an eyebrow. “Hacking into someone bank’s account is illegal. There’s no sense trying to clear you of a crime by committing another one.”
She laughed. “I wasn’t actually suggesting we hack her account. I can just poke around in her house—I’ll offer to babysit Liam. Most people are notoriously careless with their personal papers.”
He scratched his jaw. “How would you know that?”
She pointed at the kitchen. A smile hovered on her lips. “Three envelopes from your bank are lying on the counter over there. Want to bet at least one of them is your bank statement. How difficult would it be for me to swipe them, or take a look while you’re in the bathroom?”
Amazed, he stared at her. “You have a wicked mind.”
She grinned. “Takes one to know one.”
For a minute, she looked like the same serious but carefree girl he’d always known. He started to smile back. But now she was embroiled in an investigation to clear her name, and he was facing fatherhood—with Cynthia. Could the world get any weirder?
Victoria stood. “Guess I better go.”
“Wait!” He stood up. “What about dinner?”
She gestured to the bag on his counter. “It’ll warm up great later for you. I’ve lost my appetite.”
“Dammit, this evening hasn’t gone as I planned.”
“Never got around to the candlelight.” She smiled as she spoke, but he looked around now and realized that only the streetlights illuminated the room. It was a damn shame—he’d intended to seduce Victoria to see if that spark between them could be fanned into an even bigger fire. Now he had the setting, the food, the wine…and nothing else was right. Both of them had more problems that either of them could handle. “I don’t want you to go alone to Sue’s house. When are you planning to do it? I will come with you.”
“You don’t need to.”
“I want to. When?”
“Tomorrow evening? I’ll offer to babysit so she and Shane can go out to dinner—an adult dinner.”
“I’ll meet you there. Seven?”
She nodded. “Sure.”
Trent sighed. He felt better to have some actions to take—that was the problem with Cynthia’s news—he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. But once he had his hands on the guy who’d caused his Tori so much anguish, he could wring the bastard’s neck. That would make him feel better.
But she wasn’t his Tori. Not yet. Ah, no point thinking like that when he had other things to worry about.
“I just want to say…”
To his surprise, she reached out and took both his hands in hers. She planted a soft kiss on his cheek. “Whatever you decide regarding the baby, Trent, I’ll be with you a hundred percent. But before you make any promises to Cynthia, make sure that she…well…that she’s telling the truth about the baby. And that it’s yours.”
He blinked. “Why would she tell a lie?”
She let go of his hands. “I am not saying she is, but a DNA test wouldn’t hurt. For once, will you please think ahead to more than tomorrow? It’s a lifetime of work to have a kid of your own.”
He frowned. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.”
She headed into the kitchen and came back with her purse and the tablet. “You know, Trent, I actually think you’ll make a good father. I wouldn’t have said that before tonight, but now…I’ve got to admit, you’ll make a damn fine father. That kid would be lucky to have you.”
He started to grin, but her words made him realize he was heading for a very different life than he’d ever thought about—not that he’d ever thought too far ahead. He was just glad she was on his side. But for now at least, his romantic plans were about as warm as the Indian food sitting on his kitchen counter.
Chapter Six
On the subway ride back to her apartment, Victoria thought about Cynthia’s bombshell. The idea of that woman pregnant with Trent’s child dug into her like needles under her skin. How could it be possible? She rolled her eyes at her own naively. Of course, the woman could be pregnant, but she hadn’t missed the gleam in Cynthia’s eyes when she’d given Trent the news. There was something else going on. And why had Cynthia waited so long to tell Trent if she’d know this for weeks already? Why not call Trent in advance, too, and set up a private meeting with him? Cynthia had seemed like she was in a hurry to deliver the announcement and then get out, almost as if she didn’t want to answer too many questions.
Or maybe because she had something to hide.
Victoria let out a sigh and slumped in her seat. The subway car rattled and swayed. Maybe she just wanted to thi
nk the worst of Cynthia—maybe she was jealous of Trent’s ex-girlfriend. Chilled now, she rubbed her arms. She should have brought a jacket with her, but it had been warm today. And she had to face the truth—jealous was too inadequate a word to describe her feelings. She was bummed-out and angry and eaten up with envy. She’d thought maybe…just maybe Trent might be serious about what he really felt for her. Of course, a relationship with Trent was out. He simply wasn’t reliable or dependable. But she’d like the idea that he wasn’t just there for her—and that kiss…okay, she had to admit that kiss they’d shared had been the best she’d ever shared with any guy. She’d felt safe in Trent’s arm—and happy. But she needed to stuff all of that away now—Trent was on an emotional roller coaster and if he reached out to anyone right now who knew if it was because he was just looking for a quick diversion or something more.
Victoria let out a low growl. The subway train eased to a stop, air brakes hissing, and the doors slid open. Pulling herself up with the railing, Victoria headed for the doors.
Cynthia couldn’t have chosen a worse time to come back into Trent’s life. If she’d come by yesterday, at least Victoria would have been spared the humiliation of knowing that Trent was aware of her feelings for him. Her face heated again. Like—I said I liked him. Cheeks burning, she wanted to plant her face into her palm at the memory of that. How lame was that?
Emotions churning in her stomach, knotting her insides, she headed up the stairs and out on to the street. Cool evening air brushed her face and arms. Sucking in a deep breath, she strode to her apartment. One good thing had certainly emerged out of this whole mess—she’d finally seen a different side of Trent. She’d never expected him to be so firm about being a good father. Frankly, she’d been a little thrilled to hear him talk about making sure that he was there for any kid that was his. If he could be that focused and worried about the baby just minutes after knowing he was going to have a kid, she knew he’d be totally dedicated to the child after the baby was born. She’d been wrong to think he wouldn’t be a responsible father. And if she was wrong about that, what other beliefs about him was she clinging to out of habit? Or maybe she didn’t want to let go of the Trent she’d known since childhood—the goofy guy who could make her laugh and who always brought fun into her life.