by Lori Ryan
“Would you think about coming to a meeting?”
He hesitated.
“Never mind. This isn’t your issue. You and Becca are just visiting.”
“It’s not that,” he said.
“Then what is it?”
“I don’t know all the facts, Lina. Maybe this expansion would benefit the businesses in Canyon Creek.”
“It might,” she said, “but at what cost to the ecosystems? And it’s a known fact that many of these companies winning the bids to build the expansions employ undocumented workers. What about human rights?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know about all that, that’s what I’m saying. I’d have to do more research, see what the damage to the environment would truly be, look at the records of the companies involved, before I can commit.”
It was a blunt reminder of the fact she didn’t really know what she was doing in this fight. She’d taken some online courses and she’d done some research on the issue, but she didn’t have any experience when it came to this kind of thing.
“Jakey, I want these books.”
They turned their attention to the children’s area where Becca stood holding three books above her head.
“Those are actually above her reading level,” Lina said under her breath.
“Actually, they’re not,” Jake said. “Becca already reads on a second-grade level.”
Lina stared back at Becca who was still holding the handful of books. “Seriously?”
“Yeah,” he said, “apparently she’s some kind of child prodigy.”
“Hmm,” Lina said, not surprised. “You probably were, too.”
He shrugged.
Lina looked at him. “What’s up with the Jakey?”
“We’re still not close enough for either of us to say ‘Dad’ or ‘Daddy,’ so…”
Lina nodded, although she didn’t quite understand. She couldn’t imagine waking up and meeting a father you had never known or vice versa.
“It started with my Aunt Sally,” he said.
Lina held up a hand. “Say no more.”
He laughed. “I see you’re familiar with my aunt’s antics.”
“I think the whole town and half of Colorado is familiar with your aunt’s antics.” She chuckled. “And her penchant for all things Steve Perry.”
Jake’s aunt loved anything related to the rock band Journey and had no problems letting people know. It helped that her VW Bug was covered with bumper stickers pledging her love of the group, specifically to Steve Perry.
Valerie was as crazy in love with Bon Jovi, but she seemed to keep her adoration limited to calendars in her office. At least, Lina didn’t think she’d ever seen Valerie with a Bon Jovi bumper sticker.
“Well, Becca saw how much I hated it when Aunt Sally used the nickname and decided to adopt that as my title. I think my aunt also had something to do with that.”
Lina laughed. “Probably.”
“My family is so big, it’s been hard for Becca to wrap her head around everything, and everybody, so I’m trying to let her take the lead. If calling me Jakey helps, that’s okay.”
“You do have a big family.” Lina nodded. “You’re like an old-fashioned Italian famiglia.”
“Do you speak Italian with your family?”
“Not fluently,” she said. “Only the dirty words.”
He laughed. “Well, my mom does make good lasagna.”
Lina rolled her eyes. “Please, my nonna’s is out of this world.”
“I won’t argue that. I’ve tried it before at your family’s restaurant. It’s amazing.”
She took a moment to study the man. His strong jaw was still littered with a bit of stubble and his full lips tilted up in a genuine smile. He wore a blue button-down shirt, which seemed like his usual dress, although it was slighted rumpled today. His faded jeans fit him snug and tight in all the right places. She had a feeling this was a much more casual look than he was used to.
When his eyes flared and his gaze moved to her mouth, a part of her body she was sure had atrophied from lack of use burned with desire. Oh crap.
“Jakey!” Becca yelled.
She and Jake jerked apart as if they’d been touching. She couldn’t help but feel like they had, his expression had been so predatory, the moment so intimate.
“Jake!” Becca screamed, stomping her foot.
Lina turned to Jake, raising a brow, trying to encourage him to take the reins.
He stared at her as if he was clueless which, apparently, he was.
“Oh, right, parent time.” He pushed off the shelf and walked toward his daughter, glancing over his shoulder, eyes pleading for help.
She gave him a subtle wave of her hand.
Jake squared off with the little princess. “Becca, we don’t yell in the book store. We don’t yell in any store.”
Becca dropped the books and crossed her arms over her chest, leveling Lina with a lethal glare as though the words had come from Lina instead of her dad. Maybe her hand wave hadn’t been so subtle after all.
“You’re not paying attention to me, Jakey.” She stomped her foot. She might be talking to her dad, but her eyes were on Lina.
Lina’s gaze moved from Jake to Becca and back. Now she had somehow ended up coming between Jake and his daughter. This was way more than she’d ever bargained for or wanted.
“You’re right,” Lina said. As much as she wanted to help him, this was Jake’s fight, one he’d have to learn for himself.
Lina shrugged and turned to leave. The last thing she needed in her life was more entanglements. And this man and his daughter were the poster child for drama.
“Good luck with that,” she mumbled under her breath. Lord knew he’d definitely need it.
Chapter Eight
Jake watched helplessly as Lina walked away. He didn’t blame her. His daughter was being a Grade-A Brat. The only problem was, he didn’t know what the hell to do. And Lina seemed to be the only one Becca responded to. He had to try something.
“Becca that was rude. Apologize to Lina.”
Becca tucked her arms in even tighter, Dog squeezed tight to her chest. “No,” she said, lifting her chin as if daring him to challenge her.
No? Damn, he didn’t know what to do with no. He could only remember a handful of times he’d said no to his father, and none of them ended well.
He drew in a deep breath and thought about what his mother would do in a situation like this.
Before he could say more, Becca kicked one of the books, sending it sailing across the floor.
“Rebecca Anne Howard, you stop that behavior this instant,” he growled. He didn’t even recognize the deep tone of his voice. Oh God, his worst nightmare had come true. He’d used his child’s full name in a threatening tone just like his mother did.
Becca’s eyes went wide, seemingly surprised by his words and his tone.
Okay, this seemed to be working. “You pick up those books right this minute and put them back on the shelf where you found them.”
She stared at him with a look of defiance but he noted her arms had fallen to her side, Dog dangling from one hand.
“You heard me, young lady,” he said. Young lady. Jeez, this was bad. Now he sounded like Aunt Sally reprimanding one of his cousins.
“Nice,” Lina whispered, sliding up beside him.
He didn’t turn toward her, afraid he’d break the parental trance he held Becca in. “I have no idea what I’m doing,” he said softly.
“You’re doing a great job.”
Fueled by Lina’s approval, Jake moved forward. “I said pick up those books and put them back where you found them, Becca.”
Her bottom lip quivered and he almost took a step back at that.
He wasn’t good with tears. When women cried, he tended to freak out. He was pretty sure most guys did.
“But I wanted the books to read to Dog.” She pouted, all traces of the little hellion from earlier gone.
He had t
o give Becca props, she was good.
“Then you should have thought of that before you pitched a temper-tantrum. And you better hope you didn’t damage any books when you threw them on the floor.”
“B-b-but, I don’t—” she stuttered.
“Pick them up, now, Rebecca.” His voice was rough, laced with the promise of punishment he wasn’t sure he’d actually be able to deliver. But he had to try something.
He watched as she slowly lowered to the ground, her eyes glued to his as she picked the books up and stacked them against her chest.
“I don’t remember where they go,” she said. He could tell by her expression and her tone that she really didn’t know.
“I can help you,” Lina said, stepping around him.
He held out a hand to stop her.
“Apologize to Lina first, Becca. You were very rude.”
“But—”
Nope. Nope. He wasn’t going to fall for her antics again. The sympathy card wasn’t working any more.
“That doesn’t matter. You were rude. Apologize and then put up the books. We’re leaving.”
“But you promised to buy me one,” she dragged out the word, playing on his sympathies.
He leveled her with a look. She was smart enough to know that wasn’t happening, wasn’t she?
Becca huffed and rolled her eyes. Jake figured it was an appropriate response and let it go. Hell, he wanted to lay down and pitch a hissy fit right now, too.
“Sorry,” she said quietly.
“Thank you,” Lina said, taking the books from Becca’s hand. “I can help you put these up.”
Becca stared up at him with doe eyes that seemed to be begging him for a second chance.
She fluttered her eyes. Jeez, she’d seriously batted her eyelashes at him. A shiver ran through him as he pictured her teenage years.
“Stay strong,” Lina mouthed.
He remembered something his mother once said, the hardest thing about being a parent was follow through on consequences. Now he understood.
“Go on, Becca.” He nodded toward the shelf. “Put them up so we can go.”
“Are we still going to get ice cream?” she asked expectantly.
He glanced at Lina.
She shrugged.
“We’ll see.”
Becca turned to Lina, her face a mix of emotions. “I’m sorry,” she said, her head hanging low in defeat.
“Thank you,” Lina said again. “I accept your apology.”
Becca lifted her head. “Will you still fix Dog even though I kicked your books?”
“Of course. You apologized.” Lina stood and held out her hand.
He watched as Becca’s tiny fingers wrapped around Lina’s.
“I think Could You? Would You? goes there.” Lina pointed to a spot on the bookshelf.
Lina stared down at the book in her hand. “This is a great book. Have you ever read it?”
Becca nodded. “I have it at home but we didn’t bring it.” Her fingers slowly moved to her mouth.
Now he felt like a real jerk for not letting her bring more books when they packed.
Jake wondered if he should be telling Becca not to suck on her fingers. He needed to remember to ask his mom what she thought. He had no idea if five was too old for something like that. And even if it was, did it matter since she’d lost her mom? Maybe he should ask her grandmother if that was a new behavior since Jenni’s death.
He watched Lina with Becca. Her tall, statuesque frame loomed over Becca, but she didn’t seem intimidating in the least. Lina’s warm eyes held only kindness, and the way her rose-tinted lips tipped up in the corners as she helped his daughter had his heart squeezing tight in his chest. Who would have known that having such a motherly disposition could be such a turn on?
Jake shook his head, aiming the gesture at his own thoughts. He had enough problems with a precocious daughter and a wayward senator he wasn’t sure he believed in any longer. The last thing he needed was a romance to add to the mix.
As if hearing his thoughts, Lina’s eyes caught his.
With her thick black hair pulled back, her flawless face was even more striking. Her lips split wide and she smiled, the expression lighting up her face. “Good job,” she mouthed giving him a wink.
Something below his belt stirred. A wink? That’s all it took to make him hard? He really needed to get laid when he went back to California.
He swallowed hard and returned her smile. “Thanks,” he mouthed. He watched in silence as Becca helped Lina put away all the books.
Lina bent down and whispered something in Becca’s ear.
Becca’s face lit. “Really?” she said.
“Really.” Lina nodded.
Becca skipped toward him. “Jakey, guess what Lina said?”
“What?”
“She said Could You? Would You? is at the library. She said she has a card and will check it out for me if it’s okay with you.”
Jake stared from Becca to Lina.
Lina smiled and nodded.
“Can we go? Pleeease.” Becca dragged out the word, something he noticed she did a lot.
“Well see,” he said.
From the look on her face, she knew when adults said ‘we’ll see,’ it usually meant no.
“I tell you what,” he said, kneeling down. “If you don’t throw any more tantrums like you did today and you eat all your vegetables…”
She made a gagging noise.
Jake laughed.
Lina snorted.
“Then we can go?” she asked, the excitement in her eyes so genuine he couldn’t help but say yes.
“Yes, we can go.”
Becca jumped up and down, squealing with delight as she made a bee line toward Lina. “Lina! Lina! Jakey says we can go to the library.” She turned to face him. “Thank you,” she said, staring at him as she squeezed Lina’s neck. She turned back to Lina. “Maybe you can fix Dog, too?”
Lina smiled. “I have a meeting at the library soon, so I’ll see you there, if that’s okay with your dad.” She glanced up at Jake.
Jake could only nod. These two teaming up on him made him useless.
“I’ll bring my sewing kit,” Lina smiled, “and we can stitch him up then, okay?”
“Okay,” she said softly. Becca glanced at him, her smile so wide, her face so angelic it made his heart ache. “Can we have ice cream now? Can you come?” she asked Lina.
“Oh, no, thank you, sweetheart,” Lina said, “I have to work.”
Becca turned her attention to Jake, anxiously awaiting his decision. He’d led negotiations between politicians and made the call on more than one tricky campaign maneuver, but never did he feel more powerful than he did right now, holding the fate of his daughter’s ice cream dreams in his hands.
“We could bring you something back,” he said, looking at Lina.
“Yeah,” Becca nodded. “We could bring you something back.”
Lina kissed the top of his daughter’s head and placed Becca on the floor, squatting before her. “That’s okay, you guys go and have fun. I’ll see you at the library soon. Okay?”
“Okay,” Becca said, clutching Lina’s neck and squeezing her tight. “I’m sorry.”
“I know. It’s okay, sweetie.”
Becca stared at Lina. “Give me a big smooch,” she said.
Jake moved to stop them. “Becca, I don’t think—”
Becca slapped her hands on either side of Lina’s face, pulling her close.
Lina did the same and leaned forward. The two locked lips in a hilarious show of affection that had Jake laughing under his breath.
It was ridiculous to be jealous of his own daughter, but he was. Standing in the middle of his hometown, in the book store of all places, he was a bonafide green monster.
Lina pulled back, smiling. “Mwah,” she said, exaggerating the kissing sound.
Becca giggled. “Mwah,” she imitated.
“Go,” Lina patted Becca on the bottom.
“Have fun. And thank you for the apology.”
Becca smiled, an expression that warmed his heart. He’d never thought a smile from a young child, his child, could move him so deeply.
Becca tucked Dog under her arm and skipped toward the front of the store.
Lina stood and moved toward him. “You did good, Jakey.” She laughed.
“I’m learning,” he said.
“It’s hard to follow-through on threats as a parent, but you did it. You stood your ground and that will go a long way with a head-strong child like Becca.”
Jake studied her for a long moment. “How do you know so much?”
“Sisters, a mother, a feisty nonna. I told you. Italians don’t put up with shit.”
He laughed.
“Rules are like railings on a bridge,” she said, staring into his eyes, all playfulness gone.
“What do you mean?”
“No one really needs the railings on a bridge to know they shouldn’t get close to the edge. Railings allow people to peek over the edge of the bridge, see what’s below them without the fear of falling. Railings make people feel safe, protected.”
Jake’s brows furrowed.
“That’s what rules are to kids,” she said. “While they seem restrictive at first, rules actually protect kids from themselves. When parents set enforceable guidelines and follow through with the consequences, they build railings of protection that allow kids to look over the edge without falling. Kids feel protected, they feel safe despite their groaning.”
Wow. Jake had never thought about rules that way. “But rules only work if they’re enforced?” he said.
“Exactly. Consequences. They suck, but,” she nodded toward Becca who stood patiently by the door, “they work.”
He smiled, thankful that someone had faith in him. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
He shrugged. “For everything.” He held her gaze for a several moments, feeling a spark, a connection of some sort that had his body burning.
She stepped back, shaking her head. “Well, you guys better get going.”
“You sure we can’t bring you back something?”
She paused, her eyes seeming to ask for something. “No,” she nodded back to the children’s area, “I’ve got my hands full here.”