A Man Like Mike

by Sami Lee

  Jacinta had loved the house on sight, and had at once started a campaign to convince Derek to move out of the inner city suburbs to the more relaxed community by the bay. It hadn’t taken her all that long to get what she wanted, especially once she had become pregnant with Bailey. From the moment they met, Derek had been besotted with Jacinta.

  “You know you can have anything you want,” Eve told Mike, moving Bailey’s plastic push-along fire truck aside with her foot as she approached the back door. “It’s your house after all.”

  “And you live here. Like I told you—you’re welcome to stay here as long as you like.” He had said as much by phone, after the terms of the Wilcox’s last will had been revealed; Derek and Jacinta had left Mike their house, and Eve their son. His ownership of the house aside, Mike had suggested she move in until he figured out what he was going to do with the place.

  Eve hadn’t really wanted to leave the comfortable familiarity of her one bedroom apartment in the city, but what could she have done? The sterile apartment building full of single professionals was not exactly a suitable place to raise a child. It was bad enough that Bailey had lost both his parents in one catastrophic moment; she couldn’t possibly have taken him away from the only home he had ever known as well.

  Eve led Mike into the house and up the internal staircase, which ascended to the cosy living room. A fireplace graced one wall. Twin sofas covered with velvety purple fabric were arranged in an L before it—a reminder of Jacinta’s former occupancy. She had loved bold, rich colours and had teamed the sofas with an expansive red and purple rug, the heavy timber dining table with red upholstered chairs. Canvases dotted the off-white walls—abstract geometric shapes in green, orange and, of course, purple—the works evidence of Jacinta’s most recent attempts to re-connect with her youthful love of painting. She had given up her job in public relations while pregnant with Bailey, staying home before and after he was born to paint and play with her son.

  Walking into the rustic-look kitchen that was nonetheless appointed with all the usual modern amenities, Eve busied herself putting on a pot of coffee. “Like I told you,” Eve said in response to the reminder of Mike’s largesse, “I’ll pay rent for use of the house.”

  She had been setting the fair market value of rent aside each week, even though he had refused to accept any payment from her. Having been forced at one point in her life to accept the charity of Joan and Carl Drysdale—Jacinta’s parents—when her mother had died and they had opened their home to her, Eve had since made it a point to never again allow herself to be in such a position. She had a well paid, professional job. She didn’t need Mike’s financial hospitality.

  Mike waved a hand, his dark brows furrowing. “I don’t need the money.”

  “Come on. I know you’re not independently wealthy.”

  “How would you know anything about my financial situation?”

  Wondering if she had offended him by bringing up the subject of money, Eve shrugged. “You work for a living, like anyone else. And I imagine all that travelling eats up a lot of cash.”

  His silence made her look at him. He stood on the other side of the breakfast bench, still holding Bailey, who was happily toying with a button at the opening of his casual white knit shirt. Eve felt her eyes stray to the spot where a V of tanned chest, lightly dusted with dark hair, was visible. Pushing out a frustrated breath at her wandering eye, she snapped her gaze back to his face. His expression lay somewhere between amused and aggrieved.

  “And I suppose Derek said money falls through my fingers like rainwater, that I don’t have a prudent bone in my body,” he said, so accurately pinning the image his brother had drawn of him that Eve had to fight to keep from blushing.

  Why should she be embarrassed? She had no reason to suspect Derek of lying. Fiercely dedicated to climbing the corporate ladder in his career as a financial advisor, Derek had always indicated that in contrast, working was, for Mike, secondary—a way to make enough money to travel, live the good life and chase women.

  Eve had a hard time imagining Mike had to do much chasing. She’d bet his masculine energy drew females toward him like a magnet, each victim helpless to resist.

  Luckily, she was too smart to fall for his particular brand of charm.

  “For the record, I had quite a good business going in Greece. I sold my share of the taverna for a tidy profit.”

  “You sold it?” Mike had been living and working on the Greek Isle of Santorini for going on eighteen months, almost as long as Jacinta and Derek had been married, and she’d had no indication that was about to change. It’s where he had jetted off to after the wedding, having temporarily returned to the country from a stint in London.

  And just why did she remember so much about Mike’s comings and goings?

  Mike nodded in answer to her question. “It’s why I had to fly back right after the funeral. I had things to settle, and I wanted to get it done right away so I could get on with my life back here.”

  “You mean you’re moving back to Australia?”

  “I mean I have moved back. I’ve been staying at Mum and Dad’s the last few days.”

  Eve went back to watching the coffee drip through the filter into the glass carafe while she processed that information. She wondered what that meant for her. He would probably want to see Bailey, wouldn’t he? Which meant she was bound to run into him more often than she had ever anticipated.

  Pushing aside her discomfiture at that thought, she asked, “How are Denise and Allen?” Eve tried to ignore the stab of guilt. She had taken Bailey over to see his grandparents in Moorooka only once since the accident, knowing it should have been more often, that she should have issued invitations for them to visit her and Bailey. He was their grandson after all, and all they had left of their eldest son.

  But Eve felt exceedingly uncomfortable around Mike’s parents, especially Denise. She felt as though she were being inspected, her ability to care for Bailey judged, and judged harshly. A person hardly forgot words hurled hysterically across a lawyer’s office: ‘They wanted Eve to take Bailey? You can’t be serious! How is she going to manage it?’

  Eve was all too aware that, as Bailey’s grandparents, Denise and Allen still had the right to legally challenge Bailey’s parents’ wish that she raise him, if they thought it in his best interests. Being essentially a single parent now, and not a blood relation to Bailey, Eve had every reason for concern that Bailey might be taken away from her.

  She couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t let Jacinta down. She had been entrusted with an awesome responsibility and, whether fulfilling her obligation came easily or not, she was going to do her best at it.

  It suddenly occurred to her that Mike’s surprise visit today might have an ulterior motive. Had Denise sent him over unexpectedly to catch her in a moment of weakness? Was she searching for signs of poor parenting?

  “They’re holding up,” Mike said in answer to her question, and Eve knew there was a wealth left unsaid behind the statement. They’d lost a son, certainly not something any parent recovers from easily. “They send their regards. They hope to see Bailey again soon.”

  “I try to get over there, but it’s hard with work and ferrying Bailey to childcare during the week…” Eve sighed, knowing she sounded like she was making excuses, although she also felt it wasn’t possible to overstate how difficult day-to-day living was when you found yourself suddenly charged with caring for a young child. It had been hard enough the first couple of weeks, but once she had had to return to work, it had been darn near impossible to keep so many balls in the air. “I’ll take Bailey over again soon. I promise.”

  “Hey, I don’t want to get in the middle of anything.” Eve watched as Mike added a splash of milk to the steaming mug she slid across the counter. “Besides, I can probably take him over for a visit.”

  A feeling much like dread began to creep up Eve’s spine as her mind caught on that statement. “What do you mean—take him over? I
thought you were staying with them.”

  “Yeah, about that…” Mike began, and sent her his smooth, disarming smile. Eve’s heart rate accelerated again. “I was thinking I should bunk here for a while.”

  Chapter 2

  “Stay here?” Eve repeated. “With me?”

  Mike probably should have been insulted by her transparent aversion to the idea. He felt sure he could, if required, rustle up a few women who didn’t find the idea of cohabiting with him so abhorrent. But he wasn’t suggesting that kind of cohabitation. Far from it.

  Eve was the last woman he would be interested in romantically, even if she weren’t so openly disapproving of his lifestyle. Not that she didn’t have her feminine attractions. He had just never considered her his type. If he were ever pressed to name a preference, Mike would probably pick a cute and curvy blonde over a woman like Eve any day.

  “An old friend has helped me line up some work at a place called The Rusty Marlin. It’s not too far from here—”

  “I know it,” she interrupted him, and he couldn’t hide his surprise. It was difficult to imagine Eve in a place named after a game fish, rusty or not.

  She cocked a brow at his expression. “I went there a few times with Jacinta.”

  “Right. Well… I thought I could help you out with Bailey for a week or two.”

  “What makes you think I need help with Bailey?”

  “Come on Eve, you just said you’ve been busy—too busy to take him to visit his grandparents.”

  “So they have complained to you about that? Darn it, it’s not the easiest thing in the world you know, looking after a baby. Time is at a premium.”

  Mike ground his teeth. She sure was a prickly woman. “I know,” he enunciated, “You’re just proving the point I was trying to make. You need help, Eve.”

  If anything, his attempt to gentle his tone only heightened her anger. She crossed her arms over her chest, an action that pushed her breasts together. The merest hint of cleavage caught his eye before Mike could stop the involuntary glance. Like he had downstairs, he couldn’t help but notice the small amount of extra weight on her frame that filled out her slender curves.

  When he looked up again her expression was adamant, her mouth pursed so her bottom lip plumped out in a near pout, looking moist and inviting. A perverse description, considering her mood. “I don’t need help,” she stated unequivocally. “I’m fine.”

  “Well, I’m not,” Mike shot back, annoyed with himself for noticing Eve physically at a time when it was the last thing he should be doing. He wanted to help Eve, not ogle her. Surely she didn’t want to struggle here all on her own? As far as he could see. his moving in here was a win-win situation. “I need a place to stay close to work. My parents live over half an hour away, and my mother’s driving me nuts. And, as you said,” he couldn’t help but point out, “this is my house.”

  Just then, Bailey started to cry as he sat on the floor looking up at the two of them. Eve bent to scoop him into her arms. “There, there little man,” she cooed. “Let’s organise you some dinner. Would you like that?” Bailey’s whining stopped as he looked up at her, and his little olive-skinned hand reached out to touch her fair cheek.

  Mike had to admit, there had been moments when he had wondered at Jacinta’s wish that Eve raise her son. She didn’t immediately seem like the mother-hen type, but there was no mistaking the need in Bailey’s eyes, his dependence on her. He had no desire to break the bond that had started to develop between them. What he did want was in. He wanted to be a part of Bailey’s life, as he hadn’t been a part of Derek’s in many long years.

  Maybe it was his way of making up for the fact he and his brother hadn’t had a close relationship in going on a decade. Derek’s open scorn of what he saw as Mike’s lack of ambition had always kept Mike from taking steps to repair what had started as a small rift and had grown wider with time and inattention. They had really seen each other only at Christmas, and at important family events, such as Derek’s wedding and, after the birth of his nephew, when he had flown home for what was, in retrospect, a too-brief visit.

  Derek had been happy with Jacinta. The man had been deliriously in love, so much so that Mike had sensed a softening in his older brother’s attitude toward him and, after that visit home, he’d dared to hope that one day they could have a real relationship.

  But that one day, as fate would have it, had never come.

  With efficient movements, Eve settled Bailey in his high chair and pulled a jar of baby food from the pantry. Mike took a sip of his coffee, but almost choked on it when Eve matter-of-factly announced, “Then we’ll move out until you get yourself organised.”

  Mike felt his moment of triumph dissipate. “What?”

  “I don’t want to put you out, Mike. I’m sure we’d be in each other’s way here.”

  Speechless for several moments, Mike watched in amazement as Eve went about calmly feeding Bailey his dinner, letting him hold the big plastic spoon every few bites so he could attempt to feed himself the bright orange goo. His forehead wore much of it.

  At length, Mike asked, “Why are you being such a pain in the—” he cut off what he had been about to say, took a breath, and started again. “Why are you making this so difficult, Eve?”

  “I’m being difficult? I’m not the one who shows up here, out of the blue, expecting to use this place as a halfway house. Bailey has a routine, you can’t just expect me to change everything around for you at a moment’s notice.”

  “And you moving out wouldn’t upset Bailey’s routine?”

  She pushed out a sigh and swiped the hair from her face, leaving a trace of mashed pumpkin on her forehead. “I just don’t feel comfortable with the idea of someone looking over my shoulder.”

  “Is that what you think I want to do?”

  “Didn’t your mother send you to check up on me?”

  “The day has long passed that my mother sends me anywhere.” Mike’s annoyance gathered momentum. “Did it ever occur to you that I might just want to spend some time with my nephew? He’s not just Jacinta’s son, you know. He’s also my brother’s.”

  He saw her shoulders tense, contradicting the pleasant tone she used with Bailey. “All finished B. Good job!” She gently pinched his cheek before standing and brushing past Mike to deposit the spoon and empty food jar in the sink. In low tones, she said, “I know that. Bailey’s your nephew, and I would never want to do anything to keep you from him, but … do you really have to move in?”

  If she kept saying it like that, like he was proposing putting a sewage treatment plant in the back yard, Mike thought he might start developing a complex. “I’ve explained to you my reasons, and it would only be temporary. If you’re worried I might make moves on you, let me assure you it won’t happen.”

  He almost regretted the brusque promise when her cheeks filled with fiery colour. He hadn’t meant to belittle her feminine appeal, only to reassure her she wouldn’t have any problems with him trying to sneak a peek at her in her underwear or anything else untoward.

  Eve, he reminded himself, was not his type. Aside from the physical aspects, she was way too complicated, giving an impression of fragility one minute, one of dogged strength the next. She had an ability to fire bullets of acid wit that could fell a man at the knees if he dared give her opinion any weight. Their discourse at his brother’s wedding two years ago had been superficial; something about Eve’s steel-rod-for-a-spine carriage had precluded anything else, and Mike had conducted himself accordingly. As a result, he had learned next to nothing about what made Eve O’Brien tick and had been left with the impression he wasn’t missing anything he couldn’t live without.

  That didn’t mean she wasn’t a pretty, intriguing woman, with those big brown eyes and hair the unlikely hue of summer-ripe cherries. He hadn’t meant to insult her.

  His momentary urge to apologise was quickly dispelled by Eve’s haughty comment, “Let me assure you, I wouldn’t be interested in
any case.”

  “Like I said…” Mike smiled through his teeth, hating himself for feeling the need to engage in such a childish game of one-upmanship, of who’s-less-attracted-to-whom. “It’s not something you need to be concerned about.”

  “What about other women?”

  Eve’s own question astounded her. The last thing she wanted to know about was Mike’s love life, but she’d been too desperate to deflect attention from her own humiliation to come up with a better thing to say. So Mike didn’t find her in the least attractive. It wasn’t something she should take to heart, especially as she had already suspected as much, long before he ever promised he wouldn’t be tempted to make a pass at her. Yet the blow to her feminine ego felt like a palpable thing to her, as obvious in the charged atmosphere as the smell of fresh-brewed coffee.

  Mike appeared as surprised at her question as she was. “What do you mean, other women?”

  Having no choice but to push on with the line of inquiry, Eve forced a cool expression to cover her discomfort. “I don’t think it would be good for Bailey to see a parade of women coming and going, and if that’s going to put a crimp in your style you might want to reconsider staying here.”

  “Contrary to what you seem to think, Eve,” he began, speaking very carefully as though he were just barely holding on to his temper, “I can manage without female company for a couple of weeks. And I can stay downstairs in the studio, if that makes you feel better. Are there any other potential problems you might want to address, while you’re at it?”

  Oh, there were sure to be plenty of problems, but for the life of her Eve couldn’t think of a single one that might deter him. And his mention of the downstairs studio relieved some of the tension in her shoulders. Once used for nothing more than underground storage, the previous owner had enclosed the lower level of the cottage, installing a second bathroom and converting it to a separate living space. The temperature downstairs was always a few degrees lower than it was on the main level, but with winter still a couple of months away that shouldn’t pose a problem for Mike.