The Good Father

by Kara Lennox

  “Don’t even think about it.”

  “It’s hard to think about anything else.”

  Every cell in Jane’s body came to life. Something fluttered in her stomach and her palms grew damp.

  Suddenly he smiled. “Don’t worry, Jane. I would never act on it. I do have some scruples.”

  She allowed herself to breathe again, relieved at his words. Because if he tried to seduce her, she wasn’t sure she was strong enough to say no.

  MAX LAY AWAKE in his big bed, still unable to sleep. The gin hadn’t helped; neither had clearing the air with Jane. He wanted her just as badly as ever. Despite his brave words about having scruples, it took every ounce of his willpower not to get out of bed and knock on her bedroom door.

  But he made it until morning without succumbing to temptation. When he emerged from his room, showered, shaved and dressed, he found Jane and Kaylee sitting together on the sofa. Jane was reading a book aloud in a soft voice, something a bit more complex than Green Eggs and Ham.

  “Max!” Kaylee jumped off the sofa and ran toward him, attaching herself to his leg.

  “Good morning to you, too.” He ruffled her blond curls and tried not to notice how his heart squeezed painfully. How could Jane ever wonder why he avoided single moms when she saw this? He’d barely scratched the surface of his reasons last night. He hadn’t mentioned that the worst thing, the very worst, was the attachment to the child—an attachment that would have to be painfully severed if things didn’t work out.

  It wasn’t just the woman who saw him in the daddy role. With Hannah, he’d adopted it willingly.

  He resisted the urge to show Kaylee more affection, though she obviously craved it. He gently detached her from his leg. “Do I smell coffee?”

  “I made a pot,” Jane said. “I know we’re going for breakfast, but I thought we might both need some caffeine.”

  “You didn’t sleep well, either, huh?” His voice was laced with more innuendo than he’d intended.

  She arched one eyebrow at him. “I slept fine, just not long enough.”

  Max poured himself a half mug of coffee, wishing he had time to linger over it. Instead he gulped down a few scalding swallows. They were scheduled to meet Ellen and Ogden at the hotel restaurant in five minutes. “We probably should get going.”

  “I’m ready.”

  As they rode down in the elevator, Jane asked, “Is there some point at which you’d like me and Kaylee to disappear? I don’t want Kaylee to distract from a business meeting.”

  “We’ll see how it goes.” Once he told Ellen the truth about his relationship with Jane and her daughter, Ellen might be the one who disappeared.

  He was more nervous about losing this account than he cared to admit. He had payments to make on his business loan, and he shuddered to think what would happen if he was late.

  Reece wouldn’t be happy with him, that was for sure.

  He wished he’d saved more money during the years he’d worked for Remington Industries. But back then, he’d seen money as a never-ending river. He could spend it because he would always have more.

  He’d thought that by now, he would have landed some bigger accounts. But the river was more like a trickle.

  “You’re going to tell Ellen the truth as soon as we sit down,” Jane said suddenly. “Right?”

  “Yes.” No matter how hard that was.

  JANE COULDN’T HELP but be impressed with the beautiful hotel restaurant. She’d been to plenty of fancy restaurants before, but not with Kaylee. Scott had not believed in taking children out to eat.

  In truth, sometimes a screaming toddler could be a problem at a nice restaurant. But Kaylee was almost old enough that she could be counted on to behave civilly.

  She took in the high ceilings and ornate gold-leaved moldings with big eyes. “Mommy, I think a princess lives here.”

  “You’re the only princess around,” Jane replied with a slight smile.

  “Your party is here,” the hostess replied when Max gave his name. “Right this way.”

  Ellen Lowenstein and the same man who’d been with her the other day were seated at a large, round table. The man stood and extended his hand to Max.

  “Remington. Good to see you again.” Then he turned toward Jane. “Jane, isn’t it? And Katy.”

  “Kaylee,” Jane gently corrected.

  Ogden didn’t look all that pleased to be seeing the child again.

  The waiter brought a booster seat for Kaylee. Max held Jane’s chair for her. She looked at him. “Now, not later.”

  “Yes, um, well, thanks again, Ellen, for the baseball game. We had a great time.”

  “No sense in having that expensive box unless you share it,” Ellen said cheerfully. “Ogden, you really should join us out there some time.”

  “I’m not much of a sports fan,” Ogden said stiffly.

  That figured, Jane thought, just as Kaylee started to squirm out of her chair. “Mommy, look, it’s Daddy!”

  “What?”

  Every head at their table swiveled as Kaylee, slippery as a little frog, slid out of Jane’s grasp and ran toward a man standing at the buffet with his back turned toward them.

  Oh, please, let it not be.

  Jane was out of her chair in a flash, running after Kaylee. It would be embarrassing to have her launch herself at some strange man shouting “Daddy!”

  Then the man turned, and Jane saw that it was, in fact, Scott.

  “Daddy!” Kaylee shouted again just as she reached him and attached herself to his leg, just as she’d done with Max a few minutes ago.

  Scott looked down dispassionately. “Kaylee?” He was such a cold fish! Then he looked up and spotted Jane heading for him. His smile wasn’t pleasant. “Well, look who we have here.”

  “Could you at least pretend to be happy to see your daughter?” Jane hissed under her breath as she pulled Kaylee away from her father’s leg.

  “I am happy. I love my daughter.”

  Jane suspected that sentiment was for the benefit of the cool blonde who’d just sidled up to Scott, putting a proprietary hand on his arm.

  “This is your daughter?” she asked, shooting a hostile look toward Jane.

  “Daddy, we’re gonna have waffles.”

  “What brings you to Houston?” Scott asked. “Are you already bored with dreary little Port Clara?”

  “I’m at a business meeting. Really, I’m sorry to have interrupted your, er, breakfast.” She wondered how Max was explaining Kaylee’s outburst.

  “A business meeting? Are you charging for it these days?”

  The blonde looked surprised by the blunt attack, but Jane was livid. How dare he?

  Only her reluctance to embarrass Max further kept her from grabbing a glass of orange juice from the buffet and dumping it over Scott’s head.

  Kaylee was still babbling, trying to get her father’s attention. Jane took her hand. “We’re leaving now.”

  But not soon enough. Scott’s gaze wandered toward Jane’s table, and recognition quickly registered on his face. “I don’t believe it.” He brushed the blonde off his arm and strode toward the table where Max, Ellen and Ogden sat.

  Oh, God, no. “Scott, leave it alone!” she called after him, scooping Kaylee up and hurrying to try to ward off the confrontation.

  “So, Remington, you’re not involved with my wife, huh?”

  Chapter Seven

  Max calmly set down his coffee cup as Ellen and Ogden looked on in horror. He stood up, appearing utterly unafraid. “I wasn’t. But I am now. And she’s your ex-wife, in case you’d forgotten.”

  Now the diners at neighboring tables were staring.

  Jane was frozen with fear, and Kaylee continued to call for her daddy, who didn’t seem to hear.

  Scott balled up his fists, his eyes mere slits. “I could ruin you.”

  “I wouldn’t try, if I were you. Not unless you want a few of your secrets out in the open. Or would you like for everyone to hear about La
ura Ann?”

  Laura Ann? Who was that?

  Whoever she was, mentioning her name caused Scott’s already short temper to snap. He cocked his arm back.

  But Max ducked to the side. At the same time, he thrust his leg out in a lightning-fast kick that buckled Scott’s legs. He toppled over, clutching his knee and cursing up a blue storm.

  By then, the security guard from the hotel lobby had been summoned. He apparently had seen who was the aggressor and who was merely defending himself, because he dragged Scott to his feet. “Sir, you’ll have to come with me. Mr. Remington, are you all right?”

  “Never better.” He couldn’t quite hide his smile of triumph.

  Men.

  Scott was too humiliated, or in too much pain, to argue. He limped away with the guard, not even giving Max or her or Kaylee a backward glance. The blonde, not so cool now, scurried after him.

  “Well,” Ogden said, pushing to his feet. “That was an interesting display. I take it you and Jane are not, in fact, husband and wife?”

  Max deflated slightly. “No. We aren’t even involved. I’m not married and I don’t have any children. But I thought you would prefer to give your advertising account to a family man, so when you assumed Kaylee was mine, I chose not to correct you.”

  Ogden’s scowl deepened, but Ellen merely stared, looking bewildered.

  “We don’t normally do business with people who lie and brawl in restaurants,” Ogden said succinctly. “Ellen?”

  Ellen looked like she wanted to say something, but in the end she followed Ogden out of the restaurant.

  “That went well.” Max practically fell back into his chair. He looked stunned, shell-shocked.

  Jane said nothing. She had warned Max that when Kidz’n’Stuff found out about the deception, there would be some fallout. But not even she had visualized the truth coming out in such dramatic fashion.

  “Mommy, I want to see Daddy,” Kaylee said in a small voice.

  “I know, sweetheart. You’ll see him next weekend, and you’ll get to spend two whole days with Grandpa Larry and Grandma Bonnie.”

  Max fiddled with his fork. “You still want breakfast? Or did this fiasco ruin your appetite like it did mine?”

  “I’m not very hungry,” Jane said. “But we should get something for Kaylee.”

  The waiter stopped at their table. “Breakfast is on us, Mr. Remington,” he said. “Would you like to order from the menu, or have the breakfast buffet?”

  “How about some waffles for the little one?” Max said.

  “Of course. Would she like some juice? We have orange, grapefruit and cranberry.”

  “How about it, Kaylee?” Max asked. “You want juice?” He reached out to brush a strand of hair from her face, but she shrieked and hid her face against Jane’s shoulder.

  “You hurt my daddy!”

  Kaylee’s accusation was like a knife to Max’s heart. Of course she would see Max as the villain. She wasn’t old enough to understand the complexities of the fight she’d just witnessed. But she’d seen the outcome.

  No matter what anyone else thought of Scott, he was Kaylee’s father.

  “Kaylee, listen to me,” Jane said. “Your daddy lost his temper and tried to hit Max first. Max was only trying not to get hurt himself.”

  “You don’t have to stick up for me,” Max said, though he was honored that Jane would do so. “I shouldn’t have hit back.”

  “You did exactly the right thing,” Jane insisted. “If you hadn’t taken him down, he’d have come at you again. His temper is completely out of control. For months I told him he needed counseling, but he wouldn’t listen.”

  “I can’t exactly blame him for being angry,” Max said. “He thinks I stole you. If you were my wife, and I thought some guy had poached, I might get violent, too.”

  Jane blushed, and Max realized he might have been just a bit too passionate in stating his opinion. His feelings for Jane had gone beyond simple lust.

  He decided a change of subject was in order. “You know, I think I will have some breakfast. It’s free, after all. Who knows when we’ll be able to set foot in a place like this again?” He certainly wouldn’t be paying for fancy restaurants until the agency brought in some larger accounts. He was grateful for the Mattress Masters of the world, but he needed more.

  “Are the finances in bad shape?” Jane asked.

  “Not as bad as all that. But don’t expect an extravagant raise any time soon.”

  THE PLANNED TOUR of the Kidz’n’Stuff offices and manufacturing facility was obviously off the schedule, but they still had the appointment with the modeling agency.

  “Maybe we should cancel that, too,” Jane said, “and just go home.” They stood in front of the hotel, waiting for the valet to bring their car around. “Clearly Ellen isn’t going to want Kaylee in her ads now.”

  “I still think you should talk to the agent. Modeling can be incredibly lucrative.”

  “Have you been a model?” Jane eyed him up and down, thinking his face and body could sell jeans or motorcycles by the gazillion.

  He grinned. “No, but I’ve hired plenty of them. In New York, some of them make hundreds of dollars an hour.”

  “Well, sure, the supermodels—”

  “No, I’m talking about ordinary no-name models.”

  “Really?”

  “A lot of people would kill to get an interview with this agency—it’s well-known.”

  “All right. I guess I should keep the appointment. Though I can’t imagine Kaylee’s going to make a grand impression with her bandages and her attitude.”

  “My what?” Kaylee was always paying attention, alert for the sound of her name.

  “Your mood. You’re not in a very good mood this morning.”

  “Yes I am.”

  “In that case, before we visit the modeling agency, you’ll let me brush your hair and put a ribbon in it.”

  She had to think about that one, finally agreeing with a reluctant, “Okay.” Combing the tangles out of her long hair was a constant battle, but whenever Jane suggested getting it cut Kaylee threw a fit.

  By the time the three of them entered the elegant office building that housed the Freeman Agency, Kaylee had, in fact, perked up. She looked adorable, with her Kidz’n’Stuff pink overalls, pink ruffled socks and miniature athletic shoes, and a pink ribbon in her hair. She even carried a tiny purple purse, which had been her idea, not Jane’s. Perhaps she understood what was going on here more fully than Jane gave her credit for.

  The receptionist greeted them with a haughty, down-her-nose look. She was tall and elegant, with black hair swept back into a twist. She easily could have been a model herself.

  “Good morning,” Jane said with confidence she didn’t feel. “Jane Selwyn and Kaylee Simone, here to see Erin Freeman.”

  The woman consulted her appointment book. “If you’ll have a seat—”

  “Is this Kaylee?” A woman with flaming red hair that went in all directions and a pair of thick, blue-framed glasses had burst into the room. Jane’s first thought was that she belonged on a kids’ TV show.

  Jane extended her hand. “This is Kaylee and I’m her mother, Jane.”

  “I’m Erin, pleased to meet you.” Her eyes never left Kaylee. “Come on back.”

  “I’ll wait here,” Max said.

  “No, please, come with us,” Jane said, trying not to sound too desperate. But Max knew so much more about this stuff than she did.

  Max shrugged, and they all followed Erin to her enormous corner office, which featured leather furniture and an array of kids’ toys.

  Erin focused her attention first on Kaylee, engaging her in conversation. Kaylee was at her friendly, cheerful best, apparently having overcome the trauma of breakfast. After a few minutes, Erin invited Kaylee to play with whatever toys she wanted, and the adult conversation started.

  “Let’s take a look at her portfolio.”

  “Um, right. She doesn’t have one.”r />
  “No?”

  “She’s never done any modeling.”

  Erin looked confused. “Oh, but…what’s this?” She had a color printout of the Kidz’n’Stuff comp Jane had drawn.

  Jane looked at Max.

  “I scanned it into the computer and e-mailed it to Ellen,” Max explained.

  “That’s just a mock-up I did for the ad agency where I work,” Jane said with a laugh. “I used a snapshot of Kaylee because I happened to have one on hand.”

  Erin studied the ad for almost a minute without talking. Then she looked up, her eyes alight with inspiration. “Are you represented?”

  “Me? I’m not a model.”

  “As an artist. Although I could probably get you some print work, but if you’ll forgive me, pretty women are a dime a dozen. Artists with your talent, on the other hand, are rare. Do you have an agent?”

  “Well…no.”

  “I could get you commissions. Portrait work. I might even be able to get you into a gallery. What else do you have?”

  “Um…”

  “She can have her portfolio to you in a couple of weeks,” Max said.

  “Great.”

  “But what about Kaylee?” Jane squeaked.

  “She needs pictures.” Erin pulled a business card out of her desk drawer and handed it to Jane. “Take her to this photographer and have her headshot done. If I have that, I can get her some work. She definitely has that certain something advertisers go wild for.”

  Erin then pulled two more cards out, one for Jane and one for Max. “Mr. Remington, I hope you’ll think of the Freeman Agency for your modeling, photography and artistic needs. We have some amazing talent in our stable. Though obviously you’ve got some of your own right in your backyard. I don’t suppose you’ve done any modeling…”

  “No,” Max said, closing that door in a hurry.

  Jane’s head was spinning. Photos for Kaylee, an art portfolio for her…

  She said nothing until they were in the elevator heading for the parking garage. “Why did you say that? An art portfolio in two weeks, are you insane?”