“You wanted to meet my grandparents when we were dating.”
“Yeah, and you were so eager to introduce us,” Skylar said sardonically. “But that was before I learned that having wealth and being publicly respectable didn’t make a person admirable. You taught me that.”
Aaron instinctively opened his mouth to defend himself, only to shut it again. Earlier, he’d started to explain that he wasn’t the one who’d spread stories about her, but it wasn’t much of a defense—he had told his closest buddies. They’d gone about, telling tales and embellishing them far beyond anything he’d said. And he hadn’t stopped it. He had shrugged and figured it wouldn’t bother a girl with Skylar’s reputation, never admitting that his own reputation wasn’t particularly admirable, either.
“I’d better leave before we both say something we’ll regret,” he said finally.
“Fine. You know where the door is.”
* * *
SKYLAR WAS SHAKING as Aaron disappeared. What would happen if her daughter had to face this?
She’d worried that Karin would think she was a hypocrite, but that wasn’t the worst part.... The worst part would be having the foundation of Karin’s world shattered again. Maybe when she was older it would be all right to tell her, but not now. Not when she still cried herself to sleep sometimes with her dad’s picture under her pillow.
Skylar suddenly remembered the lawyer Melanie had consulted. She quickly dialed the attorney’s number and asked if he was available.
“Hello, Mrs. Gibson,” Jeremy Newman said a minute later. “Did you have more questions for me?”
“More than just questions. Are you interested in a new client?”
“I suppose you want your free hour, too?”
“My what?” Skylar asked, confused.
“Oh, nothing. Sometimes my sense of humor gets me in trouble. I’m happy to get new clients. What can I do?”
“Whatever I tell you has to be confidential. From everyone. Especially Karin and Melanie.”
“Of course. I’m bound by law to protect your privacy.”
Her mouth dry, Skylar quickly explained. About her daughter and Aaron and Jimmie. About Aaron finding out and the pieces of the check from S. S. Hollister that she kept in the safe deposit box. Everything.
“If Aaron tries going to court,” she said, “I want to have someone I can call for help.”
“Mr. Hollister will probably realize his best interests are served by working outside the legal system. There are no guarantees, but I believe a local court is unlikely to support any action he might attempt. He’s surely intelligent enough to realize that.”
“You have no idea how stubborn Aaron is, Mr. Newman.”
“So am I. Now, try to relax. I know your primary concern is Karin finding out, but it may not happen. We have to prepare for any eventuality, however, so when you have time, bring me a copy of that check you ripped in half. It’s an excellent piece of evidence.”
“All right. Thanks.”
The lawyer’s calm assurance helped. After they got off the phone, Skylar pulled herself together and headed toward the Nibble Nook. She probably wouldn’t do much good there, but she had to try and act normally.
* * *
AARON PACED THE floor for the next two nights.
Was Karin his child?
He tried to think if she bore a resemblance to the Hollisters or the Coopers, but Karin was such an individual in her own right, it was hard for him to see her as anything except herself.
Then Eliza called on Friday, after he’d finally managed to fall asleep.
“Aaron, sweetheart,” she exclaimed. “I’m sorry it took so long to phone, but I told you we were going to be out of touch, didn’t I?”
He yawned. “Yes, that’s one of the reasons I emailed.”
“Is Melanie all right...? She hasn’t gotten sick again?”
“She’s fine, but she wants to move in with a friend and live there until she’s eighteen.”
“Really?”
Eliza didn’t sound horrified by the idea, more speculative.
“It’s probably just a bid for attention,” he added quickly. “Though she’s consulted with an attorney.”
“Goodness, an attorney?” Eliza laughed, obviously not concerned. “She didn’t ask you first?”
“Well, yes. She asked if she could move in with the Gibsons, and naturally I refused.
“Are they nice people?”
Aaron thought about the way he’d tried to keep Melanie away from the Nibble Nook, believing the worst of Skylar. It wasn’t something he could explain to Eliza.
“I’m still getting to know the family,” he hedged. “Melanie’s friend is fourteen and very smart, well ahead of her classmates. The mother owns a local hamburger stand, and the girls study there after school.”
“What does Mr. Gibson do?”
“Mrs. Gibson is a widow. Her husband died last year in an auto accident. They used to run the hamburger stand together.”
“How terrible.” For once Eliza didn’t sound blithely cheerful. “Taking Melanie would be too much of an imposition under the circumstances, even if Mrs. Gibson is willing.”
Aaron sat up in the bed. It was a shock to realize that his flighty ex-stepmother was showing more sensitivity toward Skylar than he ever had. “Yes, of course.”
“You’ll have to get Melanie to understand.”
“I don’t know if she will. She’s tired of being moved from place to place,” Aaron said bluntly.
“But she doesn’t want to go to boarding school, and I need to travel with John,” Eliza protested. “You see, there was a scare with his health shortly after we were married. It turned out to be nothing, but I was frightened and promised to always be with him. And I... Well, I knew John wasn’t interested in being a father.”
So she was admitting she’d made the choice between her husband and her child. An image of Skylar rose in Aaron’s mind, fighting like a tigress in Karin’s defense. She was a good mother, though a few weeks ago it would have galled him to admit it. And despite his nights of pacing the floor and trying to decide the right thing, it had never occurred to him that Karin should be anywhere but with her mom.
“I can talk to Melanie,” Aaron told Eliza. “But you need to speak with her, too.”
“I’ll call her right now... Oh, dear, I just realized what time it is in California. You must have been asleep. I’ll try getting Melanie tomorrow or the next day.”
Or next week, or next month, he thought, resigned. If ever.
Eliza had bared her soul briefly, yet it was plain that she wasn’t going to wallow in self-recrimination. It was easier to retreat into that pretty world she lived in, removed from everyday troubles. She probably felt that if a problem was ignored long enough it would simply go away.
“I’m sure Melanie will love hearing from you,” he murmured.
“You’re a dear, Aaron. I’ve always been very fond of you—that’s why I asked you to be Melanie’s godfather. Take care.”
Aaron said goodbye and turned off his cell phone, frowning. Why hadn’t he told Eliza that Spence was in favor of Melanie moving in with the Gibsons? However flighty and good-natured Eliza might be, she wasn’t on good terms with her ex-husband; she probably would oppose anything that Spence supported.
Putting an arm behind his head, Aaron lay back and gazed at the ceiling. He wasn’t like Eliza; he couldn’t ignore reality. And he’d found that problems usually got bigger if you ignored them.
What in hell was he going to do about Skylar’s daughter?
If he tried to get a court order for genetic testing, it could cause a public spectacle that would be rough on everyone. Once he wouldn’t have cared, but it was different now.
Pictures filled Aaro
n’s head...Karin and Melanie giggling. Karin defending her friend. A pair of blue eyes that sparkled with mischief and determination—eyes that turned wary and suspicious when they looked at him, just like her mother.
He sighed.
Whether Karin was his daughter or not, he couldn’t do anything that hurt her. His pride would have to take a backseat to any decision he made.
* * *
“MOOOMMM,” KARIN SAID. “The traffic light turned green ages ago and now it’s yellow again. I don’t want to be late.”
“Sorry, sweetheart.” Skylar waited until the next green light and drove forward. It was Saturday, and they were on the way to the church for the second half of the painting project.
She’d been tense before, wondering if Aaron would find out about Karin, but it was worse now that he knew. What was he going to do—be sensitive, or act like a testosterone-crazed grizzly bear with wounded pride? Her kid’s well-being was at stake, and it was making her a nervous wreck.
If only she hadn’t lost her temper—she’d said all kinds of things to Aaron that she wished she hadn’t...things that might make him angrier. Her temper had been a problem her entire life. Jimmie had known how to calm her down, but Aaron seemed to take pleasure in striking the match and lighting the fuse.
“Do they have any idea how long you’ll be painting?” she asked absently.
“Probably the same as last week. But you don’t have to pick me up. Mrs. Hashima and Mr. Calderas are driving the kids home,” Karin said, getting out at the church. She was dressed in her old clothes again, and Skylar’s only consolation was that the other kids who were arriving looked equally appalling.
“What about lunch?”
Karin grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. “They’re ordering pizza.”
“All right, I’ll see you later.” Skylar watched her daughter dash over and greet her friends and Mrs. Hashima. Luckily, Karin hadn’t realized there was anything going on. Her thoughts were taken up with Melanie and her classes at school and the failure of her team to make it to the World Series.
Skylar had expected worse anguish over the pennant race and World Series than during the play-offs, but Karin’s hopes of Melanie living with them seemed to have eased the emotional trauma of watching the games without her father. Or at least they had provided a distraction. Thankfully the baseball fall classic had also come to a swift end, with one team sweeping the series.
Skylar’s eyes widened as she saw a familiar black Mercedes pull in ahead of her. Melanie bounced from the car, and Aaron got out, as well—tall, well built, looking casually gorgeous in jeans and a white shirt with sleeves rolled to the elbow. It really wasn’t fair for men to get better looking over the years.
Karin appeared surprised to see her friend and began introducing her to the other kids while Aaron shook hands with Mrs. Hashima. They spoke for a couple of minutes and then the youth leader nodded. Aaron pulled his wallet from his back pocket and held out several bills. Mrs. Hashima seemed reluctant to take the money, but she finally did and hurried the kids into the building.
Skylar frowned. What was Aaron doing?
He turned and walked straight to the driver’s side of the truck. Skylar grudgingly rolled down the window.
“Yes?”
“We need to talk.”
She couldn’t tell anything from his face except that he looked tired; if she hadn’t known better, she’d think he was minus a few nights’ sleep. But what did he have to fuss and fume about? He didn’t believe Karin was his biological child in the first place.
“About what? I haven’t changed my mind. I’m not agreeing to any tests.”
“Please, Skylar, let’s go somewhere private. Melanie asked this morning if she could help with the painting, and I thought it would give us a chance to talk. Mrs. Hashima gave permission for her to stay and work with the others.”
“What was the money for?”
“I offered to pay for everyone’s lunch.”
“You can’t buy your way into popularity, Aaron.
He lifted an eyebrow. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Come on, you must know that half the youth group’s parents work for you—it’s a statistical probability. But paying for their kids’ pizza won’t make up for the way you’ve been treating them at the factory.”
“I haven’t cut pay or benefits, Skylar. All I’ve done is change a few rules and enforce some of the others so they stop taking advantage.”
She snorted. “You tripled prices in the cafeteria and shortened lunch so they almost have to eat there or at the Nibble Nook if they didn’t bring something. Who is taking advantage of whom?”
Aaron frowned. “The cafeteria was losing money—my grandfather has been subsidizing it for years. And a good number of employees were abusing their hour lunch break, stretching it even longer. They were also taking Cooper Industry products home with them, sometimes by the trunkload. And those are just some of the problems.”
“I’m sure there were abuses, but not as many as you think. Did you ever consider that a lot of them had permission? At the very least, I know Mr. Cooper encouraged people to take factory seconds home—now you’re just incinerating them.”
There was a peculiar expression on Aaron’s face. “I’ll look into it, but this isn’t what I wanted to talk about.”
“You ought to talk to somebody about it.”
“One thing at a time. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve asked Mrs. Hashima to drop Melanie at your place when they’re done. Then I’ll come get her.”
Skylar’s pulse jumped. “No, I’ll bring her over myself.”
“I realize you don’t want me around Karin, but that’s part of what we need to discuss.”
“Fine, just not at my house,” Skylar said stubbornly.
A ghost of a smile creased Aaron’s mouth. “Then we’ll go to mine. I’ll put on a pot of coffee.”
“Your place? You should show better judgment. I might contaminate it with my shocking reputation.” Lord, her mouth was completely out of control.
“Give me a chance,” he said quietly. “Boys can grow up and recognize their mistakes.”
“That remains to be seen. But go ahead, I’ll meet you there.”
Skylar jerkily put her truck in gear. While there wasn’t a “bad” section of town any longer, there definitely was a “nice” one, with larger, more expensive homes. On a map it was roughly bell-shaped, with the Cooper mansion forming the clapper. The house Aaron had leased was at the top of the bell. It was the second-largest home in Cooperton, and had been built by a Sacramento banker who’d wanted to live in a quiet community, only to discover that quiet drove him crazy. He’d moved back to the city and rented out the house whenever possible.
She parked behind the Mercedes on the driveway. “I see you got the lawn mowed,” she murmured as Aaron opened the truck door for her. “In front, at least.”
“Yeah.” He smiled ruefully. “I must have looked like an idiot, trying to start the mower the wrong way—too much on my mind, I guess, to think it through. It took most of Sunday to finish the job, and I already need to mow again. They have a strict neighborhood association in this part of town.”
The pleasant chitchat was increasing Skylar’s tension, but she tried to play along. “The weather is extending the growing season. I can’t remember the last time it was this warm so late in the year. My summer vegetables have slowed down, but they’re still producing well. And I’ve gotten a second crop of lettuce and spinach and sugar snap peas.”
“Melanie was quite impressed with your homegrown salad. Come on, you haven’t been inside, have you?”
“No.”
Skylar looked around curiously as she followed him. While the living room was furnished and there were chairs and a table in the spaciou
s breakfast area in the kitchen, the formal dining room was empty, along with the large family room opening off the kitchen.
“The house is too big,” Aaron explained, gesturing to the room a step down from the kitchen. “But I needed a place after Eliza asked me to take Melanie for the year and didn’t have time to look. I was living in an apartment over the business offices in Cooper Industries—hardly suitable for a teenager.”
“In the middle of a factory? No. Your view here is much nicer.”
The back of the house was almost entirely windows. A large yard was edged by a creek and a wooded strip of land designated as protected green space by the city council. It didn’t surprise her that Aaron had rented a house too big for his and Melanie’s needs—after the Cooper Mansion, this place was the showiest home in town.
“Do you prefer decaffeinated or regular?” Aaron asked, pulling out the coffeemaker.
“Either is fine.”
“In that case, I’ll make decaf—Melanie fixed breakfast this morning, and her coffee is stronger than Mississippi mud—it could kick-start a mule. But don’t tell her I said that. She’s been charming, trying to cook for me every now and then.”
Skylar sat at the table and wondered if Melanie was cooking out of sheer self-defense. Takeout got tiresome, and Aaron probably wasn’t a cook himself. Other than the coffeemaker, there were no kitchen gadgets or utensils on the limestone countertops—just a pile of menus by the telephone.
“Cream or sugar?” Aaron asked after a few minutes, setting two steaming mugs of coffee on the table.
“Black is fine.”
He dropped into a chair opposite her and tapped his finger on the side of his cup. But he didn’t say anything, and the silence was more than Skylar could take.
“This was your idea,” she prompted. “What did you have to say to me?”
A spasm of emotion crossed his face. “I’ve been awake the past three nights, trying to work things out in my mind. It boils down to one thing—regardless of whether Karin is my daughter or not, she’s a nice kid and I don’t want to hurt her.”
“And?”
“And we’ll do it your way. Karin believes Jimmie Gibson was her biological father, so I won’t push for genetic tests, at least for a while. But I want us to get better acquainted.”
Winning Over Skylar Page 17