The Way U Look Tonight

by Dianne Castell

  “Well, there you go,” she said, a little smile slipping across her lips. “I declared you a complete and total dick, and then you redeem yourself, sort of. I didn’t expect that.”

  She started for the house, and he caught her arm, turning her back. “Just like that you agree? No negotiating on the price? No insisting on an interview in return?”

  “A baby’s welfare is at stake, and right now that’s what matters to both of us.” Then she patted his very nice, slightly stubbled, incredibly masculine cheek because being this close to Lex Zandor was simply too much temptation, and she hadn’t driven four hours to just look at the man. “Consider this a freebie.”

  Chapter 2

  Callie felt her eyes widen to cover half her face, heat cooked her cheeks to red, she was sure, and her heart stopped dead . . . Least it felt as if it did. Freebie! Where’d that crack come from? Why would she even think such a thing?

  Fallout from watching Lex fool around with half the population of Crimson Falls for the last two years on TV and then being this close to him for real. She ran up the steps, past Stick and into the house, following the cries to Bonnie’s room. An unhappy baby she could deal with; the sexy stud outside was something else.

  Get over it, Callie! The man’s an actor, and this trip is for an interview and the chance to see him in the flesh. And he has such great flesh! She cuddled the baby into her arms and hugged her tight. “It’s all right, sweetie. I’ll take care of you. You’re going to be fine. I hope I am.” She pictured Keefe. “Dear Lord, it’s hot in here.” She turned on the ceiling fan, but that didn’t help at all.

  A car came to life in the driveway, and Callie went to the open window framed with pink gingham curtains and watched the Honda disappear down the road. She held Bonnie’s little hand and did a wave to the retreating Civic. “Say, bye-bye, you old battle-ax.”

  A scent of river and sun and warm earth wandered inside as she found a pair of baby scissors, cut Bonnie out of her duct tape diaper and changed her. A sense of peace and calm settled over the house . . . except for Callie. She was a reporter, interviewed really handsome men all the time, but now . . . here . . . Keefe! She hadn’t planned on this. Footsteps sounded up the stairs, and Keefe came into the room.

  “Well, I don’t know how you do what you do, Callie Cahill, but whatever it is, Bonnie thinks you’re the best.” He picked up the roll of tape from the bassinet, studied it for a moment, then put it back. “I might need it again.”

  She handed him a diaper. “The little sticky things go on the sides and hold it together, built-in duct tape.”

  “I get it now, but when Bonnie’s in a snit I sort of freak out.”

  Callie sat in the rocker, looking into Bonnie’s smiling face and focusing on her and not Keefe. “My sister’s younger than me, and I cared for her plenty. I also did a ton of babysitting.”

  “Sure wish I had. Do you always follow people you want to interview to their houses and baby-sit for them?”

  “Only the pigheaded ones,” and the drop-dead hunky ones she couldn’t get out of her brain.

  “Hey,” came a voice up the steps. “Anybody home? Where’s the party?” An older man with graying hair, laughing blue eyes and an electric personality so like Keefe’s strode into the room, Max at his side. “Christ in a sidecar, boy, you had me worried spitless there for a minute. I saw Eleanor Stick driving out of here like a bat-out-of-hell and feared you might have asked her to start baby-sitting sweet pea. God help us all! Did you ever see those poor Louis kids? They’re grown now, but they’re all in therapy, have been for years. Always thought Eleanor Stick was the reason why. What was she doing here anyway?”

  Keefe said, “Dad, I didn’t know Eleanor was—”

  “That bad,” Callie chimed in, suddenly getting an idea besides the one that wanted to tackle Keefe to the floor. “Eleanor heard about Keefe needing a baby-sitter, but he’d already hired me. I’m Callie Cahill.”

  She’d seen a lot of expressions on Lex Zandor’s handsome face over the last two years, but complete bewilderment wasn’t one of them .. . till now. She continued, “Keefe and I know each other from New York. I do some PR work there, and I stopped in for a visit. He’s asked me to help out for a while. He’s not too familiar with babies, and you all need help around here.”

  “Well, damn, son.” The man gave Keefe a fatherly pat on the back. “That’s mighty considerate. You have no idea what a load you’ve taken off my shoulders. This is the best idea you’ve had in a dog’s age.” He rubbed Max’s head and added, “Which we hope is a mighty long time.”

  He said to Callie, “Thelma, our housekeeper who’s really more like a sister, got herself engaged and is opening a bed and breakfast. Ryan, Keefe’s twin, and his fiancee are back in San Diego wrapping up their lives there before moving home here. Quaid, the oldest, has a month before he’s on leave from the coast guard, and I’m trying to run a tow business and have two barge captains gone, one with a broken leg and the other with the divorce from hell. Keefe’s trying to help, but like you said, he doesn’t know squat about babies. So how long can we persuade you to stay?”

  “Dad, this doesn’t have to be a done deal. We can interview other sitters who—”

  “Why in blazes do a thing like that? This gal has the magic touch with my baby girl. What more could we ask for? She’s your friend, you know her and that’s plenty good enough for me.”

  He scooped up Bonnie and held her up, blowing raspberries on her tummy, making her wiggle and laugh. “Daddy’s going to get you a bottle of apple juice.” He looked back to Callie. “I know what you’re thinking. What’s an old guy like me doing with little-bit here?”

  He did a two-step around the frilly little-baby-girl room, Bonnie cradled in his arms. “I’m having the time of my life, that’s what. Least I will be as soon as we get sweet pea’s mama back with us.” He held Bonnie to his shoulder with one hand and extended his other. “I’m Rory O’Fallon and pleased as punch that Keefe got you to stay. From what I see you’re just what we need.”

  “Dad, maybe we should try and get Thelma back.”

  “That isn’t going to happen and you know it.” Bonnie nuzzled against her daddy’s neck and held his shirt in her baby fist as he turned for the door. “I’ll let you and Keefe work out the details. Bonnie and I need some liquid refreshment. It’s a scorcher today.” He kissed her hair. “Don’t we, baby girl?” He winked back at Callie. “Welcome aboard, Ms. Cahill. Just make yourself at home and don’t let big and ugly here send you away.”

  Whistling, Rory left the room, and Keefe leaned against the crib, looking totally pissed off. “Well, Mary Poppins, what the hell was that all about? If you think you’re going to get away with this—”

  “Before you go ape-shit over this, hear me out. I’ve got a plan.”

  He did the Lex Zandor eye roll. “Oh, I can’t wait. This should be rich.”

  “Hey, it’s a great plan. I’m the Queen of Great Plans. I’ll get you references so you know you can trust me with Bonnie, and I’ll finesse time off from the magazine and nanny here for three weeks. By then your brother will be home, and you’ll be more comfortable with taking care of Bonnie. How’s that sound?”

  “Like a bribe for the interview from hell.”

  “And pictures.”

  He stood straight. “No way. No pictures. I should go downstairs and tell Dad everything.”

  “Except your dad needs help. I can do that. We all win. I get the interview, you look like a hero and your dad has less stress. Where’s the downside of this?”

  “I’m looking it straight in the eyes. The press! I hate the press!”

  “I’ll keep your family out of it. I just want you.” Did she have to say that! “There’s no sense telling Rory who I really am. If he lets it slip, it will turn your life into a three-ring circus. People go nuts if they think they can get their names in a magazine or paper, you know that. Look how that Georgette person reacted. Everyone around here will be h
anging all over you and me.”

  She stood and fiddled with the bunny mobile in the crib because it was safer than looking at Keefe—too handsome, too close and a little vulnerable at the moment. The vulnerable part really got to her. Could a man be bare-chested and vulnerable? She peeked. Oh, heck, yes! “What if I throw in something else to sweeten the pot so you’ll give me a few exclusive pictures?”

  “Like what? You going to pretend to be a plumber or gardener, too?”

  “What if I get Ms. Spandex off your back? That’s got to be worth a few photo ops.”

  “There is no way in hell I’m doing another fantasy weekend. Every woman who didn’t win will camp out on my doorstep in New York, thinking she’ll get a turn. The press will have a field day. I’ll have a bazillion blind dates. I hate blind dates. One was more than enough.”

  “On that we agree. Last week I went out with my neighbor’s nephew; he thought he was God’s gift to women. I think he was a soap opera star.” Callie wound the mobile, and “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” tinkled as pink bunnies chased each other in a circle. “I’ll think of something besides blind dates, and I want ten pictures.”

  He picked up a stuffed pink kitten, making him look kind of sweet.

  “One picture.”

  Forget sweet. Back to uncooperative and demanding. “Neutralizing an irate contest loser to save your career is worth way more. Nine.”

  “Two.”

  “Five, two without a shirt.”

  “In your dreams, Cahill!”

  And he was so right!

  “Damn, woman. Why me? Why this obsession over an interview with Keefe O’Fallon?”

  Have you looked in the mirror lately, was what she thought, but said, “Because you’re a hot commodity. No one really knows the real you, so you’re an enigma, the big mystery man. If I get your interview, that issue will sell like mad. If I can stretch the interview to two issues, that’s better still, and it gives me a good chance at getting the editor position that just opened up at Soap Scoops.”

  He put down the rabbit and folded his arms. “You really want to be editor of that rag? That’s your life’s dream? Aim higher. Hell, anything is higher.”

  “What I want is the money that goes with the job. You have a sister, and so do I. I convinced mine we could afford law school at Duke in the fall, so now I have to make good on my promise. I need that job.”

  “Get a real one that doesn’t exploit others and tell your sister to get a loan.”

  She put her hands to her hips and gave him a slit-eyed stare. “For your information what I do is a real job, and Soap Scoops doesn’t exploit, we provide entertainment for our readers. LuLu’s depending on me. I can’t disappoint her any more than you would disappoint Bonnie. Isn’t that why you finagled time off from the soap and drove straight through to get here? Your little sister?”

  He swiped his hand over his face and puffed out a long breath. “Seems the one thing we agree on is family loyalty. But I still don’t like what you do.”

  “And I don’t care as long as I get my interview and six pictures and wind up getting that editor’s job in the very near future.”

  “Five pictures and I keep my shirt on. And if it wasn’t for the fact that Dad and Bonnie like you and that we need help, I’d tell you to take this great plan of yours and go straight to hell with it.”

  She smiled. “Then it’s a deal, without the going to hell part?”

  He grunted. “Like I have a choice. Tell Dad you’re on board. I’ll get your stuff from your car. You can stay in Quaid’s room, though he hasn’t been home for over a year. He’s known as the O’Fallon badass.”

  “And you’re the polished one?”

  Keefe gave a quiet laugh that didn’t sound all that polished and a lot more Zandor-the-rogue than O’Fallon. “I’m the actor, and like you said, no one really knows who the hell I am, and I intend to keep it that way.”

  She smiled sweetly. “Not if I have anything to say about it, Keefe O’Fallon.”

  Chapter 3

  Keefe went out the front door, and Callie entered the big, cheery yellow and white kitchen, a lot different than her one-room efficiency. With LuLu’s tuition and apartment at the University of Georgia, money was tighter than a lid on a honey jar. Okay, where’d that come from? How long had she been here? Tennessee-eeze was catching.

  Rory looked up from feeding Bonnie. “Well, you’re still here, so I figure you and Shakespeare came up with some kind of an agreement that’ll work. Can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. It was great of Keefe to think to hire you.”

  “I think he was inspired.”

  Rory chuckled. “And something else is going on. You two got a look about you, like you know something that the rest of the world doesn’t, and you’re not about to spill the beans.” He winked. “I got it. You’re engaged and don’t want to tell anyone because it’ll hurt his ratings, is that it?”

  Callie opened her mouth, but no words came out till finally she managed, “Keefe and I are about as far apart as two people can get and still be friends.”

  “One of those opposite attracts relationships.”

  “Attracts is debatable, relationship out of the question.”

  “I didn’t just fall off the cabbage wagon, you know. You’re not giving me the whole story. I can tell about these things, and I’ll figure you two out sooner or later.”

  He burped Bonnie with the expertise of someone who’d done it a hundred times before and continued, “Keefe’s a fine son but takes himself and his acting too damn serious, if you ask me. Always has, maybe because certain people in this town gave him a ration of crap about running around the stage instead of a baseball field. They just didn’t get the acting thing from the kid who was an ace pitcher and could have done a hell of a lot with it. When Keefe went out for the role of Oliver instead of going out for the varsity team a lot of people were pissed as hell. One time he played Noah in the church play and filled the whole dang garage with animals, squawking and snorting all times, day and night. The place stunk like a damn privy, and he built a boat in the side yard and—”

  “Dad,” Keefe said as he strolled into the kitchen and made for the fridge. “You’re telling the Noah story again, aren’t you?”

  “That’s what parents do. They got a right for all the hell their kids put them through over the years. You should tell Callie here about Romeo and Juliet and the braces getting locked together. Now that’s a great story.”

  Keefe poured orange juice into a glass. He eyed Callie, then poured juice into another glass and handed it to her, the touching of their fingers making her head spin. Least he had on a shirt now. But three weeks of being this close to Keefe and maintaining a hands-off policy could possibly kill her dead from frustration overload.

  “Hey,” said another man in his late twenties as he entered the back door with Max at his side. “Sorry to interrupt. Didn’t know there was company.” He patted the dog’s head and nodded at the bandage on the animal’s side. “How’s he doing? And where’s Thelma these days? She’s always in this kitchen cooking up something good.”

  “The vet said Max is okay. As for Thelma she’s fixing up Hastings House. Heard she even hired a gal to help her out. Thelma’s so in love with Conrad Hastings she doesn’t know her knee from her elbow.”

  Rory hitched his head to Callie. “Digger O’Dell, this is Callie Cahill. She’s a friend of Keefe’s along with something else they’re not telling us, but I intend to find out anyway. She’s helping to mind Bonnie.”

  Digger shoved an old beat-up boat captain’s hat to the back of his head. “Did he tell you about the time he played Superman in kindergarten and his cape got caught in the school fan and he started flying backward?”

  Rory said, “Digger’s one of our barge captains, and he’s fixing up an old stern-wheeler. His daddy won the tub in a poker game down in New Orleans years ago. How long you been working on her now, Digger?”

  “Been playing in the Liber
ty Lee all my life. Fact is, tomorrow I got a meeting with some investors about turning the Lee into an excursion boat. I’m running out of cash faster than a pig going downhill on roller skates. Restoring her’s eating me alive.” He faced Rory. “I came by to help install that new navigation system for the Mississippi Miss. Still can’t believe an experienced captain like Ryan ran the Miss aground.”

  Rory smoothed Bonnie’s hair. “Considering he and Effie were on that tow alone, I’d say they were watching each other a lot more than the charts. Just the same, the system needs an update, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

  He stood and handed the baby to Callie. “Since you’re here we can bring Keefe with us to help out. Probably going to take till midnight and we’ll see you in the morning. If you have any problems, you can call us down at the docks, number’s by the phone.”

  “And,” Callie said to Bonnie, “I’ll take you for a spin in your stroller, then feed you dinner when we get back.”

  “Why not wait till tomorrow when I can go with you,” Keefe added a little too quickly. “I need to get more comfortable taking care of a baby. That is one of the reasons you’re here, and you probably want to get settled in.”

  He headed for the side door. “Let’s get a move on.” He let his dad and Digger go ahead of him, then hung back and said in a low voice to Callie, “Remember. Stay inside. And lock the doors and don’t answer to anyone but us. I’ll show you how to work the alarm system tomorrow.”

  Callie watched the door close behind Keefe and turned the dead bolt. Little prickles danced across her shoulders, giving her chills in spite of the hot summer day. What was with all this cloak-and-dagger stuff? TV Land rubbing off on Keefe or was there something more going on in this sleepy little river town? Whatever it was, she’d have to wait to find out.