Daddy Lessons

by Stella Bagwell

  Inside the office Joe quickly put fresh coffee makings together. By the time it had brewed the mail arrived. While he was going through the stack of envelopes, Savanna posted a few transactions in the bookkeeping ledger. Once she was finished with that job, she poured herself a cup of coffee and waited for him to give her the correspondence that needed immediate answers.

  “I suppose I should apologize to you,” she said as she stood looking out a window and sipping her coffee.

  Her unexpected statement had Joe lifting his head to look across the room at her. “Apologize for what?”

  She kept her eyes on the work yard. “Well, I obviously insulted you this morning when I suggested you should do something other than drilling for gas or oil. You were right, it wasn’t any of my business.”

  “Forget it,” he said brusquely, then turned his attention back to the letter he was reading.

  Savanna moved away from the window and over to his desk. “You said your father used to run this business. Has it been long since he passed away?”

  Joe glanced back up to see her standing at the corner of his desk, her small hands wrapped around a coffee cup, her face a picture of quiet beauty.

  “Seven years. He collapsed on a drilling site down in eastern Oklahoma. By the time we could get him into a hospital he’d died from a bleeding ulcer.”

  Savanna shook her head. It was impossible for her to imagine the horror Joe must have felt as he helplessly watched his father die. “What a terrible thing.”

  Joe shrugged as though he’d long ago accepted his father’s death. “Some rigs might be ten, even fifteen miles back into the rough mountains. It takes a while to make a trip in or out. And,” he went on with a heavy sigh, “Dad liked his Kentucky bourbon as much as he liked seeing a drill pipe sink into the earth. Alcohol tends to destroy the stomach’s lining. He knew that.”

  “I can’t imagine losing my father,” she said thoughtfully. “He’s a wonderful man. Very smart and equally charming. He just married a woman from here in the city. I’m going to miss them both when they leave.”

  Joe didn’t have time for this sort of visiting. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d simply sat and talked to someone other than his daughter or a potential client. But to his surprise he didn’t want to tell Savanna to go back to work and leave him alone. When she was around him he thought about her instead of Megan and how he was going to convince her to enroll in private school. Hell, he even forgot that McCann Drilling was about one step away from bankruptcy.

  “Your father and stepmother are planning to move?”

  A wistful smile on her face, she nodded. “Oh, yes. You see, my dad’s job is setting up businesses with their own computer systems, then teaching the employees how to use them. Once that’s accomplished, he moves on to the next place. Up until a few months ago I always packed up and moved with him. But now he has Gloria and doesn’t need me to live with him.”

  “Why did he need you to live with him?” Joe couldn’t help asking.

  “Oh, well, to hear Daddy tell it, he didn’t need me to live with him these past five years since my mother’s death. He’ll tell you I was just reluctant to leave the nest,” she said with a fond smile. “But actually, Daddy has a mild heart condition and I wanted to be near him to make sure he took care of himself and that if he did become ill, I’d be there to help him.”

  Yesterday he’d privately labeled Savanna a gypsy and figured she’d worked as a temporary because she wasn’t capable of holding down a permanent job. Now Joe had to admit that he couldn’t have been more wrong about her. She wasn’t a vagabond, she was a devoted daughter.

  Joe shook his head. “Five years is a long time to be your father’s caretaker. Most women your age have already gotten married and had children.”

  The last he said more as a question than a statement, and that surprised Savanna. She couldn’t imagine that he might actually be interested in her personal life.

  “Not all women want to get married. Some of us have other plans for our lives,” she told him, then suddenly his probing eyes became too much for her to bear. Focusing her gaze on the toes of her black pumps, she added, “Actually, I don’t think marriage is in the cards for me.”

  Joe started to ask her why, but the wistful shadow on her face stopped him. Something had happened to her in the past and he instinctively knew he was better off not knowing about it. He needed to keep out of her personal life completely. She’d already taken up too much of his thoughts and his time.

  When it appeared her boss wasn’t going to say anything else, Savanna went over to her own desk and sat down. She needed something to do, anything to keep her busy and her mind off Joe. But he obviously wasn’t finished with the mail and the phone hadn’t yet rung once. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d said this place was more like a graveyard than a drilling company.

  Restlessly Savanna fiddled with a notepad lying next to her typewriter. Then suddenly, as if she were sending desperate telepathic messages, the telephone shrilled.

  “McCann Drilling,” she answered as quickly as she could snatch up the receiver.

  “Hi, Savanna! It’s me, Megan.”

  Savanna smiled at the sound of the young girl’s voice. “Oh, hi, Megan. How are you this morning?”

  “I’m okay, I guess. Are you busy?”

  From the corner of her eye she could see Joe was watching her. Trying her best to ignore him, she said, “Not at the moment. Did you need something?”

  “Not really,” Megan said gloomily. “I just wanted to talk. It gets pretty lonely around here.”

  Savanna’s heart went out to her. “I’m sure it does. I used to have to move with my parents a lot. It’s a bummer at first, but after a while things get better. You’ll meet new friends.”

  Megan groaned. “I won’t ever meet anybody sitting here in this house, and Daddy never does anything but work.”

  Savanna wasn’t surprised to hear this. Joe hardly seemed the socializer type. “Well, school will be starting in a couple of months. Things will change for you then.”

  “Ugh, don’t mention school,” Megan wailed. “Daddy has all sorts of weird ideas about that. But that’s not what I really wanted to talk to you about. Do you think you could come over to our house Friday night for supper?”

  Savanna hardly knew what to say. Even though she didn’t really know Megan, the needy sound of her voice tugged at Savanna’s heart. She would like nothing more than to befriend the girl. But how could she? Joe hadn’t invited her and she doubted he knew what his daughter was up to.

  Unconsciously, she flipped the corners of the notepad with her fingernail as she searched for the kindest way out of this. “Megan, that might not—uh, go over very well with your father.”

  “It’ll be all right, Savanna,” the teenager quickly assured her. “I told him last night that I want you to come.”

  So why hadn’t he already suggested it to her? Savanna wondered. Glancing across at him, she saw that he was studying her openly, as though he were waiting for her to hand him a major problem. And that annoyed her. Did the man have to always look on the pessimistic side? “Just a minute, Megan.”

  Placing a hand over the receiver, she said to Joe, “Megan has invited me to your house for supper Friday.”

  His blue eyes flew wide open. “She what!”

  “I said—”

  “I know what you said,” he snapped angrily. “I want to know what she thinks she’s doing.”

  Savanna silently counted to ten. “It’s pretty obvious to me. She’s reaching out to make a friend.”

  Joe snorted. “She has friends. There’s no need for her to go behind my back and issue an invitation I didn’t okay first.”

  Suddenly it didn’t matter if Joe McCann fired her or not—he needed to have his eyes opened. About his daughter and a whole lot of other things.

  Removing her hand from the mouthpiece, she said, “Megan, wait just a minute. I’ve got to put you on hold.”


  Once the button on the telephone was pushed, Savanna got up from her seat and walked over to his desk. Joe’s face was a picture of astonishment as she placed her palms upon the polished oak and leaned toward him.

  “Do you consider your home your daughter’s home, too?” she asked.

  Her voice was a bit too calm and sweet for Joe’s liking. He frowned at her. “Of course, but—”

  “Oh, I see. It’s her home, but she isn’t allowed to invite anyone to visit her there. Is that right?”

  “No. That isn’t right. But she has to use discretion—”

  The hiss of Savanna’s sharply indrawn breath halted his words. He’d thought she’d been angry yesterday morning, but the sparks flying from her brown eyes told him he hadn’t yet seen her true temper. But Joe had the feeling he was about to.

  “In other words, she can’t go around inviting scum like me to your house. Well, for your information, Mr. McCann, I—”

  “That’s not what I meant!” Joe practically shouted the interruption.

  Her face inched closer to his. “You don’t lie very well, Mr. McCann.”

  Right at the moment he wasn’t doing anything very well, he thought. He wasn’t quite sure how he’d gotten himself into such a spot. Moreover, he didn’t know how he was going to get himself out of it without insulting his new secretary any more than he already had.

  “You’re calling me a liar now?”

  Savanna didn’t back away from him, even though he was looking at her as though he’d like nothing better than to put his hand around her throat and choke the life out of her. “If the shoe fits,” she quipped.

  His nostrils flared as he drew in a deep breath. “My daughter is none of your business.”

  “It’s pretty obvious she isn’t yours, either.”

  Joe jumped to his feet. Savanna straightened, then rose on her tiptoes to better look him in the eye.

  “Just what are you implying, Ms. Starr?”

  Knowing she’d gone too far to stop now, Savanna jammed her hands at either side of her waist and said, “I’m implying that when daddy lessons were given you must have been absent for the whole course!”

  “And just what makes you an authority on fathering? Hell, you’re not a man. You’re not even a mother!”

  He was back in his drill-sergeant mode. His arms were folded against his chest, his jaw set like a rock and his eyes were two blue blazes of fury. Savanna wanted to hit him where he needed it the most. Right in the mouth.

  “No. But I was a teenaged girl once, just like Megan. And I know what it feels like to be in a strange city without her friends or anyone to talk to.”

  “And just what am I?” he retorted.

  Savanna’s lips twisted mockingly. “You don’t really want me to answer that, Mr. McCann.”

  Joe’s eyes slid over her flushed face, then lower to where her bosom heaved against the black-eyed Susans. He didn’t know what it was about her that got to him. Even when she was angry and impertinent and saying things to him that no other woman had ever dared say, he wanted to kiss her. She was like a beautiful little wildcat that he desperately wanted to tame.

  “Even though you probably don’t believe it, Ms. Starr, I do love my daughter and I’m trying to be sensitive to her needs.”

  “You’re right. I’m finding it very hard to believe,” she said, then with a huge sigh she shook her head. “Look, I know you don’t really know me that well. And I understand that you don’t want me invading the privacy of your home. I won’t do that. I’ll take Megan somewhere for pizza and we can have a nice girl chat on our own. She’s still waiting on the line, so what do you say?”

  What was the matter with him? Joe wondered. He knew that Savanna wasn’t going to be a bad influence on his daughter. As far as that went, he figured she could even be a help where Megan was concerned. But Joe was reluctant to let her into their home and into his daughter’s life. Because he knew that once he did, she would be in his life, too.

  Joe was already wildly attracted to the woman. It would be inviting trouble to spend any more time with her than necessary. Still, Joe loved his daughter and if Savanna was the key to putting a little happiness in her life, then he couldn’t bring himself to stand in the way.

  His features impassive, he reached for the telephone and handed the receiver to Megan. “Tell her you’ll be at our house for supper.”

  Savanna’s brows lifted with surprise as she took the instrument from him. “What about us going out for pizza?”

  Suddenly finding it hard to keep looking her in the eye, Joe glanced down at his desktop and quickly snatched up his coffee cup. “I don’t really want her eating in fast-food joints. And Ophelia always makes extra for the evening meal.”

  Savanna couldn’t believe he’d caved in about the whole thing. Especially when he obviously didn’t want her to be in his home. But she was glad. Like Megan, she was new to this city. She needed friends, too.

  Quickly she punched a button on the phone to open the line. “Megan? Sorry I had to keep you waiting for so long. Your father and I had a few things to discuss.”

  “Yeah, I’ll bet. He’s big on discussions.”

  The teenager said it so matter-of-factly that Savanna wanted to laugh. “Yes. Well, we’ve gotten it all over with and I wanted to tell you that I’m looking forward to seeing you Friday night for supper.”

  There was a pause and then Megan’s young voice squealed with surprise. “You will? Really? Wow! That’s great, Savanna! I can’t wait to meet you. I know you’re gonna be really beautiful.”

  A puzzled frown on her face, Savanna asked, “What in the world makes you say that?”

  Megan giggled. “Because Daddy already told me so. ’Bye, Savanna! See you Friday!”

  With slow, thoughtful movements Savanna replaced the receiver on the hook, then glanced across the room to where Joe was pouring himself a second cup of coffee.

  Did Joe McCann really think she was beautiful? The mere idea left her trembling. Savanna couldn’t imagine him saying such a thing to his daughter, much less thinking it.

  But what if he had been looking at her in a purely male way? What if he was attracted to her?

  None of that mattered, she firmly told herself. She didn’t want a man in her life. Not on a short-term basis. Not permanently. Not any way. Savanna’s heart was still covered with scars of grief. She wasn’t about to risk having it broken all over again by a man like Joe McCann.

  The man had forgotten how to smile. She might be able to teach him how to do that again. But she doubted any woman could teach him how to love. And Savanna certainly wasn’t about to try.

  “If you ask me, this is all very strange,” Jenny said as she watched Savanna push clothes back and forth on the closet rod.

  Savanna looked over at her friend, who had draped herself across the end of the bed. She’d met the redhead two months ago when she’d moved into the apartment directly across from hers. Jenny was in her thirties and had worked as a city policewoman for several years. The stressful job had broken her marriage and left her a bit jaded about men in general. But she had a wonderful sense of humor and Savanna had been drawn to her from the very first moment they’d met.

  “There’s nothing strange about it,” Savanna assured her.

  “Last night you told me your boss was stiff and stern and made you very uncomfortable. Now you’re saying you’re going to have dinner with the man. If that makes sense I’d better start looking for a therapist. I’m in worse shape than I thought.”

  Laughing, Savanna pulled a red cotton dress from the closet, then held it out in front of her for a better look. “You don’t need a therapist to tell you you’re crazy. I can do that for free.”

  Jenny shot her a dry look. “Thanks, Savanna. Now that I’ve got you for a free therapist, do you know any plastic surgeons that live in the building? I might manage to get a free eye job.”

  Savanna made a face at her. “Your eyes are beautiful and as for Joe McCan
n, I’m not really having dinner with him. I’m going to meet his daughter.”

  “The man is married?” Jenny asked with surprise.

  Savanna tossed the red dress onto the bed. “No. He has a daughter from an earlier marriage. How that ended, I don’t know. But Megan has recently come to live with him and she’s feeling pretty lost and alone since moving away from her friends.”

  Jenny picked up the dress, then shook her head. “Not this one, honey. Why don’t you wear that perky little split-skirt thing? The brown one trimmed with stripes.”

  Savanna glanced doubtfully at her friend, then back to the closet. “You think so? I don’t know. It’s so short. It only comes to the middle of my thighs.”

  The redhead rolled her eyes. “Savanna, if I were twenty-five again and had legs like yours, I’d be showing them off all the time.”

  With a hopeless shake of her head, Savanna put the red dress back in the closet and searched for the brown one. “Jenny, I’m not going over to the McCanns to impress my boss. And even if I was, I certainly wouldn’t do it with my legs.”

  Jenny burst out laughing. “So how would you impress this cool Joe McCann, if you had a mind to, that is?”

  Savanna tossed the brown dress onto the bed, then walked over to the dresser and picked up a hairbrush. “I don’t know. I can’t really figure the man. He’s strictly business.”

  “Oh, I see. I’ll bet he’s one of those skinny, balding, thick-lensed glasses types who has more money than he has brains. Just like the guy I work with now. Ugh! The man isn’t safe with a gun on his hip!”

  Frowning, Savanna pulled the brush through her hair. “Well, thankfully Joe isn’t anything like that. He looks as stout as a bull and he doesn’t wear glasses.”

  “What color are his eyes?”

  “Sky blue,” Savanna answered automatically, then turned on her friend with a sly laugh. “All right. That’s enough. I know exactly what you’re doing and before you go any farther, let me tell you that even though Joe McCann is a handsome man, I’m not interested.”

  The look Jenny gave her was pointed and full of humor. “No, you’re only interested in his daughter.”