An Unexpected Partnership (HQR Special Edition)

by Teresa Southwick

  “You should. But we both know you won’t. You’re way too smart to toss aside a good man for the likes of me.” Leo felt someone behind him and turned. “Tess. Hi.”

  “Leo.”

  “I didn’t hear you.” No doubt she heard Geri calling him out on his crap.

  She ignored him and smiled at the receptionist. “Hello. Tess Morrow to see Annabel Sanders.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Geri gave her the friendly receptionist look. “Annabel is with a client. Her meeting is running a little late. I apologize for that. If you’ll just have a seat in the waiting area, she’ll be with you both as soon as possible.”

  “Thanks,” Tess answered.

  “May I get you something? Coffee?”

  “No.”

  Leo noticed her already pale face go a little whiter. “You okay?”

  “Fine.” She smiled at Geri, then walked over to the cushy chairs by the windows and sat.

  Leo followed and took the seat at a right angle to hers. Because she’d told him she was pregnant, he knew she was nauseated from morning sickness. He still couldn’t quite wrap his head around the fact that the baby was his. Maybe.

  “So, I got the results of the blood tests,” he said.

  “Me, too.” There was a “told you so” look in her brown eyes.

  “It’s not conclusive,” he pointed out.

  “It conclusively confirmed you can’t be excluded as the biological father.”

  She was right about that. He’d done the research. The most accurate results came from an infant’s umbilical blood or tissue from the placenta, and that would have to wait another seven or so months. Fetal DNA could be observed in the mother’s blood and rule out someone who absolutely couldn’t be the father. Right now the test results were not admissible in court for purposes of custody or child support.

  But they prevented a guy from getting emotionally involved for months only to find out he had no biological connection. And sometimes a man was led to believe he was a father for several years before finding out he wasn’t. He didn’t intend to be that naive a second time.

  “Leo? Are you all right?”

  “Hmm?” He met Tess’s questioning gaze.

  “You look weird.”

  Not surprising. He was remembering a weird, painful time in his life. It still hurt and he’d be damned if he’d let another woman pass off another man’s child as his. “I’m fine. But I was going to say the same about you. You’re a little pale.”

  “It occurs to me the term morning sickness is inaccurate. This icky feeling doesn’t just happen in the morning. It can be anytime, day or night.”

  “So that’s why you turned green when Geri mentioned coffee.”

  “I thought I did a good job of hiding it,” she said.

  “No.” She might be concealing other relevant facts, but not her current distaste for coffee. “But you’re not supposed to have it anyway, at least not much,” he qualified. “It’s not a complete no on caffeine, but it has to be less than two hundred milligrams a day...” He stopped because she was staring at him as if he’d grown another head. “What?”

  “How did you know that about coffee during pregnancy?”

  He knew because he’d married the last woman who said she was having his baby and embraced the experience with her. Along with the pain of finding out the son he loved more than life wasn’t his, he remembered pregnancy do’s and don’ts. “I guess I just heard it somewhere.”

  “You do meet a lot of women.” There was sarcasm in her voice.

  “One of the perks of being a hockey star,” he said, hoping to change the focus of this conversation.

  “Must be a difficult cross to bear.” Now bitterness mixed with the sarcasm.

  If he didn’t know better, he would say she was a little bit jealous, but that proved again just how bad he was at reading women. She’d taken a dislike to him almost from the moment they met. There was definite female interest in her eyes, right up until Pat Morrow introduced him as a former professional hockey player. An athlete, she’d said, in a disdainful tone that lumped him in with litterbugs and dog haters. Neither of which he was.

  He’d liked her from the first but she gave him the cold shoulder. Until the night of her grandfather’s memorial service, when she was hot as hell and took him to heaven. She was right about one thing. He had had no room in his brain to think about protection that night. Holding her felt that good. If the baby was his, the blame could be shared fifty-fifty. But that night proved one thing. Tess was attracted to him even though she disapproved of him personally.

  He met her gaze. “I do like women. That’s not a hanging offense.”

  “No one said it was.”

  “You didn’t have to say it. Judgment is written all over your face.”

  “Wow,” she said. “Apparently my face gives away more than just the fact that the thought of coffee makes me want to barf.”

  “Was it coffee? I assumed it was the sight of me.”

  “Wow again. I’m surprised you could find a helmet big enough for your swelled head. Not everything is about you, Leo.”

  “And jumping to that conclusion just proves—”

  “Hello, Leo.” His attorney interrupted him. The pretty, green-eyed redhead smiled at Tess and held out her hand. “I’m Annabel Sanders. You must be Ms. Morrow.”

  “Tess.” She shook the other woman’s hand.

  “I apologize for keeping you waiting. I didn’t expect my last client to take as long as he did.”

  “I didn’t see him leave,” Leo said.

  “I’m not surprised. You were having an intense chat.” Annabel’s eyes narrowed on him for a moment, and then she smiled at Tess. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  As the two women chatted, Leo studied his lawyer. She was a beautiful woman. Spectacular curves were showcased in the body-hugging hunter green dress with the flaring skirt. She was also funny and brilliant but he’d never felt the slightest hint of attraction to her. Not once in the nearly two years he’d known her. Maybe because their relationship was professional.

  “If you’ll both follow me into my office, we can go over the agreement.”

  He let the women precede him into the large corner office with floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides. In one corner was a conversation area, defined by a leather love seat, two matching club chairs and a glass coffee table. The attorney sat behind her large desk. These digs were much nicer than the small, cramped office where they’d had their very first meeting.

  Annabel opened a file on her desk and put on her lawyer face. “Tess, you got the email I sent with the attachment containing the agreement?”

  “Yes.”

  “You had a chance to read it over and have your attorney look at it?”

  “I read it,” Tess said. “It looks fine to me.”

  Leo had clued Annabel in on the background that the partnership was a go because Tess was strapped for cash and trying to save her business. He could see her making that connection as the reasoning for not getting a second legal opinion.

  “I can assure you that the terms are extremely fair,” Annabel told her.

  Tess nodded. “I agree.”

  “Do you have any questions?”

  “No.”

  The attorney nodded. “Leo was very clear that he didn’t want to take advantage of your grief and your grandfather’s passing. My condolences, by the way.”

  “Thank you.” Tess glanced at him and the paleness in her cheeks disappeared, replaced by a charming pink. Must be the “taking advantage” comment.

  As he saw it, they’d had a mutual taking advantage, and the memories were never far from his mind.

  “The thing is, Ms. Sanders—”

  “Annabel, please.”

  “Okay. Annabel. Before he died, my grandfather approa
ched Leo about the partnership because he trusted him. I have faith in his judgment. And I didn’t see anything in the paperwork that changed my mind.”

  “Okay, then. We’ll get this done.”

  She went through each page, having them sign and initial where indicated. It was a lot of paperwork, but finally they reached the end.

  “Congratulations,” the attorney said. “You two have a partnership.”

  “In business,” Tess clarified.

  “Yes.” Annabel looked from one to the other. “By definition partners need to work together.”

  “Are you lecturing us?” Leo asked.

  “No. Yes. Maybe.” She looked at him. “I heard you talking in the waiting room and got the feeling there’s an adversarial aspect to your relationship. If you’re going to make a success of this venture, it’s important to work together.”

  “Of course,” he said.

  “I mean it.” She looked at Tess. “I don’t know you, but I’ve worked with Leo for several years. He has an excellent head for business and a successful track record to prove it. Don’t let his cocky attitude fool you.”

  “If you say so,” Tess said defensively. “I should point out that I’m no slouch. I have a degree in business and I’ve worked at the bar my whole life. There’s a loyal core of customers and we have to build on it.”

  “That’s the plan,” Leo agreed.

  “Okay. I didn’t mean to overstep, but I see the other side when things don’t work out. I dissolve partnerships, too.”

  “Our joint venture will be fine,” Leo assured her. It was also necessary. “So, Tess, I’ll come by The Pub in the morning and we’ll discuss strategy?”

  “Fine.”

  “Is nine too early?”

  “No.” But she looked as if she had swallowed a worm.

  He’d never expected to go into business with Tess Morrow. But now that she was allegedly carrying his child, it was the best way to keep tabs on her. If she slipped up, he would be around to call her on the deception.

  The last time he got screwed, he lost everything. He wasn’t so gullible now. He would do whatever he had to in order to protect himself.

  Chapter Three

  Morning sickness really sucked!

  It especially sucked when Tess had to see Leo bright and early. The early part she could do. Bright? Not so much. But he would be arriving at nine o’clock sharp and she needed to look her best. Well, at least the best she could what with feeling like something the cat yakked up.

  She showered, put on makeup and blew her hair dry. Unlike her unruly tummy, it cooperated, falling past her shoulders in its shiny straightness.

  She stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and ignored the dark circles under her eyes. “You look fabulous. This will be the first of many productive and profitable meetings.”

  She managed to choke down a piece of toast with peanut butter. The doctor had said to eat lots of protein but she’d never expected that to be such a challenge. Five minutes before nine o’clock, she walked downstairs from her apartment. The staircase ended in a hall where a left turn went to public restrooms and the bar. Going right would put her in the office and storeroom, with high-capacity refrigeration, an ice maker and shelves. She went left.

  In the bar, chairs were turned upside down on tables, where they always spent the night. There were two more rooms off the main area—one for pool and darts, the other with tables for a quieter space for grabbing a bite to eat. Some people might still enjoy eating even though she wasn’t one of them right now.

  A knock on the door pulled her from the brink of self-pity and she moved to let Leo in. “Good morning.”

  “Hi.” He handed her a bag.

  “What’s this?”

  “Thought these might come in handy.”

  She peeked inside and saw soda crackers. “Wow. Be still my heart.”

  “What were you expecting?”

  “Nothing actually. So, thanks.”

  “Keep them by the bed and eat one before you get up. It helps with morning sickness.”

  “And you know this how?”

  He shrugged. “I picked up the information somewhere.”

  “It’s unexpectedly thoughtful, so I won’t say anything snarky about your women clueing you in.”

  “That’s very generous of you.” One corner of his mouth quirked up. Then he indicated the briefcase he was holding. “I’ve been consulting with a building contractor—”

  “Wait.” She held up a hand to stop him. “We only just signed the papers yesterday.”

  “Since our verbal agreement, I talked to someone I’ve worked with on other business ventures. The guy is creative and does great work. He came up with some changes and I happen to think they’ll be a better use of the space we have.”

  We? Apparently just signing the papers didn’t make her a team player. But since she’d put her name on the bottom line, telling him to take a flying leap didn’t seem like something she could do.

  “Okay. Show me.” She grabbed one of the chairs from a table to make room for a conversation with visual aids.

  “You shouldn’t be lifting things.”

  “Why not? I’m fine. Just pregnant—not an invalid.” She rested her hands on her hips. “If not me, who’s going to lift things?”

  “Not while I’m around.” He set down his briefcase, then removed the other three chairs.

  “Thanks.”

  There he went being sweet again. That was twice in one morning. Tess didn’t trust sweet. It was easy to heft chairs and bring crackers, but a man like him couldn’t keep up sweet for long.

  They sat and he pulled out his laptop, then set it on the table. He opened a file and then slid his chair closer to hers so they could view the screen together. He smelled good, disarmingly masculine. Some combination of soap and cologne that made her tummy flutter—with something besides nausea. It was attraction, damn him. That’s what had gotten her into this mess in the first place, and still fascination survived. There was something seriously wrong with her that she couldn’t shake this feeling.

  “Okay. So, what am I looking at?”

  “This is what the bar would look like with the two walls knocked out, making it one big room.”

  Not ten minutes ago she’d been thinking how cozy and perfect the setup was with quiet dining and game rooms separated. “But what about the pool tables and dart boards? And some people like a peaceful corner for food and conversation.”

  “A few customers might appreciate that. If they don’t like the change, there are quiet restaurants to take their business. That isn’t our core customer, not the clientele we want to attract.”

  “We can’t afford to lose anyone.”

  “We’ll more than make up for that with new business. Look at the way Nate has it drawn out. The tables are still there. And we’ll add an air-hockey table to the game area.”

  “We will?” She shifted and their arms brushed. The touch made her hot all over but he didn’t seem to notice.

  “Hockey is trendy.”

  “Pool is classic.”

  “We can do both. Open that customer-interest window wider.” He met her gaze and something intense flared in his when his knee grazed hers under the table.

  Not unlike the way he’d looked at her the night it had happened. She swallowed and forced herself to look at the computer screen. She pointed to the opposite corner.

  “What’s this?”

  “We took some of the dining space for live music and dancing. On the weekends people want to de-stress.”

  “You mean relax.”

  “I mean let off steam. Loud music. Singing. Maybe karaoke. Watching games and yelling at their team or booing the opponent. Dancing. Contests. Promotions.”

  He was so enthusiastic but she was looking at the
end of an era and it made her sad. “Did my grandfather know about any of this?”

  “I talked to him a little bit. Brainstormed as ideas popped into my head.”

  “What did he say?”

  “Pretty much what you are,” he admitted. “But he didn’t shoot anything down. He knew status quo wasn’t working.”

  That was honest. He could have lied. Pat Morrow was gone and she’d never know what he thought. She couldn’t dispute that the current situation was less than successful, but she wasn’t ready to concede the point yet.

  “Would you like some coffee?” It was a delaying tactic, giving her more time to think.

  “Yeah. If it’s not too much trouble.”

  “There’s a pot right here.” She needed to put some distance between them and was willing to risk the smell.

  She went behind the bar and put water and grounds into the drip coffee maker, then hit the on switch. When there was nothing left to do but wait, she walked back to the table, careful to stand far enough away so that she couldn’t be distracted by his body heat and manly smell.

  As if there’d been no pause, Leo started talking. “We need to put in TVs around the room to show football, baseball, hockey games. Make this the designated place to watch my former team.”

  “Lend your celebrity name to bring in customers?” She meant women but kept that to herself.

  “Yes. Anything that will get the word out there so people will give us a try.”

  “I don’t know about this, Leo.” She frowned. Apparently he’d forgotten what she’d said about turning her grandfather’s legacy into a sports freak show.

  “Look, Tess, I’m aware that this is an emotional time for you—”

  “Hold the phone. Don’t make my hesitation about me being pregnant. I have a business degree with a minor in marketing.”

  “That’s not what I meant. Your grandfather just died and this pub was his baby. He put everything he had into every corner. But he knew that change isn’t a bad thing. We can make it fresh and still keep his heart and soul. You just have to trust me.”

  And there was the problem. He was too much like the guy who had broken her heart, which made trust in his judgment hard to come by. But that was personal. This was business and his lawyer had assured her he was good at it. Plus her grandfather had chosen him to invest.