Elisabeth Naughton - Wait for Me

She eased out of the car and eyed the house. “Three new album downloads for my ipod.”

Mitch squinted at her across the hood of his Land Rover.

“What?” Julia asked, looking shocked and surprised by his reaction. “I figure this is worth at least three. I’ll make you a list. You can get download them for me tomorrow when I’m off doing you yet another favor.”

“Blackmail doesn’t work with me.”

“Oh, it will,” she said with a grin and headed up the front steps.

Simone answered the door in bare feet, snug jeans, and a fitted T-shirt that accentuated her perky breasts. Damn, she was hot. He wasn’t in the market for a penguin, but he wanted at least one date with the curvy lawyer.

“Hi,” he said. “Sorry we’re late. The shrimp is Julia.”

Julia frowned up at him, then held out her hand. “Hi.

Simone shook her hand, her brows lifting as if she were impressed with Julia’s manners. Score one for the shrimp. “It’s nice to see you again, Julia. You probably don’t remember me, but you and your mom came to visit us a few times when we lived in Baltimore.”

Julia studied her face. “Um…no. I don’t remember. I must have been little.”

“You were. Why don’t you come on back to the kitchen.” Simone led them through the house. “Shannon’s helping me get dinner going.”

A long hallway cut the house in half, opening to the kitchen in the back and a large great room with windows that looked across a big yard.

Shannon stood at the counter, tossing a salad. Long hair the color of Simone’s fell down to her shoulder blades. She eyed Julia warily as they came into the room.

“Julia, Mitch,” Simone said. “This is my daughter, Shannon.”

“Hey,” Shannon mumbled.

Julia sent Mitch a wary gaze. Behind her back she held up four fingers.

No way he was buying her four albums. He elbowed her in the ribs and stepped around her into the kitchen. “Hi, Shannon. Your mom’s told me a lot about you.”

Shannon glanced at her mother across the room but didn’t respond. Mitch caught it, watching their eyes and body language. Definite tension there.

“Shannon,” Simone cut in. “Why don’t you take Julia upstairs and show her your room.”

Shannon shrugged as if she didn’t care. “Okay. Come on.”

Julia shot Mitch a less-than-amused glare as he nudged her out of the room. The two girls disappeared down the hall.

He looked back at Simone. “Well, that went well.”

Simone blew out a sigh. “We’re hitting the preteen years. Everything I do is wrong these days.” She scrunched her nose as she looked down the hall. “Sorry, she’s in a mood tonight. I probably should have cancelled. I have no idea how you talked me into this in the first place.”

“What? It’s just a playdate.”

The yeah-right look she shot him sent heat careening through his veins. He cleared his throat and shoved his hands in the front pockets of his jeans so he wouldn’t be tempted to reach for her. “I’m actually glad you didn’t cancel. Ryan was having a rough night with Julia. I think it was good for both of them that she got out of the house.”

She crossed into the living room, sank onto a plush couch, and tucked one leg under her. The room fit her, tall ceilings, big furnishings, comfy chairs. “What’s going on?”

He dropped onto a chair opposite her. “Julia’s upset about tomorrow.”

Simone nodded. “And how’s Ryan?”

“Upset about tomorrow.”

Simone smiled. Man, she had a great smile. Full lips, straight white teeth. He really wanted to taste that mouth. Feel her give in and open for him. “Things will get better, Mitch. You just have to have faith.”

He’d said that same thing to Kate. Now he just needed to believe it himself.

He leaned forward. “How much better do they have to get before you’ll go out with me?”

“Now you’re pushing your luck.”

“Damn.” He eased back into the cushions. “Shot down again. It’s starting to become a routine.”

She laughed. He could get used to that laugh. He found himself smiling too. Really smiling, for the first time in weeks. “Do you know you’re the first lawyer I’ve ever met who doesn’t want to screw me over?”

“Trust me, Mitch, I’m sure there are others.”

“Shot down and put in my place. I’m batting a thousand tonight. Tell you what, Counselor, you can ease my pain by feeding me. You got any food in this house?”

Simone pushed up from the couch and grinned. “That I can do.”

Kate changed her clothes three times. She started off in gray slacks, slipped into a skirt, then slid on jeans. Jeans. Yeah, that was the way to go.

Calm and casual.

Glancing at her reflection in the mirror, she frowned. She was fooling herself. She didn’t look calm. And there was no way anyone would believe she felt casual.

She messed with her hair for the hundredth time. She’d had it up, then down, then up again, finally deciding to let the wild curls fall where they may. It looked like one giant rat’s nest.

It didn’t matter what she looked like. This wasn’t a date. After checking her reflection in the mirror one last time, she took a deep breath. Now or never.

By the time she loaded Reed into the car and headed toward the city, she was thoroughly exhausted. And it wasn’t even nine-thirty yet.

This was a bad idea.

Sunlight glinted through the trees in the park as she and Reed walked toward the Conservatory of Flowers. They were the first ones there, so they sat on the bottom steps of the massive building while she tried not to stress out about a situation that was totally out of her control.

Her whole life felt like it was out of control these days.

Ryan and Julia strolled up about fifteen minutes later. Kate’s stomach took one odd roll when she saw Ryan. Her palms grew damp. Wearing loose-fitting jeans and a short-sleeved shirt, and hiding his eyes behind dark sunglasses, he looked calm—and casual.

And dammit, sexy as hell.

Kate’s gaze cut to Julia. The girl sent her a wicked glare, her disdain for the entire situation evident on her face.

Kate straightened her back. It was going to be awkward no matter what. She might as well get it over with.

Letting out a sigh, she picked Reed up and set him on her hip. “Baby,” she said quietly. “This is Ryan.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “This is your…your father.” She’d tried to explain things to him last night, but the poor kid was so confused, she had no idea what he’d say or do.

Reed looked at Ryan, his little brow wrinkled. Chubby fingers reached out and pulled the sunglasses off Ryan’s face. “You have the same eyes as me.” He turned toward Kate. “Blue eyes, Mama. Not like yours.”

“Yeah, I know, baby.”

He wiggled to the ground and looked up at Julia. “You don’t have blue eyes.”

Julia crossed her arms. “No shi—”

Ryan nudged her in the ribs.

“…kidding, Sherlock,” she corrected with a scowl.

Reed didn’t seem to notice her sarcasm. “Come on. Let’s climb the stairs.”

Julia shot Ryan a pathetic look.

“Go,” he told her firmly.

She rolled her eyes and followed Reed.

Ryan slipped his glasses back on. For a moment, Kate had seen his eyes, and they’d looked tired and sad and a bit overwhelmed. But she’d also seen pure joy flash in those deep blue pools when he’d looked at her son. And in that one moment, she’d seen a part of him she didn’t know existed.

“So,” he said. “I was thinking maybe we could split up for a few hours, you take Julia, I’ll take Reed, we’ll meet back here around noon?”

“Okay.” She looked up the steps at the two kids. What a picture they made, Reed running up and down, Julia tagging along behind. Julia didn’t realize it, but she was already playing the protective big sister, making sure Reed didn’t trip on the steps or fall flat on his face.

“Ah.” Ryan shifted his feet, bringing her attention back to him. “Julia’s been a little” —he scratched his head as if searching for the right word— “shocked, by this whole thing. You let me know if she gets out of line. She can be a handful sometimes.”

“I can handle it, Ryan.”

He nodded. “Okay, I’ll see you back here around noon.”

A weight settled on her chest. How did he do that? Act like none of this mattered? If he was feeling even a fraction of the agony she was, it had to be ripping him apart.

He stepped away from her and up the steps. When he crouched near Reed, he slipped off his glasses. A wide grin spread across Reed’s little face, and he giggled, then slid his hand into Ryan’s and headed back down the steps with him.

“Bye, Mama!” He waved as they headed down the path together.

Her chest tightened, and an ache cut through her soul as she watched the pair walk away. She’d seen Reed hold Jake’s hand time and time again, but it had never affected her the way this picture did. Father and son, one almost a carbon copy of the other, both heading off into the sun together.

She rubbed the pain with the palm of her hand and blew out a shaky breath. This had to get easier. It just had to.

Julia stepped up beside her and crossed her arms.

Kate turned her way. “How do you feel about ice cream?”

“It’s barely ten in the morning. It’ll rot my teeth.”

“So, you’ll get water. Come on.”

They settled into a booth at Ben & Jerry’s. Kate ordered coffee. Julia decided on a root beer float after studying the menu for what seemed an infinitely long time. So much for rotting teeth. Kate eased back in her seat and studied Julia across the table.