by Susan Meier
Taking her baby away.
He hadn’t really looked at what he was doing from her perspective and suddenly realized how selfish he must seem to her.
“Had I gone for full custody, I wouldn’t have shut you out of her life completely.”
“No, but you would have demanded that she live with you and I’d be the one with visitation.”
She walked over to him and displayed a plate with two steaks. “I’m going to the back deck to the grill.” She waited a heartbeat, then said, “You’re not afraid to be alone with her, are you?”
As if any man would ever admit to being afraid of anything. “No. But I’m guessing you’re a better choice to stay inside with her, which means I should grill the steaks.”
“Great.” She handed him the plate. “I’ll finish the salad.”
She pivoted and returned to the kitchen without waiting for his reply. Danny rose from his seat and walked out to the deck. He agreed with her nonconversation policy. There was no point in talking. She didn’t like him. And, well, frankly, he didn’t like her.
He dropped the plate of steaks on a small table and set the temperature on the grill. Still, whether he agreed with her or not, not talking guaranteed that the next two weeks would be two of the longest of his life. Torture really. Maybe payback for his not believing her? He slapped the steaks on the grill rack.
That was probably it. Payback. But what Grace didn’t realize was that the way she treated him was also proof that she wasn’t the sweet innocent she’d pretended to be.
He almost laughed. What a mess. All because he couldn’t keep his hands off a woman. He’d never make that mistake again.
He closed the lid and looked out over the expanse of backyard. Grace didn’t have a huge space but what she had was well tended. Her bungalow was neat and clean, newly remodeled. Her yard was well kept. He hoped that was an indicator that Grace would take good care of Sarah during the weeks she had her.
He heard a giggle from inside the house. Turning, he saw he hadn’t shut the French doors. He ambled over and was just about to push them closed when he heard Grace talking. “So, somebody needs to go upstairs and get a fresh diaper.”
She lifted the baby from the swing and rubbed noses with her. “I swear, Sarah, there’s got to be a better system.”
The baby laughed. Danny sort of chuckled himself. A person would think that after all the generations of babies, somebody, somewhere would have thought of a better system than diapers.
“Let’s take care of that. Then we’ll feed you something yummy for dinner.”
The baby giggled and cooed and Danny felt a quick sting of conscience for worrying about Sarah when she was in Grace’s care. Grace obviously loved the baby.
He took a quick breath. She might love the baby but there was a lot more to consider in child rearing than just love. Grace was on trial these next two weeks every bit as much as he was. He wouldn’t be convinced she was a good mom, just because she was sweet. She wasn’t sweet. As far as he knew she was a conniver. She could have seen the French doors were open and put on a show with the baby for him to see.
He closed the doors and checked the steaks. They were progressing nicely. He sat on one of the deck chairs. The thick red, yellow and tan striped padding felt good to his tired back and he let his eyelids droop. He didn’t raise them again until he heard the French doors open.
“How’s it going?” Grace asked quietly. Sarah sat on her forearm, once again chewing the blue teething ring.
Danny sat up. “Fine. I was just about to peek at the steaks.” He poked and prodded the steaks, closed the lid and chucked Sarah under the chin. “You’re just about the cutest kid in the world, aren’t you?”
Sarah giggled and cooed and Grace regretted her decision to bring the baby with her when she checked on him. When she least expected it, he would say or do something that would remind her that she’d genuinely believed he was a nice, normal guy the weekend they’d spent at the beach house. Volunteering to help her in the kitchen when he first came downstairs hadn’t been expected. His wanting to know Sarah’s heritage had struck her as adorable. And now he looked perfectly natural, perfectly comfortable on her back deck.
But he was also here to convince Grace that he would be able to care for Sarah. Technically he was on good behavior. She refused to get sucked in again as she had at the beach house.
She turned to go back into the house, but he said, “Grace?” And every nerve ending she had went on red alert. He had a sexy quality to his voice that was magnified when he spoke softly. Of course, that took her back to their pillow talk the night they had slept together and that made her all quivery inside.
Scowling because she didn’t want to like him and did want to let him know that if he thought he could charm her he was wrong, she faced him. “Yes?”
“You never told me how you wanted your steak.”
Feeling embarrassment heat her cheeks, she quickly turned to the door again. “Medium is fine.”
With that she walked into the house. She put Sarah in her high chair and rummaged through the cupboards for a jar of baby food, which she heated. By the time she was done feeding Sarah, had her face cleaned and the rubber teething ring back in her chubby hands, Danny brought in the steaks.
“Salad is on the counter,” she said, as she laid plates and silverware on the table. “Could you bring that in, too?” Her new strategy was to put him to work before he could volunteer. This way, he wouldn’t seem nice, he would only be following orders.
He did as she asked and they sat down at the table, across from each other, just as they had been sitting that Sunday night at his beach house. She’d dressed up, hoping he would notice her. But tonight, on the trip upstairs to change Sarah’s diaper, she’d put on her worst jeans, her ugliest T-shirt. What a difference fifteen months made.
“Your house is nice.”
“Thank you.”
Silence reigned for another minute, before Danny said, “So, did you buy it remodeled like this?”
She bit back a sigh, loath to tell him anything about herself. More than that, though, they’d discussed this that night at the beach house. He’d forgotten. So much for thinking she’d made any kind of impression on him
“It was a wreck when I bought it.”
“Oh, so you did the remodeling—I mean with a contractor, right?”
“No. My cousin and I remodeled it.” And she’d told him that, too.
He smiled. “Really?”
Grace rose from her seat. “You know what? I’m really not all that hungry and it’s time for me to get Sarah bathed and ready for bed.” She smiled stiffly. “If you’ll excuse me.”
* * *
Alone at the table Danny quietly finished his steak. If Grace was going to continually take Sarah and leave the room, maybe he shouldn’t cancel tomorrow’s dinner engagement? He drew in a breath, then expelled it quickly. He couldn’t dodge or fudge this commitment. He wanted at least shared custody of his daughter, and Grace had handed him the way to get it without a custody battle that would result in her investigating his past and probably result in him losing all but scant visitation rights. So he couldn’t leave. He had to be here every minute he could for the next two weeks.
The problem was he and Grace also had to be together. He’d thought they could be at least cordial, but this was what he got for his positive attitude. The silent treatment. Well, she could save herself the trouble if she intended to
insult him. His ex-wife had been the ultimate professional when it came to the silent treatment. Grace would have to go a long way to match that.
But when he’d not only finished eating his dinner and stacking the dishes in the dishwasher and Grace still hadn’t come downstairs, he wondered if maybe she couldn’t give Lydia a tip or two in the silent treatment department. Angry, because the whole point of his being here was to spend time with his daughter, Danny stormed up the steps. He stopped outside Grace’s bedroom door because it was ajar and what he saw compelled him to rethink everything.
Though Grace’s bedroom was pretty, decorated in warm colors like reds, yellows and taupe, a big white crib, white changing table and two white dressers took up most of the space. Still, there was enough adult furniture pushed into the room’s corners that Danny could almost envision how she probably had her room before the baby was born. When she met him, she had had a pretty house, a sanctuary bedroom and a budding career. When she got pregnant, she’d lost her job. When she actually had Sarah, most of her pretty house had become a nursery.
“Oh, now, you can’t be sleepy yet.”
Grace’s soft voice drifted out into the hallway.
“You still need to spend some time with your daddy.”
Danny swallowed when he heard himself referred to again as a daddy. He was only getting used to that.
“I know you’re tired, but just stay awake long enough to say good-night.”
She lifted Sarah from the changing table and brushed her cheek across the baby’s little cheek. Mesmerized, Danny watched. He’d forgotten how stirring it was to watch a mother with her baby.
“Come on,” Grace said, turning to the door. Danny jumped back, out of her line of vision.
Thinking fast, he leaped into his room and quickly closed the door. He counted to fifty, hoping that gave her enough time to get downstairs, then opened the door a crack and peered out into the hall. When he found it empty, he walked downstairs, too. Grace sat on the sofa, Sarah on her lap.
“Can I hold her before she goes to bed?”
“Sure.”
She made a move to rise, but Danny stopped her. “I’ll take her from your lap.”
Grace nodded and Danny reached down to get Sarah. Lifting her, he let his eyes wander over to Grace and their gazes caught. Except now he knew why he was no longer dealing with the sweet, innocent woman he’d slept with at the beach house. Her life had changed so much that even if she hadn’t tricked him, she couldn’t be the same woman. She’d gotten pregnant to a stranger. He’d rejected her. She’d lost her job and was too sick to get another. She’d had her baby alone. Any of those would have toughened her. Made her cynical. Maybe even made her angry.
No. She was no longer the woman he knew from the beach house.
CHAPTER SIX
DANNY AWAKENED TO the sounds of the shower. Grace was up before him and already started on her day. He waited until the shower stopped, then listened for the sounds of the bathroom door opening before he got out of bed, slipped on a robe and grabbed his shaving kit.
In the hall he heard the melodious sounds of Grace’s voice as she spoke to Sarah and laughed with her. He stopped. Her soft laughter took him back to their weekend at the beach house. He shook his head and walked into the bathroom. He had to stop remembering. As he’d realized last night, that Grace no longer existed. Plus, they had a child. Sarah’s future was in their hands. He didn’t take that responsibility lightly anymore.
After a quick shower, Danny dressed in a navy suit, ready for a long day of business meetings. He jogged down the stairs and was immediately enfolded in the scent of breakfast.
Walking to the small dining area, he said, “Good morning.”
Grace breezed away from the table and strode into the kitchen. “Good morning.”
Sarah grinned up at him toothlessly. He smiled down at her. “And how are you today?”
Sarah giggled. Danny took a seat at the table. Grace set a dish containing an omelet, two slices of toast and some applesauce in front of him. Suddenly her coolness made sense. He’d forced her to have their baby alone, yet she’d nonetheless suggested shared custody, allowing him into her home to give him the opportunity to prove himself. Even if the Grace who’d seduced him that night no longer existed, the woman who’d taken her place had her sense of generosity. Even to her detriment. She wouldn’t cheat him out of time with her daughter. Or use Sarah as a weapon. She was fair and it cost her.
Grace set her dish at the place opposite Danny and sat down. She immediately grabbed her napkin, opened it on her lap and picked up her fork.
Sarah shrieked.
Grace shook her head. “You already ate.”
Sarah pounded her teething ring on the high chair tray.
“A tantrum will do you no good,” Grace said to Sarah, but Danny was painfully aware that she didn’t speak to him. She didn’t even look at him.
His chest tightened. She’d been such a fun, bubbly, lively person. Now she was cautious and withdrawn. And he had done this to her.
* * *
Grace all but gobbled her breakfast. She noticed that Danny had become quiet as she drank a cup of coffee, but she didn’t have time to care. She wasn’t entirely sure she would care even if she had time. He’d basically accused her of lying. He clearly believed she’d tricked him. And if both of those weren’t enough, he intended to take her child every other week. She didn’t want to be his friend. He was only in her house because she couldn’t risk that he’d get full custody, and she also wouldn’t risk her child’s happiness with a grouch. So he was here to prove himself. She didn’t have to entertain him.
He was lucky she’d made him breakfast. That was why she was late, and rushing, so if he expected a little morning chitchat, that was his problem.
Having eaten enough food to sustain herself until lunch, Grace rose from her seat and took her dish to the kitchen. To her surprise Danny was right behind her when she turned from the dishwasher. Her heart thudded in her chest, half from surprise, half from being so close to him. He radiated warmth or energy, or something, that made being near him intoxicating. And trouble. His being irresistible was what had caused her to let her guard down in the first place.
He handed her his plate, though most of his food hadn’t been eaten.
She took a quick gulp of air to try to rid herself of the breathless feeling and looked up at him. His eyes mirrored an emotion she couldn’t quite read, except that he was unsure of what he was supposed to be doing.
“I’m rushing because I’m late. You can stay and finish. Just rinse your plate when you’re through and put it in the dishwasher.”
“I’ve had enough,” Danny said and as Grace turned away from the dishwasher she saw him glance around her small kitchen. “Since I’m the boss I don’t have to worry about being late, so if you’d like I could clean up in here.”
In his neat navy blue suit, white shirt and blue print tie, he might look like the guy who ran Carson Services, but he behaved like the Danny Grace had met at the beach house, and that wasn’t right. Being attracted to him wasn’t right. Even being friendly wasn’t right, if only because they were on opposite ends of a custody battle.
“No, thank you,” she coolly replied. “It will take me only a minute or two to wipe the skillet and stove. You go on ahead. I’m fine.”
“Grace,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Really?” Try as she might, she couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of her voice. “I’m surprised a rich guy like you even knows how to clean a skillet.”
He laughed. The sound danced along her nerve endings, reminding her again of how he’d been the night they’d ma
de love. She fought the happy memories by recalling the scene in his office. The one where he’d called her pregnancy a scheme.
“I couldn’t exactly take a maid to university. My parents might have gotten me an apartment, but unless I wanted to live in squalor I had to do at least a little straightening up.”
Grace felt herself softening to him and squeezed her eyes shut. It was much easier dealing with mean Danny. No expectations were better than unmet expectations.
Opening her eyes, she faced him. “Look, I don’t want you to be nice to me. I don’t need you to be nice.”
“Helping clean up isn’t nice. It’s common courtesy.”
“Well, save it. You’re here to prove yourself with Sarah. And you did fine this morning just by saying good morning. You noticed her. You didn’t ignore her. You’re on the right track.”
“I’m not going to let you wait on me while I’m here.”
Grace removed her apron and set it on the counter. She didn’t have time or the inclination to argue. She also couldn’t give a damn what he did. That only tripped memories of a man she was absolutely positive didn’t exist. She couldn’t get into arguments that tempted her to believe otherwise.
“Fine. Dishcloths are in the bottom drawer.”
She walked out of the kitchen and over to the high chair, where she lifted Sarah into her arms before she headed for the stairway.
But from the corner of her eye she could see Danny standing in the kitchen, plate in hand, watching her. He looked totally out of place and equally confused and Grace again fought against emotions she couldn’t afford to have.
How could he make her feel like the one in the wrong when he had done such terrible things to her?
* * *
After a horrifically long day, Danny finally had ten minutes alone in his office. Though he tried to make a few phone calls before leaving he couldn’t. Being with Grace at her house and yet not really being with Grace was driving him crazy. He could not live with someone for two whole weeks who barely spoke to him. Not that he wanted lively conversation, but he couldn’t handle being ignored, either. Plus, if they didn’t at least discuss Sarah and her care, especially her likes and dislikes, how were these two weeks supposed to prove to Grace that she could relax when Sarah was with him?
