“Then you’ll get another one,” Lily assured her. “Dane has lots of friends and business connections. We’ll find the perfect job for you. Just give it time.”
“Time,” Myra repeated glumly. “The one thing I don’t have any of. I’m broke and living in your house. My parents think I’m a huge failure and my daughter constantly asks where her daddy is and when can she talk to him. I’m a terrible mother.”
“You’re a wonderful mother and not a failure at all. I love having you here and the second pair of hands with Nicky and Emily is a godsend.”
“I’m intruding.”
“You’re not. You’re family. You always have a home with us.” The sympathetic expression on Lily’s face told Myra that the words were sincere. But it didn’t stem the tide of feelings that she’d screwed everything important up.
“I hope you mean that because I’ve got nothing positive on the horizon.” Myra reached across the table and squeezed Lily’s hand. “I don’t know what I would have done without you. I would have had to move back in with my parents and that would have been a disaster. Thank you again.”
“Stop saying thank you. I’m thrilled that I’m in a position to help out. I’ve been there, you know.”
Lily had firsthand experience of what it was like to be a single parent with no money or support from the father. Of course now she had Dane and the two children. Dane had adopted Nicky and treated him the same as his own biological daughter Emily. She’d lucked out and Myra would give anything to find a man as wonderful as Dane.
She wasn’t talking about the money, but the love that Dane showered on Lily.
“I’ve decided to look at today’s interview as practice. Nothing is ever wasted.” Myra was going to have a positive outlook on things if it damn well killed her. She couldn’t let Amelia know everything that kept Myra up at night.
There didn’t look to be a good night’s sleep on the horizon.
*
Holt transferred the phone to his other ear and stood from his seat behind the desk to walk over to the window. It was another gorgeous day in sunny Florida but he barely noticed the weather, instead concentrating on getting his point across to one of his best friends.
“I can’t believe you sent her here, Dane. She’s way too young, for one thing. How old is she anyway?”
His friend chuckled on the other end of the line. “You’re not supposed to ask someone how old they are. As an attorney you should know it’s illegal.”
“I’m not asking her, I’m asking you,” Holt retorted. “The last assistant I had was young and she ran off with a bongo player to live in Key West. I don’t need that to happen twice.”
“Shelly was in her mid-thirties, my friend. Not old, but certainly not a young party animal. Hell, didn’t she crochet for a hobby or something? I don’t think anyone could have predicted her recent behavior.”
“Knitting.” Holt pulled a law book off the shelf and then pushed it back just to keep his hands busy. Otherwise he was going to take the phone and smack it against the smooth oak of the desk repeatedly.
“What? What about knitting?”
“Shelly knit, not crocheted,” Holt said crossly. Details were important to him and he always made sure to get them right. “The point being Myra is not the right fit for this job.”
“That’s funny, because when I described her work background you thought she’d mesh well. Your resistance wouldn’t have anything to do with how attractive Myra is, would it? Because she is a very beautiful woman. Not that I’m interested. I’m a happily married man but it has been pointed out to me that she’s at least an eight, maybe a nine, by some of my friends.”
An eight? Myra Burke was an eleven at the very least.
“I really didn’t notice how attractive she was.” Holt was lying through his teeth but he was desperate. “I just don’t think she and I could work together.”
“Listen, I didn’t want to tell you this before but I can see that I’m going to have to. I told you some of what Myra’s going through but not all. She’s having a tough time and this job could make all the difference for her, Holt.”
The playfulness had vanished from Dane’s voice and he sounded perfectly serious. Holt inwardly groaned and fell back into the desk chair. He should hang up. Right now.
“I’m listening,” he said between gritted teeth. “What’s going on?”
“Myra was engaged to her daughter’s father – Bobby-something. Anyway, he was gone a lot as a long-haul trucker, on the road about seventy or eighty percent of the time. Apparently on one of those trips to Las Vegas he hooked up with someone and he dumped Myra by text message. Basically he didn’t want to get married or be a father.”
“Asshole,” Holt muttered under his breath. He couldn’t stand it when men acted like children.
“A real loser,” Dane agreed. “Myra had been staying at home with Amelia and only working part-time doing in-home child care for spending money. Of course this Bobby cut her off without a dime and they weren’t exactly rolling in it to begin with. She couldn’t pay the rent on her condo so they had to move.”
“Christ,” Holt groaned, rubbing his throbbing temples. He had a pretty good idea where this was going. Some of the cases he took pro bono were single mothers left in the lurch. “So she moved in with you.”
“We love having her here but she feels like she’s imposing. She needs a steady job. Something she can do well. Her self-esteem is in tatters as you can well imagine. Amelia is asking about her father and Myra’s trying not to throw the jerk under the bus. A totally classy move in my book. She needs a break, Holt. I know she’ll work hard for you. If you don’t want her I’ll find her a job somewhere else, but your situation was the best. Live-in. Reasonable hours. A good preschool only half an hour away…”
Dane’s voice trailed away placing the ball firmly in Holt’s court. He’d seen the desperation and sadness in Myra’s soft brown eyes and knowing that he had the power to take it away made it impossible to say no. She probably would do a fine job and he shouldn’t let his libido run his business.
“You’ve talked me into it. I’ll give her a call and let her know she has the job. I hope she can start right away. Things are really stacking up in the office.”
“I’m sure she won’t mind. We can help her move if she needs a hand.” Holt could hear the smile of satisfaction in Dane’s voice. “Thanks. I think she’ll do a great job for you.”
“I’m sure she will. I’ll see you in the office on Monday for the weekly meeting.”
“New guy brings breakfast,” Dane teased. “I like cinnamon bagels.”
“Got it. Four Egg McMuffins.”
“See you then,” Dane rang off, leaving Holt staring out of the window of his office. He’d given in and now he was going to have Myra around all the time. Every day. And every night. He could only hope that being around her day after day dimmed the instant attraction he’d felt when he met her. Perhaps the more he learned about her the less he’d like her.
It wasn’t much of a plan but it was all he had at the moment.
*
Dane Braxton hung up the phone and grinned. He’d known his friend couldn’t resist a sad story like Myra’s but it had been even easier than he’d predicted. Holt had barely put up any resistance.
“You better have the answer to back up that smile,” Lily Braxton teased as she settled onto Dane’s lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Myra and Holt are perfect for each other. I just know it.”
“He’s going to hire her,” Dane confirmed and received a long, hot kiss as reward. When it finally ended he straightened the neckline of his shirt where she’d shoved the fabric aside. He had to meet clients in ten minutes and he couldn’t do it smudged with lip gloss. No matter how pleasant it might be to get that way. “He’s going to call her so don’t act like you already know.”
“I won’t,” she promised with a sigh. “I hope this works. Holt always seems so lonely and Myra needs the kind of
man that he is. They both deserve to be happy and in love.”
“You want everyone to be in love.” Dane lifted her from his lap and set his gorgeous wife on the edge of the desk. She was wearing a bright red sundress today that was a perfect foil for her long dark hair. She’d brought sunshine to his own life not so long ago. He simply couldn’t imagine a future without her.
Lily slid into her shoes that had somehow slipped off when they’d been kissing. “We’re so happy that it makes my heart hurt when I see people that aren’t. Holt thinks women won’t want him for himself all because of a few scars. Myra isn’t that shallow of a person. She’ll see through to the man he really is.”
“What if they don’t fall in love? Will you be disappointed? It might not happen. Maybe they’ll just be friends.”
“All we can do is set the stage and make sure they have time to get to know one another.” Lily tapped her chin. “Maybe we should throw a party. A chance for Holt to see Myra all dressed up and looking amazing.”
Lily was clucking over Myra like a mother hen. She needed to have more confidence in her friend. “We don’t need to. The club’s charity soiree is coming up, remember? If Holt doesn’t ask her to be his date we’ll make sure she goes with us.”
“You hate the club soiree.” His adorable wife wrinkled her nose. “After last year you said never again.”
He had said that. He said it every year and then went anyway. The soiree was for one of Dane’s favorite charities so he would be there with an open checkbook while encouraging all his other wealthy friends to do the same.
“And I am now eating those words. I just hate seeing any of my family, that’s all. But I doubt they’ll come this year. I heard someone say they were spending some time in the Mediterranean.”
Dane could only hope they stayed there for awhile. The less he saw of his family the better.
“So that’s our plan,” Lily stated, standing and moving toward the door of his home office. “We throw Holt and Myra together and see what happens. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for them.”
So was Dane. Otherwise Holt was going to turn into a lonely hermit of a man and he was too good of a person to let that happen.
Chapter Three
‡
“Mommy, when are we going home?” Amelia asked as Myra walked hand in hand with her daughter down the stairs of Holt Winslow’s house. They’d unpacked in the lovely suite of rooms Myra had been given and were now going to explore the house and grounds. Everything was almost too good to be true. First, she’d been offered the job and now she and Amelia were inhabiting a wing of the large mansion that was as big as the condo they’d lived in previously. Amelia even had her own room and Holt had assured Myra that she could decorate any way she liked.
In addition to a crap ton of toys Myra had brought Amelia’s princess sheets and comforter, hoping it would help her daughter settle in more easily. At almost four years old Amelia was a smart and inquisitive child. Too smart. A child as intelligent as Myra’s daughter made being a parent easy and difficult all at the same time. Myra wouldn’t have Amelia any other way. She was the one ray of sunshine in an otherwise gray future. There wasn’t anything Myra wouldn’t do to make sure Amelia was happy and healthy.
“This is our new home, Amelia.” At least that’s what Myra hoped it would become over time. “Mommy has a new job here with Mr. Winslow. Aunt Lily said this house has a swimming pool just like her house. You can learn to swim. Wouldn’t you like that?”
“Daddy said he was going to teach me to swim. When will Daddy be here?”
Myra didn’t know how to answer her daughter’s question.
But there was no way she was going to tell Amelia that her father didn’t want her anymore or that he had clearly moved on with his life. Bobby had cleaned out their joint checking and savings accounts and then sent Myra a “so long” text. He had little concern for Amelia’s welfare or anyone else’s beside himself. Somehow she would protect her daughter from that nasty bit of information. After all, this was about Myra’s choice of men.
The fact was she had lousy taste when it came to the male sex.
“Daddy won’t be here at this house, but maybe you can send him an email later on.”
Not that Bobby would answer that email, which would leave Myra in an even more awkward position with her daughter. As usual he had left Myra holding the bag. She didn’t want to speak ill of Amelia’s father but right now she was hard-pressed to say anything nice. It was best if she said nothing at all unless forced.
“I want to send him a picture. Will you take a picture of me and send it to Daddy?”
Myra patted her daughter’s back more to soothe herself than Amelia. “Of course I will. We’ll do it tonight before bed.”
Her daughter nodded, infinitely more interested in the new scenery now than pictures and emails. Amelia was usually a well-behaved child but being intelligent she asked a lot of questions.
“Why do you have to work here? What about all my friends?”
Because getting a job with flexible hours and decent pay in this economy is almost impossible, Myra wanted to say but didn’t. She’d been expecting the plaintive wail in her daughter’s voice eventually but she’d hoped it wouldn’t be this soon.
“This job will give us time together and they even provide a place to live. We can maybe see your friends on the weekends, but you’ll make new friends. Lily said there’s a great preschool about a half hour away. You’ll start there tomorrow morning.”
“Don’t want new friends. They probably won’t know how to have fun.” Amelia stuck out her lower lip and jumped from the last stair to the gleaming floor of the living room. Myra had plenty of experience with her daughter’s moods and Amelia was getting into her stubborn “I want what I want when I want it” mode. Now was not the time for it. Sometimes Myra simply had to pull rank.
“Of course you want new friends,” Myra said briskly as she turned them toward the kitchen. “Everyone wants more friends. You’re going to be fine.”
No matter what I have to do.
“We’ll be having dinner in about an hour,” Fiona said with a big smile when they entered the large, sunny kitchen. “I hope you like baked ziti. If you’re doing some exploring you might want to head down to the stables and see the horses.”
“We do,” Myra assured her. “It’s one of our favorites. And we’d love to see the horses. Does Mr. Winslow ride?”
“Sometimes. Mostly he likes to drive fast and ride around on one of his motorcycles getting muddy and risking his fool neck. He’s something of an adrenaline junkie.”
“What’s an adrenaline junkie?” Amelia piped up.
“It’s someone who really loves doing daring things like climbing mountains and sky diving.” Myra was used to Amelia’s nonstop questions.
Amelia’s brow knitted. “That sounds scary.”
“It is. Don’t do it,” Myra warned, almost faint at the thought of her baby jumping from a plane. She had a healthy respect for heights and luckily Amelia did as well. “Take up a nice safe hobby like the piano.”
“That sounds boring. Jill’s brother builds rockets and sets them off in the backyard.”
Jill’s brother was probably going to spend his adolescent years in reform school but Myra didn’t say it out loud.
“You’re going to have your hands full with that one when she gets a little older. My daughter is in college now but those teen years were something else,” Fiona laughed.
“I’ve got my hands full now,” Myra sighed. “Sometimes I think all my brain cells were transferred to her during childbirth. She’s so smart and sometimes I feel so stupid.”
“You seem to be doing a pretty good job.”
“Thank you, I hope so. Is there anything I can help you with?”
Myra didn’t like feeling at loose ends. Mr. Winslow had told her they would start tomorrow as he had to go into the office today.
“I’m fine,” Fiona assured her, opening cabine
ts and pulling out a few pots and pans. “Enjoy the good weather with your daughter.”
“I will, thank you.”
Myra and Amelia exited the house through the French doors off the kitchen and headed through the backyard to the barn that could be seen in the distance. It was a warm and sunny day, the humidity already high despite the calendar which clearly said it was still only spring. By the time they reached the horse barn Myra’s white cotton shirt was clinging from a layer of perspiration that covered her head to toe.
“Why don’t you pick out the prettiest horse?”
“How will we know their names? We won’t know what to call them. Maybe I should give them names.”
The barn door was wide open and Myra froze when she saw Holt feeding a carrot to one of the horses. He looked gorgeous today in jeans that molded to his long legs and tight butt along with a black T-shirt that didn’t hide his muscular frame. But she did notice that the moment he realized she was in the building he turned slightly so his left side was away from her.
The side with the scars. He probably had no idea that instead of making him look less attractive they only created a rakish, almost dangerous air that was incredibly sexy. Too sexy.
Tongue-tied around her handsome boss, she nervously smoothed a few strands of hair away from her face in an effort to appear calm and cool.
“Good afternoon, ladies. Did you come down to see the horses?”
“We did,” Myra replied, her pulse accelerating at his mere nearness. “We didn’t know you were here. I thought you were at the office today.”
“I was but I’m back. I get more done here where it’s quiet. Would you like to pet the horse?”
Myra didn’t know if he was talking to her or Amelia but her daughter wasn’t the shy type. She dropped Myra’s hand and ran right up to Holt.
“Yes, please. Are these your horses? Can I learn to ride one?”
Groaning inwardly at Amelia’s artless request, Myra hurried across the concrete floor to her daughter’s side. She was far too out of breath when she arrived there and it had little to do with the heat, humidity, or the walk they’d been on. It had everything to do with how yummy he smelled.
Emeralds, Rubies, and Camouflage Page 2
