by Judy Angelo
Meg shook her head. “I’m not sure those tickles were a good idea,” she said, smiling. “Now she’s going to stick to you like glue.”
“I don’t mind,” he said, looking totally unconcerned. “My nephew is only three so I’m used to having a little one around.”
Meg watched as he took Jessie’s hand and led her over to a small table on which were laid out several sheets of paper and colored pencils. He lifted the child onto the seat then stepped back. “There you go. An art studio of your own. Now let me see what you can create.”
It was so weird, watching this mega-powerful business executive, a billionaire no less, catering to the needs of her child. Who would have thought he would be so caring, so thoughtful as to go out of his way to make Jessie feel comfortable? This was the total opposite of how she’d seen him.
Could she have been wrong about him? He was nice now but...no, she didn’t think so. He was probably super nice to kids but when it came to women that was a whole other story. But she wouldn’t let that concern her now. She had work to do.
While Jessie drew flowers and turtles and princesses in castles, Meg and Drake tackled the first phase of the project. Through a list of interview questions designed to elicit the key elements of Drake’s story she was able to record the first pages in his journey toward domination of the investment arena. For Meg it was a real eye-opener.
She learned that Drake hadn’t started out poor. He was from a wealthy family with generations of experience in investing and creating wealth. As a child he’d picked up tips and investment strategies right there at the family dinner table. But once he left college and started his own business his fortunes galloped past anything he or his family had ever dreamed of. He’d made a series of smart moves which placed him solidly in the category of billionaire.
After about an hour of it, Meg went over to check on Jessie. “Are you okay, sweetie? Do you need anything?”
Jessie shrugged then shook her head, seeming totally absorbed in her current masterpiece, a drawing of a woman, a little girl and a man. He was tall, and she'd colored his hair yellow. He was holding the woman’s hand. For a moment Meg stared at the picture, almost afraid to ask. But then in the end she didn’t have to.
“This is the daddy I want,” Jessie said in a voice as clear as crystal. If Meg had wanted to be discreet about the drawing those hopes were dashed immediately. Jessie pointed to the stick figure of the man. “Mommy, when are you going to get me a daddy? Can I get one for Christmas?”
Meg’s eyes widened and she had to fight not to slap her hand over Jessie’s mouth. It was a conversation they’d had many times but why here, why now? Oh, Jessie, please. Not when Drake Duncan is hearing every word.
“Uhm, we’ll talk about that another time, Jess. You must be thirsty. Let’s run downstairs and get your lunch kit.” Meg started to bustle the child out of the chair but she pulled away.
“No, I want to finish my picture.” Jessie’s tone was adamant which meant she wasn’t planning on moving any time soon. Not without a fight.
“There’s a cafeteria on the first floor.” Drake’s voice broke into their mini-struggle. He was standing there watching them, the slight curl of his lips making his amusement obvious. “You can get her a juice or a snack. Anything she wants.”
“Oh,” she said, wondering why he was being so helpful. “Thank you. Come on, Jessie.”
“No, Mommy, I want to stay. Can I stay, please?” Jessie turned on her whining voice and screwed up her face as if she was close to tears.
Meg knew that strategy well, one that Jessie used to garner the sympathy of onlookers. The little girl was a master at getting others on her side then they’d gang up on Meg to get her to give in to her daughter’s wishes.
“Why don’t you let her stay? She looks like she really wants to finish her picture.”
Meg stared at Drake. Good heavens. Jessie’s trick had worked on him, too. Defeated, she shook her head and walked to the door. “I’ll be back in a minute,” she said, glancing at her child whose attention was back on her drawing. She looked totally absorbed. Guessing that she wouldn’t be too much of a distraction for Drake, Meg went out the door.
And as she hurried down the hallway she breathed a prayer that while she was gone Jessie would not, under any circumstances, mention a word about her wish for a daddy. As it was, Drake Duncan had already heard too much.
******
As soon as her mother had walked out the door Jessie laid her pencil down and turned guileless blue eyes up at Drake. “Can you help me?”
Drake frowned. Was the child in some kind of trouble? He reached out and pulled up a chair then sat down beside her. “Is something the matter?” he asked gently. “I’ll do my best to help.”
“Can you help me find a daddy by December twenty-four?”
Drake shook his head but, not wanting to scare the child, he tempered it with a smile. “What do you mean, Jessie? Why do you need a daddy by that date?”
“It’s for my mommy,” she said, her little face earnest as she stared up at him. “She never gets flowers for her birthday or for Christmas like my best friend’s mom does and she never, ever, gets roses for Valentine's Day. Sometimes she looks so sad…” Her voice trailed off and her face grew pensive. “I think if we had a daddy at our house like my friends do then she’d be happy.” She turned her eyes back to him. “Can you help me find one?”
“Well, I’m…” He clamped his mouth shut. What the hell could he say to the kid? I’d love to apply for the position but your mom would never have me? He cleared his throat as he tried to buy himself some time. “What’s so special about December twenty-four?”
Jessie gave a tinkling laugh. “It’s Christmas Eve, silly. That’s the last day to tell Santa what presents you want.” She leaned toward Drake then whispered, “I made Mommy think I want a daddy for me but it’s really for her. I want it to be a surprise.”
Drake sat back in his chair and stared at the five year old matchmaker in admiration. Who would have known that such a tiny child would have the gray matter to plan to trick her mother into a relationship?
He shook his head as he contemplated Jessie. She was an observant little tyke, too, to notice her mother's lack of presents on those special days. Poor kid. It must have been hard for her, losing her daddy.
“You miss your dad a lot, I guess,” he said softly, not wanting to upset her with sad memories.
“Unh-unh.” She shook her head vigorously.
Drake cocked his head to one side. “You don’t?”
“I don’t know my daddy,” she said. “I mean, not anymore. I was too little when he died. Mommy said he was hit by a drunk driver.”
Oh, shit. He didn’t say it out loud. What a crappy way to die. The poor guy had probably been on his way home to his family when some idiot put out his lights forever. “I’m sorry to hear-”
“I’m back.” Meg burst into the room, an overly bright smile on her face. “I got your juice.” She walked over and laid a bottle of strawberry kiwi juice blend on the table. “And I got you a big, chewy chocolate chip cookie.” She produced her prize with a flourish and laid it on the table beside the juice.
Jessie seemed unimpressed.
Meg looked at her then at Drake. A frown crinkled her brow. “Is everything okay? She hasn’t been bothering you, has she?”
“Not at all," he said and got up to walk over to the wide windows looking over the city. “We were just getting to know each other, that’s all.”
That brought an even more worried look to Meg’s face. “Know each other?” She looked back at Jessie. “What exactly did she say?” Her face had taken on a pink hue, a definite sign of her uneasiness.
On an impulse Drake decided to seize on an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He and Meg would be seeing each other on a professional basis but this might just be his chance to abandon professionalism for a while. He wanted the opportunity to be with her, speak to her, understand what he’d done that ma
de her resent him so much.
“I can tell you all about it,” he said, “if you’ll agree to have dinner with me.”
“Have din…” She stared at him, wide-eyed, then turned her suspicious gaze on her daughter. “Did you have something to do with this?”
Jessie turned her baby blues up to her mother and shook her head. “Unh-unh.”
“She didn’t,” Drake said with a chuckle. “It was all my idea.”
“See?” Jessie piped up. “I told you.”
Meg looked back at Drake. “I don’t know…” she began.
“Just say yes,” Drake said then he gave her a teasing grin. “Remember, I have information I’m sure you want.”
Meg sucked in her breath then shook her head and exhaled. “You drive a hard bargain, Drake Duncan. All right, I’ll do it, but just this one time.”
One time is all I need. Drake gave a nod of triumph. “That’s settled then. Now leave Jessie to have her snack. We can squeeze in another half hour before I have to head out for my meeting.” Meg nodded and picked up her notepad.
As Drake turned to go back to his desk his eyes caught Jessie’s. She’d just taken a huge bite of her chocolate cookie and she gave him a wide, cookie-crumb smile.
He couldn’t say for sure, but it certainly looked like little Jessie was on his side. Thank God for that. Where Meg Donovan-Gracey was concerned, he needed all the help he could get.
CHAPTER FIVE
The black one, the red one or the gold one? Heavens, the decisions a girl had to make.
It was Saturday night, a whole five days since Drake had asked her out, and she was in a pickle. It wasn’t her dress she was worried about although she still hadn’t made up her mind which one to wear. It was the whole idea of going out with him that was driving her crazy. She’d agreed to go out with a man she’d hated – no, that was too strong a word – held a grudge against for the past ten years and all he’d done was ask her out and she’d given in.
Of course, there had been the issue of the information he’d promised to give her. What in the world had he and Jessie been talking about? She was dying of curiosity. Jessie tended to be a very vocal child and would say anything in front of practically anybody. She shuddered to think of what she’d said to Drake. But, she’d been asking herself for the past five days, was that the only reason she’d accepted his invitation? She sincerely hoped that was it. In her heart, though, she knew better. Her heart, that treacherous part of her, still had a very soft spot for this man she’d adored in her younger, immature days.
But goodness, she was older now and far more experienced. She’d even been married to a man she’d loved and admired. So why did her heart pound at the thought of going out with a man who had hurt her so badly? She gave a deep sigh. Obviously she had learned very little over the years, least of all how to protect her heart.
The babysitter came at six-thirty and at seven o’clock on the dot she heard the doorbell ring.
“I’ll get it,” Jessie yelled and before Meg or Amelia could stop her she was racing down the hallway toward the front door.
Meg grabbed her purse. “You have my cell phone number?”
“As always,” Amelia said with a roll of her eyes.
“Good. I’ll only be a couple of hours, okay.”
“No rush.” Amelia pointed to her bag on the floor. “I have my laptop.”
“And call me in case of emer-”
“Mrs. Gracey, go.” The teenager took her by the arm and turned her toward the door. “I’ve been babysitting Jessie for two years now. I know what I’m doing.”
“Okay, okay. I’m going.”
“Thank you.” Amelia said, laughing at her.
Feeling just a little bit on the nervous side, Meg followed Jessie’s path and there, standing in the doorway stood Drake, heart-stoppingly handsome in dark-gray suit, his shirt open at the collar. Goodness, he was almost Brad Pitt handsome, with his dark blond hair just touching the collar of his shirt.
“Bye, Drake,” Jessie said with a wave of her hand then turned and ran back the way she had come.
“Mr. Duncan to you, missy,” Meg called after her but she’d already disappeared into the den where Amelia was waiting for her.
Now Meg was completely alone with Drake, not dressed in business suit and sensible pumps like she’d been for their two previous meetings but in elegant wear that reminded her that she was a woman. And he was a man. Going out on a date. Not exactly what she wanted to remember right now.
“Shall we go?” Drake gave her a polite nod then waited for her to step past him. His eyes had a special twinkle to them and she could see that he liked what he saw. He didn’t say anything but somehow he didn’t need to. The eyes said it all.
Drake had chosen a restaurant which was only fifteen minutes drive away from Meg’s home, the Phancy Pheasant, one of her favorites. How had he known? It was an elegant place and the food could only be described as exquisite. And it was pricey. Meg’s visits to the restaurant had been rare but she’d enjoyed it immensely each time. After Greg’s death she hadn’t been back at all.
As they entered the lobby the memories, so bittersweet, came rushing back and Meg had to blink rapidly to clear the mist from her eyes.
“Are you all right?” Drake dipped his head to peer down at her.
“I’m…I’m fine,” she said in a choked whisper. Then, determined not to break down in from of him she sniffed, straightened her back and stepped ahead of him toward the hostess who was coming forward to greet them. To Meg’s relief she was able to regain control of her emotions and, just to make sure Drake didn’t bug her with any more questions, she gave him her brightest smile. She was glad when he smiled back and seemed to relax. Danger averted. Thank goodness.
After the appetizer they had a meal of the restaurant’s signature dish, pheasant in wine on wild rice followed by chocolate mint and pistachio ice cream. Meg was dying to start questioning Drake about his conversation with Jessie but, not wanting to be rude, she bided her time, waiting for him to bring up the subject.
It was while they were sipping after-dinner tea that he finally did. Drake gave her a slow smile then he rested his cup on the saucer and leaned back in his chair. “I think I’ve held you in suspense long enough,” he said with a wicked smile. “I’m ready to put you out of your misery if you’ll promise me one thing.”
Meg sat back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest. “Oh, no, you don’t. Don’t you dare tack on anything else. We had an arrangement. I go out to dinner with you and you fill me in on everything you and Jessie talked about. That’s it.”
Drake chuckled. “You’re right. Thought I could squeeze in something else along the way but you caught me.”
Now it was Meg’s turn to give him a wicked smile of her own. “Now start talking. I'm all ears.”
“Okay, Meg. I hope you can handle this.” Drake sat forward, leaning toward her, and rested his arms on the table.
This sounded serious. Meg held her breath.
“Jessie told me about her father and how he died. She also told me about her wish to have a daddy.” Drake’s eyes so intensely gray, searched hers. It was as if he wanted to gauge her reaction. “She tells me she doesn’t really remember her dad but she seems to yearn for what she never had. She wants a complete family, Meg – mommy, daddy and baby.”
Meg stared at Drake, at his brows now furrowed, his face serious. Strangely, he seemed genuinely concerned. “I know, Drake,” she said, her voice almost a whisper, “But, her dad, we lost him...” her voice cracked and she drew in a breath, “...we lost him when she was just a baby. All I can do is show her pictures and videos and let her know how much he loved her.”
Slowly, Drake nodded. “You’re doing the right thing, to tell her all you can about her dad. But she’s asking for more, Meg. She wants a daddy, one who can be here with her."
“But…but…” She was stuttering now. For him to even mention that was useless. “What can I do abou
t that? It’s not like I can just pick one up off the supermarket shelf simply because my daughter wants one. A man is not a toy.”
“True," Drake said, as he tented his fingers and stared across at her. “What if I told you I have the perfect solution to your problem?”
Her brows furrowed and she looked at him with suspicion. “Which is?”
“Marry me and give Jessie the daddy she wants.”
Meg jerked forward, her body spasming in a fit of coughs. She’d half expected a surprise but certainly not anything like this. The man must have gone totally insane. She took the glass he held out to her and took several quick sips of water. “What are you saying?” she finally squeaked.
“I’m saying, I want you to marry me.”
Now he was making her mad. “Drake, we only just met. What’s it been? Three weeks?”
“I’ve known you for over ten years, Meg. I know you well enough to say without any doubt that I want you back in my life.”
“Listen, Drake, you’ve taken this joke far enough.” She picked up her napkin from her lap and dropped it on the table. “Either you drop this line of conversation or you take me home right now.”
“Meg, please.” He held a hand up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just…” he shook his head and heaved a sigh, “...I just hoped I could make things right, get back to the place and time when you willingly gave me your all.”
Now why did he have to go and bring that up? He was digging up memories that were best forgotten. “I was young and stupid,” she said through clenched teeth. “I’m a mature woman now and I know better.”
“But a mature woman who still needs a man in her life.”
Exasperated, Meg slapped her hands down on top of the linen-covered table. She glared at Drake. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Her voice rose to a slightly higher pitch as the anger climbed inside her. "You dumped me after taking my 'all', as you so elegantly put it." She drew in a shaky breath then looked around. Thank God nobody seemed to have heard that. Now she could truly appreciate the table that had been chosen for them – away from the others, secluded and out of earshot. Thank heavens for that.
