by Tia Siren
“Will you please take that woman home or tell her to get lost?” I grumbled. “She keeps looking over here like she wants to eat you alive. It’s kind of creeping me out,” I muttered under my breath.
Landon turned to look back at the woman he had been flirting with earlier. He was smiling when he turned back to me. “Are you good? Can I trust you’ll make it out of here in one piece? There are a lot of hungry ladies out there wanting a little piece of Tyler Case. Is your security around?”
Rolling my eyes, I replied. “No, they’re not around.” My voice sounded irritated even to myself.
I had security all over my house and occasionally had them with me. I hadn’t realized how intrusive people could be once they thought they knew you because your face was on the cover of a few magazines or you gave a few speeches. I had worked hard to keep a low profile ever since a minor scare in the early years of my wealth. I had been mugged simply for looking rich and being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I had been arrogant and cocky back then.
I was still a little arrogant and probably a little cocky, but I had humbled myself and toned down the blatant expressions of wealth.
“I’m going to take off. I’ll catch up with you Monday,” Landon said, throwing down a hundred-dollar bill for his two drinks before heading over to the woman devouring him with her eyes.
The waitress came by and quickly picked up her generous tip. She had been waiting on us for months and we had come to be on somewhat familiar terms with her. She never tried to flirt and was always kind. Landon had a reputation for paying for a single drink with a hundred. Everyone thought he was being generous. It was more due to the fact that he only carried hundred-dollar bills and hated waiting around for the change.
“Can I get you another?” the waitress asked, looking at my nearly empty drink.
I looked down at my glass and shrugged. “Sure. Thank you.”
She smiled and headed off to fetch another bourbon that I wasn’t interested in drinking. I watched the room, looking for a woman who would help fill the hole my mystery lady had left.
The waitress returned with my drink. “The woman in the red dress bought this for you,” she said, nodding her head. “I told her you would refuse, but she insisted.”
I looked up, saw the woman staring me down, and gave her a quick nod of my head. “You’re right,” I told the waitress, quickly checking her nametag, “Kendra. I’m going to go. I appreciate you taking such good care of us,” I told her with a genuine smile.
“Anytime, Mr. Case.” She smiled. “I’ll just take this back over there.”
I nodded my head, stood, and walked out of the bar. I had to find that woman. I wasn’t sure I would ever truly feel whole if I didn’t. Maybe I’d find her and realize it wasn’t what I thought it was. Then, at least, I could move on with my life.
“The car’s over here, sir,” my driver, Alex, said, grabbing my attention.
“How’s the wife?” I asked him.
He smiled. “She’s cranky as hell,” he said, his happiness obvious. “She’s got another six weeks to go, but she says she’s ready to have the baby now.”
I laughed. “I would suggest you keep her happy with ice cream and whatever else she demands.”
Alex bobbed his head as he opened the back door of the black town car. “I do. Trust me, I do. I’m stopping at the store before I go home tonight and getting another gallon.”
I climbed in the car, thinking about Alex and what he had. I made sure the man was paid well. He was loyal and had been with me for nearly ten years. I considered him a friend. I had been in the man’s wedding and gotten to sit back and watch from the sidelines as his life changed and evolved for the better. I was a little jealous of him.
Chapter Two
Emily
I unlocked the door to my two-bedroom apartment, kicking it open with my foot while juggling the bag of groceries and my purse in one hand and holding on to Tommy’s little hand with the other.
Tommy dropped my hand and walked inside our tiny home with tired old furnishings made even gloomier by the single window in the living room. I hated the apartment, but it was all I could afford, and the neighborhood was relatively safe.
“Can I, Mom?” Tommy asked again.
I sighed. “Buddy, I’m not sure yet. I know you think daycare is boring, but you are learning some new things,” I said.
“No, I’m not,” he whined, flopping down on our ugly brown sofa.
“You’re three. You don’t need to learn everything today,” I said dryly.
My son was smart. Too smart. His pediatrician had told me early on he was an advanced learner and I would need to keep him busy. I had tried. I had bought books at the secondhand store for him to fill his little mind with, but they were old. He wanted more. I wanted to give him more, but I also had to work to keep a roof over our heads. Waitressing didn’t exactly pull in the big bucks.
“I’m so bored!” he wailed.
I rolled my eyes. I had heard the same phrase every day, several times a day, for weeks. The kid was three, but he talked as if he were at least twice that.
“Okay. Tomorrow after work, I’ll buy you some workbooks,” I promised him.
He popped his head over the couch. “You will?”
“Yes. Now go pick up those toys in your room while I make dinner.”
I unpacked the few things I had picked up to make spaghetti for dinner. I hated that Tommy was bored. One of the well-meaning daycare workers had told me about a preschool for gifted kids. She was convinced it would be perfect for Tommy next year. The only problem was, it cost a small fortune and it was on the other side of the city. The commute through the San Francisco streets would take at least an hour. I had thought about it a great deal. I wanted him to have the chance to learn with the brightest in the city, but that came at a high price. They did offer scholarships to a select few. I was embarrassed to try. If I could figure out how to get him there five days a week and get back to the other side of town to work, I would swallow my pride and apply.
“Mom!” Tommy shouted from his room.
“What?” I hollered back.
“Where’s my dog book?”
I sighed. The kid was always misplacing that book. He loved the book. It was about a dog that went on some grand adventure. He couldn’t read the words yet, but he knew the story well enough that he liked to think he could.
“Look by your bed,” I told him, knowing he had probably gotten out of bed last night and looked at it after I’d put him down for the night.
Four years ago, I never would have imagined my days would be filled with finding things for a small human. Socks, favorite toys, shoes, and pajamas seemed to magically disappear, and only a mother with mother powers could find the things. I smiled while thinking about my absent-minded son and wondered if it was a trait he had inherited from his father. If I knew his father’s name, I could ask for a little child support and possibly afford that preschool.
“Mom, can you read me the book?” Tommy asked, plopping the hardcover book on the minimal amount of counter space I had in the kitchen.
“Not right now. I need to finish dinner. After dinner, we can read it,” I said.
He sighed and watched me for a few more minutes. “How about a couple pages,” he said, pushing the book toward me and knocking over the full open jar of spaghetti sauce.
“Tommy!” I shrieked, quickly righting the jar. “I said after dinner! Now look. You’ve got sauce all over the counter and your book,” I said with frustration.
I grabbed the book and quickly wiped it off before smacking it down on the small table in the kitchen. We weren’t so lucky to have a dining room.
Tommy started crying and walked out of the kitchen, heading for his room. I wiped up the spilled sauce, trying to calm my anger. I had overreacted. It was only a couple tablespoons of sauce. It wasn’t a big deal.
“Dammit,” I muttered.
Being a single mom was hard. I’d never exp
ected it to be easy, but some days, even the simplest things were so much harder, like making a cheap and easy spaghetti dinner. Most days, I felt like I was on the verge of tears, like now. I could feel the tears welling and was pissed at myself for wanting to cry. There were millions of single mothers. I wasn’t the only one dealing with the struggle.
A knock on the door pulled me out of my pity party. I already knew who it was.
I wiped the tears, took a deep breath, and put on my best cheery smile. “Hi!” I greeted Sarah.
“Uh oh, what happened?” she said the moment she saw my face.
My shoulders slumped forward, and I gave up my ruse. “Just another happy day in the Preston house,” I mumbled.
Tommy came running out of his room. “Aunt Sarah!” he squealed.
“Hey, squirt. How are you?”
“I’m okay.” He sneaked a looked at me. “Mom’s mad.”
“She is?” Sarah asked with exaggerated astonishment.
Tommy slowly nodded his head.
“I’m not mad,” I said. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. Now go wash up. Dinner will be done in a couple minutes.”
Tommy ran toward the bathroom.
Sarah looked at me. “Long day?”
I shrugged. “They all are. It was nothing. He wanted me to read him the book, and when he pushed it onto the counter, he spilled the spaghetti sauce.”
She nodded her head. “You’ll be happy to know I brought wine,” she said with a smile, pulling a bottle out of her monstrous purse.
“Oh God above, you are really my best friend now.”
She giggled. “I know. Now, let’s get you a glass ASAP.”
She poured a couple glasses while I finished dinner. Tommy sat at the table, his feet swaying back and forth with his chin resting in his hands. I watched him and felt so much love for him, my heart nearly burst. He had my green eyes and brown hair that could have been mine or his dad’s, but the shape of his face and those eyes with dark lashes were all his daddy. I had a feeling the brains came from his father as well. I was more of an artsy person, not so much book smart. I loathed math.
“Dinner’s ready,” I announced, setting the bowl of spaghetti and meatballs on the table.
I dished up Tommy’s plate before getting my own. Tommy carried the conversation throughout dinner, telling Sarah all about the books he was learning to read and my promise to get him workbooks the following day. She listened intently, smiling and praising him.
“It’s time for you to get in the tub,” I told him, earning a groan.
He may have been a little baby genius, but he was still a typical boy in many ways and dreaded baths.
I returned to the living room after getting him bathed and dressed in pajamas. He was playing a bit before bed, which gave me time to chat with Sarah.
“So, why were you short with him today?” she asked. “And don’t tell me nothing, because I can see you’re stressed about something.”
I sighed before taking a long drink from my wine glass. “Leo came by the restaurant today.”
Sarah groaned. “Let me guess: He’s single and wants to work things out with you.”
I laughed. “Yep. I hate when he gets dumped. He won’t leave me alone. I can’t believe, after all these years, he actually thinks I would want anything to do with him. His beer belly has grown exponentially. He is still bouncing from job to job.”
“And?” she gently prodded.
“And what?”
“Something else has you worked up.”
I shook my head. “I really want to get Tommy into that school. It would be so good for him. I think I have to accept the fact that I’m never going to find his father. I’m on my own.”
“Don’t give up yet,” she said with a smile. “You always find what you’re looking for when you stop looking. He’ll show up one of these days.”
I groaned. “When Tommy’s eighteen probably.”
“What about a scholarship?”
I nodded. “I know, and I will apply, but I still need to figure out the logistics. I dread the part about his father’s information. Gee, I don’t know who he is. I mean I know who he is, but I don’t know his name or where he lives in the world,” I said sarcastically.
Sarah laughed. “Just say he died. Leave it at that.”
“Who died?” Tommy asked, coming into the room.
“No one!” I said, my eyes widening at Sarah.
She shrugged her shoulders as if to say she hadn’t known he was there.
“Look! I can read this book.” He held up one of the chapter books I had bought for him at the thrift store.
“You can?” Sarah asked, amazement on her face. “Let me see.”
Tommy wiggled between the two of us on the couch, opened the book, and began to read. Sarah looked at me as if she were witnessing the making of the earth. I was so proud of my son. I had to do something to feed his growth. If it meant I slept four hours a night to get him across town and back, I would do it. Tommy deserved the best, and I would do everything in my power to make it happen.
“Good night,” I said, giving him a kiss before sending him off to bed.
When he was out of the room, Sarah shook her head. “That kid. Holy cow, he is like next level. I think he is one of those prodigy kids or something.”
I laughed. “I don’t know about that, but he is definitely smart. Too smart for his own good sometimes.”
“You better stay on his good side. That kid is going to invent something that changes the world. He’s going to be buying you a new house if you stay in his good graces,” she teased. “Hell, for that matter, I better make sure Aunty Sarah is on his good side as well.”
We both laughed. “I’ve got to get him into that school,” I said aloud.
She nodded. “I’ll help you. I can pick him up on my days off. We’ll make this work.”
I looked at her and smiled. “Aw, that’s really sweet. Thank you for being such a good friend. There’s no way I could have done any of this without you.”
“Well, I may not be your baby daddy, but I can be the really awesome godmother who doubles as a second mommy when required,” she said.
“Thank you. I’ll call the school on Monday and ask them to send me the scholarship information.”
“Good. And don’t give up on the mystery man. He’s out there somewhere. We’ll find him,” she said with all the confidence in the world.
I wished I had a fraction of her confidence.
Chapter Three
Tyler
Normally, I was the guy who kicked ass and took names at work. I was a multitasker with endless energy. I could juggle several calls at once while making trades from my computer. Normally, that was how I was. Today, not so much. Today, I was struggling to remember the name of the man sitting across from my desk. Robert, Rupert, Richard—hell, I didn’t know.
I nodded my head, pretending to give a shit about the report he was reading to me. I didn’t. I mean, I did, and I knew I should, but I just couldn’t find the strength to care. My focus was elsewhere. It was on her. My quest to find her had suddenly become an obsession.
“Do you have any questions?” the guy asked.
“No. This is all great information. Can you leave a copy with me and I’ll go over it in detail and get back to you later?”
“Of course, Mr. Case. I look forward to hearing from you. All my information is in the packet,” he said, setting a small packet on my desk.
I nodded my head, stood, shook his hand, and watched him leave before flopping back into my fancy ergonomic chair. I let out a long sigh, bored as hell and wanting to be anywhere but where I was. I spun my chair around and stared out the wall of windows of my fifteenth-floor office suite. I could see the bay and thought about skipping work and taking my boat out.
“Mr. Case.” My assistant’s voice filled the room.
I groaned. I didn’t want to be an adult today. I wanted to go play. No, scratch that. I wanted to go find my mystery
woman.
“Yes, April,” I replied instead.
“Your eleven o’clock is here,” she announced.
Another meeting with another investor. I loved that people wanted to give my company money, and I should have been far more eager to take it. The luster was missing. The excitement wasn’t there.
“Send them in, please.”
I stood, buttoned my suit jacket, and waited for my next appointment to come in. I managed to get through another boring meeting, the whole time thinking about what I wanted for lunch. I was starving!
“Mr. Case?” The voice echoed in my office again.
“Yes, April?”
“Your noon appointment is going to be a couple minutes late.”
I groaned. I was so hungry. “Fine. I’ll wait.”
I hit the icon for the daily news on my tablet and leaned back in my chair to check out what was happening in the world. An ad popped up, and I nearly dismissed it until an idea popped into my head. I watched the promo for The Bachelor and the idea blossomed.
I was a bachelor in search of a woman to settle down with. I already knew the woman, but if I could get myself a show like that, maybe she would see it and search me out. That was assuming she wanted to find me. God, I hoped she wanted to find me!
“What are you doing?” Landon said, waltzing into my office and startling me.
I shrugged a shoulder, a little embarrassed to tell him what I was thinking.
“Ew, did I catch you looking at porn?” he asked, his lip curled.
I rolled me eyes and held up my tablet.
He looked at me. “Are you hoping to date the guy?”
“No. I’m hoping to be the guy,” I said.
“You want to be the next bachelor?” he asked, his confusion evident.
“Yes! Well, not The Bachelor, but a different version. I don’t want to wait for this one to be over. I want to do it now!”
Landon flopped down on my leather couch, stretched his arms across the back, and nodded his head. “That’s a good idea. Think of the women who will be showing up. You’ll get a free pass to sleep with all of them.”
