When Wishes Collide

by Barbara Freethy

  He drew in a deep breath, reminding himself that he couldn't have more. He couldn't possibly complicate his life with any kind of romantic entanglement. He just wished she wasn't so pretty, so smart and funny, that he didn't like her so much, that she didn't remind him that he wasn't just a father, he was also a man, and he'd been alone a long time.

  Gazing over at her again, he thought about how great she'd been the day before, handling everything he'd thrown at her, his sister's rehearsal dinner, waiting in the alley behind Vincenzo's for the kids, bringing Ben back to her apartment and cooking them both a hearty meal in the middle of the night. She'd given up her bed for a kid. She was a very special person, and he was damn lucky his coin had collided with hers. He wouldn’t be this far without her.

  The way she'd grown up, she could have turned out to be a heartless and cold bitch, but instead she was warm and generous, and full of heart. She had had her life turned upside down not once but several times. Somehow she always found a way to land on her feet. He respected that. And in a strange way, she gave him hope that he'd also find a way to come out on top.

  As he moved his chair upright, she stirred just a little. For a moment, he thought she might wake up, but after a stretch, she curled up with her hands pillowing her face and smiled as she fell into another dream.

  He needed a shower – a cold shower.

  On his way to the bathroom, he checked the bedroom. Ben was still sacked out on the bed.

  He took a quick shower, focusing his thoughts on the day ahead. He had new leads to follow up on, and he was ready to get started.

  After throwing his clothes on, he moved quietly through the living room and into the kitchen. As he started a pot of coffee, he heard the soft pad of footsteps.

  "I can do that," Adrianna mumbled, her eyes still sleepy, the mark of the pillow cushion on her right cheek.

  He smiled. "You're barely awake."

  "I'm getting there. Is Ben –"

  "Still asleep," he finished.

  "How did you sleep?"

  "Surprisingly well," he said.

  "You already took a shower," she said, as her gaze began to sharpen.

  "I hope you don't mind."

  "Not at all. I think I'll do the same."

  "I'll get the coffee ready."

  As Adrianna left, he opened the fridge and studied the contents. The shelves were very well stocked. It was obvious she'd been doing a lot of cooking the last few days. Since they'd had breakfast a few hours earlier, he opted to heat up some pizza from Vincenzo's. He had just popped a few pieces in the microwave when Ben entered the kitchen.

  The kid gave him a wary look and said, "Where's Adrianna?"

  "Taking a shower," he replied. "Are you hungry?" The microwave beeped and he opened the door, grabbing the plate of pizza. "Want a slice?"

  "You made that?"

  "No, I heated it up. It came from Vincenzo's."

  "Okay, I'll take some," Ben said.

  He handed him the plate and reached inside the fridge again for the pizza box. While he was heating up his slices, he poured Ben a glass of orange juice and passed it over to him.

  "Thanks," Ben mumbled, his cheeks full of pizza.

  "No problem. Take your time. The food isn't going anywhere."

  Ben didn't slow down a bit, and Wyatt couldn't really blame him. It was clear the kid had gone hungry a lot in the past and when faced with food, his first instinct was to eat as quickly as possible.

  "I think we should try and find your mother today," Wyatt added.

  "I thought you were looking for Emily," Ben said.

  "I'm hoping your mother might know where Emily and her mother are, and, of course, your sister, too." He hoped mentioning Ben's sister might keep him more involved in the search. "You must miss her."

  "She's a pain most days," Ben said.

  "Yeah, but what about the other days?"

  "I don't think my mom knows where Sara is – or cares," he added bitterly. "When she gets drunk or high, she forgets she has kids."

  "That's exactly the way my ex-wife was with Stephanie – Emily," he amended. "She just couldn't think about anything or anyone but herself and the way she felt at that moment."

  "She seemed all right when she took Emily and Sara away."

  Wyatt didn't quite know how to feel about that. He wanted Jennifer to be all right, but then again if she was sober and rational, she'd be better at hiding. "Speaking of that," he said, pulling out his wallet. "I should have shown you this last night. Is this the woman who took Emily?" He pulled out Jen's picture and handed it to Ben.

  "Her hair is darker, but I think that's her," Ben said. "She wears sunglasses a lot."

  His gut clenched as he took the photo back from Ben. He'd just received more confirmation that he was getting closer to Stephanie. Drawing in a breath, he warned himself not to skip ahead. One clue at a time. "So, you said your mom's name is Delilah Raymond?" he asked.

  "Adrianna told you?"

  "I overheard," he said, not wanting Ben to think he couldn't trust Adrianna. "I was eavesdropping."

  "Figures."

  "You also said you checked the usual places. I want you to show me those places today."

  "I can't. I have things to do."

  "Like what?" he challenged.

  "Stuff."

  "Well, maybe your stuff can wait a few hours."

  "Why should I help you?"

  "Because you want to see your sister again," he said. From what Adrianna had told him about Ben and the girls, he sensed the boy had a strong protective instinct.

  Before Ben could answer, Adrianna walked into the kitchen wearing jeans and a peach-colored knit tank top. Her brown hair was still damp and pulled back in a ponytail and she didn't have a speck of make-up on her face, but she was still gorgeous.

  Finding his breath caught in his throat once again, he turned away and grabbed his plate out of the microwave.

  "You're eating pizza?" Adrianna asked in amazement. "For breakfast?"

  "It's good in the morning," Wyatt said.

  "I can cook something. I know we had eggs last night, but I could make some oatmeal or French toast or something."

  "This is fine for me," Wyatt said. "And you should talk – you love to eat breakfast at night, why not dinner in the morning?"

  "I suppose it kind of goes with the way my life has turned upside down," she replied. "What about you, Ben? Are you okay with pizza?"

  The kid nodded, his mouth full.

  Well, all right. You two are easy," she said.

  "Want one of my slices?" he asked, holding out his plate.

  "No, thanks. I don't usually eat much in the morning anyway."

  Ben excused himself to go to the bathroom.

  Adrianna sat down at the counter. "Did he say anything?"

  "No more than he told you. We need to find his mother. I'm going to go down to the station and talk to Josh. He handled some cases that involved Ricky's nightclub. He might be able to hook me up with someone that worked there. That seems to be where Jen and Delilah met each other, although I wonder if that's her real name."

  "It does sound like a stripper name," she agreed.

  Ben returned from the bathroom. "Can I get my clothes?"

  "I was just going to wash them," she said. "I'll throw them in right now."

  "Ben," Wyatt said, drawing the kid's attention back to him as Adrianna left to do the laundry. "What's your mom's real name?"

  "I told you."

  "I don't think you did. Delilah was her stripper name. I'm betting she had another one."

  Ben's gaze met his for a long moment. "Rebecca," he said.

  The word jolted his memory. He thought back to what Mandy had told him the night before. "Rebecca Mooney?"

  "That was her name before she got married. How did you know that?"

  "Because I think she went to high school with my ex-wife. Where's your father?" he asked.

  "He died when I was eight. My mom didn't have any money
, so she had to take whatever job she could. She waitressed for a while, then she started stripping. A couple of months ago, she met someone and all of a sudden she started dressing up and going on dates, and we wouldn't see her for a couple of days. When she eventually came home, we would go out to dinner and to the movies. She used to promise that we'd move out of the motel and live in an apartment the way we used to. But she never seemed to make enough."

  Wyatt felt compassion at the sadness in Ben's eyes. It was as if he had two different moms, the one who was good and spoiled him, and the other who was caught up in some other life that didn't include him.

  "Can I watch TV?" Ben asked.

  "Sure. Why don’t you watch in the bedroom?" He wanted to keep Ben as far away from the front door as possible. While Ben had already given him some information, there could be more he could offer.

  Adrianna returned to the apartment just as he was putting on his jacket.

  "You're leaving?" she asked in surprise.

  "Ben told me his mother's real name, Rebecca Mooney. That's the same name Mandy gave me yesterday. Rebecca and Jennifer were friends and apparently still are. I need to run her name through the computer. I also want to see what else I can find on any women that worked at Ricky's. Maybe there was another friend."

  "We don't need more women, we need less," she said dryly.

  "I get the feeling that Rebecca turned her stripping into something else," he said.

  "Like working for an escort service?"

  He met her gaze. "That was my thought. Ben said she started going on a lot of dates and disappearing for days at a time. When she came home, she had money." He paused. "Ben is watching TV in your room. Can you keep him here?"

  "Well, he doesn't have his clothes yet, so I think I can hang on to him for awhile."

  "I'll be back as soon as I can."

  "Call me if you find out anything." She gave him a smile as he headed to the door. "Your eyes are sparkling, Wyatt."

  He stopped next to her. "I feel like we're getting closer, Adrianna. All along there was a small doubt in my head that Emily might not be Stephanie, but if Ben's mother knew Jennifer in high school, then I'm sure it's her. I don't know where she is yet, but I feel a lot more hopeful than I have in a long time."

  "I'm glad."

  He impulsively gave her a hug. "Thank you." Her body molded so perfectly to his, her head reaching just under his chin. "I couldn't have done this without you," he added, feeling a strange reluctance to let her go.

  "Don't thank me yet," she said, her cheeks flushed. "We still need to find your daughter."

  "We will."

  * * *

  Adrianna watched Wyatt walk down the hall. His quick hug a moment earlier had reignited the desire she'd felt the night before. The more time she spent with him, the deeper her attraction grew, because now it wasn't just physical chemistry at play, there was an emotional connection as well. Fortunately, she'd managed to stop herself from giving him a good-bye kiss. Unfortunately, she was still going to have to talk about Wyatt spending the night at her apartment, because Lindsay was coming down the hall.

  "Well, well," Lindsay said, a sharp gleam in her eye. "Guess who just let me into the building?"

  "I don't have to guess. It was Wyatt."

  "So, tell me everything," Lindsay said, as she entered the apartment.

  Adrianna closed the door. "It's not what you think."

  "You keep telling me that, but I'm starting to believe it is exactly what I think. Last night in the alley, you looked like you might have kissed him, and today he's leaving in the morning with wet hair and the same clothes he was wearing last night?"

  "Okay, it looks bad," she admitted.

  "You like him."

  "I don't like him. We're working together."

  "If that's what you want to call it."

  "Look, we found one of the kids. Ben is in the bedroom watching TV."

  Lindsay's eyes widened in surprised. "Seriously? Wow. I admit I did not think that."

  "I told you so."

  "So Ben is staying here now?"

  "Temporarily." She paused. "Do you want some coffee? I really need some."

  "Yeah, you don't look like you got much sleep last night."

  "I slept on the couch," she said, heading into the kitchen.

  Lindsay slid onto the stool by the counter. "And where did the hot cop sleep?"

  "His name is Wyatt."

  "Yeah, well, where did Wyatt sleep?"

  "In the recliner."

  "Really? And there wasn't any –"

  "Lindsay, stop," she said quickly. "I told you it's not like that." She handed her friend a mug of coffee. "Do you want any cream or sugar?"

  "No, black is fine."

  Adrianna poured coffee for herself and took a long, hot sip, then leaned against the counter across from Lindsay. "We think that one of the girls who was with Ben a few months ago is Wyatt's missing daughter. He just left here to follow up on some leads on Ben's mother. It's a long story, but I think we're making progress."

  "That's good."

  Adrianna sighed at the doubt in Lindsay's voice. "Okay, what do you really want to say?"

  Lindsay rested her forearms on the counter as she returned her gaze. "I've been worried about you the last two months. I was afraid you were never going to come out of the funk you sank into after Will's death. I know that Vincenzo's has been like a second home to you, and walking into that restaurant and seeing Will's blood on the ground changed the restaurant from being a safe harbor to being a dangerous, violent place. I wasn't sure that you could get past that."

  "I wasn't sure either."

  "But maybe you can," Lindsay said. "I admit I'm a little concerned that Wyatt is using you, and that you're going to get hurt –"

  "He hasn't made me any promises, Lindsay. I know what's what."

  "You are a smart girl in a lot of things, but not so much when it comes to love."

  "This isn't love."

  "But you like him. You like him like him," she teased.

  "Maybe a little," she conceded.

  "You've changed since you've met him. You're standing taller, and your voice is stronger, and you seem like you again."

  "I still haven't made it inside the restaurant."

  "I think that's coming."

  "I think so, too," she said, smiling back at Lindsay. "Everything you said is true. I wasn't sure I could ever get over what happened, but now I feel like I might be able to move on. But it's not because I'm forgetting Will. I don't want you to think that."

  "Of course you're not forgetting Will. But you don't have to justify feeling better and not being so sad, not to me anyway. Moving forward doesn't mean you forget your past."

  "I don't want to disrespect Will."

  "You couldn't possibly do that."

  "Couldn't I? It's only been a few months. I'm in mourning. That's supposed to be at least a year, right? I shouldn't want another man."

  Lindsay shook her head, giving her a sympathetic look. "There aren't any rules, Adrianna."

  "Will didn't deserve to die."

  "Of course he didn't deserve it. He was a great person. But you're alive. And I don't want you to be afraid to live, to be who you're meant to be. And that's a chef. Even if it's not at Vincenzo's, you need to be somewhere."

  She nodded, moisture filling her eyes at Lindsay's thoughtful words. "You're a good friend, Lindsay. You're the closest thing I've ever had to a sister. And growing up without a family, it means so much to me to have you in my life."

  "Oh, God, now you're going to make me cry," Lindsay said, her eyes watering. She took a sip of her coffee and cleared her throat. "Changing the subject..."

  "As long as it's not to Wyatt," she said.

  Lindsay gave her a pointed look. "Come on. If I'm like your sister, you can tell me the good stuff. Did anything go on last night?"

  She hesitated for a long moment. "We had a kiss – two kisses actually, a few hours apart."

&n
bsp; "Really?'

  "It was a mistake – two mistakes," she amended, feeling a little foolish.

  "Were the kisses good?"

  "Yes," she said, finding it impossible to lie.

  Lindsay nodded and grinned. "I knew I wasn't imagining the sparks between you two. I have a very keen sense when it comes to romance."

  "It's not romance. It's … I don't know what it is."

  "Did you talk about it?"

  "No. I didn't want to. He's searching for his daughter, and I'm getting over Will. It's the worst possible time."

  "That's usually when love shows up," Lindsay said, taking another sip of her coffee.

  "I didn't say anything about love," she said firmly.

  "Well, you never do, so that's not surprising. Is Wyatt a good man?"

  "Yes, I think so," Adrianna replied. "I wasn't sure I could trust him at first, because he's a police officer, and I had some run-ins with the law when I was a kid. But the way he talks about his daughter, and his love and determination to bring her back just amazes me. He's the kind of man who loves with his whole heart and soul. I've never really known anyone like that."

  "That kind of ferocious intensity can be very attractive, especially when it's turned on you."

  "Well, it's not turned on me, not all the way anyway." She paused. "It's true that there's a chemistry between us. I feel it, and I know he feels it, too, but as I said it's the worst possible time, and we both have so much baggage."

  "One thing I know about baggage, it's easier to carry it around when you have some help," Lindsay said, her eyes sparkling.

  She grinned. "That's a good line."

  "Can I ask you a question?"

  "Can I stop you?"

  "Is it the timing that's holding you back? Is it his daughter? Or is it Will?"

  "It's all of the above," Adrianna answered.

  "But you like him."

  "Yes, I admit it," she said, surrendering to the inevitable. "Are you happy now?"

  "Only because I think you might be happy," she said. "So what are you doing today?"

  "I'm going to hang out with Ben and see what Wyatt finds out."

  "Then I will leave you to it. I guess you won't be coming into the restaurant any time soon?"

  "We'll see," she said. "I'm taking it one step at a time."