Hot Item

by Carly Phillips

Because Sophie and her sisters had been raised by their bachelor uncle, she’d always worried about him getting it right. To his credit—and in no small part thanks to Lola—he had. Partially because they’d known the importance of rules and discipline.

  Sophie had taken it upon herself to learn from her uncle’s way of parenting. Maybe Riley could do the same. “This isn’t about my rules. It’s about children and what they need, and what it means to be a parent.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “And you’d know this because you are one?”

  “Whoa.” She stood and squared her shoulders. “Where’s the hostility coming from?”

  He faced her, the arrogant athlete she’d always seen him as in the past. She couldn’t be more disappointed. Or more hurt. Her throat swelled painfully as she realized she’d let him into her heart only to have him trample on it at the first sign of their differences.

  “It isn’t hostility, it’s fact,” he said, oblivious to her feelings. “You’ll never understand where I’m coming from. You’re a stickler for rules and I’m not. No way am I going to inflict that kind of control on my daughter.”

  He was talking about Lizzie but he was condemning Sophie, too, and with each word his emotional walls rose higher. He wanted to block her out and he’d succeeded. She couldn’t find the words for a cutting comeback nor did she want to try. Riley had been scarred by his childhood and was so obviously overcompensating with his daughter, it was downright scary.

  “I’m in her life and she’s going to grow up appreciating that fact, not resenting me or wishing I was gone.”

  Sophie looked into his cold eyes. “So you’ll buy her instead. Well, good for you. Maybe one day you’ll grow up and realize she’s better off with a real parent rather than an overindulgent one with poor judgment.”

  He scowled and started for the door. “I’m going to pack,” he muttered, and walked out without looking back.

  South Street Seaport at night. Sophie shivered and hoped Riley wasn’t seriously considering letting his thirteen-year-old daughter go there. Then again, he had one valid point. Now that he’d decided she didn’t understand him, it wasn’t any of her business.

  Unfortunately, there was no telling herself she didn’t care. Sophie headed for the shower he’d just vacated and inhaled the scent of soap he’d left behind. Her heart pounded in her chest, disappointment in both Riley and how their relationship had turned out filling her.

  She’d been stupid enough to invest more than her body in this short relationship even though she’d known from the beginning how it would end. Too bad she hadn’t trusted her instincts and steered clear.

  Because although she’d expected a parting of ways when they returned home, she hadn’t expected him to turn on her before they even left South Florida.

  CINDY REPLAYED the voice mail telling her Sophie would be home later today. Hallelujah. She loved being a publicist, dealing with people and nabbing PR coups, but she hated running the place on her own. Though Spencer had returned, he was too busy handling damage control with his own clients to worry about the mundane things like bill keeping and doling out new assignments to the other publicists. She appreciated Sophie’s faith in her, but she was more than ready to return to the role of employee.

  Especially since they’d just experienced a major computer crash in the office. The techs didn’t know what had caused the problem. They’d mentioned the possibility of a virus attacking the system, but until they’d worked on it some more, they couldn’t be sure.

  Her cell phone rang and she pulled it out of her purse, answering on the first ring. A pathetic occurrence that happened way too often since she’d shared drinks with Miguel Cambias the other evening.

  She looked at the incoming number on the phone. As if on cue, her stomach performed an excited flip. “Hello?”

  “Good morning,” he said in that sexy tone.

  “Hi,” she said, feeling like a tongue-tied teenager.

  “I’ve been e-mailing you all morning. Are you avoiding me?” he asked in a confident voice that insinuated she’d never do such a thing.

  He was right.

  “Not avoiding you. Just unable to reply. Our server is down,” she explained, thrilled by the notion that he’d been trying to reach her.

  “Aah, that explains things,” he said in an understanding tone. “I was hoping I could steal you away for lunch.”

  She wanted to say yes, but she and Sophie would have to play catch-up for most of the afternoon. “Not today, unfortunately. How about tomorrow?”

  “You drive a hard bargain, Cynthia.”

  She loved the sound of her full name coming from his lips. “I think you’ll find me worth the wait,” she said, laughing.

  “Of that I have no doubt. Lunch tomorrow it is. I’ll be in touch.” He disconnected the line, leaving a humming feeling dancing through her veins.

  She enjoyed his company and not just because the man knew how to treat a lady, from insisting he pick her up at work, to opening doors, to pulling out her chair before she sat. He listened intently to details about her life and asked questions as if he were truly interested in both her family life and her job, unlike many men who only wanted to talk about themselves. Miguel was solicitous and sexy and when he’d walked her to her door, he’d done nothing more than kiss her cheek. His aftershave had lingered in her memory long after he’d gone.

  She couldn’t recall the last time she’d been wined and dined and romanced like that. In addition, he’d sent her fresh flowers as a thank-you and e-mailed her just to say hello.

  How could she not be interested in the man? Yet how could she not feel guilty when her boss didn’t know about Cindy’s growing relationship with their competitor?

  She consoled herself with the fact that Sophie would be back this afternoon and she’d fill her in then. In the meantime, she’d enjoy the excitement of knowing she was finally on the right track in a relationship and enjoying every minute.

  DESPITE THE TYPICAL craziness of Kennedy Airport, Sophie still heard her cell ring. A few seconds later, she was no longer worrying about the chill between herself and Riley because her business was a mess.

  She shut her phone, slid it into her purse and turned to her companion, who’d been as silent as she for the duration of the flight. Her only consolation had been that he’d been too preoccupied to flirt with the flight attendants.

  Despite the sudden urgency to get to the office, Sophie still couldn’t help but drink in what was probably her last look at Riley for a while. Every inch the rebel with the collar of his jean jacket raised and his eyes hidden by sunglasses, she’d never felt more distance between them. It was hard to believe she’d slept with him. Made love with him. Let him begin to get into her heart.

  She glanced at the moving carousel, which had begun to circulate luggage from the flight. “As soon as my bag shows up, I’m out of here.”

  “Work calls?” he asked.

  Was that sarcasm she heard in his voice? “The computers crashed. The tech people are trying to get things back online, but right now it’s a nightmare.” Some sort of computer virus had completely disabled their system. Checks couldn’t be printed or signed and neither could contracts. Internet access was nonexistent.

  Just then her bag came into view. Recognizing it, he swung it off the conveyor belt for her.

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  Silence hung between them. Uncomfortable and not wanting to prolong things, she pulled the handle on her bag so she could wheel it to the taxi line.

  “Good luck at the office,” he said.

  She swallowed hard. “Good luck with your daughter.”

  “No luck needed,” he said flippantly.

  Too flippantly, Sophie thought. Could he find this parting as awkward as she did?

  She wondered if he’d been at all affected by their time together or if she was just another fling. She’d never know, Sophie thought sadly. She could hazard a guess though, and the answer
was as painful as the lump in her throat.

  “RILEY NASH, you are a first-class jerk,” his ex-wife muttered.

  It wasn’t anything he hadn’t thought about himself since leaving Florida, but Lisa’s reasons for calling him the name were way different than his own.

  “It’s not like I brought her back a huge gift. It was just a stuffed animal from the airport.” The gift wasn’t behind Lisa’s anger—that much Riley knew. He just wanted to buy himself time before dealing with the real issue between them.

  Riley leaned back in his chair in the small restaurant his ex had chosen as a neutral meeting ground. Though he steeled himself for an argument, he remained outwardly relaxed and in control, leaving the hysteria for Lisa.

  “You cannot be that stupid,” Lisa muttered. “You know that’s not what I’m upset about.”

  “I think we can refrain from name-calling,” Ted, the ever rational one said, patting Lisa’s hand to calm her down.

  Riley had to refrain from gagging at the other man’s patronizing, too fatherly manner. “All I did was let my daughter sleep over,” he said to her for at least the dozenth time.

  “And you let her go to the Seaport with friends after I said no!”

  He couldn’t deny part of her statement, but there had been extenuating circumstances. Like it or not, he’d come to the conclusion that Sophie’s words made sense. Lizzie needed a father not a friend. Still he hadn’t wanted to deprive her, nor had he wanted her to end up resenting him the way he resented Spencer.

  He couldn’t stop thinking of Sophie for many reasons, not the least of which was how he’d treated her their last day in Florida. She deserved so much better. But from the moment he’d realized he cared enough about Sophie to want her to understand his motivations regarding his daughter, he’d been scared by the implications. Scared that he’d come to care for Sophie Jordan as much more than a one-night stand. The minute she’d hit on his weak spot—his relationship with his daughter—his defense mechanisms had kicked in and he’d latched on to the first excuse to push her away.

  That he regretted his actions was an understatement.

  “Riley,” Lisa said through clenched teeth. “Let me know if we’re boring you.”

  He refocused at once. “I let Lizzie go to the Seaport, yes, but I was there the entire time. Which I’ve been trying to tell you, but either you hung up on me or screamed so I couldn’t get a word in edgewise.”

  Yet another reason their marriage had failed. Too much screaming and not enough communication skills. Skills that Sophie certainly didn’t lack, Riley thought, surprising himself with his train of thought.

  “Well. That changes things,” Ted said.

  Lisa shot her husband a scathing glare. “It certainly does not.” She leaned closer to Riley. “Did she know you were there, watching her?”

  He shook his head. “Of course not. She’d have been good and pissed, and—”

  “You’d have been the bad guy. Instead, you allowed her to think she was defying me, making you her hero and me the bad parent. Again.”

  He winced at her description. “I didn’t do it deliberately. I didn’t think—”

  “That’s just it! You didn’t think. You never do.” Lisa clenched her fists and pounded on the table. “As long as your needs are met, as long as you look good to Lizzie or the press, all’s well in Riley’s world. To hell with the rest of us.” Tears of frustration sparkled in her eyes.

  Riley had seen those tears many times before. During their marriage they had argued over many issues, although since the divorce, the only one they ever had to agree on was Lizzie. And until his daughter had hit adolescence, their differing parenting styles hadn’t caused real conflict. Riley suffered a pang of remorse that it did so now.

  “This can’t continue,” Lisa said, squaring her shoulders defiantly. “It isn’t fair to me and it isn’t fair to Lizzie, allowing her to think she can circumvent authority by going to her daddy.”

  “The reason we wanted to get together today was so we could agree on some ground rules.” Ted inserted himself in the middle of their war of words.

  Riley forcibly bit back a nasty retort. Knowing that his reaction to the word rules had set him on the wrong path with Sophie, he gritted his teeth and merely nodded. He knew one thing for sure. They all had Lizzie’s best interest at heart and they had to get along in order to share custody.

  “So what did you have in mind?” he asked, wary but willing to listen.

  “A simple thing called joint parenting. In other words, if I tell Lizzie something, you back me up in front of her.” Before he could argue, she held up one hand. “And if you tell her something, I’ll back you up. In private, we can disagree but we present a united front to her. And if we change our minds, we do it together. No divide and conquer. Not anymore.”

  “Why do I sense an or else coming?”

  Lisa sighed. “Or else I’m going to have to sue for full custody.”

  “The hell you will!” Riley rose quickly, knocking over his chair in the process.

  The other customers in the small restaurant stared openmouthed, but he didn’t care. “You will not take my daughter from me.”

  Ted tossed his napkin on the table and stood. “That isn’t going to happen. Lisa spoke without thinking. Nobody’s going to do anything rash. We…” He gestured to the three of them. “We are going to find a way to co-parent through the rocky adolescent years. And we’re going to do it like a family. Elizabeth’s family.”

  Riley met Lisa’s gaze and nodded in agreement. For the first time, he actually agreed with the stuffed-shirt accountant. He’d better, if he didn’t want to find himself in court fighting for custody of the person he loved most.

  CHAPTER NINE

  SOPHIE RUBBED her eyes, exhaustion nearly overwhelming her. Although the tech guys had gotten the computer system up and running within twenty-four hours of the crash, the damage had been done. Despite the firewall, a nasty virus had infected the system via e-mail and Athletes Only’s form contract, one carefully negotiated and containing a confidentiality clause, had been distributed to everyone in the main computer’s database of e-mails. A.O.’s contract was no longer confidential and a week after the story about Spencer’s sexual orientation had broken, everyone had something else on their minds.

  A knock sounded and she glanced at her office door. “Come in.”

  Her sister Annabelle strode in and shut the door behind her. “How long were you going to wait before calling in reinforcements?”

  “Where’s my nephew?” Sophie asked, ignoring work for the most important thing: family.

  “He’s home with his grandparents. It’s way past time I came back to work. As much as I love him, I’m losing my mind,” Annabelle said.

  Sophie rose, came around the desk and pulled her sister into a huge hug, then stepped back to check out the changes since she’d seen her last. Her always curvy sibling was even more so post-pregnancy. “Motherhood agrees with you. You look gorgeous. And I am so glad you’re here.”

  “Believe me, I’m thrilled to be here. Now fill me in on the computer crash.” Annabelle pulled up a chair and settled in. “I thought our system was secure.”

  Sophie seated herself on the corner of her desk. “Apparently nothing’s foolproof. This was a form of the Klez virus that comes in an e-mail attachment. Once a computer is infected, the virus automatically sends out copies of itself when the machine is connected to the Internet. And it’s usually without the user’s knowledge.”

  “Somebody’s been researching again,” Annabelle said, teasing Sophie.

  She shrugged. “How else could I understand what’s going on around here?”

  “And try to control it?” Annabelle squeezed Sophie’s shoulder.

  “It’s not like anything else around here is falling into place,” she muttered.

  “We’ll fix things. How close is Spencer to signing Cashman?”

  Sophie rolled her eyes upward. “Your guess is as
good as mine. His father has this good-old-boy Southern attitude. He expects Spencer to take him at his word that he’s a client of Athletes Only. He says he operates on trust and Spencer should, too.”

  “A little Jerry Maguire thing going on?” Annabelle asked.

  “That’s what has Spence nervous. Add the computer crash, plus Cambias sniffing around courting Cindy—”

  Annabelle’s eyes opened wide. “He’s what?”

  Sophie shook her head. “There’s no other word for it. He sends her flowers, shows up to take her to lunch, that kind of thing.”

  “Do you think he’s really interested in her?”

  “I hope so, because she’s falling hard and fast. He’d better not want access to anything business related,” Sophie muttered.

  Without warning, Frannie came storming through the door. “You have to see this. Come to the conference room quick.”

  Sophie shot Annabelle a worried glance and together they followed Frannie out the door, down the long hall and into the conference room, where they had a fifty-inch LCD screen. To her surprise, there was a clip of Tom Arnold, special correspondent for Fox’s irreverent Best Damn Sports Show Period, talking to Uncle Yank at an airport.

  “Where is that?” Annabelle asked.

  “Kennedy,” Frannie said.

  “I didn’t know he was coming back early from his cruise.” Sophie eased herself into an oversize chair, knowing that whatever happened next, she wouldn’t like it.

  “Nobody knew.” Frannie clicked a few buttons and soon they were watching the beginning of the interview.

  “Good flight, big guy?” Tom Arnold asked.

  “The best,” Uncle Yank said in a voice as loud as his Hawaiian shirt and baggy Bermuda shorts.

  “So what’s so important that we came out here to meet you instead of waiting until you could come on the show? Because I know Chris and John were looking forward to talking to you next week.”

  “They were?” Sophie and Annabelle asked in unison.

  Yank chuckled and slung an arm over Tom Arnold’s shoulder as if they were old buddies. Which they were, but that wasn’t the point. Uncle Yank had a gleam in his eye and Sophie leaned forward in her chair.