* * *
Anna argued when Keela suggested it was time for bed. “I want Dr. Daniel to read to me.”
Not what he’d signed up for. The thought of reading to Anna sent a shot of dread through him.
“He’s our guest, sweetie. I’ll read.”
Anna squirmed and fussed. What harm could it do? A helluva lot! But the kid had been on near house arrest since having her traumatizing accident. Being the adult, shouldn’t he put her wants before his need to avoid her? “That’s okay, I’ll read her a story.”
Beaming and suddenly once again Little Miss Cooperation, Anna chose one of her huge collection of Curious George stories, and to make a tough job even more difficult, she rested her head on his arm as he read. Her blatant affection for him, plus the little-girl shampoo scent, set off a rogue wave of sadness. He distractedly massaged his breast bone, unsure if he was trying to rub away the memories or just survive the moment. By the end of George’s adventure, Anna’s eyes had closed and her head nodded forward. So innocent. So vulnerable. He rubbed at that sensation behind his sternum again, then laid her back on the pillow, covered and tucked her in. After tiptoeing to the door, he whispered for Keela to come and say good-night.
The tender look she gave him just before entering her daughter’s room danced circles around that weird feeling in his chest. Which made him tense up, and soon anxiety replaced the warm and fuzzy feeling. This wasn’t his kid and Keela was his employee. What the hell was he doing here?
Later, after he’d replayed his pep talk to no avail, they sat and chatted in her cozy living room, mostly more about work and the various physical problems the jocks had, a safe and boring topic that allowed his mind to wander. Out of the blue he fought the urge to kiss her. He’d sat too close, her shampoo smelled nothing like her daughter’s and the trace of vanilla set off a desire he’d pushed under since holding her in the ER the night of Anna’s accident. The need came out of nowhere but planted temptation deep and strong. Should he? Wouldn’t it mess everything up with their boss-employee situation?
Letting his natural instinct take over by kissing her would only complicate things. And it would open a mystery box of problems. None of which he could think of at the moment, because all he wanted to do was kiss those lips he couldn’t stop watching. He understood the ramifications would be far reaching, and most likely painful. He lifted his eyes, only then realizing she knew where his gaze had settled. He saw the welcoming spark as she looked at him, then quickly away, probably wondering if he’d made up his mind. Well? Was he going to kiss her or not?
“Would you like to share some wine with me? I have a really good pinot noir.”
Her invitation to stick around and let down his guard, though obvious, considerate and very tempting, only made him more tense. This wasn’t a good idea, relaxing, kissing. Remember how Kathryn shredded your heart. Plus it was bad form kissing an employee, bad for business and any future dealings at work. What if he’d misread her invitation and she didn’t want him to kiss her? Every negative thought proved one thing: he wasn’t ready to take this step. So even though it wasn’t yet 9:00 p.m., he came up with a lame excuse to leave.
“That sounds great, but I’ve really been missing in action for Daisy lately, and I promised to walk her tonight when I got home.” It wasn’t a blatant lie—he’d actually thought about it earlier, on the drive over, hoping the dinner would be short and sweet. And merely an obligation. All business. No pleasure. But nothing had turned out the way he’d expected, starting with his dramatic entrance, a fantastic dinner, and ending with reading a bedtime story and the offer of a grown-up beverage from an incredibly attractive woman.
He was probably the biggest fool on the planet, but he glanced at his watch. “It’s already later than I realized.” He saw the flash of disappointment in her brilliant blues—since she’d just offered him some wine and who knew what else?—but he wasn’t ready to find out what kissing her would be like. Not yet. And he knew if he stuck around and drank wine with her, he would kiss her. And that would change everything. “Another time?”
She nodded benevolently, though he sensed her letdown. “I can’t thank you enough for fixing my faucets.”
“Hey, no problem. Anytime you need help, just let me know.” Like that, they shifted back to business mode. Then, like an idiot who evidently still wasn’t ready to move on, he left without even a quick buss of her cheek. Or thanking her again for the great meal, and even better company. So intent on getting out of there fast, he didn’t even hug her good-night.
Damn, he was out of practice.
True to his word, he walked Daisy on the beach as soon as he got home. Then and only then did he try to put everything into perspective. He’d been swept up into the world of Keela and Anna since the accident. Try as he may to resist them, he kept finding reasons to go back. He’d offered to help whenever she needed it, too. Was he acting like a fool or a guy who saw something in a woman he’d like to find out more about?
He’d always have to deal with the pain of losing Emma, and the woman he’d wanted to marry walking away, but maybe it was time to separate that from Keela and Anna. They weren’t responsible for his broken heart in any way. If he got honest with himself and removed the blinders, he might see clearly the great woman in front of him. She was easy on the eyes, loved her daughter and was a good cook and a total pleasure to be around. Did he need to get hit over the head to figure out that was enough?
Keela was a no-drama kind of lady, nothing like Kathryn, and that was the part he liked best. He couldn’t deny how relaxed he’d felt at dinner, and it’d gotten easier to be around Anna. Everything had gone well up until the point of wanting to kiss Keela. Before that, he hadn’t thought or worried about the clinic, until she’d asked, and only then wondering how he could go on holding things together with the registry PT, when the person he needed to help the clinic stay afloat was Keela.
He needed her on so many levels it took the wind out of him, or had Daisy sped up the walk? An anxious pang lodged in Daniel’s chest, the same old anger and hurt that kept dragging him down. He needed to face the fact that he was interested in Keela and deal with it, not run away. Interest didn’t equal love. It was just interest. Hell, he hadn’t even kissed her yet!
The problem was, what if that interest turned into want, or need? He never intended to be in a position of wanting someone more than they wanted him again.
“Daisy, I’m a mess,” he said, beginning a jog to keep up with his dog. She whined and yipped and pulled the leash and him toward the edge of the water.
* * *
The following Friday, Keela still replayed the moment she could have sworn Daniel Delaney wanted to kiss her. She’d been so positive he would that she’d lightly licked her lips in preparation. Then, as if a heavy curtain had dropped between them, he’d backed away. She’d hoped to get him to stick around and relax with some wine; maybe then he’d feel comfortable enough to open up. To kiss her? Heck, after a glass of wine, she might have been the one to initiate that kiss. Who knew? Because he’d ducked out on her, quickly, and she was still trying to figure out what she could have done differently. Maybe she was just the kind of girl men ducked out on. Ron certainly had.
Her phone rang, and after not hearing from Daniel all week, she let her hopes fly. But it was a woman’s voice on the other end of the line.
“Keela, this is Maureen Delaney.”
They shared a couple seconds of niceties as Keela’s hope dwindled but her curiosity rose.
“I’m sorry to call on such short notice, but I just had two hotel guests ask about spa treatments for tomorrow. I’ve lined up the esthetician, but they both said they also wanted a massage. Is there any way you’re available?”
Still going stir-crazy from not working, Keela wanted to leap at this chance to get out of the house and use her old skills, not to mention to earn some extra money. But sh
e had Anna to think about and Mrs. Jenkins had told her she’d be gone all weekend. “If I can find childcare, I should be able to.”
“Oh, right. I know I said I could watch Anna for you when we first spoke about your taking this job, but tomorrow we have a busload of quilters checking in right around the time the other guests made those spa appointments.”
Desperate not to let the new opportunity slip by, Keela thought of Daniel. Hadn’t he said something to the effect about anytime she needed help to call him? He hadn’t appreciated the last-minute childcare duties at work that day, but that was before he and Anna had been through so much together. He didn’t seem to mind reading her a book last Saturday night, either. Wouldn’t Keela be helping his mother and the family business at The Drumcliffe Hotel?
“Let me make a call and get right back to you.”
She hung up the landline and fished out the cell phone from her purse. Her boss was in her top five contacts, for purely business reasons, she rationalized, so she speed-dialed him. “Hi, Daniel, it’s Keela.”
He sounded happy to hear from her, which made her smile and boosted her confidence, so they chatted briefly before she got to the point. “So your mother has asked me to work tomorrow afternoon and I’m desperate for childcare. Mrs. Jenkins left this morning to visit her sister in Pismo Beach, and—”
“If you don’t mind her hanging out at the clinic with me for a while,” he said, breaking into her long-winded explanation, “I can watch her. How long are we talking?”
He’d offered? Wow. “I’ve got two appointments, so at least a couple of hours.” Her head spun with things she’d need to prepare today, like scented candles, body oils and creams. And music! Where had she put her new age and nature sounds CDs? Had she uploaded any into her phone? So busy thinking, she didn’t hear his answer. “What?”
“I said sure. Bring her by the clinic on your way to the hotel.”
There he was, saving the day. Again. “Perfect. Thank you!”
* * *
Late Saturday afternoon, Daniel finished up some paperwork and patient chart entries. Unlike the first time he’d watched Anna in the clinic, this time she sat quietly coloring. Maybe the huge and heavy cast had something to do with it, but he suspected it had more to do with her wanting to be good for him. He’d promised the sooner he got done, the sooner they could go to the beach. Also, unlike the first time in his office, he noticed it was easier to be around her. His theory on developing immunity seemed to be panning out.
“Okay, squirt, I’m done. You still wanna go to the beach?”
She quickly finished with the yellow crayon. “Yes!”
“I suppose you want some ice cream first?”
She clapped.
He shut down the computer, then helped pick up all the discarded coloring book pages, stuffing them into her backpack until she stopped him. “This one’s for you.”
She handed him a picture of a smiling little girl with a bouquet of flowers. Some of it had started out neat and between the lines, but the rest was a wild and furious mess of crayon scribbles. “For me? Thank you. Is that you?” She’d colored the little girl’s hair brown.
“Yes. I’m giving you flowers for watching me so Mommy could work.”
“Hey, that’s nice.” He took the page and pinned it to the corkboard on which he kept important notices and memos. It was definitely getting easier to be around her.
“She has a fever.”
He handed her the crutches after helping her put the backpack on. “The little girl in the picture?”
“No, Mommy.”
“She’s sick?” And working at the hotel?
“She says cabin fever.”
He laughed. “I see.” Keela hadn’t been kidding when she’d said she wanted to come back to work. Well, his schedule showed she was due back on Monday, and though he’d given the substitute PT notice, he’d decided to have them overlap for her first week back. Business at the clinic had really picked up and it’d been several weeks since Keela had worked. The extra hands could only be a good thing until she got back into the swing of their routine.
Daniel grabbed his cell phone and texted Keela. Heading to the beach by the hotel. Meet us when you can.
“Let’s get that ice cream now.”
* * *
Keela finished her back-to-back massages on a high, even though her muscles ached. She’d forgotten how much she enjoyed helping people relax, smoothing away the tightness in their muscles. Not to mention the side benefits of enjoying the aroma therapy and peaceful music. She’d also forgotten how much upper body strength the job required, using not just her hands but her forearms and elbows, too. Both clients had also tipped her generously, on top of the check Maureen had just cut for her.
Being inside the hotel reminded her of when she’d first stayed there six years ago. Quaint, clean, quiet. Spacious enough rooms, though slightly outdated... Still, she could set up her massage table and have plenty of space to maneuver. A full-body massage required a lot of elbow room. This time, she’d come to the hotel in an official capacity, as a hired massage therapist. Boy, had times changed.
She seemed to float out to her car in the parking lot, only then seeing the text from Daniel, which made her good-mood smile stretch wider. She looked up and out toward the ocean and caught a glimpse of them on the beach. The sight enveloped her with a happy, warm feeling.
After putting her supplies in the car, she took off the masseuse smock. Her sleeveless V-neck, white cotton shell was fine for the beach, but she decided to roll the yoga pants up to her knees and kick off her slip-on shoes. Then, barefoot, she took off at a quick clip across the sand.
She caught up to them at the shoreline. Daniel held Anna piggyback style, her cast sticking out like a neon-pink fiberglass ramrod as he challenged the waves licking the sand. Anna giggled and squealed as Daniel bobbed and weaved amid the waves. They both grinned and laughed as he got wetter and wetter, finally daring to wade out up to his knees, yet still protecting her cast from the water.
“Hey, you two, quit having so much fun,” she called out from a dozen feet away.
Daniel turned, his childlike expression taking her by surprise. Cutting loose with her daughter only made him more appealing, and she wasn’t sure what to do about that, since he apparently wasn’t as interested as she was.
She ran toward them, dipped her hands in the water, then splashed it their way. Anna screamed with delight when the cold water splattered across her arms and back. Daniel lunged toward Keela and kicked wave water her way. She jumped back to avoid it, lost her balance and went down on one knee in time for another incoming wave, getting hit by buckets of cold water.
Anna and Daniel laughed.
“Ahh! Now you asked for it.” Scrambling to her feet,, she scooped up more water, careful to fling it Daniel’s way, because of Anna’s cast. “Hey, no fair, my hands are tied.”
She laughed wickedly and scooped more and more, getting closer each time until she’d gotten both of their backs as wet as hers. A huge wave crashed and nearly took all of them down before they retreated. Keela stopped for an instant, worried sick she might have ruined the supposedly waterproof cast, which hadn’t been tested yet. She glanced at her daughter, who looked happier than she’d seen her in ages. Keela soon realized she hadn’t had this much fun frolicking at the beach since she’d been a kid.
Out of breath and drenched, she stood at a safe distance, her hands raised. “I call a truce.”
“It’s a good thing, too, because Anna and I were about to dunk you good.”
“Oh, right, like you could.”
“Is that a dare?”
Daniel wore shades, so she couldn’t see his eyes, but everything about him said he wasn’t through playing yet. On impulse, she tore off up the beach, and he chased her. And damn, it felt great.
“Anna, you�
�re supposed to be on my side,” she called over her shoulder. “Make him stop!”
Running in sand was hard and he soon caught up. “Grab her, Anna!”
Even now, he was considerate enough to keep Anna in their game. She slowed enough so her daughter could reach out and grab on to her shirt with one hand. Fun and fair enough. Then she felt the small fistful of sand get dropped down her back. Dirty rats!
“Anna! You stinker.” She squeaked in surprise and laughed as she shimmied the wet sand out of her top.
Daniel slid his sunglasses up to his forehead. She saw the flash of fire in his eyes that went far beyond playing. He let her see it, too, and the small thrill sliced through her center. Maybe he was interested?
“You’re a cheater, Daniel Delaney.” Empty words to cover her reaction. Then he grinned and she knew he’d felt that little zing, too. “I’m hungry. Anyone up for a burger?”
“And a milk shake?” Anna added hopefully.
“Yeah, she needs a milk shake to wash down the ice cream cone we had about an hour ago,” Daniel interjected.
“Oh!” Keela giggled. “You little conniver! You’ll have to catch me if you want that milk shake now.” And their second chase began, zigzagging all the way back to the sidewalk.
“Ah, geez, we forgot the crutches.” Daniel eased Anna onto a bench, then took off at a sprint to fetch the forgotten crutches on the sand.
“Did you have fun, sweetcakes?”
“He’s silly. I love him.”
At the heartfelt and innocent outburst, all Keela could think to do was take her daughter into her arms and hug her. Oh, honey, don’t get your heart broken again. Watching Daniel Delaney saunter up the beach with Anna’s crutches, she immediately decided she should heed her own warning.
Soon enough, shoes back on, sand dusted off, they set off for the Busy Bee Diner—the old-school eatery overrun with cutesy oversize yellow-and-black-striped bee decorations—for shakes and burgers. The stroll up Main Street past The Drumcliffe Hotel felt suspiciously like a family outing, and it gave Keela pause. Secretly, she had a daring wish it could be so but quickly reeled it back. It was a dangerous thought, one that could end with hurt and sorrow. She had personal proof of that with Ron. But when was the last time her daughter had laughed this much, or felt part of something bigger than just the two of them? That was what Daniel Delaney had brought into their lives, whether he’d wanted to or not.
Forever a Father Page 9
