Mommy for Hire

by Cathy Gillen Thacker

  She ignored his complaint. “What’s going on with you and Alexis Graham?”

  Grady finished loading the dishwasher, added detergent and shut the door. “What are you talking about?”

  Josie tossed the paper towel in the trash. “I haven’t seen you look at a woman that way since you met Tabitha.”

  Grady tensed. The two situations were not the same. They couldn’t be. “Just because you were the first to call that romance…” he muttered.

  “Does not mean I’ve lost my intuition around my sons,” Josie declared. “I saw the hope in your eyes when you left here last night, and the quiet disappointment in your expression when you returned less than an hour later.” She gently touched his arm. “So what’s the problem? Is Ms. Graham not interested?”

  She’s holding out for the kind of love I can’t give, Grady thought. And doesn’t want to consider anything else. And while he was deeply disappointed about that, he couldn’t say—in all honesty—that he blamed her. Alexis was the kind of woman who deserved the best life had to offer. Not a pale imitation of the deeply satisfying unions they had both had in the past.

  Aware that his mother was still waiting for an answer, he said, “It’s a little more complicated than that, Mom. Alexis was married before, too. She lost her husband to cancer a few years ago.”

  Her expression compassionate, Josie guessed, “So she’s not altogether ready to move on, either.”

  Was that true? Grady recalled the passionate way Alexis had kissed him back, before coming to her senses and ending the embrace. Much as he wanted to forget the way it had felt to hold her in his arms, he couldn’t. And his gut told him Alexis couldn’t forget her attraction to him, either. He shrugged. “Alexis says she’s open to the idea of getting involved again.”

  Disappointment resonated in the room. “Just not with you.”

  Leave it to his mom to hit the nail on the head. “Your sons do strike out from time to time, you know,” he reminded her drolly.

  Josie grinned. “I know that,” she said, rebounding to her usual sunny outlook. “I just would have sworn that wasn’t going to be the case in this situation.”

  AT EIGHT-THIRTY THAT evening, Alexis checked off the final guest stopping by the ticket desk. At last, all the name cards had been picked up. And although Grady McCabe had purchased an entire table, his name had not been on one of the placards, which meant he was not planning to attend.

  Given the attraction simmering between them, Alexis should have been relieved she wouldn’t see him tonight.

  “Well, we did it,” Holly Anne, one of the event’s organizers, said. “We sold all four hundred and fifty tickets!”

  That was a great deal of money, Alexis calculated with satisfaction. It would go a long way toward funding more cancer research.

  And hopefully, more lives would be saved. She was very happy about that.

  Holly Anne pushed away from the cloth-covered table and regarded Alexis gently. “Scott would be very proud of you—”

  “Got room for one more?”

  They both turned, to see Grady striding toward them. He looked incredibly handsome in a black tuxedo, pleated white dress shirt and black tie. Alexis’s breath caught in her chest. For a second, as their eyes locked and held, time seemed suspended.

  Holly Anne greeted him, then turned to Alexis. “I’ll let you handle this.” She slipped inside the ballroom, shutting the door behind her.

  Pulse racing, Alexis looked at Grady. She really should not be so happy to see him tonight. But she was, even though his presence presented yet another dilemma. “Your table—”

  “Is full. I know.” His gaze swept her from head to foot, obviously taking in her upswept hair and silk halter dress, her silver stilettos and sapphire jewelry. Then he closed the distance between them. “I was hoping I could sit next to you. Assuming you came, as I did, without a date who might object.”

  She had.

  He withdrew a check from his inside jacket pocket and handed it over.

  Doing her best to contain her pleasure, she murmured, “Hang on a minute. I’ll see what I can do.”

  Flushing self-consciously, she went off to make the necessary accommodations. She returned to find Grady lounging next to the ballroom doors, looking as if he had all the time in the world.

  “They’re fitting in an extra place for you now. I have to warn you, though. We have one of the worst tables in the room, at the very back, next to the entrance.”

  “No place I’d rather be.”

  She tried not to take his declaration literally. Her spirits rose nevertheless, maybe because he was looking at her as if he was thinking about kissing her again.

  Aware the first course was already being served, they slipped inside and found their seats. On the dais, the first guest speaker was recounting his own battle with cancer, the way ongoing research and a clinical trial had saved his life. He was followed by half a dozen more throughout the meal. Listening to the speeches brought it all back to Alexis. More than once she found her eyes welling with tears, of both sadness and joy. Grady—indeed everyone at their table—was similarly touched.

  Thanks were given to everyone in attendance, and then the orchestra started up again. His expression compassionate, Grady leaned over to whisper in her ear, “I think you could use a spin on the dance floor.”

  Alexis knew she needed to do something to ward off the memories crowding in.

  Grady took her hand, and she reveled in the warmth and strength of his grip, the callused feeling of his palm.

  They were halfway to the dance floor when Lisa Marie Peterson’s mother appeared before them.

  “Hello, Grady!” she said, ignoring Alexis. “I’m glad you’re here tonight. I’ve been wanting to talk to you about the situation with our little girls.”

  ALEXIS WOULD HAVE BEEN completely content to let the two parents go off to have their conference alone, but Grady clamped his hand around hers as Kit led the way out of the ballroom, into the corridor. Alexis went along reluctantly.

  When Kit finally turned and saw her there, she looked as unhappy as Alexis felt.

  But she turned to Grady. “Lisa Marie told me what a nice apology Savannah gave her. Her father and I are very appreciative.”

  Alexis noted there was no mention of Kit’s daughter’s culpability in the brouhaha.

  Grady nodded, waiting for whatever was coming next.

  The redhead flashed an ingratiating smile. “I just want to let you know there are no hard feelings on our family’s part. Savannah will be invited to the mother-daughter tea at our home—the day before kindergarten graduation—like all the other girls in Lisa Marie’s class. It’ll give them a chance to sit down like the little ladies they are and practice the etiquette they’ve been learning all year.”

  “Thanks for letting me know,” Grady said, his expression inscrutable.

  “I understand this could present a problem for Savannah, bless her heart, since she’s the only one in her class who doesn’t have a mother….” Kit continued.

  Then why do it this way? Alexis wondered. Why design an important end-of-year social event that she knew in advance was only going to make Savannah acutely aware of the deficiency in her young life? Surely there had to be a way to have a tea party without making a child feel ostracized! But then, Alexis thought, going back to the mean girl experiences in her own life, maybe that was the point. To isolate and demean Grady’s little girl…so Lisa Marie and her friends would feel better about themselves.

  “So,” Mrs. Peterson continued brightly, “if you would like to break with tradition and attend along with Savannah, Grady, that would be fine with us.”

  “Thank you for letting me know that,” he repeated, with more politeness than Alexis would have been able to muster, under the same circumstances.

  “Naturally,” Kit said as she shot an openly condescending look at Alexis, “we want each child to attend with just one adult, so it won’t be possible for you to bring a guest.�
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  Meaning me, or any other female, Alexis thought, not sure why Kit’s snub should bother her, only knowing that it did. Maybe, she mused, because her feminine intuition told her that Savannah needed to be protected whenever she was around Lisa Marie and her friends. And the deeply maternal part of her wanted to be there to do it.

  Not that this was her job, of course. She knew full well that she wasn’t Savannah’s mother.

  She just felt that way sometimes.

  “And now,” Kit finished cordially, “I’d like a word with Alexis privately, if I may.”

  Alexis could tell Grady didn’t want her conversing with Kit Peterson. She didn’t want to have a tête-à-tête with the stunning redhead, either. Unfortunately, as a member of the event committee, she could hardly say no. Especially since she had no idea what this was about. “How can I help you?” She asked, as the two of them walked a short distance down the corridor, to an alcove around the corner.

  Without Grady there for an audience, Kit dispensed with the saccharine smile and got straight to the point. “I heard you’re looking for a new mother for Savannah.”

  Alexis reluctantly confirmed what was now, thanks to the brawl that had landed Savannah in the principal’s office, common knowledge around Miss Chilton’s Academy for Young Women. “I work for ForeverLove.com.” And that was all the information Alexis was going to give.

  Excitement gleamed in Kit’s eyes. “Well, look no further. A friend of mine—Zoe Borden—is perfect for Grady.”

  Alexis put up a silencing hand and stated firmly, “I can’t discuss clients.”

  Kit stepped closer. “You need to call me,” she said urgently. “Between the two of us, we can set something up.”

  No, we can’t, Alexis thought, as a shadow loomed in her peripheral vision.

  They turned to see Grady. Seeming to realize they were close to what Alexis guessed would be a vehement disagreement—at least on Kit’s side—he planted his palm on the small of Alexis’s back and brought her in close to his side, his manner as resolute as it was protective. “Alexis, your presence is requested inside the ballroom.”

  She had an idea who wanted her there. And he was standing right beside her.

  “Enjoy the rest of your evening,” Grady told Kit deliberately.

  Clearly taken aback, the redhead nodded curtly and flounced off.

  “What was that about?” he asked, when the two of them were alone once again.

  Alexis shrugged off the near-unpleasantness. “The usual.” More or less, she added silently to herself. “She heard I was a matchmaker.”

  A hint of devilry came into Grady’s blue eyes. “Let me guess. She has a friend who is looking to get married.”

  And not just to anyone, Alexis thought sarcastically. Out loud, she affirmed, “Something like that.”

  “Are you going to help her?”

  Alexis couldn’t imagine any friend of Kit Peterson’s would be right for Grady. She shook her head. “If her friend signs up with the agency, she’ll be given to someone else. I have my hands full right now with the clients I have.”

  “I’ve heard one of ’em is nothing but trouble,” Grady teased.

  No kidding, Alexis thought, her heart fluttering once again. Already, she wanted to kiss him. And if she kissed him, she was going to want to kiss him again, and if she did that…She really couldn’t go there, even in her thoughts.

  Alexis held her ground with effort. “There’s trouble,” she said lightly, “and then there’s trouble with a capital T.” Grady fell into the latter category. Worse, he seemed to know it.

  Still grinning, he took her hand once again. “About that dance…”

  Alexis knew that if he held her in his arms, the chemistry she felt whenever she was near him would ignite into a dangerous desire. Life had already dealt her enough heartache without her voluntarily signing up for more. She called on every bit of willpower she had, took a deep, bolstering breath and withdrew her tingling hand from his. “You’re a client, Grady. I shouldn’t be dancing with you.”

  His smile faded. “You were willing before.”

  Still was, if the truth be known…Coolly, she responded, “Only because you didn’t give me a chance to say no.”

  He studied her perceptively. “And now that you’ve had time to think about it…?”

  Alexis pushed aside her romantic fantasies and forced herself to come to her senses. One of them had to be practical. It looked as if it was going to be her. Doing her best to erect another wall between them, she said, “Our becoming close can only get in the way of what I’m trying to do for you and Savannah.”

  Grady’s dark brows drew together. “And dancing together would accomplish that?”

  Alexis gave him a withering look. “What do you think?”

  “STRUCK OUT AGAIN, hmm?” Wade McCabe asked, when Grady walked in shortly after eleven.

  He hadn’t had this much commentary on his love life or lack thereof when he had been in his teens. Ignoring the frustration and disappointment roiling in his gut, he tossed his father a droll look. “I thought you’d be asleep by now.”

  His dad grinned, not about to be diverted. “Your mother is.”

  Knowing a heart-to-heart was in the offing, Grady grabbed the open container of orange juice from the fridge.

  “Your mother is worried about you,” his father continued.

  Grady uncapped the plastic jug, lifted it to his lips and drank the half cup or so that was left. “She worries about all her kids, all the time.”

  Wade watched as Grady wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “You especially. She thinks that, apart from the time you spend with Savannah, you aren’t enjoying life the way you should.”

  Grady tossed the empty container in the recycling bin. As long as they were talking honestly…He looked his father in the eye. “There hasn’t been a whole lot to be happy about, beside my kid and job success.”

  His dad put the lid on the tin of cookies on the counter. “Maybe this matchmaking service will work out. At least help you get back in the game, if you know what I mean.”

  And maybe it wouldn’t, Grady thought.

  All he knew was that Alexis had been working on his situation for almost a week now, and he was no closer to finding a mother for his daughter.

  He also knew that he was lonelier than ever.

  Fortunately, he had a lot of work to do. And since his parents were going to be in town until Monday morning, now was a chance to get caught up.

  HE WAS ELBOW DEEP in the latest cost projections the following afternoon when his cell phone rang.

  A burst of pleasure warmed his chest when he saw the caller ID flash across the screen. Lifting the phone to his ear, he found his smile broaden as a soft sexy voice rippled through the receiver. “Grady?”

  “Hey, Alexis.” He rocked back in his chair.

  “Is this a good time?” she asked.

  “The best,” Grady said. “What’s up?”

  She continued in the gentle, businesslike voice he had come to know and appreciate. “I’ve compiled another list of potential mates for you. I wanted to drop by and give them to you.” She paused.

  He could picture her scraping her teeth across her lower lip….

  “I thought—hoped—because it was the weekend you might have a chance to look at them and give me your opinion, so I could get dates set up for you every day this week. But if you’re busy with family…”

  Despite his own resolve to provide a mommy for his little girl, the idea of dating was no more appealing than it had been at the outset. Nevertheless, he knew he had to keep trying. Savannah needed a woman in her life.

  Grady turned his chair so he could look out over downtown Fort Worth. As always on a Sunday afternoon, the streets were quiet, with only the occasional car or pickup driving by. “I’m at the office. My parents took Savannah for the day. So if you want to drop them by—”

  “I’ll be right over. Thanks, Grady.” Click.

>   Twenty minutes later, building security called to let him know that Alexis was on her way up to see him. Grady met her at the elevator and walked her through the deserted executive suite to his private office.

  He was painfully aware he could have done more in the grooming department today—he had showered, but not shaved. Put on a faded burnt-orange-and-white Texas alumni T-shirt with an ink stain across the hem, jeans and running shoes.

  Not that she seemed to mind.

  He shut the door behind them. Gestured for her to take a seat. Took a moment to survey her as she got settled.

  Her silky hair was caught in a clip on the back of her head. She was dressed casually—in a pale pink sundress, a thin white silk cardigan and flat-heeled sandals with a rose in the center of the thin straps across her feet.

  He had never seen her bare feet, he realized. They were small and delicate, the toenails polished a sexy hot pink. Her legs were bare and smooth, without the usual panty hose….

  She leaned forward to open up the carryall that served as both purse and briefcase, extracted a sheath of papers and half a dozen DVDs bearing the company logo.

  It was only when she straightened and looked him square in the face that he noticed the faint puffiness around her eyes.

  TOO LATE, Alexis realized the makeup she had applied so carefully before leaving her apartment had not done the trick.

  “What’s wrong?” Grady asked. He came back around the desk.

  It had been a mistake coming here today. Thinking work—and possibly, time spent with Grady—would erase her overwhelming sense of loss and grief. “If you’re talking about my eyes…”

  “It looks like you’ve been crying.”

  “It’s allergies,” Alexis fibbed. Deciding to just hand the information over and flee while the going was good, she stood.

  “Bull. It’s something else, if your eyes are that swollen.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” The words were no sooner out than the tears began to well once again. The next thing she knew his arms were around her, hauling her against him. While her tears fell in a river, dampening his shirt, he stroked her hair, saying nothing. But then, nothing needed to be said.