It's Only Pretend: A Single Dad Boxset

by Piper Sullivan

  I excitedly checked my calendar and set up a time just a couple days away. “I’m very excited Ms. Sheehan, would you like me to bring in a few pieces?”

  “That would be wonderful and please, call me Marcia.”

  “Marcia, I can’t wait. You really have just made my day.” The goofy grin I wore probably made me look like a fool but I didn’t care. This was step one in making a future for myself and that would allow Edie to live out her days harassing a hot, young chef.

  “Good news?” Eleanor smiled over a pile of dough she pounded with her strong fists.

  Silly grin still in place, I gave her all the details of my call. “This means the world to me Eleanor.”

  “Well congratulations honey, you deserve it.”

  “Thank you.” I felt flush with accomplishment. I may never get to have Rafael as my own but I would have a career so I could take care of myself. “How about a beach picnic Sofia?”

  “Yeah!” She bounced up and down in her chair, happily eating her toast and scrambled eggs. But then she asked solemnly, “Are you leaving?”

  I dropped down until we were eye to eye. “No, I’m not. Remember all the pretty things I’ve been making?”

  “Pretty jewry,” she mispronounced the word adorably.

  “Yep, pretty jewelry. Well a nice lady owns a shop and she wants to help me sell it.”

  Round hazel eyes smiled over at me. “Wow!”

  “Exactly how I felt kiddo.” I pulled her in for a tight hug. “Finish your breakfast so we can do our lessons today before the picnic.”

  “Done!” Wiping her mouth quickly, Sofia hopped from the chair and ran to the bathroom to wash up.

  “You know her weakness,” Eleanor grinned as she rubbed oil over the dough and covered it.

  “More like a weakness we share.”

  “I’ll make you girls a good picnic,” she promised.

  “You should join us, get some color on those pale legs of yours.”

  She tossed her head back and laughed. “Yeah well if I had legs like yours I’d be showing them off all the time.”

  I left the kitchen shaking my head, hoping that we could get through all the day’s work before lunch.

  It turned out Sofia had been even more determined to sink her toes into the warm sand. “Picnic now?”

  “Not until we finish your lessons.”

  We’d worked hard and it was after noon already, so I felt satisfied that we’d done enough for the day.

  “Picnic time! Race you!”

  The sound of her laughter following me lightened my heart, and I felt a pang of sadness that I wouldn’t be around to watch her grow into a beautiful, accomplished young woman. But because of my help she would grow with her father and the people of Estamillo.

  “Come on!” Sofia pulled me along back to the kitchen where Eleanor had a basket and a blanket waiting for us.

  “Are you joining us?”

  “As soon as I finish up here,” she promised.

  We laid out the blanket and unloaded sandwiches, chips, vegetable sticks and dip, fruit and fresh pressed juice.

  “Eleanor hooked us up! What do you want first?”

  “Berries!” The little girl certainly loved her fruit and later her teeth and face would be stained with it. She chewed, humming and smiling as though the berries contained some happy potion.

  “Let me have one,” I asked and opened my mouth, letting Sofia toss them at me until one finally made it in. Twelve blueberries later. “You throw like a girl.”

  “I am a girl, silly!”

  “And I thought you were a princess.”

  Her answer was to stuff berries into her mouth and send me a goofy grin. “Princess Berry,” she said around the berries.

  “I like it. Maybe we can have your father change it officially.” Hazel eyes turned serious at my suggestion so I quickly added, “When you’re older.”

  “I am older,” she insisted with a pout too mature for her young age.

  “Well you’re certainly a better mother than the last Mrs. Cavalleros,” a deep accented voice said from behind me, drawing my attention.

  At the unfamiliar face, I stood and pushed Sofia behind me. “Who the hell are you and what are you doing in here?”

  He smiled and laughed as though this were all some big joke, but the more I looked at him, the more familiar he seemed. Green eyes flaked with gold didn’t trigger any recognition but the flop of dark brown hair was all Rafael.

  “I won’t ask again before calling the police.”

  “You’re feisty, I like it.” At my dark scowl, he held up both hands in surrender. “I am Antonio Cavalleros, Rafael’s cousin.”

  So, this was the gambling playboy who would get the throne if Rafa is left without an heir. “That only answers my first question.”

  “You are definitely an upgrade on number one, though she was much more classically beautiful. You have a certain American appeal, I suppose.”

  Arms crossed, I knew I was about ten seconds away from drowning this pretty boy in the ocean. “I’m waiting.” Something about Antonio put me on edge. Not his swagger or his good looks that were a mere shadow of Rafael’s.

  “I decided to pay my cousin a visit and check out the new future Queen.” He stepped forward and put out an arm to stop him from reaching Sofia.

  “Then you can leave and wait until Rafael comes home.” Eleanor appeared behind him with a scowl on her face.

  “Or I could wait here. Maybe take the future Mrs. Cavalleros for a ride.” He stroked a hand down my face and I smacked it away. “So feisty.”

  “Touch me again and I will make sure you regret it for the rest of your life.” I had self-defense training and I knew exactly the spots to do the most damage.

  “Oh, I will enjoy making you submit.”

  “And I will enjoy making you eat your balls.”

  He laughed and took another step forward. I braced myself since I could feel Sofia leaning against the back of my legs. “You’ll do nicely. We can have the same deal I had with Number One. You get to be queen and love my cousin, but come to my bed when I want you.”

  His hand moved, but before he could touch me again I kicked his ankle and he fell to the ground.

  “Pretty sure I told you not to touch me.”

  Antonio was on his feet quick, pulling me closer to him, ignoring my struggle. “Just one kiss.”

  “I see you were too impatient to wait for me,” Rafael said, ice in his voice. I used the distraction to press my knee directly between Antonio’s legs.

  “Bitch,” he grunted and doubled over.

  I grabbed Sofia and stepped over Antonio, setting her down in front of him. I looked up at Rafael because I had to, I needed to see the expression on his face for myself to make sure I had heard him correctly. I see you were too impatient to wait for me. Yep he wore that dark steely gaze, his face blank of all emotions. I said nothing. There was absolutely nothing to say. With a nod, I brushed past him and went to my room.

  I felt the tears sting my eyes but I couldn’t let them fall. Not now. Maybe later.

  But first I needed to figure out a few things.

  Like my entire life.

  Rafael

  I climbed out of bed after a night of restless sleep. I just had a feeling this day wouldn’t go any better than the previous one. After finally getting rid of Antonio, who’d only stopped by to goad me and make a pass at my woman, I tried in vain to talk to Harper. But since she’d been off the clock, officially, she decided not to open her door. As much as I wanted to slam the door down, I had to respect her desire not to speak to me.

  And I knew I deserved it.

  As soon as I saw Antonio with his arms around Harper, I saw red. It brought back all the memories and insecurities associated with Angelica and finding them together. I could never be sure if it had in fact been a one-time thing like she insisted, or if it was an ongoing affair as Antonio would have me believe. Either way I reacted poorly, and the result was tha
t I hurt Harper.

  I just hoped that I didn’t scare her off as well.

  After a quick shower, I made my way to the kitchen, smiling in relief when I heard the quiet sounds of Sophia talking. Everything would be fine. But that hope was quickly dashed when I caught sight of my daughter’s tears and Eleanor’s dark scowl. “What’s going on in here?” I already knew but I had to ask. I had to be sure.

  “Har-per’s go-one,” Sophia sobbed, sniffling and swiping at a never-ending deluge of tears.

  “Are you sure?” Before either of the females could answer, I went to see for myself, first upstairs to her room which of course remained empty and then to the door, which I pulled open and spotted an empty parking spot where her car should have been. “Dammit!” I knew she’d been upset yesterday, but to just leave without word? To abandon Sophia when she needed her the most? That was unforgivable. “Where did she go?”

  Eleanor set a plate of eggs, bacon and fruit in front of my still sniffling daughter and graced me with her most disapproving stare. “She had a personal matter to deal with.”

  In no mood for games, I crossed my arms and glared at her. “What does that mean?”

  Sophia dropped her fork, tears still falling down her red cheeks. “Grandma Edie had to go to the hospital and she said I couldn’t go.” She gave her best angry pout.

  At least she hadn’t left altogether. Her family needed her and she’d done exactly what needed to be done. “She probably didn’t want you to get bored sitting in the hospital all night.” Or she had been planning to leave and that call came at the perfect time.

  “I want to see Grandma Edie!”

  “Why don’t you wait until Harper calls with an update on her grandmother’s condition? She’s probably scared right now and doesn’t want you to see her that way.”

  “I don’t care! She said she would be my grandma and I want to see her!”

  I couldn’t remember the last time Sophia had thrown a temper tantrum because she’d always been well behaved. “Sophia settle down.”

  “No!” She pushed away from the table, knocking her juice over in the process, and ran from the kitchen. Crying so loudly it nearly broke my heart.

  “I’ll go take care of her. Good luck getting a hold of Harper,” Eleanor practically spat the words at me before leaving the kitchen.

  I needed to make sure everything was okay with Harper, both with her grandmother and with me. I needed her to be okay. And I needed to share my good news with her. News that wouldn’t have been nearly as good without her help. Taking out my phone, I pressed the icon with her beautiful smiling face and listened as it rang.

  “Hello?”

  “Oh Harper, thank goodness! How is Edie?”

  The line was silent save for the ambient sounds in the background, probably from an alcove or the courtyard on the hospital grounds.

  “Harper?”

  She said nothing but I knew she was there and she obviously wanted nothing to do with me. To prove it, the line disconnected without her saying one word.

  I knew last night that my words had hurt her, but until that moment I hadn’t realized that the damage might have been irreparable. I tried to call her again but this time she didn’t answer.

  Harper

  Edie had been in the hospital for two days already and while I welcomed the reprieve from all things Rafael—accusations, heartache and custody—seeing her looking so frail and tired in the oversized hospital bed had left me shaken. What would I do if she didn’t recover and left me all alone?

  “Why are you sulking, girl? I’m just fine.”

  I couldn’t help but smile at her energy level just days after a heart attack. “Yeah you’re so fine you ended up in the hospital.”

  She smacked her hands on the blanket covering her legs, a look of stubborn impatience on her face. “It’s that security guard I tell you, shorts hugging his butt and thighs all tight. Made my heart zoom a little faster than it should. That’s all.”

  “Maybe we need to move you someplace that employs old men with big bellies and bald heads, then.”

  “Hush your mouth, girl! I like my man candy just fine. I just need to eat a few more leafy greens and exercise.” A sly smile curled her lips and she clapped her hands together like an eager little kid. “And we just hired a new fitness director. Julio’s his name.”

  I held my hands together as though in prayer and looked to the sky. “Heaven help us all.”

  Edie laughed and I can’t lie, the sound hit my soul like a warm blanket. “Heaven already did their part child, that’s how we got Julio.”

  “Grandma,” I sighed, feeling happy she felt well enough to joke about hot young fitness instructors but still worried. “I thought I would lose you.”

  “Oh honey, come here.” She patted the bed and I climbed up beside her, laying my head on her shoulder. “I’m not going anywhere, at least not anytime soon.” Cupping my cheek until I looked up at her, she grinned. “Not until you have a husband and a family of your own. At least.”

  I closed my eyes at her words, happy to hear them even though a part of me knew she couldn’t possibly make that promise. “I’m holding you to it, old woman.”

  “Who you calling old? I’ll be fitter than you in no time.”

  I let out a watery laugh at her insistence and the image that immediately came to mind, of Edie in lycra yoga pants gyrating flirtatiously with Julio; who I planned to meet before they let her out of the hospital.

  “I have no doubt about that Grandma.”

  Silence settled over the room, well, other than the constant beep and whoosh of the machines monitoring Edie’s vitals. “It’s been two days and you’ve said nothing to me about you and Rafael.”

  “Nothing to say.” I kept my head on her shoulder and willed the tears to stay right where they were. I couldn’t bring myself to shed more tears over Rafael. After working for the man for almost two years, forging what I thought had been a friendship and then a romantic relationship, I thought he knew me. Thought he understood that giving myself to him was a big damn deal. That’s what I get for thinking with my heart instead of my head.

  “Sounds like there’s a lot you’re not saying.”

  She deserved the whole story, but given where we were and the circumstances, I gave her an abbreviated version of meeting Rafael’s degenerate cousin.

  “The man was a snake, all charming and greasy and slick. I knew he was up to no good but I had Sophia to think of, you know?”

  “Did you talk to him about it?”

  I sat up, an incredulous look on my face. “And give his words merit? Hell no I didn’t.”

  Edie wore that look of hers, the one that said she was praying for patience and no one answered. “Honey men are, to put it plainly, dumb. They’re insecure and quick to strike out.”

  I knew all that. But still. “Do you know what I said to him, the last thing I said to him before that day? I told him I loved him Grandma. I said ‘I love you’ and the next thing I know he’s accusing me of being with his handsy cousin!” She rubbed my back in soothing circles and gave her a sheepish smile. “I didn’t mean to get all riled up, you need to stay calm.”

  “Seems to me that you’re the one in need of calm.” Her pointed stare drew a laugh from me. “Listen Harper, he saw something and reacted. Maybe you should listen to him.”

  I shook my head because I refused to hear him out. “I’ve been with no man but him. Ever, Grandma.” I let those words sink in, ignoring the look of surprise on her face. “But you know what’s worse than that, and worse than him not loving me back? That Antonio touched me against my will, tried to kiss me, and rather than coming to my defense, Rafael blamed me.” The tears trickled down my cheeks slowly at first, but the more I tried to stem the flow the faster they came.

  “At least you tried girl, that’s more than most people do.” Her words were meant to soothe but all I could think of was how I wished I’d never opened myself up for this kind of pain. “What about
work?”

  “Good question. As far as I know I still have a job but probably not for long given how things are between us.” I hadn’t told Edie much about the jewelry making because I didn’t want to worry her but the time had come. “Actually, I’ve sold a few pieces of my jewelry and I have a meeting today with a shop owner interested in selling the higher end pieces. It should be enough to get me into a new apartment.”

  “Really? Isn’t that something?” She smiled wistfully and ran her fingers through my hair. “I always felt bad that you gave up on school to help me out. I’m happy to see it working out for you.”

  “You gave up so much to raise me and I would do anything for you.” She opened her mouth with a smirk on her face and I held up a hand. “Except that.”

  Her laugh came out loud and hearty just like the woman herself. “Can’t blame an old girl for trying.”

  The door flew open followed by cries of, “Grandma Edie! Grandma Edie!” Sophia came to a stop in her pretty denim overall dress, hands yanked free of her pockets with arms extended to be lifted up onto the bed. “Grandma Edie you okay?”

  Edie accepted the little girl’s hug with misty eyes. “I’m just fine little lady, how are you?”

  “Okay.” She shrugged her bony shoulders. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “Me too. You’re not going to baby me like this one, are you?” She pointed at me, making Sophia giggle sweetly.

  “Maybe.”

  “I’m just fine. This ticker just had a glitch but now it’s good as new. Where’s your daddy?”

  Those words were my cue. “I need to go get ready for my meeting Grandma. Enjoy your visit Sophia.”

  “You coming home Harper?” I looked into those hopeful hazel eyes and smiled. “Sure am, as soon as Grandma is cleared to go home.”

  “Hugs,” she sang, holding out her little arms which I happily accepted.

  “You give the best hugs.” The sound of her girlish giggle in my ear settled my nerves and served as a welcome change from the fear and anxiety coursing through me the past forty-eight hours. “See you later Soph.”