One Daddy Too Many (15 page)

He stood up. “Gentlemen, you have the information you need to decide on the fate of this office. The black-and-white information. But if you want to make informed decisions, I suggest you walk into the hallway and talk to the staff. When I first got here, they seemed to share a sense of floating at sea, adrift and unaccountable. Now, I think you’ll see they’re committed to being part of a whole. I’m sorry I can’t stick around, but I’ve got important personal business.”

He couldn’t believe his brass. He’d never walked out of a meeting before in his life. He hurried to his office. His secretary wasn’t at her desk. A temp he didn’t recognize was in her place. “Where’s Jill?”

“She wasn’t feeling well. Bad sushi she thinks.”

Rob got a sick feeling low in his gut—and he hadn’t eaten since the doughnut he shared with Kate on the road. “Did I get any calls when I was in the meeting?”

She looked down. “Um…yes. One. Someone named Kate said to tell you Maya was home. Does that make sense?”

It did. But his not being available probably wouldn’t. Not to Kate.

“Mommy
.”

Kate had never heard a sweeter, more welcome sound in her life. She was out the door the second the unmarked patrol car rolled into the cul-de-sac. She’d seen that car before. It belonged to Zeke, who had brought her mother home hours earlier then disappeared.

Zeke’s partner, the stocky bodybuilder type who came to the swimming lessons with his baby, got out of the passenger seat and opened the rear door. A woman in street clothes stood up, first, then held out her hand to another passenger. Maya.

Kate’s knees nearly gave out when she saw her daughter, but somehow she managed to pick her up. “Maya. Oh, baby, I’m so glad to see you. Are you okay?”

Maya wrapped her arms tightly around Kate’s neck and buried her face against her shoulder. Her little body shuddered with sobs. Kate did her best to comfort her, rubbing her back until the weeping eased.

“Where did your daddy take you, honey?”

Maya’s thin arm lifted as she pointed. Kate realized the foolishness of her question. Four-year olds didn’t know
directions or maps. “Are you hungry? Thirsty?”
Scarred for life?

“They were in a café just finishing lunch when a uniformed officer approached them,” Zeke said, standing a few steps to one side. “According to the arresting officer, Grant didn’t offer any kind of resistance and Maya seemed fine, although she put up a bit of a squawk over going in the patrol car because her mother taught her not to get in a car with strangers.”

Kate smiled through her tears. “She did, did she? I’m proud that you remembered, sweetheart.”

Maya lifted her chin. “Daddy told me it was okay to go with those policemen. He said they’d take me home because he had other business to do and couldn’t take me to the zoo like he wanted.”

“The zoo?”

She nodded seriously. “This morning when we left he said we were going to go somewhere that he liked a lot when he was a little boy and he’d never gotten a chance to show me. The zoo. A really big one with lots of animals.” She started rattling off the many species.

Kate looked at Zeke. “Which zoo?”

He shrugged and shook his head. “They were in Quartz-site. Make a right turn and you’re headed to San Diego.”

Kate pictured a map in her head. “Or keep going straight and you’re in Mexico,” she said softly.

Zeke nodded.

The rest of the family, who’d waited till she’d had some time alone with her daughter, suddenly surged around them. Kate felt safe and loved, but there was one person missing. Rob. And she felt that, too.

“M
AYA’S TAKING A NAP
. All
tuckered out,” Yetta told him, when Rob finally reached the Radonovic house after what seemed like a fool’s quest. He’d had to go to three pet stores before he found one with a decent selection of fish.

Stupidly, he held up his purchase: four individual plastic Baggies filled with water. “I wanted to get her something,” he said.

Yetta smiled. “She’ll be pleased.”

He looked around. “Is Kate here?”

“No. She and her lawyer were meeting with someone to discuss what to do about Ian. Zeke tried to explain it to me, but frankly, I was too upset to follow. I felt as though I failed them both, you know.”

Rob did know. Too well.

He made a gesture with one of the bags. “What should I do with these little fellows? The guy at the pet store said they shouldn’t stay in these bags too long.”

Yetta motioned for him to follow her. She carefully opened a door and walked into a darkened room. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust. When they did, he spotted the artificial brightness of the tropical aquarium. And a few feet away was Maya’s bed with the little girl curled up beneath a frilly pink spread.

His heart compressed from the pressure on his chest. She looked like a curly-haired angel. Defenseless and fragile. Anger surged from some primal spot deep inside him. If he could have gotten his hands around Ian’s throat…

“Let go,” a voice whispered.

Rob blinked. Yetta’s hands were covering his. The water in the clear bags was sloshing from side to side. He let out a long harsh breath.

“She’s an amazingly resilient soul,” Yetta said softly. “Her
mother was afraid this experience might scar her, but I think my granddaughter is able to discern a person’s true motives better than most adults can. Her father didn’t mean to hurt her or scare her. He simply got lost.”

Lost?

Rob didn’t actually ask the question until after they’d released the fish into the tank. He’d listened to the pet store clerk’s explicit directions on how to acclimate fish to a new environment, but his patience was long gone. He untied the twist ties and dumped them in. If they made it, great. If not, well, this wouldn’t be his first bad move of the day.

“What did you mean when you said Ian got lost?” he asked Yetta once they were seated at the kitchen table. She’d offered him coffee, but he’d turned it down. His stomach was a knot of nerves.

“Ian’s mother was Romani. She was very beautiful and very troubled. When things turned sour, she’d take her son and leave. By bus, car, thumb—whatever means was convenient. Ian’s central point of his inner compass got mixed up, cross-wired. When he’s in one place for too long, he starts thinking he has to leave, and some unconscious force takes over. He does things to precipitate the need for a move.”

Rob sat back in the chair and considered what she said. It made sense, but…“Does that excuse him?”

“For taking Maya? Heavens, no. I don’t believe he planned to take Maya this morning, but he’s an opportunist. When he found out Kate was gone, he acted out of spite.”

“Why?”

“Because she was with you. A clear signal that she’d started to rebuild her life—one that didn’t include him.”

“How could he have known she was with me? Hell, I didn’t even know last night was going to happen until it did.”

Yetta
gave an inward smile that made him shiver. “Ian is a very clever man. Maybe he had somebody spying on Kate—looking for something to use in their custody battle.”

Damn.
Not once had Rob checked to see if anyone was following them. Heck, he was so infatuated with Kate, the guy could have tailgated him and Rob wouldn’t have noticed.

“But surely he didn’t think he could get away with kidnapping Maya.”

Yetta took a sip from the cup she was holding. “I doubt if he thought past the taking. That’s how he is—impulsive. But as I told Katherine, even if they put him back in jail, he’s not going to disappear. And now that Maya’s older and they’ve established a relationship, it will be impossible for Kate to ignore him the way she’s done in the past.”

Rob agreed. The last time he and Maya talked, the little girl had been adamant about Ian’s role as her daddy. If Maya had her way, there wouldn’t be room for any other man in her life, not for a long, long time.

“I
DIDN’T DO IT
on purpose, Katie. I just acted. You weren’t there. Maya was. And I thought if I took a drive in the desert I’d be able to think clearly. You know that’s what I used to do. Remember?”

Kate was sitting across the table from her ex-husband in some kind of interrogation room. She had the uncomfortable feeling there might be someone observing them, although she didn’t see anything that looked like a two-way mirror on the wall. Ian was wearing street clothes—denim jeans, a lilac polo shirt that she never would have bought for him and expensive-looking sneakers.

They
were alone. Their respective lawyers were elsewhere, probably hammering out some kind of plea bargain with the police or D.A. She didn’t know or care.

“So, I was gone and you thought, ‘Hey, it’s a nice day for a drive. I’ll just steal my ex-mother-in-law’s car and take my daughter for a little road trip’—even though it’s against the law, the provisions of your parole and our custody agreement.”

His chin dropped to his chest. “I didn’t really stop to think. That’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?”

She didn’t answer.

He looked up. “I had a dream last night. I saw you in bed with another guy. You told him you loved him. I kept shouting, ‘No. No. You can’t love him. You’re my wife.’”

Kate felt her face heat up. Had he guessed where she’d been and with whom or was this some kind of Rom mind game? “But I’m not your wife, Ian,” she said firmly. “We’re divorced.”

“That’s just paperwork, Katie. We said vows.”

“Which
you
broke.”

“I made some really lousy decisions and took risks that didn’t work out the way I thought they would, but I never stopped loving you.”

She crossed her arms. “Really? And where was the keep-yourself-solely-unto-each-other part when you ran off to Mexico with the blond bimbette?”

He took a deep breath and let it out. “I didn’t cheat on you.” She snorted skeptically. “Tell that to the woman you were arrested with.”

“Her name is Cara. Her brother owed me money. A lot of money. He was one of the reasons I got caught short when the auditors came down on me. He was afraid I was
going to use my Mafia connections to put a hit on him if he didn’t pay up.”

“What Mafia connections?”

He grinned. “Exactly. I didn’t have any, but he didn’t know that. So, he begged me to think of some other kind of payback. I told him I needed a woman to play the part of my mistress.”

Kate blew out a breath of frustration. “This is pathetic, Ian. Did you spend the last two years thinking this up? I’ve never heard such a crock. I’m leaving.”

He reached out with his hand, but stopped short of actually touching her arm. “Katie, please. You have to listen. This is the truth. Ask my lawyer, she’ll tell you.”

“She’s your lawyer. She’s paid to believe you.”

“Then ask Cara. She’s married now and living in Boulder City. She visited me a couple of times in jail. She’s a good person. She just wanted to help her brother.”

Kate heard a sincerity that couldn’t be denied. “Why would you do such a thing?”

“I figured getting away was a long shot, but when you’re desperate you’ll try anything. If I would have made it across the border, I’d have contacted you as soon as it was safe for you and Maya to join me.”

“Life on the run,” she said. Did he really believe she’d have taken an infant across the border to live on money he’d stolen from her family? “There’s a great way to raise a child.”

He grimaced. “You’re right. I knew that, too, but I panicked. Everything was crashing down around me. I couldn’t tell you the truth, so I lied. To protect you.”

Something in his tone made her stifle her automatic response. Ian had always insisted that his role in the family was to keep his wife and daughter safe. He’d been
neurotic about alarm systems, air bags in cars and child-protective locks.

“So running away was your way of protecting us?”

“Yes. It was the best I could do. And just in case I got caught, I figured I needed something to keep you from wasting any more time and money on me.”

A lump formed in Kate’s throat making it impossible to ask what needed to be asked.

“Cara was a front. A prop. The police let her go after questioning, but by then you’d already assumed the worst. Like I knew you would. You saw her and said, ‘Hang the bastard.’”

“Not in so many words,” she said softly.

“I know you, Katie. I know how much value you place on trust and integrity. I didn’t know how long I’d be in jail, but I didn’t want you and Maya wasting time worrying about me, visiting me.”

“So you set me up to hate you?”

He nodded.

“Well, congratulations. It worked. I do.”

“No, you wish you could. But you don’t.”

Kate wanted to deny the allegation, but her emotions were too jumbled. She hung on to anger. It was much safer than sympathy. “It doesn’t matter whether or not you actually slept with that woman, Ian. If you think what you did somehow makes you noble, you’re sadly mistaken. You destroyed the life we’d built together and shattered any illusion I held dear about love and trust. I know you’re Maya’s father. There’s nothing I can do to change that, but if I have my way, you will never spend time alone with her again. Do you understand?”

He didn’t say a word, but Kate could see the answer in his eyes. He believed her.

“Now, I
have to go. I still have a business to run, and thanks to you, a traumatized daughter to worry about. I hope they toss you back in jail and throw away the key.”

“You don’t mean that, Katie.”

“Oh, believe me, Ian. I do. I sincerely do.”

The
minute Kate escaped from the meeting with her lawyer, she called Jo.

“Good news, sweetie,” Jo said. “We finally caught a break.”

“What kind of break and how much is it going to cost?”

Her partner laughed. “Oh, quit being so cynical. This is a good thing. I just hired an old friend to cook tonight. He’s wonderful. We worked together for a couple of years. He and his wife split and he’s sort of between jobs. He pitched in during lunch and I think he’s going to be perfect. Nothing long-term. Just a few days to give you time to regroup and be with Maya.”

Kate’s brain struggled to process the information. She’d thought seriously about closing the restaurant for the night because she’d had practically no sleep the night before and was emotionally drained. “Are you sure?”

“Hey, this is my place, too, remember? I wouldn’t let just anyone stand at this stove.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry I…I’m a little wiped out.”

Jo made a sympathetic sound. “I know, dear. Rob told me. He’s pretty upset, too. And then this thing at work came
up.”
Thing at work?
“I know it’s killing him not to be with you, but a person can’t be two places at once, right?”

Kate didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t talked to Rob since he left, except for voice messages on their cell phones. She was alone. Like always. That’s all she knew for sure.

“Listen, Jo, how ’bout I ask Grace to hostess tonight? That way if this new guy has any questions, she can help.”

“Great idea. Anything to keep you at home with your little girl. Now, I gotta run. We still have to nail down tonight’s specials. Talk to you later.” She hung up.

After calling her sister, who wasn’t going back to Detroit until Monday, Kate took her time driving home. She’d checked in with her mother and learned that Maya was still napping. That was good. Maya was happy at Yetta’s. Content. Living in Kate’s childhood home was convenient. But one thought that had jelled in Kate’s mind over the course of the day was: Maya and I need a place of our own.

She didn’t blame her mother for letting Maya out of her sight. Ian could have weaseled his way past even the most vigilant babysitter.

But even if this situation hadn’t happened, Kate knew it was time to leave. She’d taken advantage of her mother’s generosity long enough. Grace would loan her the money if Kate asked. She just hoped her mother would understand.

“Mom?” she called, walking into the kitchen.

No one answered. She dropped her purse on the table and dashed down the hall to the bedrooms.

Yetta was sitting on Maya’s bed, reading a book.

“Hi, Mommy. I got a new book from Daddy.”

“Really? You had time to go shopping while you were off on your adventure?” Kate asked, tilting her chin to read the cover. The title had the word
jokes
in it.

“We
bought it when we got gas.”

“Oh.”

“Zeke brought it by, along with Maya’s sweater,” her mother said. “I guess they’d gotten overlooked in my car. Enzo is making arrangements to return that to me later.”

“Wanna hear a joke, Mommy?”

“Sure, but then Grandma and I have to talk.”

“What’s a three-letter word for mousetrap?”

Kate’s mind was too numb to think. “I don’t know. What’s a three-letter word for mousetrap?”

Her daughter’s brown eyes twinkled with mischief. “C-a-t.”

Kate laughed, but her emotions surged. She had to blink fast to keep her tears inside. Her little girl—the child she and Ian had produced—was growing up so fast. She was smart and funny and kind and wonderful. And Kate knew she would do whatever it took to make sure nobody hurt her or crushed her amazing spirit.

“That’s great. I love it. We can read some more later. I’m not going to work tonight. I figured we’d just hang out and watch movies. Does that sound good?”

Maya nodded, but she also looked at her grandmother, as if needing Yetta’s okay.

“I’ll go make a fresh pot of coffee,” Yetta said. “Why don’t you introduce your mother to your new fish, Maya? The ones Rob gave you.”

“Rob? When was he here?”

“About an hour ago. Maya was asleep. He had to run home and get dressed for some fancy dinner his bosses were dragging him to. He didn’t seem very happy about it.”

Once Yetta had left the room, Kate sat down at the foot of
the bed. Her gaze was drawn to the fish swimming in the bright clear water of the aquarium.

There were a couple of pretty ones she didn’t recognize.

“Grandma said this black one’s name is Molly, only I think he’s a he not a she because he’s so mean to the other fish.”

“Not all males are mean, Maya.”

Maya moved to the far side of the aquarium so Kate couldn’t see her clearly.

“You know some very nice men, like Gregor and Great-uncle Claude and Zeke and…Rob.”

Maya tapped on the glass, sending the fish toward the safety of an artificial rock formation. She didn’t say anything.

“Maya, I need to be sure that you understand that what happened today wasn’t your fault. Your daddy made a mistake today but he didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“He said you won’t let him live with us, Mommy. Why?”

“Because it just wouldn’t work out. I’ve changed.”

“Can’t you change back?”

Kate shook her head sadly. “No. I’m sorry, honey. I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Well…you like being four, right?”

Maya nodded.

“Would you ever want to be two again?”

“No. I’m not a baby anymore.”

You’re my baby.
“There you go. You’ve moved on and that’s how I feel about your dad. I can’t ever live with him again.”

“Does that mean we’ll always live with Grandma?”

“No. In fact, you and I are going to start planning for the day we move into our own place. Probably an apartment to start out, but eventually, we’ll have a house.”

“Will
it have a swimming pool?”

“Maybe.”

“Will Rob come there and teach swimming lessons?”

Leave it to her daughter to ask the tough questions. “I don’t know, honey. He’s a pretty busy guy.”

“Won’t Grandma be sad if we leave?”

“You know, I think she’s been happy to have us living with her because she was lonely after Grandpa died. But, maybe, if she doesn’t have us to worry about she’ll go out more.”

“Like on a date?” Maya asked, her eyes growing wide. “With kissing and stuff?”

“Maybe.”

“Mommy, if we move, why can’t we take Daddy with us? He’s all alone, you know.”

“Sweetheart, Mommy and Daddy are never going to live together again,” Kate said firmly. “I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is.”

Maya’s lips turned down and tears welled up in her eyes. “You’re mean. Daddy says he loves us and wants to move home but you won’t let him. You’re too busy being Rob’s girlfriend.”

Kate knew that kind of logic didn’t come naturally to a four-year-old. Just as she’d feared, Ian had crafted a story that made him the martyr. “I know your father loves you very much. He’s missed out on watching you grow up and he probably wishes he could make for up that, but I have to do what I think is best for both us. And living with your father isn’t good for me. This has nothing to do with Rob.”

Maya peeked around the corner of the fish tank. Her heart-shaped face looked drawn, worried. “I like this gold one Rob bought me. She’s pretty. Her fins look like feathers.”

Kate
moved to her knees and crept closer. “She’s beautiful. Does she have a name?”

Maya pressed her nose to the glass. “I dunno. Will he come back? So I can ask him?”

He? “Rob?”

The little girl nodded.

I dunno.
“S…sure.” Although at the moment she wasn’t certain of anything. “But since he gave them to you, they’re yours to name. Or, maybe if you concentrate real hard, they’ll tell you their fish names. Can you do that?”

Maya brightened noticeably. “Uh-huh. Auntie Alex says I’m good with animals. That’s why we’re going to get a doggie soon.”

“We who?”

Maya didn’t answer. She seemed intensely focused on her mission—to talk to the fish.

“I…um, I’ll be in the kitchen. Grandma and I need to talk.”

Kate watched her daughter a moment longer, then left. Surely understanding the language of fish was a no more impossible task than understanding why some men were mean.

“R
OB WANTED YOU
to call him,” Yetta said, after Kate was seated a few minutes later. She’d detoured to her room to change into sweats.

“I tried his number a little while ago and it said no service. Maybe he turned it off.”

Kate tried to keep her tone even. She didn’t want anyone to know how hurt she’d been that he’d disappeared in her hour of need. True, she’d practically ordered him to leave, but she’d expected him to return at some point. Surely he’d known how upsetting this had been for her. His
devotion to his work seemed a pretty lousy recommendation for a boyfriend.

“He told me what happened. The big bosses came to town for a surprise meeting. They were threatening to close the whole operation, but Rob persuaded them to give the office another chance.” Yetta smiled. “According to his mother, Rob saved sixteen jobs, including his own.”

“Really? He didn’t mention any of that in his message.”

Yetta’s smile disappeared. “You’re mad at him, aren’t you?”

“No.”

“Yes, you are.”

Kate was too tired to argue. “I could have used him around today. That’s all.”

“Does that mean you two are officially a couple?”

“Huh?”

“Well, usually it takes more than one date for someone to feel comfortable hanging around in the middle of a family crisis. If you wanted him here the whole time, then you must be pretty sure he’s the one.”

Kate’s cup nearly slipped from her fingers. “I…he…we haven’t really had time to talk about how we feel. I guess I was a little hurt that he went to work, but you’re right. He had every right to.”

Her mother stepped closer and patted Kate’s shoulder. “I was just making a point, dear. People sometimes make hasty decisions in times of crisis that they later regret.”

Kate felt a stab of guilt.
Like making up my mind to move?

“Rob is a good man, Kate. I know you see that, but you’ve been through a lot lately. No one would blame you if you were a bit gun-shy when it comes to love.”

Love?
Kate wasn’t sure she even knew what the word meant, but
she didn’t have time to think about it for long. The man in question suddenly appeared at the kitchen door. Dressed in a tux.

“Rob? My gosh, where are you going?”

He stepped inside and took a deep breath. His hair looked slightly damp. Kate was positive she’d never seen anyone more handsome. Even the frazzled look in his eye was sexy.

“Dinner. At some five-star place. On the wharf.”

Her heart thudded hard against the wall of her chest.

“Wh…what wharf? There’s no wharf in Las Vegas.”

He ran a hand through his hair. She recognized the gesture of frustration. “I know,” he said. “The partners are in town. They’re flying back to San Francisco tonight. The corporate jet. That’s why I wasn’t here. Had to put on the dog and pony show. Now, they’re hauling me back with them for some meeting tomorrow.”

“Why?”

He looked down—embarrassed or reluctant to say? “It’s not a consensus. My would-have-been father-in-law, whom I’m pretty sure orchestrated my being sent to Vegas in the first place, can’t bring himself to admit that I’m not the screw-up he wants everyone to think I am, but two of the partners want me to come back.”

“To San Francisco?”

“Uh-huh. They said they need my energy and grit.” He smiled. “I think that means I was so frantic to get in touch with you, I walked out of a meeting. People don’t usually do that to these guys.”

“I called your office. Your secretary said—”

“I know. Sorry about that. That woman was a temp. My regular admin. went home with a stomachache.”

He reached out and touched the side of her face with his
fingertips. “This really wasn’t how I saw this day happening. I wasn’t here with you, and I’m really sorry about that. At least Maya’s home safe and sound, right?”

Kate nodded. “Pretty much. She’s a little confused and her trust in men rivals mine, but…” She tried to keep her tone light. “When will you be back?”

“A day or two. But what’s really crazy is I got a call this morning from the Realtor who’s had my condo listed ever since Serena and I broke up. Talk about weird timing. He has a buyer. With cash. I have to give them an answer by Friday.”

“Wow. That’s fast.”

“I know. Yesterday, I would have jumped at the offer, but, now…well, I won’t know until I hear the partners’ terms. But I think they’re going to ask me to take over our Walnut Creek branch. This is huge. I’m a little shell-shocked. One minute I’m certain they’re here to fire me, then next I’m some kind of wunderkind.”

Kate didn’t know what to say. “Why? I mean, you are amazing, but what changed their minds?”

He paced a few steps away, his brows drawn. “I’m not sure exactly. The cynical side of my mind thinks it’s because of you.”

“Me? Why me?”

“I told them how April bungled your custody hearing and I hooked you up with another lawyer who specializes in family law. They liked the way I handled the matter. Not trying to sweep it under the table. My almost-father-in-law tried to suggest that I started dating you so you wouldn’t sue us. Which is ridiculous, of course. But that’s the kind of thing he would have done. And probably did at some point in his career. He’s as ethical as a—” He stopped mid-sentence when he looked at Kate.

Her
mouth had dropped open; her eyes expressed dismay.

“Kate? You’re not buying that. No way.”

“Your dad’s wedding? Was that a bribe?”

Rob heard the words and her tone—pure hurt. “No. Of course not. I just wanted to help. My God, Kate, this is nuts. Why would you think that?”

She gave a bitter laugh. “Historically, the men I’ve cared for the most are handsome, glib and pathetically short on principles. Why should you be any different?”

“Because I am. I haven’t lied to you. This—us—what happened last night has nothing to do with your case. The partners might see it that way, but that’s because their lives are tweaked. You know me. I’m not like that.”