Sealing the Deal (6 page)

Sleep was a long time in coming.

* * *

So warm and sweet
.

Shivers ran the length of her body as Beth smiled, loving the way Robert was nuzzling her neck and rubbing her hip. Heat bloomed low in her belly, fanning through her as she wiggled her backside against the groin pressed hard against her.

“Hard” being the key word. The erection was easy to feel, even through their clothing. She wriggled again, loving how he growled against her skin and then ran his tongue around the shell of her ear.

His hand covered her breast, squeezing lightly before returning to her hip. Even more heat shimmered through her. She arched into his touch with the fleeting thought that it had been so long since she’d been with a man.

Years, actually
.

But
this
man? This was the one she’d wanted for a long time, longer than she was willing to admit to herself. She’d always kept her distance, drawing clear lines between her and her colleague, who then became her boss. Besides, he’d never shown an interest in her before. Ever.

She’d only seen him with Barbie dolls. There had been more than a few. Come to think of it, she’d never seen him with the same one twice. Robert was a player, and Beth hated players.

So why this strange fascination?

Robert’s warm lips were on her neck again, and he hoarsely whispered, “Bethany…”

Until he’d said her name, she’d wondered if he was just in the throes of some erotic dream and had reached out to conveniently find a warm woman lying next to him. But he wanted her.
Bethany
.

The fire inside her flared to an inferno. She needed to show him how she felt, hoping he’d bare some of his own feelings in response. “Robert…”

His insistent hand on her hip turned her to her back. Then his body blanketed her, and his lips settled on hers. With little prelude, his tongue thrust deep into her mouth.

Beth couldn’t have stopped herself if she’d wanted to. And she sure didn’t want to. Returning the ferocity of his kiss, gliding her tongue over his, she looped her arms around his neck and arched into him.

His scent—masculine with a touch of pleasant, spicy cologne—intoxicated her. His taste was quickly becoming familiar, and when his knee nudged her legs apart, she welcomed him and the way his pelvis settled between her thighs.

The kiss continued, a chase of tongues that went on and on. Robert slid his hand over her breast again, squeezing with the perfect amount of pressure as he pressed his hips into her core.

This was going to happen. It was really going to happen.

Until Emma started crying.

They broke apart like a couple of teenagers caught necking by their parents.

Beth scrambled off the sofa bed while Robert retreated to the bathroom.

Confused and reining in her passion, Beth went to Emma. She felt ashamed, but she wasn’t sure exactly why.

Was he upset by her weight? Her small breasts? What scared him away? He’d rushed off so swiftly, like he desperately needed to put some distance between them. Although he was clearly aroused, Emma’s cries had evidently made him sober, as though he really
had
been lost in a dream, probably thinking about his usual type of woman.

Beth tried to shrug off the rejection, telling herself it was for the best anyway. He was her boss, and God knew she needed the money now.

For the first time, Emma stopped crying the moment Beth picked her up. Not sure how to respond to that blessing, Beth grabbed a fresh diaper and laid her niece on the mattress. She had just finished changing the diaper and redressing the baby when Robert came out of the bathroom.

He plopped on the far side of the mattress and jerked on his shoes. “I need to go.”

“I can make us some breakfast,” she offered.

Robert snorted. “With what? Your fridge is almost empty.”

Her face flushed hot. “You’re right. I’m going to the grocery store later today.” As if that would matter now…

He swiped his hand over his face. “I’m sorry, B-B.”

All she did was shrug, mostly because she had no idea exactly what he was sorry for. For the rather sharp quip about her empty fridge? For the fact he’d almost made love with her?

She needed some coffee. Now. Despite finally getting some sleep, her brain couldn’t seem to function, and she swallowed hard as she tried to force back her emotions. There was no way she’d let him know exactly how much he’d hurt her.

“I need to go,” Robert said again. “Got a lot of stuff to do today anyway.” He came to stand at her side. “C-can I tell Emma good-bye?”

“Sure. I’m gonna throw this away.” Beth snatched up the dirty diaper while he picked up the baby.

Emma smiled and babbled at him. She put her hands on his cheeks, and he rubbed his beard stubble against her palms, setting her to giggling. When Beth came back to them, Robert kissed Emma on her chubby cheek.

“Love you, squirt,” he said before handing the baby back to Beth. “See you later. O-k-kay?”

“Sure, Robert. Whatever.”

The tears didn’t fall, even after he’d shut the door behind him.

Love you, squirt
.

He’d said it so easily, so naturally. Emma had charmed her way right into Robert’s heart.

Was it stupid to be jealous of an orphaned baby?

Only a few moments ago, Beth had been close to casting aside all her self-imposed rules about sleeping with guys. She might know Robert well, but they had no relationship save being friends and colleagues. Yet she would have stripped out of her clothes faster than a burlesque dancer and let him make love to her without even considering things like safe sex or possible pregnancy.

But he didn’t want her. All the kisses they’d shared might have seemed passionate—at least to her—but he obviously regretted each and every one. She’d cried more over him the last two days than she had over losing Tiffany.

Or was her sister’s death one of the reasons Beth was being overly emotional now?

“You know what, Em?” Beth sniffed hard. “Your aunt needs to stop being silly. Robert just felt sorry for me. That’s all.”

Emma happily babbled something, but Beth still didn’t understand her niece’s infantile vocabulary. She kissed the baby’s cheek and was rewarded with a sweet, innocent smile.

Despite her churning thoughts, Beth couldn’t help but smile back. “You know what,
squirt
? I love you, too.”

Chapter Five

“I’m sorry to force the issue, Beth.” The voice of Jim Reinhardt, her principal, buzzed in Beth’s ear. “I know everything you’ve been through, and you know you’ve got my sympathies. I just need to have a date for your return so we can plan for your subs.”

“I understand.” And she did. The kids were in school every weekday. Only she wasn’t, making her feel guilty for not being there for her students. That, and she was almost out of paid time off.

“Unless you need a formal leave of absence,” Jim said. “That would be a different story altogether. You know you can take more time off, right? You’ve burned through the paid days, but I can help you do the paperwork for an unpaid personal leave.”

“No. I can’t afford that.” There was money from Tiffany’s life insurance, but Beth didn’t want to use that for Emma’s day-to-day expenses. Emma was going to college one day, and who the heck knew what tuition would be in eighteen years? Plus, she deserved a nest egg, and that money would provide it. If Beth handled everything well, those funds would pay for Emma’s education and perhaps be a good down payment on a home.

No, Beth wasn’t going to touch Emma’s money unless she had no choice. “I need to get day care arranged. If I can do that, I’ll be back next Monday.”

“Talk to some of the other teachers,” Jim suggested. “Best way to find a good babysitter is to talk to someone else who uses one. That’s what Rose and I did when our kids were younger.” He snorted a laugh. “About a million years ago.”

“I will. Thanks for the advice.” She already knew who she wanted to be responsible for Emma during school days—Jules’s nanny, Aubrey. But could Beth afford her? And would Jules even allow Emma to have the same nanny as her twins? It would mean Beth dropping her niece off every weekday at an ungodly hour. Since Jules was her own boss, she might not appreciate the intrusion. It was widely known that Jules was horrible to be around in the morning. Shoot, she even joked that she was a “psycho hose beast” before nine.

“I’ll call by tomorrow with a definitive date for you,” Beth said.

“Take care of yourself, Bethany. We miss you.” On that, he hung up.

Beth immediately called Jules, who thankfully answered on the second ring. More often than not, calls to the über-busy Realtor went directly to a chipper voice mail message. “Hey, Beth. What’s up, buttercup?”

Just cut to the chase
. “Do you have a few minutes to come by my apartment?” It would be so much easier to ask Jules about the nanny in person. There was also another topic she wanted to discuss. “I know you’re really busy… but I need your help.”

“Ask and you shall receive,” Jules replied with a chuckle. “That is, if I can provide it. You caught me at the perfect time. Just finished a closing, and I’ve got a solid half hour with nothing on my schedule.” In her typical irreverent manner, she gave the last word a British pronunciation. “See you in ten?”

“Thanks, Jules.”

* * *

Balancing Emma on her hip, Beth opened the door to Jules’s knock. “Thanks for coming over.”

Jules smiled, kissed Emma’s cheek, and marched into the apartment. “Damn, Beth. I forget how small this place is. Don’t you get claustrophobic?” She winked to take the sting out of her comment.

“You know I’m saving for a house, which is actually why I asked you here.”

Jules took a seat on the chair while Beth plopped onto the mattress, letting Emma stretch out on the quilt. The baby had been fed and changed, and sleep was rapidly overtaking her. Refusing to lie down, Emma reached for Beth. With a small sigh, Beth picked her back up and cradled her against her shoulder.

“So you’re ready to take the plunge?” Jules asked.

Beth rubbed Emma’s back while she discussed business with her friend. “I am. Emma needs to grow up someplace with a yard and a bedroom of her own.”

“Price range?” As always, Jules got right down to business.

“Not really sure. I’d like to see what my money can get. I’ve got about twenty thousand for a down payment. Is that enough?”

“Depends on what you want.” Jules pulled her e-tablet out of her enormous purse, and her fingers started flying over it. “You’re a property virgin, so best thing to do is start with what I call the ‘Goldilocks Plan.’ ”

Beth quirked a brow. “Goldilocks?”

“Yeah,” Jules replied with a lopsided smile. “I show you one that’s really pricey, one on the low end, then one that’s in the middle. You get to decide what’s just right. Helps narrow down exactly what you’re looking for.”

A good plan, considering Beth really had no idea what she needed, let alone what she wanted. All her Pinterest posts about houses had been one of two extremes. A house for her to share with her husband and children or a house for a lady who would be single for her whole life. What kind of house did a single mom get?

“That sounds like a good plan, Jules. I honestly have no idea what would work for Emma and me.”

“Don’t sound so forlorn.” Jules raised her gaze from the tablet. “We’ll find something perfect. I promise. I’m pretty good at my job.”

“That’s why I called you.” Beth drew her lips into a thin line. Even forming the question about child care was difficult. She finally decided to just spit out the request. “I need another favor. You’re always telling me how much you like your nanny.”

“God, yes. I’d never survive without Aubrey.” She let out a throaty laugh. “Twin boys. I still wonder what I did that karma came back at me by making me the mom of twin boys.”

“Would Aubrey be able to watch Emma, too?” Hurrying to explain, Beth added, “I’d pay her. I just… I don’t want Emma spending her whole day with some stranger.”

Instead of immediately responding with a hearty,
Sure, bring her over
, Jules stayed silent. The answer, however, was there in her eyes.

Any other time, Beth would have immediately withdrawn the request. Getting on Jules’s bad side was never a good thing, and asking if Emma could stay with the twins had obviously annoyed her. Asking Jules why would only compound the problem.

Time ticked by in long seconds until Jules finally sighed. “I guess it’s okay.” She might as well have been telling a dentist to go ahead and drill without Novocain.

“Never mind,” Beth said, trying not to make eye contact. There was no way she’d impose on Jules when the woman was so obviously put out by the request.

In all the years she’d been part of the Ladies Who Lunch, Beth had felt nothing but affection and support from Jules, Mallory, and especially Danielle. Now she could almost see a wall being built between herself and Jules, like some silly cartoon where the bricks stacked up row after row after row.

“Beth…” Jules heaved a sigh.

Beth held up a hand, palm out. “Stop. You don’t owe me any explanation. It’s fine.” She wanted nothing more at that moment than for Jules to go home to her handsome husband, her robust twin boys, and the huge historical building in downtown Cloverleaf she and Connor called home.

Go back to your perfect life, Jules. I’ll handle my own disasters
.

“Beth… it’s just—”

“I’ve got to get Emma ready for her doctor’s appointment.” Although the statement was far from subtle and a blatant lie, Beth went to the door and put her hand on the knob. “Thanks so much for coming over. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of place you can show me.”

Jules hefted her purse onto her shoulder. She stopped at the door, her face full of an emotion Beth couldn’t read. “I’ll send some e-mail links after I get back to the office, and I’ll start the paperwork to get your mortgage preapproved.” On that, she thankfully left.

After Beth shut the door, she leaned back against it, holding Emma against her chest since the baby had fallen asleep. Beth pressed a kiss to her temple before sighing.