This Time Around, page 13
“I’m from Seattle, originally, but I moved out here ten years ago to take a job at Solomon Ashe and Associates.”
“You’re a lawyer?”
“Don’t hold it against me. That reminds me—”
He turned to Allie, who had started to think they’d forgotten she was here at all. Wade reached into the side pocket of his briefcase and pulled out a large manila folder with the law firm’s name on it. “Here’s that stuff you were asking about on asset forfeiture laws and estate taxes.”
“Oh—right, thank you.”
He lifted one eyebrow in a silent question, and Allie shook her head. Not now, she telegraphed, willing him not to ask any questions that would lead Skye to suspect there was a giant trunk of cash in the attic. Not that she’d told Wade about it, either, but she had asked a few vague questions and enough hypotheticals to pique his interest.
Luckily, his interest seemed more piqued by Skye at the moment. “So, Skye,” he was saying. “Since Allie’s running off to have fun with her old fiancé tonight, I don’t suppose you’d be interested in having dinner with me?”
Skye smiled and began winding the cord around the fancy hair curler. Her own long curls fell over her face, and Wade stared like she was the most exotic creature he’d ever seen. Allie tried to remember some of the women he’d dated over the years. There’d been plenty, but she couldn’t think of any who looked like Skye.
“I think I’m free,” Skye was saying. “What did you have in mind?”
“Something different. I like the blue in your hair, by the way.”
“Thanks. I’ve been thinking of switching to pink, but I’m still loving the blue.”
“It’s great. Very unique. Goes with your name.”
“You’re right, it sort of does.” Skye looked pleased that he’d noticed, and Allie couldn’t help feeling charmed by their flirtation.
“So how about it,” Wade said. “Dinner? With me? Tonight?”
Skye smiled. “Okay. Have you been to Marrakesh?”
“In Morocco?”
“No, I mean the restaurant. It’s this slightly cheesy little place over on Northwest 21st where you sit on the floor and eat with your hands. There’s a belly dancer on weekends, and the staff dresses in traditional Moroccan attire. Like I said, kinda cheesy, but I love the place.”
“Sold!” Wade grinned. “That sounds perfect.”
Allie stood up and set Wade’s envelope on top of the maple dresser. She pulled the bedsheet off and folded it neatly before setting it on the empty barstool. Then she straightened the peacock-green dress. She’d worn it here, not wanting to mess up her hair by pulling it on afterward. Jack was picking her up from the B&B in about ten minutes.
“Whoa, Albatross!” Wade had finally glanced away from Skye and was looking at her. “Nice dress!”
“Thank you.”
“That color’s great on you.”
“Totally,” Skye agreed. “I told her she looks like Jennifer Garner.” She shifted closer to Wade, seemingly drawn to him. “Did you just call her Albatross?”
“Allie Ross the Albatross,” Wade repeated, smiling fondly at her. “The bird who’d rather fly alone.”
Skye gave Allie a sympathetic smile and shrugged. “Nothing wrong with that. It’s good to be a strong, independent woman.”
“Amen, sister.”
“Are you two going to hug now?” Wade asked. “Because I’d really like to see that. Especially if there’s a boob grab involved.”
“You’re ridiculous.” Allie slugged him in the shoulder, then picked up the envelope again and moved through the door. “Thanks again, Skye. Really, you did an amazing job. You’re sure I can’t pay you?”
“No way. You’re doing me a favor here. I needed the practice.”
“Thanks again.”
“You look gorgeous. Kinda glowy or something.”
“Glowy,” Wade repeated, looking her up and down with a critical eye. “You haven’t been snogging the guy already, have you?”
Allie rolled her eyes, which was mostly a move to avoid eye contact with Wade. She knew he could see right through her. She held up the envelope as she made her way out the door. “I have a few minutes before Jack gets here, so I’m going to go look through this.”
“Call if you have questions about it,” Wade said.
“I will. Thanks again. Both of you!”
“You’re welcome,” Skye called.
Allie headed down the hall and into the kitchen, a familiar space that reminded her of dainty teacups and her grandmother’s shortbread cookies. She felt a pang of sadness and took a few deep breaths to get it under control.
She set Wade’s envelope on the counter, hesitating a little. She’d been deliberately vague when she’d asked him to dig up some info on inheritance laws and Oregon statutes on found property. He was her best friend, but it seemed unwise to just blurt out the fact that she’d stumbled upon a million dollars in cash. Given his connection to her parents’ case, would he be required to report it? Allie wasn’t sure, so she figured better safe than sorry.
She pried open the clasp securing the envelope, careful not to wreck her new manicure. A thick stack of papers was inside, and Allie pulled it out and stared at the first page.
Lost, Unclaimed, or Abandoned Property Laws, ORS §98.005 . . .
“Hello? Allie, are you here?”
The papers fell from her hands as Jack’s voice rang out from the foyer. Crap.
He called out again, his voice getting closer now.
“I’m in here!” Allie shouted as she dropped to her knees and began grabbing pages. They were hopelessly out of order, a blur of words like forfeiture and encumbered property and theft by deception. She stuffed them into a pile, not sure why she felt so guilty, but knowing Jack was going to walk into the room at any moment.
“Allie?”
She turned to see him standing behind her. His eyes were locked on her ass, and he had a funny look on his face.
“Well,” he said, his voice a little strained. “Can’t say I expected to see you on your hands and knees this early in the evening.”
Jack wanted to kick himself for saying something so suggestive to Allie when their connection was still in the realm of tepid friendship. It was the sort of thing he could have gotten away with sixteen years ago, but not now. Not with all this history between them.
Lucky for him, she didn’t seem offended.
“Very funny,” she muttered as she continued scooping papers into a haphazard pile.
“Here, let me help you up.” He reached a hand down to her, half expecting her to swat it away.
But she let him hoist her to her feet by one hand as she clutched a disheveled stack of papers in the other.
“Thanks,” she said. “You startled me.”
“Sorry about that. I knocked on the front door, but when no one answered, I saw that sign telling me to come in.”
“Right, I need to get that taken down.”
“Remind me the next time I’m here with my tools and I’ll get rid of it.”
He watched a hint of color seep into her cheeks, and he wondered if she was thinking about the last time he’d been here with his tool belt. He was considering making another suggestive comment when a flash of black and white tore through the room.
“Marilyn, no!”
The animal—was it a skunk or a cat?—snatched something off the floor and streaked around the corner, its fluffy tail trailing behind like a taunting battle flag.
Allie took off running, which was quite the feat in ridiculously high heels. Jack had no idea what was going on, but he followed anyway.
“What are we chasing?”
“A cat!” Allie yelled back as they tore around a corner and down a hall. “A thieving polydactyl.”
“That sounds like a lesser-known Shakespeare title.”
“The brat stole one of my pages.”
“An irreplaceable page from a bestselling novel you’re writing?”
“What? No, it’s just something I need.”
The fluffy black tail disappeared around another corner and through a doorway, and Allie scrambled after the kleptomaniac creature. Jack followed suit, skidding to a halt as he saw Allie down on her hands and knees beside a bed. She was peering under the dust ruffle, and Jack knew he should probably stop staring at her ass and help. Any minute now. Just one more second and—
“Come here, you little sneak.”
Jack stepped forward, shaking off the ass-trance. “Want me to grab her from the other side?”
“Sure, or maybe you could just chase her toward me.”
Jack walked around to the other edge of the bed and dropped to his knees, wondering if she felt as awkward as he did about kneeling next to a bed with a person he’d slept with for two years. Probably not. She had other things on her mind, obviously.
He lifted the dust ruffle and peered underneath. A pair of glowing yellow eyes peered back at him, daring him to make a move. The cat clutched a sheet of paper in its teeth, whiskers fanning over the pages like black streaks of ink. The cat stared at him for a few beats, then gave a muffled meow.
“Here, kitty-kitty-kitty,” he coaxed.
“Her name’s Marilyn.”
“Do you really know all their names now?”
“Not all of them, but she has that little Marilyn Monroe beauty mark on her cheek.”
“Ah, I see that now.” Jack reached under the bed and tried to grab the cat. She scooted back and gave another meow, this time dropping the paper.
“Got it!” He snatched the page, sending the cat skittering backward toward the headboard. She gave a halfhearted hiss, then sat back and began to clean her ears with one of her catcher’s-mitt paws.
Jack stood up, ready to walk around the bed and help Allie to her feet again, but he saw she was already standing. They were separated by the width of a queen-sized mattress, and there was something strangely intimate about it. Like they were a pair of lovers on the brink of crawling into bed together instead of two exes on their way to a college reunion.
They stared at each other across the mattress, both of them still a little breathless from the chase around the house. Allie looked at him, her palm trailing absently over the blue coverlet.
She was the first to speak. “Sorry about that. Thank you for the help.”
“No problem. Your hair—”
“Oh, God—did I mess it up? Skye’s going to kill me.” She put her hand up to touch it, and Jack shook his head.
“No, that’s not it. I just meant it’s beautiful. I didn’t notice before, but I’ve never seen you wear it like that before.”
“Oh. Thanks.” A flush crept into her cheeks, and her palm drifted over one of the pillows. Was she thinking the same thing he was? Remembering a different bed, a different reason for the heavy breathing and mussed hair? The way they used to—
“Can I have it?”
“What?”
Allie stretched her hand out and gave him an expectant look. “My page. The paper the cat stole.”
“Oh. Yes, of course.” He started to hand it to her, then glanced down at the words.
ORS 98.005 Notice/Report Requirements
Allie stretched out to snatch it out of his hand, but Jack drew it back. He was probably being a nosy asshole, but he was curious.
“‘A person is always required to report found money or property (ORS 98.352 and ORS 98.376) or to pay or deliver unclaimed property to the Department of State Lands, unless the property interest vested prior to August 20, 1957 . . .’”
“I was just finding out more about the laws pertaining to found property,” Allie said, interrupting his reading. “It’s no big deal.”
Jack looked up from the words to meet those dark-green eyes. “So you’re thinking of reporting the cash to the authorities?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.”
“But you’re supposed to?”
“I’m not sure yet. The laws are kind of complicated, and I haven’t had time to read all that yet.”
He frowned. “So where’s the money now?”
“Shhh!” She glanced toward the doorway, and Jack glanced over, too.
“Skye’s here?”
“And Wade, too.”
An unwelcome flicker of jealousy burned in his chest, which was stupid. Wade was just a friend. Besides, it’s not like Allie entered a convent when they split up.
He was still staring at the door like an idiot when he felt Allie tug the paper from his grip. He turned to see her kneeling on the bed in front of him, sliding the paper out of his sweaty fingers.
“Thank you,” she said.
She didn’t move back right away. They were almost nose to nose, and Jack felt something stir inside him at the sight of a beautiful woman in a cocktail dress kneeling in front of him on the blue silk duvet. She was a little flushed, and he wished like hell he knew what she was thinking. Her gaze held his, and he could feel her breath coming fast. From chasing the cat or from something else?
He started to reach for her, and her eyes flashed. She licked her lips.
“Ready to go?” She drew the page up between them, the world’s most ineffective shield.
He nodded, not quite ready to break the spell. “I’m ready.”
For what, he had no idea.
CHAPTER NINE
Jack turned the key in the ignition of his Audi Q5, then glanced over at Allie to make sure she’d buckled her seatbelt. He wasn’t used to having anyone in the passenger seat beside him. Paige still rode in back, much to her annoyance, but he was holding firm on that one. Everything he’d read from the American Academy of Pediatrics said it was safer for a child to remain in the backseat until she was at least thirteen. Maybe thirty-six.
“All set?” he asked.
Allie nodded. “Nice car.”
“Thank you. It just arrived yesterday.”
“It’s new?”
“No, I had it brought up here by a moving company. Time was a little tight, so Paige and I flew to Portland and had most of our household stuff sent by a moving company.”
“That must have been expensive.”
He glanced at her, trying to figure out if there was any sort of judgment or admiration in the words. They seemed harmless enough, so Jack decided to let it pass. He concentrated on easing the car away from the curb and pointing them toward the restaurant where the event was being held.
They were both quiet a moment, the silence in the car broken only by the sound of rainwater shushing beneath the tires and the wiper blades squeaking against the windshield. He breathed in Allie’s perfume and wondered what she was thinking. He didn’t have to wonder long.
“So do you really want me to take your kid bra shopping?”
Jack nodded, then realized she was looking out the window instead of at him. “If you’re up for it. I mean, I’m sure you’re busy—”
“No, it’s okay. I just meant—well, I’ve only met her a couple times. Isn’t there someone closer to her?”
“Just my mom, and like I said, she still kind of treats her like she’s a baby. If this bra thing has to happen, I’d rather it happen with someone who’s going to treat her like a maturing little girl.”
Allie turned from the window and gave him an appraising look. “Wow, that’s very adult of you.”
He laughed. “Having a kid makes you grow up pretty fast.” He thought about that for a moment, then glanced over at her. “Having a daughter especially.”
“How so?”
“Maybe it’s different in two-parent households. When you’re a single dad raising a little girl, you spend half your time feeling like some sort of Viking protector, and the other half pretty sure you’re screwing up six ways to Sunday.”
“I hardly think you’re screwing her up,” Allie said. “She seems like a well-adjusted kid.”
“Thanks.”
“Not that I’ve been around a lot of kids.”
He grinned. “So your observation is meaningless?”
“I wouldn’t say that, exactly. But I was always a bit of a daddy’s girl, so I think I’m qualified to assess father-daughter relationships. Yours seems pretty solid.”
“Thanks. It is.” He didn’t say anything right away as his thoughts mixed with the splash of rainwater outside and he tried to figure out the words that went along with what he was feeling. “That’s the thing about being a dad. When she’s young, she’s your little girl. You play games and make each other laugh and spend most of your time feeling like the center of each other’s universe. But then the universe gets bigger—friends, school, social stuff—and you worry you’re not enough for her. That no matter how amazing your bond is, it’s still stupidly inadequate for everything she needs to make it through that awkward transition from little girl to young woman.”
“Wow.” Allie bit her lip. “I guess I never thought about that.”
He shrugged. “Maybe it’s not the same with all dads and daughters. It might just be me.”
She looked at him, her green eyes clear and bright. “Like I said, I’m not the best judge on the planet. But from where I stand, you seem like you’re doing great.”
“Thank you. That means a lot.”
She went quiet again, and Jack thought about how nice it felt to talk to someone about this. He talked with his mom about Paige, of course—who would be picking her up from a birthday party, or whether it was time to switch her from Flintstones Vitamins to something more grown-up, but not conversations like this. He usually avoided discussing his daughter with Lacey, and since Lacey had made it clear she wasn’t interested in a relationship, he’d kept contact to a minimum between the two. No sense getting Paige’s hopes up for something permanent, or having her imprint on a new mother figure like an orphaned baby duck. It was a moot point now anyway, since Lacey had zero interest in relocating to Portland.
Allie seemed to read his thoughts. “So your girlfriend—”
“Definitely not my girlfriend.”
“Whatever. Your lady friend, then—did you guys cut things off when you moved?”
“Pretty much.”
She nodded, and Jack wondered what she was thinking. If she’d ask him anything else about his love life these past sixteen years, and what he was willing to volunteer.
“You’re a lawyer?”
“Don’t hold it against me. That reminds me—”
He turned to Allie, who had started to think they’d forgotten she was here at all. Wade reached into the side pocket of his briefcase and pulled out a large manila folder with the law firm’s name on it. “Here’s that stuff you were asking about on asset forfeiture laws and estate taxes.”
“Oh—right, thank you.”
He lifted one eyebrow in a silent question, and Allie shook her head. Not now, she telegraphed, willing him not to ask any questions that would lead Skye to suspect there was a giant trunk of cash in the attic. Not that she’d told Wade about it, either, but she had asked a few vague questions and enough hypotheticals to pique his interest.
Luckily, his interest seemed more piqued by Skye at the moment. “So, Skye,” he was saying. “Since Allie’s running off to have fun with her old fiancé tonight, I don’t suppose you’d be interested in having dinner with me?”
Skye smiled and began winding the cord around the fancy hair curler. Her own long curls fell over her face, and Wade stared like she was the most exotic creature he’d ever seen. Allie tried to remember some of the women he’d dated over the years. There’d been plenty, but she couldn’t think of any who looked like Skye.
“I think I’m free,” Skye was saying. “What did you have in mind?”
“Something different. I like the blue in your hair, by the way.”
“Thanks. I’ve been thinking of switching to pink, but I’m still loving the blue.”
“It’s great. Very unique. Goes with your name.”
“You’re right, it sort of does.” Skye looked pleased that he’d noticed, and Allie couldn’t help feeling charmed by their flirtation.
“So how about it,” Wade said. “Dinner? With me? Tonight?”
Skye smiled. “Okay. Have you been to Marrakesh?”
“In Morocco?”
“No, I mean the restaurant. It’s this slightly cheesy little place over on Northwest 21st where you sit on the floor and eat with your hands. There’s a belly dancer on weekends, and the staff dresses in traditional Moroccan attire. Like I said, kinda cheesy, but I love the place.”
“Sold!” Wade grinned. “That sounds perfect.”
Allie stood up and set Wade’s envelope on top of the maple dresser. She pulled the bedsheet off and folded it neatly before setting it on the empty barstool. Then she straightened the peacock-green dress. She’d worn it here, not wanting to mess up her hair by pulling it on afterward. Jack was picking her up from the B&B in about ten minutes.
“Whoa, Albatross!” Wade had finally glanced away from Skye and was looking at her. “Nice dress!”
“Thank you.”
“That color’s great on you.”
“Totally,” Skye agreed. “I told her she looks like Jennifer Garner.” She shifted closer to Wade, seemingly drawn to him. “Did you just call her Albatross?”
“Allie Ross the Albatross,” Wade repeated, smiling fondly at her. “The bird who’d rather fly alone.”
Skye gave Allie a sympathetic smile and shrugged. “Nothing wrong with that. It’s good to be a strong, independent woman.”
“Amen, sister.”
“Are you two going to hug now?” Wade asked. “Because I’d really like to see that. Especially if there’s a boob grab involved.”
“You’re ridiculous.” Allie slugged him in the shoulder, then picked up the envelope again and moved through the door. “Thanks again, Skye. Really, you did an amazing job. You’re sure I can’t pay you?”
“No way. You’re doing me a favor here. I needed the practice.”
“Thanks again.”
“You look gorgeous. Kinda glowy or something.”
“Glowy,” Wade repeated, looking her up and down with a critical eye. “You haven’t been snogging the guy already, have you?”
Allie rolled her eyes, which was mostly a move to avoid eye contact with Wade. She knew he could see right through her. She held up the envelope as she made her way out the door. “I have a few minutes before Jack gets here, so I’m going to go look through this.”
“Call if you have questions about it,” Wade said.
“I will. Thanks again. Both of you!”
“You’re welcome,” Skye called.
Allie headed down the hall and into the kitchen, a familiar space that reminded her of dainty teacups and her grandmother’s shortbread cookies. She felt a pang of sadness and took a few deep breaths to get it under control.
She set Wade’s envelope on the counter, hesitating a little. She’d been deliberately vague when she’d asked him to dig up some info on inheritance laws and Oregon statutes on found property. He was her best friend, but it seemed unwise to just blurt out the fact that she’d stumbled upon a million dollars in cash. Given his connection to her parents’ case, would he be required to report it? Allie wasn’t sure, so she figured better safe than sorry.
She pried open the clasp securing the envelope, careful not to wreck her new manicure. A thick stack of papers was inside, and Allie pulled it out and stared at the first page.
Lost, Unclaimed, or Abandoned Property Laws, ORS §98.005 . . .
“Hello? Allie, are you here?”
The papers fell from her hands as Jack’s voice rang out from the foyer. Crap.
He called out again, his voice getting closer now.
“I’m in here!” Allie shouted as she dropped to her knees and began grabbing pages. They were hopelessly out of order, a blur of words like forfeiture and encumbered property and theft by deception. She stuffed them into a pile, not sure why she felt so guilty, but knowing Jack was going to walk into the room at any moment.
“Allie?”
She turned to see him standing behind her. His eyes were locked on her ass, and he had a funny look on his face.
“Well,” he said, his voice a little strained. “Can’t say I expected to see you on your hands and knees this early in the evening.”
Jack wanted to kick himself for saying something so suggestive to Allie when their connection was still in the realm of tepid friendship. It was the sort of thing he could have gotten away with sixteen years ago, but not now. Not with all this history between them.
Lucky for him, she didn’t seem offended.
“Very funny,” she muttered as she continued scooping papers into a haphazard pile.
“Here, let me help you up.” He reached a hand down to her, half expecting her to swat it away.
But she let him hoist her to her feet by one hand as she clutched a disheveled stack of papers in the other.
“Thanks,” she said. “You startled me.”
“Sorry about that. I knocked on the front door, but when no one answered, I saw that sign telling me to come in.”
“Right, I need to get that taken down.”
“Remind me the next time I’m here with my tools and I’ll get rid of it.”
He watched a hint of color seep into her cheeks, and he wondered if she was thinking about the last time he’d been here with his tool belt. He was considering making another suggestive comment when a flash of black and white tore through the room.
“Marilyn, no!”
The animal—was it a skunk or a cat?—snatched something off the floor and streaked around the corner, its fluffy tail trailing behind like a taunting battle flag.
Allie took off running, which was quite the feat in ridiculously high heels. Jack had no idea what was going on, but he followed anyway.
“What are we chasing?”
“A cat!” Allie yelled back as they tore around a corner and down a hall. “A thieving polydactyl.”
“That sounds like a lesser-known Shakespeare title.”
“The brat stole one of my pages.”
“An irreplaceable page from a bestselling novel you’re writing?”
“What? No, it’s just something I need.”
The fluffy black tail disappeared around another corner and through a doorway, and Allie scrambled after the kleptomaniac creature. Jack followed suit, skidding to a halt as he saw Allie down on her hands and knees beside a bed. She was peering under the dust ruffle, and Jack knew he should probably stop staring at her ass and help. Any minute now. Just one more second and—
“Come here, you little sneak.”
Jack stepped forward, shaking off the ass-trance. “Want me to grab her from the other side?”
“Sure, or maybe you could just chase her toward me.”
Jack walked around to the other edge of the bed and dropped to his knees, wondering if she felt as awkward as he did about kneeling next to a bed with a person he’d slept with for two years. Probably not. She had other things on her mind, obviously.
He lifted the dust ruffle and peered underneath. A pair of glowing yellow eyes peered back at him, daring him to make a move. The cat clutched a sheet of paper in its teeth, whiskers fanning over the pages like black streaks of ink. The cat stared at him for a few beats, then gave a muffled meow.
“Here, kitty-kitty-kitty,” he coaxed.
“Her name’s Marilyn.”
“Do you really know all their names now?”
“Not all of them, but she has that little Marilyn Monroe beauty mark on her cheek.”
“Ah, I see that now.” Jack reached under the bed and tried to grab the cat. She scooted back and gave another meow, this time dropping the paper.
“Got it!” He snatched the page, sending the cat skittering backward toward the headboard. She gave a halfhearted hiss, then sat back and began to clean her ears with one of her catcher’s-mitt paws.
Jack stood up, ready to walk around the bed and help Allie to her feet again, but he saw she was already standing. They were separated by the width of a queen-sized mattress, and there was something strangely intimate about it. Like they were a pair of lovers on the brink of crawling into bed together instead of two exes on their way to a college reunion.
They stared at each other across the mattress, both of them still a little breathless from the chase around the house. Allie looked at him, her palm trailing absently over the blue coverlet.
She was the first to speak. “Sorry about that. Thank you for the help.”
“No problem. Your hair—”
“Oh, God—did I mess it up? Skye’s going to kill me.” She put her hand up to touch it, and Jack shook his head.
“No, that’s not it. I just meant it’s beautiful. I didn’t notice before, but I’ve never seen you wear it like that before.”
“Oh. Thanks.” A flush crept into her cheeks, and her palm drifted over one of the pillows. Was she thinking the same thing he was? Remembering a different bed, a different reason for the heavy breathing and mussed hair? The way they used to—
“Can I have it?”
“What?”
Allie stretched her hand out and gave him an expectant look. “My page. The paper the cat stole.”
“Oh. Yes, of course.” He started to hand it to her, then glanced down at the words.
ORS 98.005 Notice/Report Requirements
Allie stretched out to snatch it out of his hand, but Jack drew it back. He was probably being a nosy asshole, but he was curious.
“‘A person is always required to report found money or property (ORS 98.352 and ORS 98.376) or to pay or deliver unclaimed property to the Department of State Lands, unless the property interest vested prior to August 20, 1957 . . .’”
“I was just finding out more about the laws pertaining to found property,” Allie said, interrupting his reading. “It’s no big deal.”
Jack looked up from the words to meet those dark-green eyes. “So you’re thinking of reporting the cash to the authorities?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.”
“But you’re supposed to?”
“I’m not sure yet. The laws are kind of complicated, and I haven’t had time to read all that yet.”
He frowned. “So where’s the money now?”
“Shhh!” She glanced toward the doorway, and Jack glanced over, too.
“Skye’s here?”
“And Wade, too.”
An unwelcome flicker of jealousy burned in his chest, which was stupid. Wade was just a friend. Besides, it’s not like Allie entered a convent when they split up.
He was still staring at the door like an idiot when he felt Allie tug the paper from his grip. He turned to see her kneeling on the bed in front of him, sliding the paper out of his sweaty fingers.
“Thank you,” she said.
She didn’t move back right away. They were almost nose to nose, and Jack felt something stir inside him at the sight of a beautiful woman in a cocktail dress kneeling in front of him on the blue silk duvet. She was a little flushed, and he wished like hell he knew what she was thinking. Her gaze held his, and he could feel her breath coming fast. From chasing the cat or from something else?
He started to reach for her, and her eyes flashed. She licked her lips.
“Ready to go?” She drew the page up between them, the world’s most ineffective shield.
He nodded, not quite ready to break the spell. “I’m ready.”
For what, he had no idea.
CHAPTER NINE
Jack turned the key in the ignition of his Audi Q5, then glanced over at Allie to make sure she’d buckled her seatbelt. He wasn’t used to having anyone in the passenger seat beside him. Paige still rode in back, much to her annoyance, but he was holding firm on that one. Everything he’d read from the American Academy of Pediatrics said it was safer for a child to remain in the backseat until she was at least thirteen. Maybe thirty-six.
“All set?” he asked.
Allie nodded. “Nice car.”
“Thank you. It just arrived yesterday.”
“It’s new?”
“No, I had it brought up here by a moving company. Time was a little tight, so Paige and I flew to Portland and had most of our household stuff sent by a moving company.”
“That must have been expensive.”
He glanced at her, trying to figure out if there was any sort of judgment or admiration in the words. They seemed harmless enough, so Jack decided to let it pass. He concentrated on easing the car away from the curb and pointing them toward the restaurant where the event was being held.
They were both quiet a moment, the silence in the car broken only by the sound of rainwater shushing beneath the tires and the wiper blades squeaking against the windshield. He breathed in Allie’s perfume and wondered what she was thinking. He didn’t have to wonder long.
“So do you really want me to take your kid bra shopping?”
Jack nodded, then realized she was looking out the window instead of at him. “If you’re up for it. I mean, I’m sure you’re busy—”
“No, it’s okay. I just meant—well, I’ve only met her a couple times. Isn’t there someone closer to her?”
“Just my mom, and like I said, she still kind of treats her like she’s a baby. If this bra thing has to happen, I’d rather it happen with someone who’s going to treat her like a maturing little girl.”
Allie turned from the window and gave him an appraising look. “Wow, that’s very adult of you.”
He laughed. “Having a kid makes you grow up pretty fast.” He thought about that for a moment, then glanced over at her. “Having a daughter especially.”
“How so?”
“Maybe it’s different in two-parent households. When you’re a single dad raising a little girl, you spend half your time feeling like some sort of Viking protector, and the other half pretty sure you’re screwing up six ways to Sunday.”
“I hardly think you’re screwing her up,” Allie said. “She seems like a well-adjusted kid.”
“Thanks.”
“Not that I’ve been around a lot of kids.”
He grinned. “So your observation is meaningless?”
“I wouldn’t say that, exactly. But I was always a bit of a daddy’s girl, so I think I’m qualified to assess father-daughter relationships. Yours seems pretty solid.”
“Thanks. It is.” He didn’t say anything right away as his thoughts mixed with the splash of rainwater outside and he tried to figure out the words that went along with what he was feeling. “That’s the thing about being a dad. When she’s young, she’s your little girl. You play games and make each other laugh and spend most of your time feeling like the center of each other’s universe. But then the universe gets bigger—friends, school, social stuff—and you worry you’re not enough for her. That no matter how amazing your bond is, it’s still stupidly inadequate for everything she needs to make it through that awkward transition from little girl to young woman.”
“Wow.” Allie bit her lip. “I guess I never thought about that.”
He shrugged. “Maybe it’s not the same with all dads and daughters. It might just be me.”
She looked at him, her green eyes clear and bright. “Like I said, I’m not the best judge on the planet. But from where I stand, you seem like you’re doing great.”
“Thank you. That means a lot.”
She went quiet again, and Jack thought about how nice it felt to talk to someone about this. He talked with his mom about Paige, of course—who would be picking her up from a birthday party, or whether it was time to switch her from Flintstones Vitamins to something more grown-up, but not conversations like this. He usually avoided discussing his daughter with Lacey, and since Lacey had made it clear she wasn’t interested in a relationship, he’d kept contact to a minimum between the two. No sense getting Paige’s hopes up for something permanent, or having her imprint on a new mother figure like an orphaned baby duck. It was a moot point now anyway, since Lacey had zero interest in relocating to Portland.
Allie seemed to read his thoughts. “So your girlfriend—”
“Definitely not my girlfriend.”
“Whatever. Your lady friend, then—did you guys cut things off when you moved?”
“Pretty much.”
She nodded, and Jack wondered what she was thinking. If she’d ask him anything else about his love life these past sixteen years, and what he was willing to volunteer.
