Betting on Grace (27 page)

One Daddy Too Many

by
Debra Salonen

The Radonovic sisters’ stories continue in a new three-book miniseries coming from Harlequin American Romance—Sisters of the Silver Dollar. Watch for Kate’s story,
One Daddy Too Many,
available May 2006

K
ATE
R
ADONOVIC
G
RANT
took a long draw on the straw that was stuck in her can of decaffeinated, desugared, de-everything soda, then glanced at her watch. He should be here any minute. She’d caught him on his cell phone just as he was leaving his Lake Las Vegas home.

She’d terminated dozens of employees over the years. The restaurant business thrived on short-term hires, and while not her favorite aspect of the job, she didn’t lose much sleep over the prospect of letting someone go. Until now.

Of course, this time she wasn’t talking to a crack-addict dishwasher or a chronically late bartender. This time she was firing her attorney. Robert James Brighten. Rob. A great guy, who’d really come through when her family needed him. But Kate knew the best way to reciprocate for all that he’d done was to fire him.

With any luck, this
thing
she felt for him was entirely one-sided. A figment of her sexually deprived
imagination. But even if Rob was attracted to her, he’d change his mind once he heard the latest development in her family’s saga.

The distinctive sound of a sports car’s engine intruded into her thoughts. Seconds later a sleek silver status symbol pulled into the parking lot of Romantique, the restaurant she owned with her sister, Grace.

Her heart rate sped up. From what she had to do, not from Rob’s presence, she told herself. Unsuccessfully. Only a liar would try to deny what Rob Brighten did to her libido. And Kate was honest—brutally so, her sisters often claimed.

His Lexus coupe purred to a stop and the driver’s door opened. Rob unfolded his long legs and got out with the amazing fluidity of the young and fit. He was only four years Kate’s junior, but she felt decades older.

Once standing, he leaned over to retrieve something and her gaze zeroed in on his derriere. Elegantly sculpted in a tailored navy blue pinstripe suit. She tried not to ogle, but a person who had been without sex for as long as she had could muster up only so much willpower.

Belying the conservative cut and color of his suit, his pale plum shirt and vibrant red-and-silver tie had a Gypsy flair, although she knew his heritage was Romani-free. Like Kate, her ex-husband was Romani, and she’d vowed that if she ever got involved with another man, he wouldn’t carry a drop of Romani blood
in his veins. Rob fit that criterion. Too bad he was wrong for her in every other way.

He tossed his fashionable sunglasses on the seat of his car, then closed the door. “’Morning, Kate,” he said, turning to face her. “I’m glad you caught me before I got to the office. I was going to call you at home. I have some interesting news.”

“Really? Does it have to do with my felonious family? We won’t be on the clock, will we?” she asked, only half teasing. She still hadn’t gotten a bill from him, and her reserve cash was running low.

“There’s no charge for good news,” Rob said, offering a smile to ease the tension he felt percolating between them. From the first day he and Kate met, he’d felt a hum—something intriguing and rich with potential, even though they’d both politely ignored the connection for the sake of professional ethics. But now that their legal business was nearly concluded, he hoped other aspects of their relationship would change, too.

“I haven’t heard good news in so long, I’d probably need subtitles to understand it,” she said, as she brushed a wind-whipped hunk of hair out of her eyes. Her gorgeous mocha-brown eyes.

He wasn’t surprised by her cynical tone. This woman had been through hell the past couple of weeks. Make that the past couple of years. “What if I
told you I have something that will guarantee hordes of new customers?”

She crossed her arms and gave him a get-real look.

“Here.” He held out the hardcover book he was carrying. “This is for you.”

She recoiled slightly at first, but took it and read out loud “‘Prowess: Loving the Older Man.’”

Her lips, slick from a clear gloss, puckered for a moment, then curved into a smile. She glanced up, and the smile threatened to become a laugh. “I don’t have a lot of free time to read, but, um…thanks?”

Rob’s heart double-thudded, and he had to step back to keep from touching her. According to his mother, who had recently been promoted to Romantique’s assistant manager, Kate ran the kitchen like a submarine commander under fire, and she didn’t hug.

“You’re welcome. But don’t worry. You don’t have to read it. I just wanted you to see the picture on the back.”

Her elegant brows flickered. She flipped the book over. “Adam Brighten. Your father?”

Rob nodded. “It’s Dad’s new bestseller. He’s coming to Vegas for a book signing and…to get married.”

“Does your mom know?”

Rob was touched that her first concern was for his mother. “Yes. He called Mom before he called me.”

His parents had divorced—officially—just weeks
after Rob graduated from high school, but he’d known for years that they’d stayed together only out of an obligation to him. Yet even after going their separate ways, they’d remained friends. Which had bugged his ex-fiancée to no end.

“Is Jo okay with this?” Kate asked.

“Absolutely. We both think Dad’s been lonely and dissatisfied with his life for a long time.” Not that Rob talked to his father often. They had little in common, except golf.

She took a key from the pocket of her snug faded jeans. Her gray UNLV sweatshirt had seen better days, but on Kate it looked good. Her running shoes were thick soled and functional, albeit slightly tattered, as well. “So how exactly is this book going to change my life?”

He moved close enough to get a hint of her fragrance. Not perfume. Never perfume that he’d been able to detect. Just soap and a crisp, citrus-scented shampoo.

“As best man at my father’s wedding, I get to pick where to have the reception. Naturally, I thought of Romantique.” She seemed pleased but not overly impressed until he added, “Did I mention that this will be a rather high-profile event, since both the bride and groom are minor celebrities? Dad said something about a crew from
Entertainment Tonight.
”

She swayed as if the possibility made her knees
weak. They bumped body parts. Mostly elbows and forearms, but a little skin. A little warmth. Enough to make his throat close.

“Here?” Her brown eyes were so wide and fathomless he felt momentarily lost in them. He saw her embrace the possibilities. A hint of the light he’d noticed when she was watching her daughter sparkled to life. “This could be big.”

Her grin made him want so badly to kiss her that he grabbed for any distraction. “Before I forget, you asked me to stop by, remember? What did you want to talk about?”

A blush inched up her neck. A second later her chin rose. “I’d planned to fire you,” she said softly.

“I don’t blame you.”

“You don’t?”

“You hired me to make sure your ex-husband didn’t come near you or Maya after he’s released on parole, but I just got a call from the associate I had working on the case. Turns out your ex is…” His mouth went dry. He knew how much this was going to upset her.

“Moving next door into Uncle Claude’s house,” she finished for him. Her tone was bleak. “Mother told me this morning.”

“I’m sorry, Kate. I dropped the ball. I should have gotten a restraining order or—”

“You couldn’t have prevented this, Rob. Mom can
be very determined. Especially when she thinks she’s
seen
the future.”

His mother had explained about Yetta Radonovic’s so-called abilities. “But Yetta was one of Grant’s victims. Surely she doesn’t think that by taking care of him now, he might leave her something if he dies. There
is
no money, Kate.”

“That’s not it. Ian is sick. He’s family. It’s a Romani thing, I guess you could say.” She made a halfhearted attempt at a smile.

Although her tone sounded very matter-of-fact, Rob sensed an undercurrent of pain in her voice. “This has got to be tough. I’m sorry.” He put his hand on her arm. Lean muscles flexed beneath his touch. His fingers closed of their own accord. “I could go to court. Get an injunction. I’m sure we could prove—”

She pulled away. “No. I can’t fight this. Mom lost her ability to see into the future after Dad died—from a combination of grief and drugs the doctor gave her—but now her visions have returned. She believes that Ian needs to be here. For Maya’s sake. I don’t know what that means exactly, but what if she’s right?”

Rob’s hand closed into a fist. He wasn’t a violent man, but at the moment he would have loved to punch something. Preferably Ian Grant’s face. But he heard the resignation in Kate’s voice. This wasn’t any of his business.

He pulled out his checkbook from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and quickly scribbled an amount and his signature. “Will this work as a deposit?” he asked, handing her the check.

Her gasp told him she was surprised. And pleased.

“Dad gave me carte blanche. He wants the best. I know I can trust you to deliver that.”

Kate managed to keep her emotions together until Rob left, but when Rob’s mother, Jo, arrived ten minutes later, Kate could barely speak. “I can’t b-believe it,” she said, showing her the check. With all those lovely zeroes.

“Oh, honey girl, don’t cry. I’ve been telling you all along, good things happen to good people. Sometimes it just takes a while to prime the pump.” Jo gave Kate’s shoulders a robust squeeze.

“But this is too much,” Kate said. “Rob must think I’m some kind of charity case.”

“My son is in love with you, you idiot. He’d give you every dime in his account if he thought you’d take it.”

The check Jo had been in the process of handing back slipped through Kate’s suddenly numb fingers and fluttered to the tile floor, which was covered in dust. “He… You… No… Don’t kid about something like that,” she said once her power of speech returned. “Rob’s a great guy. The best. But no way in the world would he be interested in someone like me.”

Jo, who’d grabbed a broom from the utility closet, leaned on it and said, “Someone like you? You mean someone who puts family first, who works twenty hours a day and still manages to be a great mom and fabulous boss? And who would look like a model if she ever wore anything but jeans and a chef’s uniform?”

Kate shook her head. “Very funny. I’m skinny, burned-out and emotionally bankrupt. If you see your son before I do, tell him he really truly is fired. For his own sake.”
And mine.

Jo resumed sweeping. “Yeah, sure. You two are going to be together a lot over the next couple of weeks planning this reception. They say love is infectious. Maybe, with luck, we’ll hear more wedding bells down the road.”

Kate started to laugh. She didn’t believe in luck. Or love. She was about to say so when the back door burst open and Rob dashed in. “I forgot something.” He barely spared a glance for Jo—“Hi, Mom,” he said—as he hurried toward Kate.

The intensity of his look set her nerves racing. Had he changed his mind? Did he want his check back?

He didn’t stop until he was right in front of Kate. So close his scent enveloped them, drawing her into a world made up of two people. A man and a woman.

This wasn’t about business. It was personal.

“As I was driving away, it hit me that maybe the
reason your mother invited Grant to live next door is so the two of you would patch things up and get back together.”

The possibility had occurred to her, too, although she knew that would never happen. “Maybe. So what?”

“So…this.” His kiss started out light, curious, but it deepened in a way Kate couldn’t have predicted and didn’t understand. Like old souls, reunited at last, a voice in her mind whispered.

“No.” She pushed ever so gently on his shoulders. She didn’t believe in such things. Ian had taught her that love was a farce. An excuse to use people and leave them. She had a daughter to consider. She couldn’t…wouldn’t run that risk again. “We have to work together.” A feeble excuse, but the best she could come up with.

Rob smiled as if she’d given him a gift. “You’re right. We do.” He dropped a sweet, tantalizing peck on her lips, then left.

Kate grabbed the stainless steel counter for balance. Once she was certain she wouldn’t embarrass herself by swooning, she called out, “And you’re fired.”

But, of course, by then it was too late. He was long gone and so was her heart.

…NOT THE END…

Watch for Kate’s story,
One Daddy Too Many,
available May 2006.