Caviar and Covert Ops: Book 3 (Military Moguls) (3 page)

“No, he’s fine,” she assured him. “We’re both okay. Even if it had hit us I don’t think it would have done much damage. Nicky was admiring your dog’s ability to catch the Frisbee, actually.”

The man grinned and petted the well-behaved canine on the head. “Ace is amazing and he loves to play Frisbee. It’s okay if your son wants to pet him. Or is he your brother?”

She felt her cheeks get warm under his scrutiny. “He’s my son,” she confirmed before turning to Nicky. “Would you like to pet the doggy, Nicky?”

“Pet the dog,” Nicky scrambled off the bench and reached out his hand but she was able to catch it before he touched fur.

“Easy, Nicky. What’s the first rule of touching a dog?”

The little boy scrunched up his face. “Gentle,” he stated. “I be gentle, Mommy.”

“Okay, and stay away from his eyes and mouth. Dogs don’t like that,” she warned, a little nervous but whether it was from the dog or man she wasn’t sure. Maybe a little of both. There was something in the way he regarded her that made her nervous…and warm. It wasn’t an unpleasant sensation, just unfamiliar.

“Ace is great with kids,” the man assured her. “He’s very gentle and tolerant.”

“He seems very sweet.”

“Hi Ace. I’m Nicky.” Nicky stroked the neck of the dog and got a lick on the hand in return which made her son giggle. “That tickles.”

The man held out his hand. “Since they’ve introduced themselves, I guess we should too. I’m Dane. And you are?”

“Lily,” she stammered as his strong fingers closed around her own sending a jolt of electricity up her spine.

“It’s nice to meet you, Lily.” The man – Dane – smiled, a dimple appearing in his cheek. “Would Nicky like to play Frisbee with us?”

“Yes! Yes!” Nicky jumped up and down excitedly. There really wasn’t any reason to say no. They weren’t in a hurry to head back to their drab little condo and it was a beautiful day. If Nicky wore himself out at the park he’d go to bed easier later tonight.

“I guess that would be okay. You’re sure it’s alright?”

“Ace would love to have some other company than mine. I think he gets bored with me.”

Dane was laughing and she knew it was meant to be a joke, but she doubted the veracity of the claim. The dog seemed very attached to its owner, looking up at him with sheer adoration in its brown eyes.

Somehow Lily found herself playing Frisbee as well, helping Nicky and enjoying the frolicking canine. Looking up at the sun in the sky, she realized they had been at the park for three hours. She needed to get home and feed Nicky before bath and story time.

“I really need to get Nicky home,” she began but Dane waved away her explanation.

“I understand. I should be getting back as well. Thank you for helping me entertain Ace. Your son did a good job.”

Her gaze fell on Nicky who was petting the dog’s back and giggling. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she thought of what might have been. “He’s a good boy. Most of the time.”

Dane tossed the Frisbee up in the air and caught it. “Then he’s like most of us. It was nice meeting you, Lily.”

“It was nice meeting you.”

Patting Ace on the head, she took Nicky’s hand and led him to her car, a sad little economy model that had seen better days but was reliable and had good gas mileage. She strapped Nicky into the car seat and climbed into the vehicle, starting up the engine.

“Miss doggy,” Nicky said sadly, his lower lip stuck out in a pout. “Tomorrow?”

“No, baby.” Lily shook her head. “We won’t see the doggy tomorrow. But it was fun today, wasn’t it? What do you want for dinner? How about spaghetti?”

It was best to change the subject and get Nicky’s mind on something else. He was so stubborn he’d pester her about it all evening.

She drove the short distance home still wondering what had come over her today. She’d played Frisbee and talked with a virtual stranger. A man she’d never seen before and probably never would again. He certainly was attractive. And polite. He hadn’t seemed creepy in the least, like some of the people she’d met in the park. He just seemed…nice.

This afternoon had been nothing more than a reprieve from the reality of her life. She worked two lousy jobs. She was a single parent. That was her life. A possibly half-admiring glance from a handsome man didn’t change anything and it sure didn’t pay the bills. And she had plenty of those to keep her attention.

She’d do well to forget she’d ever met Dane whatever-his-name-was and his adorable dog Ace.

‡

“I
met her
today.”

Dane was having dinner with Chris and Seb since Amanda and Susie had a work function tonight. Of two minds about even mentioning it, he’d finally given in and said something. Lily Emery had been on his mind from the moment he saw her.

“Her?” Seb frowned. “Who’s her?”

“Lily Emery,” Dane explained impatiently. Their confused expressions didn’t clear. “The mother of Brandon’s son.”

Both of the men nodded, understanding at last. “Is she the mother of Brandon’s son?” Chris asked. “Does he look like Brandon at all?”

“He’s a Braxton. He has the Braxton green eyes and single dimple. Other than that I think he favors his mother, although his hair could get darker as he grows older. Mine was close to that color when I was his age.”

To the untrained eye not familiar with the traits common in all the Braxton men, Nicky would look mostly like his mother. But Dane had seen the resemblance to Brandon – and himself – right away.

“So mystery solved. You can hand her a check and move on with your life,” Seb said as he perused the menu.

“Or set up a trust,” Chris said, flipping open his own menu. “What was she like?”

“Young.” Dane struggled to find the right words to describe the woman he’d met. She’d been a mass of contradictions. Fragile but strong. Outwardly loving but inwardly cautious. “Pretty. Long brown hair and brown eyes. She seemed to be devoted to her son. He likes dogs.”

Dane didn’t know why he’d added that last part but something about the way the little boy’s face had lit up when petting Ace and playing Frisbee had gotten to him. Dane liked children in general although he didn’t spend much time around them, but Nicky had seemed like a really good kid. Good-natured and not at all like he’d seen other kids act, practically hanging from the light fixtures.

“You took Ace?” Seb’s brows were pulled together again.

“I met her at the park. We played Frisbee,” Dane answered reluctantly. “I didn’t actually talk to her about Brandon or anything. I just introduced myself as Dane. No last name. Not that it would matter. Brandon’s last name was Donovan.”

“Wait.” Chris held up his hand, his eyes wide with surprise. “You met her but you didn’t
meet
her? Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Dane what the hell are you doing? Are you spying on that girl? There are stalking laws, you know.”

He wasn’t fucking stalking Lily. Not really. She was just so…intriguing.

“I’m well aware of the Florida statutes on stalking and harassment. No, I’m just getting to know her. I want to see what kind of person she is before I hand over a chunk of money.”

“So don’t hand it over. Put it in a trust.” Seb closed his menu. “I know you said you wanted to meet her but now you have. Why does it matter what she’s like? Honestly, Dane? It’s none of your business what her character is. You’re letting your own baggage mess with your head. You either want to help the boy or you don’t. End of story. Which is it?”

“I am going to help him,” Dane insisted. His friends simply didn’t get it. He needed to make sure this woman was okay. His initial gut reaction was positive but his usual skepticism kept him from believing this quickly. “I just want to get to know her and the boy a little more. That’s all. I’ve nothing nefarious planned for either of them.”

“But you’re not telling her who you really are,” Chris pointed out. “Starting out a relationship on a lie.”

Dane reared back in his chair, bristling at that word that always shook him up. “We do not have a
relationship
.” He said the last word very slow, emphasizing each syllable. “And once I pledge support for Nicky we’ll only have minimal contact when I send him a birthday or Christmas gift.”

Seb whistled and shook his head. “Nicky, huh? Sounds like you already have some sort of relationship. At least with the boy. I’ll ask you outright. Do you have any reason to believe that this woman is untrustworthy? Did the PI come across something that makes you think this way?”

Dane reluctantly shook his head. “No. The PI only gave me the basics. She was a nursing student until she had Nicky. Now she works at a day care during the day and picks up some waitressing shifts a few times a week for extra money. She lives in her parents’ rental condo and her mother babysits when Lily works at the restaurant. She has less than two hundred bucks in her checking account and absolutely no savings. Basically they’re living week to week.”

“Then don’t waste any fucking time doing your little investigation.” Chris pointed a finger at Dane. “It sounds like this woman could use some help and none too soon. Don’t fiddle-fart around about this. Figure the shit out and get her the money.”

“I’ve already put that in motion.” Dane signaled to the waitress that they were ready to order. “You guys must think I’m one real heartless bastard.”

“We don’t,” Seb said. “You’re actually one of the most generous people I know. Don’t think we don’t know about the large donations you make anonymously to the children’s charities at Christmastime and the veterans’ groups. We know, Dane. I think we’re just worried you’ll let your emotional baggage from your parents dictate your behavior on this one.”

“Your parents have a lot to answer for.” Chris crossed his arms over his chest, his lips in a flat line.

Dane smiled at his friend’s indignation. “Truer words were never spoken. I’ll take what you say to heart. How about this? I’ll keep you guys in the loop of what I’m doing. If I step out of line you can call me on it. Deal?”

“Deal,” the other two men said, both grinning like fools. Dane was crazy to give them this kind of power but there was a tiny part inside of him that worried they might be right.

Would his past always get in the way when it came to women?

*

Lily inwardly groaned
as she tucked Nicky back into bed for the third time. The first time he’d wanted a drink. The second time he’d heard noises in his closet. This last time he was sure there was a monster hiding under the bed. Multiple viewings of the movie
Monsters Inc.
hadn’t convinced him that monsters were harmless nor could Lily convince him of the actual scarcity of them. To Nicky monsters were everywhere.

“Goodnight, sweetheart.” She kissed him on his forehead. “Now close your eyes and get some sleep or you’ll be cranky tomorrow. Remember, there’s no such thing as monsters.”

And Mommy will be cranky too
.

“Night, Mommy.” Nicky hugged his stuffed bear to his chest and closed his eyes. She breathed a sigh of relief that he might just doze off this time and headed back down the hall to the living room where she’d been folding laundry.

Stopping by her tiny kitchen, she peered into the cookie jar counting what was left. Six cookies. If she ate one now there would still be five. Nicky could have a cookie for dessert after his dinner each night until she got paid on Wednesday and went to the store.

Grabbing the single cookie, she sat down in the living room and began the mindless work of folding towels. No thought required, she could let her brain rest or wander and tonight its only destination seemed to be the man she’d met in the park.

Dane.

Such an unusual name. She’d never met anyone named that. He’d had an easy smile, hadn’t stood too close or tried to look down her blouse. Sweet and patient with Nicky, she’d found herself drawn to his witty comments and dry sense of humor. He was obviously intelligent, well-spoken. Not to mention gorgeous. But then she’d known good-looking men in her life and she hadn’t been thinking about them hours later. Not even…

Stop.
She wasn’t going to do this.