The Baby Bond (11 page)

She bopped him on the arm. Chocolate crumbs scattered on the floor. “You were a million miles away. What’s going on with you?”

“Moving, I guess. Pretty busy around here.” He stuffed the brownie into his mouth all at once and wiped his fingers down the legs of his jeans. Had he remembered to eat lunch?

“We came to help.” Rachel motioned toward a stack of cardboard cartons lining the wall in the living room. “Show us where you want the things in these boxes and we’ll put them up.”

He waved them away. “Nah. I’m good. Thanks anyway.”
And when are you leaving?
The last thought came out of nowhere. Normally, he liked having his friends hang out.

“If
we
put things up,” Mandy said, poking through a box of linens his mother had donated. “He’ll never find them.”

“True.” Rachel twisted the ends of her hair. “Guys have their own system.”

“Yeah,” Nic said, fingering the mood bowl. “Toss it in a drawer or under the bed.”

“Nic!” Both girls laughed.

“Come on, Mandy.” Rachel hiked a tiny silver purse over one shoulder. “Nic doesn’t have time to play today. Let’s go.”

Nic was relieved. As much as he liked his friends, today he wanted some downtime. He had a million things on his mind and none of them was a trip to the lake or a party. Man, he must be having some kind of crisis.

He checked the mood bowl. It was still white, whatever that meant.

Setting the dish aside, he edged the girls toward the door as subtly as possible.

“Are you sure you won’t go with us tomorrow?” Mandy asked when they were out on the sidewalk.

He didn’t like to disappoint anyone, but he had things to do. Lately, he wasn’t in the mood for their constant fun and
games. He needed to study if he was going to pass his med school entrance exam next go-round, one of the main reasons for renting this apartment. Not that he would share that information with Rachel and Mandy. He had a reputation to uphold.

Most people, including his family, doubted he had what it took to get into medical school in the first place. If he failed again, they’d never know. If he passed, they’d finally see him as something besides a goof-off.

Maybe he needed to prove something to himself, as well.

“You’ll have a great time,” he told the girls. “Don’t even think about me.”

Resigned, the pair hopped into a yellow sports car and backed out, bracelet-bedecked arms waving out the windows.

With a relieved sigh, Nic started to close the door when he saw Cassidy’s blue Camry pull up. All of a sudden, he was in the mood for company.

He jogged down the sidewalk to the parking lot, waited for her to kill the motor and then he opened the back door. The little dude was asleep, his head lolling to one side so that Nic felt sorry for him.

Cassidy pivoted around in the seat to stare. “Are you trying to kidnap my baby?”

“Rescuing. His neck is breaking.” He unlatched the harness and gently lifted Alex into his arms, his attention on the series of straps holding the car seat in place. “I’ll come back later and check your car seat. Did you have it professionally installed?”

Cassidy stepped out of the car and slammed the door. “No. This is the car seat your sister gave me.”

“My bad. I should have installed it properly for you that day.” He tapped his chest. “Certified baby seat installer.”

She laughed.

He shot her a mock scowl, feeling zippier by the minute.
She looked pretty standing in the sunshine, her sleek blond hair catching the light. When she moved, a pair of big silver earrings danced around her face.

Even after a day’s work and with bags under her eyes, Cassidy looked good to him. He was a little worried about that. He liked girls and thought every one of them was pretty, but Cassidy had started to stand out from the crowd. Before, all the girls were friends, pals, good times, but there was something different with this lady.

Nic looked forward to finding out exactly what that delectable difference
was
. Nothing serious, nothing heavy, but he was intrigued.

Alex woke up and turned sleepy eyes on him. He was fond of the little dude, too.

“Don’t laugh,” he said. “Firefighters take a course in this stuff. Safety first. I know my way around a baby seat.”

“I learn something new every day.” Cassidy pulled the diaper bag and laptop from the opposite side of the backseat. She was tired, as usual. He could see the fatigue hanging off her like weights. Strong lady, this one. A do-it-or-die-trying kind of woman. He liked that about her.

“Well, add this to your list.” He followed Cassidy up the stairs where he took the key and opened the door.

She trudged inside and dumped the load on a red stuffed chair, the rare splash of color in the off-white room. “What?”

He handed Alex to her. “I’m going down to finish up dinner. The place is still a mess but the food will be awesome. I promise. You and my main man here spend some quality time, take a little rest, and then come on down.”

“I should stay home and work.”

He’d known she would argue and he was ready.

“You have to eat anyway.” She was thin enough without skipping meals. “Come on, a relaxing, painless dinner, and
then you can come back up here and work yourself into a coma. I’ll even show you my mood bowl.”

He’d meant the last crack to be funny. She didn’t bite. “Why are you doing this?”

“I told you. I’m a great guy. Irresistible.” He hoped she was buying this load of garbage. He wasn’t sure why he needed to do things for her but he did. Maybe he felt responsible because he’d been there the night of the fire. Maybe the reason was a smiley-faced orphaned boy whose eyes sparkled as though Nic was the greatest thing since milk. Or maybe it was Cassidy herself. Whatever the reason, he wanted to find out.

“Did you get everything moved in this morning?”

“My brothers helped. We dragged everything inside. I’ll need a few days to set up.”

She kicked her shoes off and settled Alex on a play mat next to the red chair. A push of the button and classical music poured out with a tinny sound. Mozart, maybe, but what did he know of classical music, other than his dad’s favorite operas?

“Didn’t your friends help you unpack?” She gave Alex’s back one last pat and straightened.

“Friends?”

Cool blue eyes scrutinized him. “The two girls who were leaving as I drove up?”

The question tickled him. “I love it when you get jealous.”

One finely shaped eyebrow twitched. Man, she had pretty eyebrows.

“You wish.”

Did he? Maybe. “Want me to take Alex down to my place while you grab a nap?”

She was shaking her head before he could finish. “Thanks but no.”

He knew she’d say that. She didn’t want Alex out of her
sight. “All right then. Come on down when you’re ready. I have a present for you.”

Surprised interest lit her expression. “A present? What is it?”

Nic grinned. A present was always good for persuading the reluctant. “You’ll find out. See you in a few.”

Cassidy plopped down on the couch for fifteen minutes with her feet up while she stewed about the problem of Nic Carano. Having him pop in or call had been bad enough, but now the guy was right downstairs and showed no signs of leaving her alone.

To make matters worse, she liked him. Somewhere beneath all that fun-and-games charm was a solid man, maybe a little off-center but dependable in the most surprising manner. She didn’t much like thinking of him that way, but what else could she think? He’d been there when she needed him. Even with his reputation as a loose cannon, he’d saved Alex’s life. How much more responsible could you get than that?

The thought depressed her. There was the main reason she couldn’t let herself get too involved with Nic. Besides the females flitting around him like pretty painted butterflies, his career put him in danger every time he went on duty. She couldn’t bear the thought of caring about someone else who might die tragically.

Yet, Nic was here, there, everywhere. What was she supposed to do about that?

Rubbing the ache in her temples, she came to a decision. There was nothing she could do about having Nic Carano as a neighbor. She couldn’t very well have him evicted. So, she would simply block out any knowledge of his profession and be a good neighbor, a friend, but nothing more. As long as she kept an emotional distance, she was safe.

She hoped.

By the time she and Alex arrived at Nic’s apartment nearly an hour later, Cassidy felt better, at least enough to look forward to eating a real meal for a change. There was something about having a man cook for her that inspired a surge of energy.

When he spotted Nic, Alex went into his usual ecstatic bounces and squeals. Cassidy, in spite of her good intentions, couldn’t really blame him, though she kept her reaction under better control.

“The lasagna smells incredible,” she said, nose tilted as she sniffed the air.

“Mama’s special recipe.” He waved them inside with a loaf of Italian bread. “She learned it from her mama who immigrated from Sicily after the war.”

“Not many guys can make lasagna.” Going down on one knee, Cassidy settled Alex on the carpet next to the couch. From there she could see him no matter where she was in the combination living/dining room.

“All five of us kids cut our teeth in the family bakery. A Carano who can’t cook would have to change his last name.”

“Where’s my present?”

“Impatient woman.” Shaking his head, he
tsk-tsked.
“Later, gator. If I give it to you now, you might run off.”

With a smile acknowledging the humor, Cassidy quickly and, she hoped, surreptitiously surveyed the room in search of a smoke detector. The apartment layout was similar to hers, so escape routes would be the same. Reassured, Cassidy pushed up from Alex’s side.

“I brought one for you.” She offered Nic a small potted plant from her collection.

He looked at it as if it were the mystery meat in the school cafeteria. “What’s this?”

“A plant, you goob.”

“I figured out that part. I mean, why?”

“A housewarming gift. It will oxygenate your apartment.”

“Oxygen is good.” His head bobbed a couple of times. “Will you come over and water it for me?”

She ignored the question. “This is a Venus fly trap. His name is Michelangelo. He eats flies.”

“No kidding? Real flies?” When she nodded, he considered the greenery with new respect. “Awesome. No sprays or swatters. And
zap,
dead fly. How sweet is that?”

“I thought a guy would appreciate the dead fly part.” She took the plant away from him and glanced around for a place to set it. Boxes and clothes and a variety of odds and ends lay scattered about the place. Cassidy maneuvered around the biggest piles to plop Michelangelo in the middle of a very cluttered table. “Can I do something to help with dinner?”

“Everything is under control. Grab a glass of soda or whatever you want from the fridge and relax. Check out my mood bowl.” He indicated an ordinary-looking white bowl on the counter. “Maybe you can tell me what to do with it.”

“Mood bowl?” She studied the bowl, pretending to be serious. “Is it designed to determine mood or set the mood?”

“You got me. But I think it works. I’ve been in a good mood ever since you arrived.”

Cassidy pulled a silly face, “Ha-ha. Cute.”

Looking amazingly proficient in the kitchen, Nic responded with his usual cocky grin. Before she’d arrived, he’d tied a dish towel around his waist which did nothing to detract from his masculine good looks. Now, he slid a white quilted oven mitt onto one hand—a replica of the Arby’s restaurant mascot, complete with a printed-on face. Cassidy smiled. Now that was the Nic she remembered.

Taking a can of diet soda from the fridge, she held up another. “Want one?”

“Sure. Not the diet stuff, though. I bought that for you.”

She blinked. “How did you know?”

“I’m observant. You had a can in the cup holder of your car.”

“Impressive.”

He pulled a beautiful dish of lasagna from the oven. The smell of oregano and spices was strong enough to make Cassidy’s stomach leap with excitement.

“I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in—” she paused, not wanting to go there. Her last home-cooked meal had been made by Janna. “—a long time.”

“You should have come to the cookout at my folks’. Lots of great homemade stuff.”

Without being asked, she found the box containing dishes, took out a couple of place settings and scooted an array of odds and ends to one end of the table. Finding no napkins, she opted for paper towels, a roll of which lay on top of a box. Not exactly up to Grandmother’s formal style, but pleasant and functional.

“Sit.” Nic surprised her by politely pulling out a chair and waiting until she’d obeyed.

“Alex—” she started.

“Alex is fine where he is. I’ve got my eye on him. Stop worrying.”

Sure enough, the baby lay on the blanket where she’d placed him, pushing up with his chubby arms to watch the adults with interest. From somewhere two colorful toys had appeared. Had Nic put those there?

“I could help get the food on the table.” But her back ached from lugging Alex around, and it felt wonderful to sit and do nothing for a few minutes.

“Nope. You’re my guest. I can’t impress you if I don’t do it all myself.”

So she watched with interest as the ever-surprising Nic efficiently prepared dinner, casting frequent glances at Alex, and
kept up a running conversation about her job, their mutual friends in college and his family.

“Tell me,” Nic said as he sat down at her elbow—the only other clear spot on the table—and pushed the food in her direction. “Is Alex sleeping better at night? Or maybe I should ask if you’re sleeping better?”

She took a hearty helping of the steaming lasagna. “A little. We’re starting to adjust.”

“I hear a ‘but’ in that sentence.”

“It’s hard, Nic,” she admitted, aware of how easily she could talk to this man. “I never realized how much work being a mother is.”

“You’re also holding down a full-time job.”

“True. But if I don’t pick up pace at work I won’t have a job at all, much less advance in my career.”