She extended her hand and gave his a firm, businesslike shake. But there was nothing businesslike about the tingle that shot up her arm as his big, warm hand engulfed hers. She had to swallow to locate her voice. “Hi, Jack. I’m Madeline… Maddie Price.”
He continued holding her hand, again looking at her with that I’ve-never-seen-you-before expression. She slipped her hand from his, then quickly picked up her wineglass so she didn’t give in to the unnerving, overwhelming urge to touch him again. To see if another tingle would zing through her.
Deciding her best defense was a strong offense, she said, “So tell me about your reading material regarding raising a four-year-old. I didn’t know you had a child.”
He shook his head. “I don’t. But I have a four-year-old niece. We spend a lot of time together and, well, kids don’t come with instruction manuals, so I figured I’d buy one.” He hesitated then asked, “Would you like to see her picture?”
Surprised, by both his answer and his offer, she said, “Sure.”
He withdrew his wallet from his back pocket and slipped a photo from the black billfold. “Her name is Sophie,” he said, handing her the picture.
Maddie looked down at the image of an adorable blue-eyed sprite whose grinning, dimpled face was surrounded by a halo of bright copper curls. “What a cutie,” Maddie said, smiling at the photo. “She looks like a red-haired angel.”
“Thanks. But don’t let that angelic face fool you. She’s a sweetheart, but she also has the temperament to go along with that red hair, believe me. Totally takes after my sister.”
“She’s a fiery redhead?”
“No, just fiery tempered. Sophie got the red hair from her dad.”
She handed him back the photo. “They live in Atlanta?”
“Sophie and Claire do-Claire’s my sister.” A shadow fell across his features. “Claire’s husband, Rob, died last year. Killed by a drunk driver.”
Sympathy filled Maddie, and without thinking she reached out and touched his arm. “A close friend in college was the victim of a drunk driver. I know how painful it is. How helpless and angry you feel. I’m so sorry.”
He stilled and looked down at where her fingers rested against the sleeve of his white dress shirt. It felt to Maddie as if electricity ran between them. Did he feel it, too? Several long seconds passed, then he reached for his beer and her hand slipped from his arm. After swallowing, he said, “Thanks. It’s been tough on all of us, but especially on Claire. She and Rob were a perfect couple-really in love-and she’s still floundering. Our dad is career army and currently based in California, so our folks are far away, and Rob’s family all live in Texas. I’m the only family Claire and Sophie have here.”
“So you spend a lot of time with them,” Maddie said, her heart hurting for his sister who’d lost her beloved husband, and that adorable, fatherless little girl.
“As much as I can. Claire’s gone back to teaching at the private school where she worked before Sophie was born. Sophie and I have a lunch date every Wednesday at her preschool daycare, and Friday nights the three of us share a family dinner. I think having a constant male figure in her life has helped Sophie a lot. At least I hope so.”
Understanding struck and Maddie’s hand froze with her wineglass halfway to her mouth. Long lunches on Wednesdays… leaving at five every Friday…
A sensation she couldn’t name filled her. She lowered her glass, then murmured, “That’s why you don’t work late Friday nights.”
He nodded. “I explained the situation to Gavin before agreeing to take the position with Java Heaven.”
The realization that she’d made a mistake-a big mistake-slapped Maddie square in the face. One she felt it only fair to admit to. “May I be honest with you?” she asked, repeating his earlier question to her.
“Sure. Hit me with your best shot.”
“Between you coming come back to the office with your tie askew after your long Wednesday lunches and leaving at the stroke of five every Friday… well, that’s why I pegged you as a player. Which, for all I know, you may be,” she added quickly. “But at least in those two cases, I misjudged you. Sorry.”
“Accepted. As for the askew tie, those preschool playgrounds can get rough.” He grinned, and she thanked God she was sitting down because her knees seemed to melt at the sight of that devilish smile. “Between that and the finger painting, I’m lucky to get out alive sometimes.”
Finger paint… she recalled the red smear on his collar this past Wednesday.
“I haven’t heard any gossip about this at the office,” she said.
“I haven’t told anyone, except Gavin. All my energy has been spent basically in accounting triage-stopping hemorrhaging, getting the department stabilized, hiring a new controller. I haven’t had the time or opportunity yet to forge any real personal relationships with the employees.” He looked at her over the edge of his bottle. “Guess that’s going to change during this bonding weekend.”
“Yes. That was the point.” She felt all her opinions about him shifting rapidly, like sand during a windstorm, and she wasn’t sure she was happy about it. Disliking Jack had been uncomfortable, but she was accustomed to uncomfortable work situations. No, she greatly feared that liking him would prove even more problematic. “It was good that you and Gavin came to an agreement. I know from experience that not all bosses are so accommodating to a personal schedule.”
“It was a deal breaker for me.”
She raised her brows. “You would have turned down a CFO position?”
“Yes. I turned one down before I accepted Gavin’s offer. Having my thirty-year-old brother-in-law-who also happened to be one of my best friends-die made me reexamine, reevaluate my life. My goals. What was important to me. For a long time my career came first. Looking back, I see I was driven to the point of letting everything else slide. After Rob died, well, everything changed. Including me.”
There was no doubting his sincerity, and she could actually feel the ropes that had anchored her aversion to him slipping from their moorings. “I… I think it’s great that you’re helping your sister and are so involved in your niece’s life.”
“Thanks. But not all women would agree with you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have a couple of ex-girlfriends who weren’t very understanding of the fact that I would take a long lunch on a weekday for a four-year-old but not for them. Or that I was unavailable Friday evenings. And sometimes on weekends as well, if Sophie had something going on at her school, or if we’d scheduled a family outing. We’d all planned to visit the zoo this weekend then catch the latest Disney flick, but I had to bow out because of the team building.”
Maddie recalled the phone calls she’d overheard him making and she inwardly winced with shame for the conclusion she’d jumped to. He’d been canceling a zoo/movie outing with his sister and niece-not erotic dates with hot babes.
“And what do your current dates think?”
He gave a short laugh. “As soon as I find someone willing to take me on, I’ll let you know. I can understand the frustration of not being included, and I haven’t asked any women to join us on our family outings. But on the other hand, I haven’t wanted to introduce anyone into our little circle until I was sure she was going to be around for a while. The last thing Sophie needs is a revolving door of ‘aunts.’ ” He took a swallow of beer then continued, “I guess you’d be apt to take the women’s side on that issue.”
She shook her head. “Actually, I agree with you.”
He slapped his hand over his heart and staggered back a step. “Call the paramedics. I think I’m about to keel over from shock.”
She laughed. “Surely we’ve agreed on something before now.”
He screwed up his face in an exaggerated ponder then shook his head. “Sorry. Can’t think of a single time.”
Maddie thought about it for several seconds and realized she couldn’t think of an occasion either. They’d butted heads pretty much from moment one. “Well, clearly there’s a first time for everything. I think it’s very admirable that you’re putting your niece’s interests before your own.”
