“And…?”
He stared at her. No, he wasn’t going to do this, he wasn’t going to tell Tessa-
“What he’s trying to get to,” Cheri said. “Is the fact that I’m also his mother. He often forgets to mention that.”
Reilly closed his eyes. Opened them.
And found Tessa studying him with unabashed curiosity. “I don’t know why,” she said to Cheri, “but I didn’t imagine he had a mother.”
“I know,” said his mother, smiling serenely. “He’s quite annoying and stubborn, isn’t he? I have to say, he didn’t get either of those traits from me.”
“I’m just misunderstood,” Reilly said and Cheri laughed and hugged him.
Tessa remained mute but it wasn’t, he was sure, out of loyalty to him. Not after how he’d treated her this morning, but honest to God, all he wanted was to just move on from what had happened Friday night.
He couldn’t, however, not with her needing this job because of money. Four long days.
He was really getting tired of his father with his interfering ways, this belief that life was all about fun and laughter-often at his own son’s expense.
Tessa was still watching him with those eyes. And then there were the bruises on her delicate throat. They were killing him.
So, fine. She was going to be in his hair for a few days. At least she smelled good.
If only he didn’t remember that she tasted even better.
SOMEHOW REILLY MANAGED to put Tess out of his head and bury himself in work. Thankfully he’d picked an occupation he was well-suited to and was good at. Numbers didn’t argue, numbers didn’t manipulate. Numbers just let him be.
Overall, he supposed, things went well. They all stayed busy and Tessa actually did know her way around an accounting ledger.
At the end of the day, she appeared in the doorway of his office, her eyes shining, her mouth curved in a smile as she held out a stack of files he’d asked Cheri for.
He couldn’t help but notice that she had been enjoying herself since he’d convinced her to stay. But he had a feeling she always enjoyed herself, enjoyed life. Damned if that wasn’t unexpectedly attractive.
“I brought the Sarkins files up to date, all the way through to the general ledger,” she said. “And Cheri and I together handled the Anderson account as well.” She started to go, then stopped. “Oh, and your father’s on line two.”
He picked up the phone. “After what you’ve pulled,” he said to Eddie. “I am not going out with you and a pack of women to the game tonight.”
Eddie’s long-suffering sigh sounded in his ear. “I told you, no pack of women. Just a couple. And that’s not why I called.”
“You want me to thank you for the old, grumpy office help?”
“That’s no way to talk about your own mother.”
“You know damn well I’m referring to Tessa.”
“Who’s not old and grumpy.”
Reilly drew in a deep breath and looked at Tess, who was still standing there. “Which is my point.”
“She’s good, isn’t she?”
“You know she is. Look, I don’t know what you’re up to, but-”
“Son, I’d love to stick around and listen to you sound like an ass, but I have a bigger problem than even you at the moment.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The burglary…you remember the four guys the police hauled in?”
Yes, he was fairly certain he remembered.
“Well, apparently a few of them have prior records and when the cops held those up, dangling some sort of deal, they squealed like the three little pigs. They said the whole thing was set up by someone I knew. It turns out she’s…”
Reilly waited impatiently. “
Eddie sighed and said, “An ex of mine.”
“An ex. Shocking. Do they have any idea which one of the thousands it might be?”
“There weren’t thousands. Hundreds maybe, but-”
“Get to the point, Eddie.”
“It was Sheila Vanetti. Your mother always refers to her as the crazy one and it turns out, she’s right.”
“Where is she now?”
“Missing, funny enough, and the police haven’t been able to track her down. And they think…well, this is embarrassing, to tell you the truth.”
“They think what?”
“That she’s trying to scare me,” Eddie said laughing. “Funny, right?”
“Oh, yeah,” Reilly said. “A laugh riot.”
“They even think I need protection. Can you imagine such a thing? Me being stalked? How hysterical is that?”
“Hysterical.”
His mother appeared in the doorway. She’d always had a sort of sixth sense when it came to Eddie and, sure enough, she wore her worried frown.
“I thought,” Eddie said, “that given your last occupation, you could handle it for me.”
“I’ll be right over.”
“Thanks, son.”
When he’d hung up, Tessa said, “Is everything okay?”
He rubbed his eyes. “Not really.”
“What is it, Reilly?” This from Cheri, who looked far more worried than an ex should look. But he told them everything and, when he was finished, both of them watched him with that look that said they believed he could do anything.
Apparently Eddie thought so as well.
All these damn tugs at his heart. And he didn’t have a clue what to do about them.
9
THE NEXT MORNING, Tessa turned the key of her VW Beetle, but for the second morning in a row, nothing happened. Yesterday she’d thought it was just a dead battery and she’d charged it overnight.
Apparently she’d been wrong. “Come on, baby,” she coaxed, and tapped the console lovingly. She tried again.
Nothing.
With a sigh, she leaned back. Her sister had already left for work, so she couldn’t get a ride from her. If she called Rafe, he’d probably get on the next plane.
She couldn’t call Eddie again.
So she got on the bus and decided not to worry about her car until she could do something about it. By the time she got onto the elevator in Reilly’s building, it was one minute after eight and her heart was pumping. She hated to be late and she ran off the elevator the moment the doors opened.
“I’m sorry,” she said breathlessly to Cheri, who stood there stripping off her sweater, clearly having also just arrived.
“No need to be sorry, you’re close enough.” Cheri smiled. “And since you’re holding a Krispy Kreme doughnut bag in your hand, you’re my new best friend.”
Tessa laughed. “It’s a shameless bribe for your son, but I brought enough for all of us. I’m determined to see
