“Isn’t there a park nearby? I thought we passed one just a few blocks away,” Michelle suggested. “That’d be fun, wouldn’t it Penny? You can play on the swings while your Daddy and I finish our discussion.”
The little girl nodded warily.
Settled on a park bench a short time later, Michelle waited while Josh went over the rules of where Penny could go and where she couldn’t.
“Ground rules,” Josh said, joining her on the bench.
“Right. I know we’ll still need to watch her. What else did you want to discuss?”
“You’ll move into my place to be there to take care of Penny. It’s not big, but we have a third bedroom. Do you want to move your own bed in, or use the Hide- A-Bed that’s already there?”
“I’d prefer my own bed,” she said. Suddenly the knowledge she’d have to give up her apartment hit her. “My apartment.”
“What about it?”
“I don’t want to lose it.”
“Sublet it.”
Biting her lip in indecision, Michelle didn’t know if that would work. “How long do you think this will take?”
“I would expect to find as much as I can in the next few weeks, maybe a couple of months. We may get lucky and it will only take a couple weeks. But I’ve agreed to stay your husband until your sister has her baby. Or, if I don’t find your father by then, we’ll just extend the arrangement until I do locate him.”
Five months? He looked away at the thought. They were committed to sharing a house, meals, events as a family. She’d even share temporarily in raising his daughter.
He hadn’t considered all the ins and outs. And especially how Penny would react.
He appreciated Michelle’s planning to help but not ingratiate herself with Penny, keeping in mind they’d separate within a few months. He hoped his daughter didn’t become attached.
He couldn’t believe he’d agreed. His employees and friends would have a field day teasing him after his tirade on marriage and the scathing comments he made about Sylvia.
This was a business proposition. Nothing more! He wished he could let everyone know that. But he’d given his word for the sake of Caroline. He would honor that commitment.
“I’ll sublet. I guess I can move my furniture into your place. Or store what there’s no room for,” Michelle said.
“I have a garage we can use. It’s half full of stuff anyway, I don’t use it for the car.”
“I’ll do the cooking and the laundry. Can you do the vacuuming and picking up?”
He nodded. “I’m used to doing it all, so to have you do the cooking is worth your weight in gold. Especially if you’re as good as you say.”
“Oh, I am.”
When she smiled at her cocky answer, Josh felt a second of awareness that he hadn’t felt in a long time. He knew Michelle was pretty, but not for him. Not again. He quickly turned away, searching the playing children until he located Penny.
“I can contribute equally to the family coffers,” she said into the silence.
He glared at her. “I can afford to support my own family.”
“True, but this is different. Since I work, I can contribute. I insist on paying my own expenses.”
“You’re doing a lot by providing the day care.”
“Do you know what some of your competition was going to charge me had I been able to afford it?”
“No.”
Gazing into her eyes, Josh realized he didn’t know about the competition and didn’t care. Suddenly he wanted to know more about Michelle Talmadge—more than what he’d found for the preliminary report he’d compiled. The surface information was easily obtained. But he was curious about what lay beneath. She puzzled him and he loved solving puzzles.
Not that he’d let his interest carry him away. He’d learned his lesson when married to Sylvia. No more entanglements with women. Actually, Michelle was doing him a favor, by providing a solid barrier for the next few months against other females who thought they could entice him.
She looked at him expectantly.
“What?” he said.
“I asked about your getting a new secretary.”
“I haven’t found one yet. Why?”
“Maybe I could help out in the evenings if you still need help. Organization is my thing.”
“I noticed that from your personnel records. You’ve received a lot of commendations.”
‘‘And just how did you get into them?”
“I told your supervisor I was doing a high-level security investigation and she showed them to me.”
‘‘All of them?”
‘‘The glowing commendations, the praises for the innovative techniques that saved time and money and made reporting easier, and the hefty raises you’ve received over the years. You should be proud of yourself doing so well in a predominantly man’s field.”
“One day I’m going to return the favor,” she warned darkly.
He laughed. ‘‘Don’t be like all the other women I know who think being a private investigator is exciting and romantic. Most of it’s a lot of researching records and files. Or sitting in a car waiting for someone to do something stupid.”
‘‘It's not dangerous, is it?”
‘‘Not the field I specialize in. You’re thinking of TV shows or the movies. Those private detectives are practically supermen.”
She nodded. “My offer still stands.”
Josh studied her for a moment. “Thanks. I might need the help if I can’t find someone soon. Back to this marriage, are you sure we can’t elope?”
“I’m positive. But it doesn’t have to be an elaborate wedding. In fact the more low-key we keep it the better. But I will want my sisters there and you must have one or two friends who should come for appearance sake.”
“I have a couple I’ll ask.”
She was right, the fewer who knew the real truth surrounding their marriage, the fewer explanations they’d have to come up with. More of the world was romantic than cynical. Any story they told would feed that romanticism—unless they told the truth.
Michelle glanced at Penny. “I wonder if we could do everything by next Saturday?” she asked.
“Depending upon what you mean by
