“But not tonight?” he concluded.
“Not tonight,” she confirmed.
“Then I’ll make do with the company,” he said, choosing a chair that put him halfway across the room from the sofa where she’d chosen to sit.
Distance might keep him from acting on the temptation she represented, but, he discovered, it didn’t do one blasted thing to cool him down.
CHAPTER 13
“Wasn’t that Connor’s car I saw parked in the alley late last night?” Laila asked when she stopped by Heather’s on Sunday morning.
“He came over to check on little Mick,” Heather said, turning pink with embarrassment even though he’d had a legitimate excuse for being there. It wasn’t as if there’d been some secret rendezvous. Still, she felt compelled to add, “Megan told him Mick had a fever.”
“And that required him to stick around half the night?” Laila inquired, her expression bland. “I had no idea he was such a devoted father.”
“Well, of course he is,” Heather said defensively. “He adores that boy.”
“Just not enough to marry his mother,” Laila commented, then added with a shake of her head, “The man’s an idiot.”
“Hey, don’t say stuff like that about Connor,” Heather protested. “I knew the score from the beginning. I just hoped for a different outcome.”
Laila shook her head. “I’ve known him longer. I say he’s an idiot. You’re not at fault for wanting what any woman would want, a husband and family, especially when the family part has already happened. I can’t believe he’s behaving so irresponsibly and selfishly.”
“He supports his son, so he’s hardly being irresponsible. He’d support me, too, but I’ve refused to take anything more than child support from him. Keep in mind he wanted us to stay with him. I chose to leave.”
Laila rolled her eyes. “Sure. Having you stick around with no commitment would have worked out nicely for him, wouldn’t it? He’d have had it all his way. What would you have had?”
Heather found herself in the awkward position of feeling she needed to defend the very behavior that had sent her fleeing. Since she couldn’t do that, she retorted, “Is that why you came by, Laila? To call Connor names? If it is, you can leave.”
Laila immediately held up both hands. “Sorry,” she said. “If you’ve accepted the situation, far be it for me to criticize. Actually, I came by to invite you over to Abby and Trace’s today. They’re having a barbecue on the beach. Everyone agreed Gram needed a break from dealing with Sunday dinner this week.”
Heather shook her head at the invitation. “I think I’ve had about as much of the O’Briens this weekend as I can handle. Besides, I have a ton of paperwork to deal with in the store.”
“Then why don’t I take little Mick along?” Laila offered. “He’ll be able to spend a couple of hours with his dad before Connor goes back to Baltimore this afternoon.”
“Given your earlier comments, I’m surprised you’re willing to entrust my son to Connor,” Heather said.
Laila grinned. “Just my way of making sure Connor gives you a break. I’ll get a great deal of pleasure out of it if little Mick throws a tantrum or two and runs him ragged.”
“As long as your motives are pure,” Heather said wryly.
Still, no matter how it came about, the thought of having even a couple of hours entirely to herself was like a gift from heaven. Forget the paperwork. She could spend that amount of time soaking in a bubble bath until every bubble popped and she shriveled up like a prune. When was the last time she’d allowed herself time to indulge in some pampering? She couldn’t remember.
“Pure enough,” Laila assured her. “I’d love to take him. And it’ll do Connor good to wonder why you’ve stayed away, especially if anything interesting went on here last night.” She gave Heather a sly look. “Did it?”
“Laila Riley!”
Her friend chuckled. “Just checking. I thought you might slip up and reveal something spicy.”
“There’s nothing spicy to reveal,” Heather insisted. Unless, she amended silently, the sparks continuously flying between herself and Connor counted for something. Of course, sparks had never been the issue with Connor. It was turning them into an eternal flame that was the problem.
“Oh, well,” Laila said, clearly disappointed. She walked over to the playpen. “Want to go to the beach with me, big guy?”
Mick’s eyes lit up at the mention of his favorite place. “Beach,” he repeated excitedly.
“Your daddy will be there, too,” Laila said.
“Da,” he echoed, holding up his arms.
Laila scooped him up, nuzzling his neck as she did so. “There is nothing like the way babies smell,” she said, a telltale hitch in her voice.
“So when are you going to settle down and have some of your own?” Heather asked.
Laila laughed, but the sound seemed forced. “Who knows? It’s certainly not in the cards at the moment. I haven’t met anyone interesting in months. It’s almost enough to make me regret breaking up with my last boyfriend.” She sighed. “But even when I’m at my lowest, I know I would have eventually died of boredom if we’d stayed together. Settling’s never the answer.”
“The right person could be just around the corner,” Heather consoled her.
“In Chesapeake Shores?” Laila scoffed. “We don’t have that many corners.”
“Seems to me that Abby, Bree and Shanna would probably disagree,” Heather said.
“No doubt,” Laila said. “What time should I have my little buddy here back home?” She grinned. “Or should I encourage Connor to drop him off?”
“You take him, you bring him home,” Heather said. “Sort of like a date.”
Laila nodded. “I’ll do my best, but if I know anything at all about Connor, he’s the one you’ll be seeing a couple of hours from now.”
Heather knew her friend was right, which meant she needed to use the next couple of hours wisely. Even though seducing Connor was out of the question, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t like to torment him a bit more by looking her sexiest before
