business contacts, like you. Iâve never felt thisâthis need, especially this fast.â
âSo, we need to be careful.â
âYes,â he said quietly.
âSo, no touching.â
He hesitated. âI donât want to make rules. Do you?â
No. She didnât need the guilt that would come if they broke any rules. She shook her head.
He seemed to relax all at once. âOkay. Weâll take it slow and easy. Deal with the issues at hand first.â
âThen when life settles down, weâll see where it goes from there,â she said. Although he was wrong, she thought. âSlow and easyâ wasnât going to work forthem. The tension between them ratcheted up another notch hourly, it seemed. âBreakfast is getting cold.â
Awkwardness accompanied the meal, not only because of their discussion but because he was sitting outdoors. As they finished their second cups of coffee she closed her eyes, wishing the sun could find its way through the gloom surrounding his house.
âWhat would you be doing today if you werenât here?â he asked.
âIf Iâm not working, I spend Sundays volunteering at the OâConnor Childrenâs Home.â
âWhat do you do?â
âI counsel mostly. Been-there, done-that kind of thing.â
âTheyâll be missing you today. Maybe you shouldââ
âNo. I called in already. They know they canât count on me every week. My job takes me out of town quite a bit, but itâs also just a matter of working very long hours.â
âYou enjoy it, though.â
âNo question. ARC takes on such a variety of cases. Well, maybe thatâs not exactly it. Itâs the clients that make it so fascinating. Celebrities, executives, politiciansâthey have a high-powered list, and the work is rarely routine.â She looked at him over the rim of her mug. âI heard youâd actually wanted my boss for your case.â
âI generally get the person at the top.â
âBut you got me instead.â
He toasted her. âEven better.â
âThanks.â
âI donât think your boss wouldâve moved in and helped out with the baby.â
She thought he smiled. His eyes seemed to twinkle. âYou wouldnât have asked him,â she countered.
âTrue.â He set his mug on the table and leaned back. âThis has been nice.â
âIâm glad.â
âWere you worried?â
âNah. Iâm a pretty good cook when I set my mind to it.â She smiled. She knew what he meant, but chose not to respond to it. Of course sheâd been worried that he would balk at sitting outdoors, but worry never stopped her from doing what was necessary.
Through the portable baby monitor they heard Daniel fuss.
âIâll clean up the kitchen,â Heath said. âYou can get the baby.â
She pushed back her chair. âYou just donât want diaper duty.â
He grinned.
Silence swooped in like a huge, noiseless, hovering bird. Her heart stopped. Triumph grabbed hold of her. Sheâd done that. Sheâd made him smile like that.
Now she needed to figure out how to do it again, and again, and again.
Â
A couple hours later Heath wandered over to a window in his office and lifted a slat. He couldnât see Cassie and Danny, who were out enjoying a walk. Cassie had invited Heath along, but he wanted to use the time to get some work done. Or so he told her.
It was mostly true. He had plenty of work to do, although not much interest. That was a first.
He walked to the other end of the office and lifted ablind there then spotted her. She was standing still, although swinging side to side. Heath wondered if Danny was awake.
He dropped the slat and stepped away, tunneling his fingers through his hair. His jaw hurt. Everything hurt. Stress was his constant companion, although not for a few minutes now and then
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