Another time? Did he mean to ask her out on a date? Raina wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that. She hadn’t dated since Jeb—hadn’t even been interested in dating as she came to grips with his betrayal, single parenthood and running a business. It had been a painful irony that she’d been duped by the person she’d thought would stand by her, exactly as her father had been.
She had never known her mother and pictures of her had been few and of poor quality. Raina’s enduring memory of the woman who’d borne her was the story of how she’d come home from the hospital with Raina, put her in her bassinet and gone out to buy some milk and never returned. Growing up, Raina had always had more questions about the whole situation than answers and, in retrospect, she could understand why she’d been drawn to the losers.
Despite all the security and love her father had poured into her, Raina’s sense of self-worth had been low. She’d found herself desperate to be accepted by others, only to be walked all over again and again. Jeb had been the last in a string of disastrous relationships, and when he’d cleaned out her bank account while she was in labor with his son, she’d finally learned her lesson—and with it, who she was and where she belonged in her world. Now, she was at peace with her decision to focus her energies on JJ and provide a home for them. She finally, at the sage old age of thirty, felt grown up.
Her friends still teased her about her dating moratorium but she’d avoided all potential setups they’d thrown her way. And in the aftermath of the tornado, it had made far better sense not to get involved with anyone. Life had become incredibly precious and despite her need to nurture and to try to “fix” broken souls, aka the losers she’d dated previously, she’d had to draw a line somewhere.
But a date with Nolan Dane? He was nothing like the guys she’d been out with before. He owned a suit, for a start, and showed the kind of manners her father had always told her to expect from a man.
She looked across the table and noticed that JJ had made short work of his sundae and was now rubbing his eyes and fidgeting in his booster seat. She glanced at her watch—a 1920s timepiece she hadn’t been able to bring herself to sell after she’d discovered it in a boxed lot she’d bought at an estate sale a couple of years ago. If she didn’t get on her way soon, she’d be running late for the sitter and for her class.
“This has been lovely,” she said, gathering her bag and searching for her wallet. “But JJ and I really must get going. Thank you for joining us.”
“No, thank you for your company. Please, let me get this. It’s the least I can do for crashing your dinner together.”
“Oh, but—”
“Please, I appreciated having someone to talk to over my meal.”
Before she could say anything, Nolan left several bills on the tabletop, including a generous tip, and helped JJ from the booth.
“Are you parked far away?” he asked as they walked toward the exit.
“No, not far. A block.”
“Let me walk you,” Nolan said, falling into step beside her on the sidewalk outside the diner.
“Mommy, up,” JJ interrupted, and he lifted his little arms in the air.
“Sure, sweetie,” she said, bending to lift him into her arms.
She wouldn’t be able to keep this up for too much longer. JJ was getting so big and most of the time she had trouble keeping up with her energetic wee man. The fact that he wanted her to carry him spoke volumes about how tired he was. She reminded herself to cherish these moments while they lasted.
They were halfway down the block when she had to readjust JJ’s weight in her arms.
“He looks heavy,” Nolan commented. “Can I carry him for you?”
“No, it’s fine, I can manage,” Raina insisted, even though her back was starting to ache a little.
“Man carry me, Mommy.”
JJ squirmed in her arms, almost sending her off balance.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” she asked Nolan.
In response, Nolan effortlessly hefted her son from her and propped JJ on one hip. “Of course not.”
At the car, Nolan waited on the sidewalk while she strapped JJ into his seat.
“Thank you for dinner, and for your help with JJ. You didn’t have to,” Raina said as she straightened from the car and held her hand out to Nolan.
He took it and again she was surprised by the sizzling jolt of sensation that struck her as his hand clasped hers.
“Honestly, the pleasure was all mine,” he replied, his eyes locked on hers.
She found herself strangely reluctant to let his hand go and Nolan seemed to feel the same way, but then a group of people coming along the sidewalk forced them apart. Thankful she could disengage before things got awkward, Raina gave him a small wave and settled herself in the car.
Her hand still tingled as she reached forward to put the key in the ignition. It had been a long time since she’d felt anything like this at a man’s touch. As she drove away, Raina made herself keep her eyes on the road in front of her. She wouldn’t look back. Looking back only invited trouble, she told herself, and she’d had bushels of that already in her life. No, she’d promised herself to keep moving forward the right way, and that didn’t involve complicating her life with a relationship or fling with someone who was passing through.
* * *
Nolan watched from the sidewalk until he couldn’t see Raina’s taillights any longer. Why had he done this to himself? he wondered as he hunched deeper into his jacket and began to walk back to his hotel. Carrying JJ had brought back a wealth of hurt and repressed memories of his own son, Bennett.
Holding another small body in his arms...it had been a more bitter than sweet experience. He reminded himself very firmly that using her for information about the Winslows was one thing, but he was in no way embarking on any kind of friendship with Raina. It would be too easy, he knew that. He was already attracted to her, already felt that surge of physical awareness every time she smiled or her gaze met his. From the moment he’d laid eyes on her he’d been drawn to her and he’d been unable to get her out of his thoughts.
Being there in the Royal Diner with Raina and JJ had felt too much like his old life. The life he’d vowed he would never turn back to. No, his home was Los Angeles now. Royal held no allure for him anymore even though everything here still felt so achingly familiar.
He acknowledged the doorman at the hotel with a smile and went straight to his room. It was early. Any other time he’d have stopped in the bar and had a drink. Maybe enjoyed a bit of casual female interest before heading to his room—or hers. The mobile nature of his role as Rafiq’s personal attorney gave him leeway in his life that he’d never allowed himself before and while casual hookups had never been his style, a man had needs—and clearly the women he’d met had needs, as well. But while those encounters may have left him physically sated, there always remained an emptiness deep inside him.
His thoughts flickered back to Raina Patterson. She was definitely not the type for a casual hookup. She exuded stability and
