“You’ve forgotten our lovemaking already?” he teased.
Even though he kept his tone light, deep down he felt a slight sting at the idea she’d put that incredible night to the back of her memory.
“Oh, that,” she said, coloring again. “No. I haven’t forgotten. Any of it.”
“And it doesn’t make you curious about maybe exploring that side of our relationship further?”
She shook her head firmly. “No. To be honest, I’ve thought about little else since I came home and, frankly, I think we should forget it.”
“I can’t forget it. I can’t forget you.” He stepped closer to her and took her hands in his. “I want to know you better, Faye. Sure, I know how great you are here at work. I also know how you sound when we make love. I know how to bring you pleasure, but...” He let go of one hand to tap gently at her forehead. “In here, I don’t think I know you at all—and I really, really want to. Will you let me in, Faye? Will you let me know you?”
She looked shaken, uncertain...but he believed he was having an impact, that she was at least considering the idea.
A phone on her desk began to ring and Piers bit back a curse. Faye pulled loose from his hold.
“I’d better get that,” she said, her voice sounding choked.
“Sure, but we will finish this discussion, Faye. I promise you. I won’t give up. You mean too much to me.”
And leaving that statement ringing in her ears, he left the room.
The nanny interviews went extremely well. So well, in fact, that Faye couldn’t fault any of the women or the highly qualified male pediatric nurse who’d applied. When Piers suggested they discuss the applicants over dinner at his house, Faye sensed a rat, but she knew he wouldn’t back down and decided the easiest thing would be to face him and get it over with.
She went home after work, showered and changed into a loose pair of pants and a long-sleeved silk blouse that drifted over her skin like a lover’s touch. Huh? Where had that thought come from?
She frowned as she checked her reflection in the mirror. The cornflower blue of the silk with its darker navy print in a tribal pattern here and there made her eyes look more blue than gray. Was this too dressy? she wondered. Maybe she should just put on something she’d wear at work.
A glance at the time scotched that idea. Piers was expecting her in twenty minutes and it would take her all of that to get to his place in the Palisades. She slid her feet into low-heeled sandals, grabbed her bag and headed out the door. She took the Pacific Coast Highway to the turnoff, letting the view of the sea calm her—a comfort she badly needed when the prospect of spending the evening with Piers, and likely Casey, was the least relaxing thing she could think of.
Piers answered the door himself when she arrived, his cell phone stuck to his ear. He gestured for her to come in and take a seat in the living room off the main entrance. Rather than sit, Faye strolled over to the large French doors that opened to the gardens and looked out toward the pool. Despite the elegance and expense he’d put into furnishing the house, it looked and felt very much like a home. Although she’d been there many times for work, somehow this visit felt different. A tiny shiver ran down her back and she rubbed her arms before wrapping them around herself.
“Cold?” Piers asked from behind her, making her jump a little.
“No, it’s nothing.”
“You’re nervous then.”
“I am not,” she protested. “I have nothing to be nervous about.”
He studied her for a few seconds before quirking his mouth a little, as if he’d accepted what she said on face value and nothing more. It made her instinctively bristle, but she was prepared to let it drop if he was.
“Sorry I was on the phone when you arrived. It was my lawyer’s office. They’ve tracked down Casey’s mom. Turns out she’s back in Australia.”
“And? Is she okay?”
“That was the first thing I asked them. Apparently she’s doing fine and she remains adamant that she wants nothing to do with Casey.”
Faye felt a strong tug of sympathy for the little guy. “Why did she have him then, if she didn’t want him? What was she thinking?”
“I get the impression she wasn’t thinking much at all. She came to the US after ditching her boyfriend in Australia. She fell into a relationship with a new guy here, but he left her when they found out she was expecting. He said it couldn’t be his baby because he was infertile, which, according to her, left Quin as the only other possible father.
“She says she tried to get ahold of Quin but never got an answer when she called his phone, which would make sense, of course.” Piers’s eyes grew bleak and he drew in another breath before continuing. “According to what she told the lawyer, she stayed in Wyoming, drifting from casual job to casual job until she had the baby. By then she’d saved enough to go home again. She’d originally believed Casey to be her boyfriend’s child but when he told her he was infertile and their relationship broke down and she couldn’t get ahold of Quin, she honestly didn’t know where to turn. She hadn’t wanted to call on her family back in Australia and, living a transient lifestyle here, had no idea of how to seek help. Now, she only sees Casey as a hindrance and, also according to my lawyer, is willing to sign off all her rights to access.”
“She is getting legal counsel about her decision, isn’t she?”
“I’ve insisted on it and agreed to pay all her expenses. I’ve also requested she have a psychological assessment. I would hate for her decision to be based on any possible psychosis as a result of having Casey.”
Faye nodded in agreement. “That’s a good idea. I’m glad you’ve done that.”
“She insisted it wasn’t necessary and that she simply wants to close the door on this episode of her life, but when we said we’d cover all costs, she reluctantly agreed.”
“Did she know Quin had passed away?”
“Apparently not. She heard that I was coming up to the house and assumed I was the guy she’d had a relationship with. Although ‘relationship’ is a bit of a misnomer. It seems they were nothing more than a few brief liaisons during and after New Year’s Eve.
“Anyway,” Piers continued, “I’m leaving everything I can in the hands of my lawyers and my most pressing concern right now is choosing who I trust the most to be able to help me provide the best care for Casey.”
He poured them both a drink. A Scotch on the rocks for him and a mineral water for her. They sat side by side on the sofa and pored over the folders he’d brought home.
“I think you should go with these two,” Faye said, putting her finger on the guy’s CV and one of the slightly older women.
“Tell me why.”
“Well,
