sister had of nannies for vacations only. He’d never felt so young and carefree as he had in the months they were together. That time still remained a special memory.
She’d been the first person he’d thought about when he decided to take Jacey backpacking in the wilderness. Savannah was no longer a shy country mouse. From her hair to her attire to her attitude, she was just what he wanted Jacey to be like when she grew up. Trendy without being over the top. Confident, assured, pleasant.
And she probably hated his guts.
He stared at the numbers in the reports he was skimming. None of them made any sense. All he could see was the cool manner in which Savannah had deliberated before giving him an answer. Her final agreement was predicated on her meeting with Jacey going well.
He checked his watch. Time to head for home. What wasn’t done wouldn’t get done. The world wouldn’t end.
Jacey was watching television when he entered his flat a short time later. Mrs. Harris, his housekeeper, was sitting with his daughter, crocheting. Jacey looked up and then deliberately looked back at the television without any greeting.
He had to admit the all-black attire, the dark circles around her eyes and the straight, flat black hair had taken him aback when Margo had brought her by unexpectedly a week ago. Where was the sunny smile Jacey had had when she was younger? The enthusiasm she’d evidenced when she saw him? She used to run to hug him.
“Hi, Jacey,” he greeted her, going across the room to give her a kiss on her cheek.
She pulled back and glared at him. “When’s the babysitter coming? I called Mom. She’ll want to know you plan to pawn me off on some stranger.”
“Since your mother didn’t consult me at all about this summer, I suspect she’ll be happy enough to go along with what I have planned. I thought she was in the Hamptons.”
Mrs. Harris, his housekeeper, rose and smiled at her employer. “I’ll just finish up in the kitchen,” she said and took off without even a glance at Jacey. She did not like confrontations and there’d already been a couple of major storms since the evening Margo had arrived unexpectedly with Jacey, announcing she had plans for the summer and Declan could take a turn with his daughter.
Declan rarely saw Jacey. While he had visitation rights, Margo had demanded full custody. And many of the times he’d planned to see his daughter, Margo had had other plans and couldn’t have Jacey spend time with him.
“She has a life, too, you know,” Jacey said. “She has a hard time making ends meet. She’s going to petition for more child support. And I think you could help out your only child. It’s tough living in New York on a small salary.”
He looked at her, hearing Margo’s voice in his child’s words.
“I send more than adequate child support. If she wishes to challenge it in court, maybe we should consider you coming to live with me. That way all her money could go straight to her own needs.”
“I don’t want to live with you. I’m stuck here this summer when I could be going to the Hamptons with Mom’s friends.”
He smiled without humor. “Yet your mother brought you here.”
Jacey frowned. The fact was she was as angry with her mother as much as with Declan. He was angry with Margo for putting such ideas in his daughter’s head. If he could audit his ex-wife’s finances, he knew he’d find more of the support money was spent on Margo than on his daughter. He knew how much he sent each month. He doubted Jacey saw much of it, however. Margo had always been high maintenance.
Jacey pouted and looked away, studying the toes of her black shoes. “I wish I was at home.”
“What do you normally do at home?” he asked easily.
“Hang out with my friends, for one thing.”
“Maybe when we get back from California we can see about having some come over here. Or you can visit.”
“It’s not like I can walk there.”
“I’ll provide transportation.”
“Whatever.”
“Until then you have San Francisco, then backpacking in the High Sierras to look forward to. Remember how we used to go camping?”
“Oh, pul-ease, not camping. I was a kid then. What did I know? When I hear California I think beaches in LA, maybe go to Hollywood, see something worth seeing.”
“I understand the views from the Pacific Crest Trail in Yosemite are amazing.”
The doorbell sounded. Declan took a breath. Make-or-break time.
Jacey looked at the door but didn’t move.
He rose and went to open it. Savannah stood there. Today she wore a light blue silk blouse that made her eyes shimmer. Her slim white pants showed her shapely figure. He wished she’d at least smile at him instead of looking like someone going to a funeral.
Jacey came to Declan’s side and looked at Savannah.
“Are you the babysitter?” she asked rudely.
“I’m a certified nanny, but you can call me a babysitter if you think that fits better,” Savannah said calmly.
Jacey looked at Savannah and then at her dad. “Did you hire her for me or you?” she asked.
“That’s enough,” Declan snapped out. “Come in, please, Savannah. As you probably guessed, this is my daughter, Jacey.” He turned to Jacey and introduced Savannah.
“If she’s going, I’m not. I’m calling Mom.” Jacey turned and went back to the sofa, pulling her cell phone from her pocket. She glowered at both her father and Savannah.
Savannah sighed softly. She really didn’t need another assignment that didn’t go well. Her last one had been enough to drive a saint crazy. And she wasn’t anywhere near being a saint. While her gaze was focused on Jacey, she was very aware of the girl’s father standing near enough that she caught a whiff of his aftershave, which spiraled her right back to when she’d been close enough to nuzzle his neck and be flooded with sensations of scent and touch.
Still, having come this far she felt obligated at least to give this interview a fair shake. Trying to ignore Declan, she put herself in Jacey’s shoes. She found a bit of empathy. Teen years were hard. Being shunted back and forth between parents was hard. And if Jacey’s mother was allowing her to dress like this, she wasn’t getting a lot of parental guidance at home.
She sat on one of the chairs, looking at Jacey as the girl stared back at her.
Declan stood nearby. “Does anyone want something to drink?”
“Like what?” Jacey asked.
“Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, a soft drink?”
“I’ll have coffee,” Savannah said.
“I don’t want anything,” Jacey growled.
“I’ll be
