“Mary still doesn’t like me,” Jamie commented as they made their way back across the street.
“Well, she’s been like a mother to me since my own passed away. And you did leave me alone when I was pregnant—that probably doesn’t endear you to her much.”
“Ouch,” replied Jamie, raising both hands in mock surrender. “You’re not pulling any punches today.”
Kara shrugged. “Well, that’s what’s making her act the way she is. She’s very protective of Maeve and me.”
He rolled his eyes. “That was a long time ago, and I’m here now. I’m a better and more responsible person. I guess I’ll just have to work on proving myself to her.”
Kara raised one eyebrow. “You could. But it’s unnecessary if you’re not staying long. You two probably won’t see a lot of each other.”
Jamie glanced over at her. “Well, that might change. I’m thinking about staying in Larkin Bay for a while, and I’ll want to see more of Maeve, be more of a father to her if I do. That’ll mean I’ll be seeing more of you as well.”
Kara stared at him, momentarily at a loss for words. What was Jamie telling her? Did he expect them to be friends again? Did he remember nothing about how devastated she’d been when he’d left her alone and pregnant with Maeve?
Kara was about to ask him more, but the conversation was interrupted when his mother appeared. “Jamie? Maeve? Where did you both go? I thought I’d lost you!” she wailed as she hurried toward them.
Kara smiled at the older woman and let Maeve’s grandmother fuss over her for a minute while Maeve yawned at her side. Evelyn finally gave her back her stuffed and well-loved pink pig along with a promise to see Kara and Maeve later in the week. Then she bid them both goodbye.
Kara stepped to one side as Jamie leaned forward to hug her after kissing Maeve on the cheek. Kara wasn’t the least bit interested in having any physical contact with him. He could have limited involvement in Maeve’s life as long as he didn’t upset or scare her, but anything romantic that had once happened between them was long over, and she was more than happy to leave it that way.
Chapter Fifteen
Scott stopped to look out the oversize picture window—this was one thing he liked a lot about his office’s location; he could stand in their boardroom’s second-story office and see everything that was happening on Lake Street.
Looking down, he saw things were quiet, with only a few people out doing some Monday morning shopping. He smiled when he glimpsed Mary and Kara coming up the street. Kara looked happy, and his smile broadened when he saw she was laughing.
“What are you looking at?” asked Courtney curiously, coming up behind him to look out the window as well.
“Just people-watching,” Scott replied. “You can see everything happening on Lake Street just by looking out this window.”
“Is that called people-watching or spying?” asked Courtney, lifting an eyebrow.
“A little of both, I guess,” answered Scott with an affable grin.
“Well, as I live and breathe,” Courtney said, moving closer to the window. “I didn’t know Jamie Hunter was back in town.”
“Jamie? Is that Maeve’s dad?” asked Scott.
“Yes, one and the same. And look, he’s with her. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them together,” Courtney added, frowning.
As Scott and Courtney watched, Jamie crossed the street and Maeve ran to Kara’s side. Scott scowled in concern when he saw Maeve grab onto Kara’s leg as though she was frightened.
Courtney shook her head and left the boardroom while Scott turned away from the window and picked up the brief he’d left on the table behind him. After reading it for a moment, his gaze drifted back to the group outside. He watched as Mary left and then Kara, holding Maeve’s hand, walked across the street with Jamie. Scott winced when he noticed Jamie’s hand was resting on the small of Kara’s back as he protectively guided her and their daughter across the busy roadway.
A lump gathered in Scott’s throat as an elderly lady approached the group and they all stopped to chat. Together, they appeared to be a perfect, happy little family unit. He turned away.
Maybe I don’t like the view from this window that much after all.
Going to Sullivan’s Place to grab dinner and watch an evening of baseball on their big-screen TVs was becoming a comfortable habit for Scott. Sighing contentedly, he settled back on a barstool to sip the soda the server had just delivered to him.
“You’re welcome anytime, even after you’re all set up at home,” Mark had assured him earlier when Scott told him he’d miss being here once his cable was hooked up. “I think Kara is coming in later too—she’ll be happy to see you,” he added with a wink before turning away to serve other customers.
A smile slipped across Scott’s lips at the idea, but it was immediately replaced with a frown as he remembered watching Kara with Jamie the day before. Sighing, he shifted uneasily in his seat. He’d have to talk to her and find out what was going on there before he asked her out. He was too old to have his heart broken, and he certainly didn’t want to get in the way of a possible reunion between a child’s parents. That just felt all kinds of wrong. He nodded decisively before turning to the man sitting next to him to discuss the player who’d just appeared to pinch-hit on the TV in front of them.
Half an hour later, he was still happily engrossed in the game and discussing the team’s potential for that season with the other patrons around him when a tall, curvy blonde walked over and wedged herself in the tiny space between him and the TV, blocking his view. With a pageant-winning smile at Scott’s shocked expression, she lifted one long, Lycra-clad leg and flipped it elegantly over Scott’s thighs, pushing him to the back of his seat. Now straddling him, she swept her thick, waist-long hair to one side and laughed softly as Scott opened and closed his mouth in surprise but didn’t make a sound.
“Hello, Scottie,” she whispered huskily and, leaning forward, delivered a long, deep, and searing kiss.
Kara stopped in surprise and squeaked in shock as she witnessed the scene. Seeing her expression, Mark came up behind her and quickly grabbed the two open beers she was holding just as they were about to slip through her fingers.
“Whoa there,” he said, holding the bottles firmly while looking at Kara curiously. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
Turning, he followed Kara’s shocked gaze, and his mouth dropped open when he saw the blonde straddling Scott.
“Who’s that?” asked Mark, his eyes widening as he took in the other woman’s barely concealed curves, luscious lips, round eyes, and high cheekbones. He gave a low whistle. “Wow. She’s something, isn’t she?”
Kara nodded, barely noticing that her brother looked gobsmacked and floored all at once. “I have no idea who she is,” she answered, her voice trembling. “His ex-fiancée, maybe?” And after trying unsuccessfully to stifle a sob, she turned and ran out the restaurant door.
Jamie grinned confidently at the men in the designer suits seated across from him. He had been up very early that morning to make the drive from Larkin Bay into the city for this meeting, but he was convinced that these minor sacrifices would pay off for him many times over.
“There’s nothing to be concerned about,” he told everyone, giving a toss of his head. “I personally know the people who are holding the deeds to the land that you want to build on, and the offer you made them is an amount beyond their wildest dreams. I’m actually surprised they haven’t gotten back to you to accept it already, but I’m confident that they will very soon. Before the next week is up, you’ll have a signed contract and the land will be yours, you’ll see.”
The man across the table from Jamie nodded and grinned thinly at the promise. Steepling his fingers together, he leaned back deeper into his plush boardroom chair. “Have you taken care of promising a little incentive to the town’s planning department supervisor to make sure we’re assured the zoning we need to build as well?”
“I have,” Jamie answered, “and he was very happy and quick to agree to your generous offer.”
