“I’d like that.”
Scott shifted from one foot to another. “I didn’t see Jamie here tonight,” he said.
Kara hesitated for a moment as she contemplated how this man that she was dangerously attracted to might be leaving town soon for a new job.
Do I really want to have my heart broken again?
Looking up at him, she saw the hope in his eyes and sighed. “No, I’m not sure where he is tonight.”
She saw he was looking down at her hand, and she held it up to show him there was no ring on her finger. “We’re not really engaged, either. He just wants to be part of Maeve’s life and thought that was the way to do it.”
“Oh.”
“But you’re leaving town,” she blurted out, and felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she realized she sounded a little accusatory.
Scott’s eyes widened. “I’m not sure about that yet.”
“Well, let me know when you decide,” Kara replied and turning away, picked up Maeve and swung the little girl into her car seat. After she’d buckled her in, she turned back to look at Scott.
He touched her lightly on the forearm. “Even though we’re both still figuring out what’s going on with our exes and our future job situation, perhaps we could still have coffee together one afternoon?” he asked.
Kara closed her eyes briefly, knowing she should say no but instead nodding in agreement. “I’d like that,” she replied, returning his broad smile with one of her own as her heart fluttered happily and she considered how easy it was to be a fool for love.
Jamie swung through the door of Sullivan’s Place and sat down heavily on one of the empty stools in front of the bar. Mark glanced up, pulled him a draft beer and placed it in front of him without saying a word.
“I think the barkeep might be mad at me,” Jamie commented to Stevie, who was sitting on the barstool next to him.
“Might be. But he did draw you a beer, so he can’t be all that upset.”
Jamie nodded. “True enough,” he replied, and took a long sip of his draft before helping himself to a handful of nuts from a bowl on the bar.
After a few minutes, Mark came to the other side of the counter and straddled the empty stool on the far side of Jamie.
Jamie smiled at him briefly in acknowledgment before turning to watch the baseball highlight reel that was playing on the large flat-screen TV that hung over the bar. After a few minutes, Mark quietly cleared his throat and Jamie set down his beer and looked over at him.
“How are you doing, Mark?” he asked.
“I’m okay, Jamie,” replied Mark, his mouth set in a hard line. “How are you?”
“I’m a lucky man,” Jamie replied loud enough so most of the restaurant’s customers could hear him clearly. “I’m back where I belong, with people who love me, and that beats out everything else.”
“That’s true,” Mark replied in a considerably quieter voice. “But I must admit, I’m a little worried about what your intentions are regarding these people you’re professing to love. Maeve and Kara mean the world to me. They’re my family, and if I can help it, I’m not going to let anybody hurt them.”
“Well, then you and I are of the same mind, Mark. I never want anyone to ever hurt them, either.”
Mark scowled at Jamie and leaned closer. “You didn’t look after them too well all those years ago when Kara was expecting Maeve. If I remember correctly, you left town as fast as you could and never looked back until a few weeks ago.”
“I know, and you’re right. I’m not proud of how I acted back then. But a man can change, and I have. And whether or not you like it, Maeve is my daughter. She’s my family too.”
“Yeah, but that’s only true in terms of biology. She doesn’t even know who you are. If you want to make it work with Kara, and if she wants that too, then I’m glad you’re here. But I also want to warn you I will not let you hurt Kara again. I will do whatever I need to do to protect her and Maeve. So if your intention is to just use either of them to further your own agenda, I’m telling you to reconsider that right here and now.”
“Really, Mark? You’re threatening me?”
“Yep, and I should have done it years ago too, when you first left Kara alone and pregnant. I wanted to come after you and hunt you down then, but Kara begged me not to.”
“Oh.” Jamie shifted slightly away from Mark on his stool.
Mark nodded. “So let’s just say I’m not threatening you. I’m warning you. Those girls are happy, and Kara’s built a good life for her and Maeve here. You just make sure you don’t do anything to mess with that. Got me?”
“Understood,” Jamie answered. “Now, can I finish my beer?”
“Yep, and it’s on the house—this time,” Mark replied. “Next time you pay, though, just like everyone else.” Standing, he placed a heavy hand on Jamie’s shoulder and squeezed it hard enough to leave Jamie wincing as he watched Mark walk away.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Sometimes there’s a difference between doing the right thing and doing what’s right. At least, that’s the way things seemed to Kara after she left the garden center and climbed into her truck. Today, Kara was meeting with Mark and Courtney at the offices of Blackstone and Davidson.
Pulling open the oversize glass front door, she wondered with a pang if she might run into Scott. She forced herself not to fluff her hair or bite her lips as she reminded herself she wasn’t here to see him. Scott was moving on to bigger and better things, and Kara supposed she was dating Jamie. At least she figured she should be—he had proposed in front of the whole darn town.
She shook her head and drew her shoulders back.
She might have said yes to avoid embarrassing Jamie, but she was in charge of her life, and she didn’t have to marry or date anyone. But since most of the town had heard her say yes to Jamie’s proposal, if she didn’t want to start tongues wagging, she had to try at least to contain her emotions when she was around Scott in public. No one needed to know how just being around him caused her heart rate to accelerate.
With these thoughts top of mind, Kara kept her head down as she hurried through the law firm’s front door. She was so focused on keeping her emotions firmly under control that she walked straight into the solid chest of the very man she was trying to avoid thinking about.
As Scott helped her regain her balance, Kara looked up and saw he was smiling. “Well, hello there,” he said.
