“I’m back here, Jamie,” Kara called out, deciding it was best to hear whatever it was he had come to tell her immediately. Maybe if she talked to him right away, he wouldn’t stay long. His very presence set her entire staff on edge, and so it was in everyone’s best interest to keep his visit as short as possible.
A moment later, he appeared in her office doorway. “Hi,” he said, entering the small space. Seeing Maeve, Jamie approached her, frowning as she cuddled closer to Kara as if to stay out of his reach.
“Maeve, you're being silly,” Kara scolded the girl mildly and stood up to drop her daughter to her feet. “Go over and say hello to your father, please.”
Maeve stared up at her mother and popped her thumb in her mouth, but didn’t move.
Jamie frowned at her. “Isn’t she too old for that?” he asked, gesturing toward the thumb she was sucking.
“Probably,” Kara replied. “But she’s been through a lot lately, so if that’s what she’s chosen to do to comfort herself, then I’m going to let it go. I doubt she’ll still be doing it when she’s old enough to attend high school.”
Jamie scowled and glared at them both but didn’t reply.
Kara shrugged and sat down at her desk again. Reaching over, she quickly closed the spreadsheets she had been looking at before Jamie arrived, then she frowned over at him. His right eye was puffy, and the welt he had received from the car accident still looked red and painful. She winced and straightened in her chair.
I’ll be damned if I’m going to feel any sympathy for the man who wants to steal my child.
“What do you want, Jamie? Why are you here?” Kara asked him briskly, pulling Maeve back up onto her lap.
“I just came by to check on Maeve and see how the garden center was doing,” he replied.
Kara wrinkled her nose in confusion but didn’t reply. Narrowing her eyes, she watched as he picked up a cracked decorative orb that was waiting to be returned to the distributor and juggled it from one hand to another. Maeve hid her face in Kara’s T-shirt.
“Really?”
“Um, well, I did come by to see Maeve, believe it or not, but I also wanted to see if you’d had time to think about what we talked about.”
“What we talked about?” repeated Kara, raising one eyebrow.
Jamie scowled in response. “Yes, before I hire a lawyer, I wanted to see if you had come to your senses about the garden center.”
“Oh? What about it, exactly?”
Jamie’s scowl deepened. “I’m talking about you selling it and the land here. I think you need to make a decision about that soon.”
Kara got to her feet and set her daughter down gently. “Maeve, I want you to leave here now and go find Granny Mary,” she directed the little girl. “I have to talk to your dad.” Walking her to the door, Kara watched as Maeve ran to the front of the store and took Mary’s hand.
Kara sighed and stepped back into the office, warily leaving the door open. Given how their last encounter went, she didn’t know how Jamie would react to what she had to say.
“Jamie,” she said, folding her arms in front of her and lifting her chin. “Whatever I decide to do with the garden center has nothing to do with you or Maeve. I am Maeve’s mother, and that is a responsibility I take very seriously. And everyone, except obviously you, in Larkin Bay knows it.”
Jamie scowled at her as she paused for a moment.
Kara ignored his frown and continued. “And whether I decide to keep the garden center or sell it is a completely separate issue from the custody of our daughter. I resent you trying to push me into doing something with my business by using your relationship with Maeve as a threat. If you want to sue me for custody, do it. I doubt you’ll get very far, and the only thing you’ll really be hurting is your wallet. But you need to know that if you ever scare Maeve or threaten me again, I’ll do everything in my power to protect her and keep you and the rest of your family away from both of us.”
Jamie raised a hand briefly toward her, but then dropped it. He scowled back at her. “I’m not sure what’s made you so brave all of a sudden,” he replied slowly. “But I do think you should sell the garden center and use the money to look after our daughter. That is, if you want to keep custody of her. And if you’re not willing to do that, I’m still more than happy to get a lawyer involved to make sure you do.”
Kara took a half step toward him and narrowed her eyes. “Do it. Find a lawyer. Waste your money. I don’t care, but you will have an endless fight on your hands if you expect to get your way with this. I will not allow you to bully me into deciding what the best thing to do is. Now, please leave. You are no longer welcome here.”
“You can’t ask me to leave. It’s a public place of business,” replied Jamie.
“Yes, she can, and if you don’t leave, I will help her make you leave,” came a calm, deep male voice from the open doorway.
“Hello, Scott,” said Kara, smiling up at him. “Good timing. Jamie was just leaving.”
Shooting him a murderous look, Jamie turned away from Kara, pushed by Scott and left without a backward glance.
“Well, he seems happy,” said Scott with an amused smile, stepping farther into the office.
Kara suddenly found her legs were unsteady. Turning away, she sat heavily in the chair behind her desk and smiled weakly up at him. “He won’t be happy until I sell this place,” she replied. “What I can’t figure out though is why?”
“Courtney and I have been trying to figure that out too,” Scott replied. “Actually, that’s one of the things I’ve dropped by today to see you about.”
“Is everything okay?” asked Mary, appearing in the doorway.
Kara nodded. “Yes, thank you, Mary.”
“That’s a relief.” Mary looked up at Scott and then back at Kara. “I’ll just go watch the store and keep an eye on Maeve so you two can talk, then,” she said and, reaching out, pulled the door closed, leaving them alone in the office.
Scott sighed. “I’ve been poking around and discovered that Jamie has negotiated some sort of a deal with the developers in return for ensuring that you sell them the garden center. He might even have received some payment for doing it already.”
“That explains the fancy car.”
Scott nodded. “All signs are pointing to him being the one who sought out the investors to make the offer.”
“That makes sense. He doesn’t seem to have returned to Larkin Bay because of any love for either Maeve or me.”
“Courtney and I will come up with a plan to help you deal with him now that we know what’s going on,” Scott replied.
