Must Like Kids Page 12

  “Mmm.” The sound hummed from the back of her throat as her arms came up to ring his neck. Not for a moment did she consider backing away.

  “Julia.” He whispered her name as his lips left hers and found the sensitive spot on her neck just below her ear. His hands moved, too, from the safety of her back down to her hips and then over the curve of her bottom.

  Time, place, propriety—all were forgotten. She pressed her body flush to his, moaning a second time as her soft curves yielded to his hard angles.

  A discreet cough sounded from the doorway. They jumped apart.

  “The, uh, ceiling is a nice feature in this room,” the real estate agent said in a strained voice.

  Julia wanted to be mortified. But that wasn’t all she wanted to be. Her gaze fell on the bed, before moving to Alec. One side of his mouth rose in what she took to be a frustrated smile. They both looked up then, at the ceiling in question, a multilevel tray that was accented with crown molding and painted in complementing shades. She concentrated on the chandelier that hung in the center, and willed her breathing back to normal.

  “The house boasts excellent craftsmanship and décor throughout, which you would, of course, expect at this price point,” Fred was saying. “In fact, I think the owners will be willing to come down on asking if you’re interested. The husband has already relocated across the country for his job. His wife stayed behind to see to the sale. As I mentioned, the house has been on the market now for several months.”

  “Something to think about,” Alec murmured. His gaze cut from the ceiling to Julia before he crossed to a pair of French doors that led to the balcony. He stepped outside.

  Alec needed fresh air and a moment to compose himself. The house, even at a lower price, didn’t move him to make an offer. But he’d felt something in the bedroom with Julia. It wasn’t that sense of home he was seeking. No. Nothing quite that comfortable. Indeed, his current condition was making him downright uncomfortable. He wasn’t sure whether to be glad or not that his agent was present, cast in the inadvertent role of chaperone. One thing he knew for certain, he wanted Julia in a way he couldn’t recall ever wanting another woman, and that made him nervous.

  He heard the door creak behind him as Fred and Julia joined him on the balcony. It was large enough to accommodate a bistro set and a lounge chair, but it felt crowded with the three of them.

  “It’s a lovely yard,” Julia remarked. He wondered if she was looking out at it to avoid looking at him.

  “Even with no swing set?” Alec asked, consciously inserting her children into the conversation, even though he wasn’t quite sure why he wanted them there.

  “There’s certainly enough room for one,” the agent remarked.

  Julia said nothing. Absently, she plucked a dead bloom from the brightly colored annuals that spilled from the planter box attached to the rail.

  Fred continued, “The lot measures nearly an acre. The current owners retain the services of a local landscaping company to oversee maintenance.”

  Alec glanced back out over the yard again, trying to picture swings and a slide. But he couldn’t get beyond the water feature and koi pond or the immaculately groomed lawn. It looked like a miniature park or... He frowned.

  “It reminds me of the campus of the school I attended as a boy. Pretty and polished, but not exactly where I want to spend my time just the same.”

  Julia’s grimace telegraphed her sympathy.

  Fred cleared his throat. “I’ll leave you alone to discuss this with your, um, friend.”

  When they were alone, Alec leaned against the balcony’s wrought-iron railing. “I suppose this is where you remind me of our professional relationship and tell me that we shouldn’t kiss like that again.”

  “Is that what I’m supposed to do?” From Julia’s smile, he couldn’t be sure if she was mocking him or making fun of herself.

  “You have other ideas?”

  She waited a couple of agonizing heartbeats before shaking her head slowly. “No. You’re right. Or, would I be the one who’s right, since you already gave me credit for making the decision?”

  “You’re a smart woman. So, that’s the end of it then.” He smiled.

  “I’d like to think so.”

  “But you know better.” A minute ago, he hadn’t felt like smiling. Now, he did.

  “Alec—”

  “Let’s drop it for now.” He crossed his arms, in part to ward off temptation, and changed the subject. “So what do you think about the house? Give me your honest opinion.”

  Julia looked relieved to have something other than their mutual attraction to discuss.

  “It’s nice,” she began. “So much space for entertaining and, as your agent pointed out, the finishes are first-rate.”

  “But it’s not a home,” he observed with a shake of his head. He’d reached that conclusion on his own already.

  “I...no. It doesn’t feel that way to me. I like the neighborhood, but the house... It looks like something you’d see in a magazine. Too...staged. It’s picture perfect, but not the sort of place where people actually live or spend any amount of time.”

  “It has no soul,” he agreed.

  Julia blinked. “That was exactly my thought as we walked through it. Sorry, Alec.”

  She put her hand on his arm in commiseration only to pull it away and take a step back.

  “Don’t trust me?” he asked softly.

  “I don’t trust either of us.”

  Her unflagging honesty was going to be his undoing, he decided, on a barely audible oath.

  They returned downstairs. Fred was in the kitchen, his expression hopeful.

  “Another bust, I’m afraid,” Alec told him.

  The older man sighed and nodded. “I had a feeling that was what you were going to say.”

  “Sorry to waste more of your time.”

  Fred shrugged. “I’ll go through the listings again first thing on Monday. Your home is out there, Alec. We’ll find it eventually.”

  The agent said the same thing after every showing. Alec glanced at Julia. For the first time, he thought maybe Fred was right.

  NINE

  Another week passed. Julia’s kids were officially out of school. That meant St. Augustine’s summer program for them three days of the week. The other two, she bundled them off to her parents’ house, where they spent time playing with their cousins. It was a good arrangement, all things considered, even if her Thursdays and Fridays would be a little more hectic because of the added drive time. Her parents told her she could leave the kids with them overnight on Thursdays.

  “It would give you a little break,” her mother said after the making the offer again during a phone conversation. “You could go out with your girlfriends.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Julia said, not bothering to point out that most of her friends were married and had kids of their own. Their free time was at a premium, too.

  “Or you could go out with Alec. He seemed like a nice enough young man,” Sherry added slyly. So much for admonishing her husband to stay out of their daughter’s business. “And so handsome.”

  Julia had smiled weakly before saying once again, “I’ll think about it.”

  Indeed, she did. Alec was on her mind constantly. Of course, her campaign to revitalize and revamp his image was in full swing, so it made sense that he was front and center in her thoughts.

  She’d planted dozens of stories in publications around the country, sent out scores of tweets on Twitter, and had set up several appearances in and around Chicago, including a very high-profile one at the upcoming Midwest Family Fun Expo. The annual event was a huge draw for mothers, and was slated for that Thursday through Saturday in the grand ballroom of one of Chicago’s most posh hotels. Best For Baby was already a gold-level sponsor. Thanks to another hefty donation, it had gone platinum and Julia had wrangled Alec a stint in an on-stage demonstration called Cooking with Kids.

  The good news was that the segme
nt would be aired on television. The not-so-good news was that it would air live. That meant no editing. Whatever Alec did or said would be out there for mass consumption. One wrong move, one verbal faux pas, and they would be back at square one as far as his image was concerned.

  She told him as much when she swung by his office just before noon on Monday.

  “Cooking with Kids, hmm? What exactly will I be doing?”

  “Exactly what it sounds like. You will be cooking with kids.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Whose kids? Am I supposed to bring some with me or will they be provided in much the same way the pots and pans and utensils will be?”

  Julia shook her head at his glib remark. “The other celebrity chefs in the segment will have children with them, in most cases their own. In your case, we’ll send out a memo to Best For Baby’s staff, seeking volunteers. A number of your employees will be at the expo anyway. It will be painless,” she assured him.

  He didn’t share her confidence. “I don’t know,” he said slowly. “Couldn’t I be a celebrity taster or something like that?”

  “No. The segment calls for chefs. The audience will be doing the tasting.” She swallowed. “You know how to cook, right? I’m talking the basics here, like fry an egg and flip a hamburger.”

  “It’s a little late to be asking, isn’t it? You’ve already signed me up.”

  Julia stomach contracted. “Do you? Please tell me you do.”

  “I think I could bring water to a boil if I had to.” His expression brightened. “And I know my way around the microwave. Well, as long as it involves hitting the reheat-entree button.”

  He wasn’t kidding. “Oh, God!” She slumped back in her seat.

  She’d seen the kitchen in his apartment. It was gorgeous. Sure, Alec was a bachelor and had grown up in privilege. Still, she’d assumed, foolishly as it turned out, that he would have a rudimentary knowledge of meal preparation. Who didn’t know how to fry an egg, for goodness sake?

  “Do you eat out every night?” she asked.

  “Not out necessarily. I’m often still at my office at dinnertime. It’s easier to have meals delivered. The side benefit is there are no dishes to wash afterward.”

  He smiled. She didn’t.

  “That’s not healthy, Alec.” Not to mention it had to be expensive. And lonely. So very lonely.

  “I have an arrangement with the chefs at a couple of nearby restaurants. They prepare lower-fat, lower-sodium versions of menu favorites for me.” He shrugged. “It costs a little more, but, given my schedule, it makes more sense than having a personal chef cooking meals in my apartment.”

  Julia made a quick decision.

  “Tonight, you’ll come to my apartment for dinner.” She still didn’t trust either of them. Their attraction was nearing the combustible range at times. But they would have a couple of watchful chaperones. What could happen with her kids underfoot? “Does six o’clock work for you?”

  “Julia, you don’t have to make dinner for me.”

  “Oh, I’m not. You’ll be the one wearing the apron,” she added with a grin. “Clearly, you need some practice before your culinary debut.”

  His brows shot up and she thought he might object. But he asked, “What am I making?”

  “We’ll keep it simple.”

  “Mac and cheese? I hear it comes in a box with the directions printed on the side.” His lips twitched with a smile.

  “Not that simple.” She stood and smiled in return. “Be on time, please. The natives get restless if they have to wait too long to be fed.”

  She expected that news to cause his grin to slip. Instead, he smiled wider. His voice was a seductive whisper when he taunted, “Does that include you?”

  * * *

  “This isn’t a social call, is it?” Julia said ten minutes into a chat with her sister that afternoon.

  “That obvious? Shoot! I was trying for subtle.”

  Eloise had started hinting around about Julia’s love life right after the hellos were out of the way. So much for subtle.

  “Did Mom put you up to it?”

  “Actually, Dad. When I stopped over at the house last night, he said there was a new man in your life. I was surprised and a little miffed, I might add, that you hadn’t mentioned anything to me.”

  “There’s nothing to mention. Alec’s a client.”

  “Uh-huh.” Her sister sounded as convinced as Julia felt. “Dad told me that, too. That’s what has him worried, Jul. He said the two of you went house-hunting.”

  “Oh, good grief! We didn’t go house-hunting. We went to look at a house—singular—that Alec was considering buying. He lives in an apartment and he wanted my opinion. That’s all.”

  But it wasn’t all. Not by a long shot. She touched her lips, felt the tingle of need and bit back a sigh.

  On the other end of the line, Eloise was saying, “Dad looked him up online while I was over. He’s gorgeous.”

  “His picture doesn’t do him justice,” she admitted.

  “Are you attracted to him?”

  Irritated with both of them, Julia snapped, “Of course, I’m attracted to him. You just said yourself he’s gorgeous. I’m a single mother. I’m not a nun.”

  “Okaaay.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “Actually, El, I don’t even want to think about it. But thanks.”

  “Just be careful.”

  “I’m always careful.”

  Too much was at stake to be anything but. Still, a forgotten part of herself was rising up, threatening to rebel. The question keeping her awake at night was: Would she let it?

  * * *

  Alec caught himself glancing at the clock all afternoon. He needed to be on time. It had nothing to do with being eager. Still, anticipation was what he felt as he drove away from the Best For Baby offices just after five o’clock. He stopped at a corner market on the way to Julia’s. He selected a bottle of red wine first, put it back on the shelf and opted for white. He put that one back, too. Wine with a weeknight meal that Julia had assured him would be basic seemed too formal. Maybe even presumptuous. For all he knew, she didn’t drink. He stopped in the soda aisle and decided Julia wouldn’t appreciate him plying Danielle and Colin with sugar and empty calories, even if it probably would score him points with her kids. And, he could admit, he was nervous about spending an evening with them.

  Since it seemed wrong to show up empty-handed, he selected a bouquet of daisies from the bin by the register.

  “Will that be all?” the woman at the checkout asked.

  The flowers were for Julia, but what about the kids? Shouldn’t he bring something for them?

  “Well?” the woman prompted.

  He glanced at the array of impulse purchases set out in front of him and grabbed two battery-powered miniature fans. “I’ll take these as well.”

  This time, it was Danielle who opened the door when he arrived at the apartment. The little girl didn’t look happy to see him.

  “Hi, Danielle.”

  “Hello.” She didn’t step to one side to allow him to enter. The keeper of the gate, he thought.

  “How’s soccer going?”

  “Good.”

  Colin joined them then.

  “Hi...Alec.” The little boy fell into a fit of giggles. No doubt, he was thinking Smart Aleck.

  “Hi.”

  They were both staring at him now. Alec would rather be facing his board of directors.

  “Your mom’s here, right?”

  “Yep,” Colin said. “She’s changing her clothes.”

  Alec glanced toward a hallway that he assumed led to the bedrooms. If the image that popped into his mind were a movie, it would have been rated R. Definitely not appropriate for children. He forced it away.

  “Um, would it be all right if I came in?”

  Were the decision left to Danielle, he had the feeling he would have remained out in the hall. But Colin grabbed his a
rm.

  “Sure.”

  Alec wiped his feet on the doormat and followed them into the living room, where he took a seat on the couch. The flowers and plastic bag were grasped in his hands, and even though he was resting one ankle on the opposite leg’s knee, he was far from relaxed. The television was on. Cartoons were playing. But both Colin and Danielle were watching him rather than the TV screen. Oh, yeah, he would definitely rather be facing his board of directors.

  He attempted to swallow around a knot of nerves and asked, “How was school today?”

  “We’re out of school,” Danielle replied with a roll of her eyes.

  “It’s summer vacation,” Colin reminded him.

  “Oh. Right. Summer vacation.”

  “They had those even back when you were a kid, right?” the boy asked.

  “Yes. Even waaaay back then,” Alec replied dryly. “So, what did the two of you do all day?”

  “We went to St. Augustine,” Danielle said on a sigh.

  “That’s our school. A lot of kids go there during the summer while their parents are at work. We don’t have to do any school work or anything,” Colin added. “Mostly, we just play with our friends, and sometimes we take field trips. Next week, we’re going to a museum.”

  “Oh.”

  His expression must have soured because Colin said, “Did you have to do that in the summer when you were a kid, too?”

  “Sort of, except I was there around the clock.”

  “You lived there?” Danielle’s appalled expression was a twin of her mother’s. Maybe that was why he found it so endearing.

  “I attended a boarding school. So, yeah, I lived there.”

  “Tough break,” Colin said with a shake of his head. “In the summer, we only have to go to St. Augustine on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and even then only for part of the day. We’re always home for dinner.”

  “What do you do on Thursdays and Fridays?” Alec asked.

  “Mom takes us to Grandma and Grandpa Bellamy’s house. It’s out in ’burbia.”