LITMIR.BIZ

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Kate smiled at her daughter’s exuberance. “What time should I be back?”

      “Three. I have some things to do then.”

      “Okay. I’ll see you both at three.” And to be certain of Chad’s intentions, she added, “You will still be here, won’t you? Because I can come back earlier.”

      “I’ll be here.”

      Kate kissed her daughter goodbye and hesitantly walked away. She assured herself Molly would be fine with Chad. In the meantime, she had planning to do. Four weeks wasn’t much time to come up with enough cash to cover the bill.

      The thought made her chest tighten. She didn’t have access to that kind of money. As it was, her house in Pennsylvania was being sold to pay some prior medical bills. What in the world was she going to do?

      * * *

      “Elaina, you have to be reasonable.” Lucas struggled to maintain a calm tone with his ex-wife. “All I’m asking is for you to let me see Carrie when I fly back out to San Francisco.”

      “And I told you it’s too confusing for her. She has a dad now—one who doesn’t spend his life at the office. Don’t come around again. All you’ll do is upset her.”

      “That’s not true.” His grip on the phone tightened. “You know you could make this easier for her by not yelling at me in front of her.”

      Elaina sighed. “When you show up without invitation, what do you expect? And I’m only doing what’s best for my daughter—”

      “Our daughter. And if I waited for an invitation, I’d be an old man. Don’t you think her knowing her father is important?”

      “No. Don’t keep pushing this. Carrie is happy without you.”

      A loud click resonated through the phone. His teeth ground together at the nerve of his ex-wife hanging up the phone while he was trying to reason with her.

      The kitchen chair scraped over the smooth black-and-white tiles as Lucas swore under his breath and jumped to his feet. He paced the length of the kitchen. The sad thing was Elaina meant her threat. She would make his life hell if he didn’t play by her rules. She’d done it once by skipping town with their daughter and leaving no forwarding address. This time he didn’t even want to think of the lies she’d tell Carrie about him.

      This was the reason he’d decided to let his daughter live in peace without the constant shuffle between two warring parents. He wanted a better childhood for Carrie than he’d had.

      His thoughts drifted back to his childhood. He’d hated being a pawn between his parents and being forced to play the part of an unwilling spy. Those two were so wrapped up in knowing each other’s business and with outdoing the other that, in some twisted way, he figured they never really got over each other.

      But if that was love, then he wanted no part of it. That’s why he’d decided to marry Elaina. They had a relationship based on friendship and mutual goals, not love. A nice, simple relationship. Boy, had he made a huge miscalculation. Even without love things got complicated quickly. Now he couldn’t let his daughter pay the price for his poor decisions.

      Lucas stopped next to the table and stared down at the unfinished email. The cursor blinked, prompting him for the next words, but he couldn’t even recall what he’d written.

      Nothing was going right at the moment. First, his ex-wife declared war if he pursued his right to spend time with his little girl. Then there was the San Francisco expansion, which was hemorrhaging money. His only hope was the launch of his newest line: Fiery Hearts—brilliant rubies set in the most stunning handcrafted settings.

      The launch of this line had to be bigger and better than any other he’d done. Fiery Hearts had to start a buzz that would send women flocking to Carrington’s, infusing it with income to offset the cost of getting the West Coast showroom up and running. He raked his fingers through his hair, struggling for some innovative, headline-making launch for the line. But he drew a blank.

      He closed the laptop and strode over to the counter. He went to refill his coffee cup only to find the pot empty. The thought of brewing more crossed his mind, but he had a better idea—getting away from the house by going to a coffee shop. Between the hum of conversation and his laptop, it’d keep him occupied. And if Kate needed her suitcase, she had his number.

      Satisfied with his plan of action, he grabbed his keys and wallet when his cell phone buzzed. A quick glance at the illuminated screen revealed it was his aunt.

      “Aunt Connie, I’ve been trying since last night to get you. Are you okay?”

      “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

      “I’m not used to you being out so late and not taking my calls.”

      “Sorry. I was at the hospital, sitting with a woman whose husband underwent emergency surgery.”

      “Did everything go well?” he asked, already having a pretty good guess at the answer. His aunt was too upbeat for things to have gone poorly.

      “Yes, the man has a good prognosis. So, dear, how are things going in San Francisco?”

      This was his opening to find out what exactly was going on here. “I got back late last night.”

      There was a quick intake of breath followed by silence. He wasn’t going to help his aunt out of this mess. She owed him an explanation of why a stranger was living here in his home without his permission. He might love his aunt dearly, but this time she’d overstepped.

      “Oh, dear. Umm...I meant to call you—”

      “So you’re admitting you invited Kate to stay here without consulting me?”

      “Well, yes. But I knew you’d understand.” Uncertainty threaded through her voice.

      If Connie were an employee, he’d let her have an earful and then some. But this was his aunt, the only family member who’d ever worried more about his happiness than the company’s bottom line...or having the Carrington name appear on the society page with some splashy headline. He couldn’t stay angry with her, even if he tried.

      “It might be best if you ask in the future, instead of assuming.” He made sure to use his I’m-not-messing-around voice.

      “I’m sorry. She doesn’t have any family for support or anywhere to go. And I would have sent her to my place, but you know after the last person I took in, my roommate insisted I never bring home anyone else. How was I to know that woman liked to borrow things?”

      “Without permission and without any intention of returning them.”

      He was so grateful that his aunt had Pauline to look after her. If it weren’t for Pauline, he’d never feel comfortable enough to leave town on business. His aunt was too nice, too unassuming. As a result, people tried repeatedly to take advantage of her to get to the Carrington fortune.

      “Kate isn’t like the others,” Connie insisted. “She has a good heart.”

      “Still, you shouldn’t have sent her here. This house...it’s off-limits.”

      “I thought after all of this time you’d have let go of the past.”

      He’d never let go. How could he? It’d mean letting go of his little girl. A spot inside his chest ached like an open, festering wound every time he thought of how much he missed seeing Carrie’s sweet smile or hearing her contagious laughter. But he didn’t want to discuss Carrie with his aunt...with anyone.

      Hoping to redirect the conversation, he asked, “What do you know about Kate?”

      “Didn’t she tell you?”

      A knock at the back door caught him off guard. He wasn’t expecting anyone as he never had visitors. And if it was some sort of salesperson, they’d go to the front door.

      “I’ve got to go. Someone’s at the

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