Page 38 of Nothing to Deny
Financially? Emotionally? Again, he wasn’t specific. Either was a possibility. “You have to support your family, I would never ask you not to.”
“I would never be able to make you that promise.”
This was unexpected, yet, at the same time, overdue. “I don’t understand. Surely there must have been other women. Women you cared about… personally, while you’ve been in this profession.”
He shook his head. “Not like this… With the boys, and my mom, the money, it’s been keeping our head above water. I haven’t had time for…”
“And Claire bailed when things got tough,” she said, provoking a frown. Sheepish, she shrugged. “Your family like to talk.”
“Not usually this much,” he said. “Anything they didn’t tell you?”
Taking his hand in hers, she got space enough to lean back to retrieve her phone from the bench where it had fallen. “Let’s go get a drink and I’ll fill you in.”
They’d been away from the table for so long that Holly and Donoghue might believe they’d been ditched. Until…
Uh, no, they got back to the table and found the two engaged in animated conversation.
That was okay. In fact, it was a relief.
Sitting at the opposite side of the booth with Baer, she got her wish of nestling under his arm. They spent the evening covering the topics his family clued her in on the previous night and then some.
Telling him about her grandfather and the foundation, getting it all out there was a relief, a joy. The noise of the bar provided cover to talk without worrying about anyone overhearing.
At the end of the night, while Baer went to pay the bill with her card and Donoghue used the restroom, she and Holly cleared up the table.
“I think you’ve made your choice,” Holly said, putting the used napkins on a plate.
“My choice?”
“But listen…” Holly said. “Can you please not abandon me, okay? I’m happy for you and everything. I don’t even mind you stealing my man. No one could mind; you two have chemistry up the yazoo. It’s like watching magic in real life. But I still have two more dates, so will you please just pretend like you’re not sure who you’ll pick and come with me on those dates?”
“Holly, I was never going to—”
“Obviously, you two will have no trouble convincing my folks you’re a thing. You better work overtime to help me with my guy, if we don’t have the same… you know,” Holly said and thrust her shoulders back to tease. “Don’t ever tell me this wasn’t fun. You didn’t even want to be here and now look, you’ve found the goddamn love of your life.”
The curtain moved and Donoghue came in with Baer just behind him.
“Ready to leave, ladies?” Donoghue asked.
Getting back to the car was a blur. The love of her life? Baer couldn’t be the love of her life… could he? More thinking made the immediate problem clearer.
She needed a companion for the vacation and wedding events. Baer needed money. Whatever was going on between them might cause him financial problems if he kept avoiding going all the way with clients.
Freya hadn’t wanted to hire Baer because she feared falling for him while he was working. But she wasn’t just a client anymore, it wasn’t just an act. There was something real between them. Given she was going away and in need of support, who else would she want with her? No man would be better for the job.
And, going away for two weeks, with another man, while Baer stayed in the city to work… other women. It would be anightmare. Neither of them would be themselves. Was this the solution to all their problems, or an action they’d come to regret?
THIRTEEN
ONE THING SHE couldn’t do was let her grandfather see her mind plagued by thoughts that would distress him. Not for the same reasons they were distressing her, but if he found out the truth, he’d never let her leave again.
She’d worked at ChilConn all day, all the while trying to come up with a reason to cancel her dinner with Truman. The trouble was, he knew her like no one else. If she canceled, he’d see right through any excuse and send a SWAT team. Hence her in the back of her car on the way to the restaurant.
She’d just eat fast and excuse herself early, all the while ducking and weaving his probing questions and too knowing discernment. His questions were always probing; it wasn’t fair the man was so adept at reading her. Hmm, did that sound like teenage petulance? In other situations, his awareness had saved her ass.
When her phone rang, a spear of hope begged it was her grandfather calling to cancel. Yes, yes, yes—nope, no such luck. It wasn’t his name on the screen. Of course not. And more fool her, Truman rarely let her down.
She answered, “Roxie, is everything okay?”
