About That Man (20 page)

“Hey, I caught some of those,” Bobby complained, coming in just in time to overhear him.

“Only two,” Tommy retorted. “The itty-bitty ones. Even Gary caught more than you.”

“Watch it, kid. Next time I'll go alone.”

“No, you won't,” Tommy said confidently. “I bring you luck. You said so yourself.”

Daisy grinned at the bantering. She wondered if her bachelor brother had any idea what a wonderful father he was going to be one of these days. She just hoped he wasn't so caught up with all his wheeling and dealing and his restaurant that he missed the right woman when she came along.

“I didn't know Gary was going with you guys,” she said to her brother.

“He and his dad were down at the docks when we got there. Paul said he didn't mind. In fact, he looked relieved.”

“Gary's so cool,” Tommy said. “He knows lots of stuff. He said the fish would like shrimp better than worms and he was right. We used shrimp and Bobby used nasty old worms and we won. We caught the most.”

“Well, I don't care who caught them, I say we have a big fish fry tomorrow night,” Daisy said. “What do you think? Maybe the Finches would like to come. I'd like to get to know them better. Bobby, can you come to do the cooking? We might as well take advantage of having a gourmet chef in the family.”

“No way. Friday's a busy night at the restaurant now that summer's here.”

“Besides, Uncle Walker won't be here,” Tommy protested.

“He's already here,” Daisy informed him.

Tommy's expression lit up. “He is? Where? I gotta show him my fish.”

“He went into town a little while ago to get ice cream. He should be back any minute.”

“We drove past the ice cream store,” Bobby began, then fell silent when Daisy shot him a warning look.

“Tommy, go take a shower,” she said. “You smell as if you've been swimming with those fish. Put on your pj's. We'll have ice cream when your uncle gets back.”

Tommy opened his mouth to grumble, but a look from Bobby had him scampering off. As soon as Tommy was out of earshot, Daisy turned to her brother.

“You didn't see Walker's car at the ice cream shop?”

“Nope. It looked pretty deserted around there when we came through town.”

That same little nugget of fear that she'd felt when Walker had left earlier snuck back to torment her. “I wonder where he could be.”

“Probably took a drive first,” Bobby said.

“After driving all the way down here today, surely he wouldn't go for another drive.”

“You want me to go look for him?”

She sighed. “No, of course not. Walker's perfectly capable of taking care of himself. I'm sure I'm worrying about nothing. He'll be here soon.”

Sure enough, just as Tommy came back downstairs, Walker came strolling in with a bag filled with quarts of three different flavors of ice cream. Tucker was right on his heels.

Walker took a step toward her, set the bag on the table, started to drop a kiss on her cheek, then backed off with a quick glance at her brother. Daisy's cheeks flamed.

“Now I get it,” she said quickly, hoping to cover the awkward moment with a taunt.

“Get what?” Tucker said, regarding her blankly.

“You two have been off talking crime fighting again, haven't you?”

“Something like that,” her brother agreed, a mysterious grin spreading across his face. “Get the scoop, Bobby. Let's dish this ice cream up before it melts.”

Bobby didn't budge. Instead, he surveyed Walker, then Daisy, his expression thoughtful.

“Bobby, get the scoop,” Daisy said.

He did as she'd asked, but a knowing grin tugged at his lips. “Trying to divert attention?” he whispered as he handed it to her.

Her cheeks burned. “I have no idea what you mean.”

“Oh, I think you do.”

“Stop it, Bobby Spencer.”

“Or what? You'll send me home without any ice cream?”

“You've got it.”

“What are you two arguing about?” Tucker asked.

“Never mind,” they said in unison.

“Seems like a lot of secrets swirling around in this room,” Tucker said, his gaze on Walker. “Maybe somebody ought to start sharing.”

“In good time,” Walker said firmly.

Daisy regarded Walker and her brother with frustration. Whatever they'd been up to, she obviously wasn't going to get it out of them now.

As it turned out, it was another two hours before she had her brothers out of her hair and had Walker to herself. When he excused himself and started out of the kitchen, she halted him in his tracks.

“Not so fast, buster.”

He turned slowly, lips twitching with amusement. “Something on your mind?”

“That little incident earlier, as a matter of fact.”

“The one in your bedroom?” he inquired, all innocence.

Her face flushed. At this rate, she'd never need to buy blusher again. “No,
that
one I know about,” she said. “I mean you and my brother. What's going on?”

“What makes you think something's going on between me and Tucker?”

“Instinct. Do you deny it?”

“No.” He pulled out a chair, turned it around and straddled it. “I suppose you might as well know, since I doubt Tucker is capable of keeping a secret from you.”

“Never has been before,” she agreed, filled with curiosity about what the two of them had been up to. “Spill it.”

“Okay, here's the deal in a nutshell. I'm moving here. I'm going to work for your brother,” Walker said, knocking the wind right out of her. “We've already filled out the paperwork. That's why I was gone so long tonight.”

She stared at him blankly, not daring to believe that she had heard him correctly. “You're moving here? To Trinity Harbor?”

“Yes,” he said, evidently amused by her shock.

This was a turn of events she definitely hadn't considered, hadn't dared to hope for. Had tonight, the two of
them making love, swayed him? Suddenly she had visions of a future with both Tommy
and
his uncle in it.

No, she told herself firmly. She was not going to go there. This move was about Tommy. Nothing else. She had to keep reminding herself of that.

She studied Walker's face, trying to read his thoughts. Usually she could get an accurate picture of what was going on in his head, but tonight his expression was inscrutable.

“Isn't this a little sudden? Why are you doing this?”

“Why not?”

“But you…I…”

“I guess you're going to be stuck with me,” he said, regarding her with a knowing expression.

One night in her bed and he thought he was just going to move in, lock, stock and barrel? No way. She was willing to let the gossips have a field day with things as they were now, but having Walker as a full-time resident of her house would be intolerable, and not just because of the ensuing gossip. Having him underfoot all the time would make it impossible to ignore the way she felt about him.

A stolen night like tonight was one thing. A steady diet of stolen nights would have her emotions so tangled up, she'd be devastated when he eventually left her…which, of course, he would. Walker wasn't suited for a quiet life in Trinity Harbor. The decision to come here was all about Tommy, nothing else, and once Tommy's life was stable, Walker would take off.

“Stuck with you? I don't think so,” she said very, very firmly before her conviction that this was the right decision could waver. “If you move to Trinity Harbor, you'll be getting your own place.”

His gaze narrowed. “You don't seem nearly as pleased about this as I thought you'd be.”

“I am,” she said. “For Tommy.”

“But not for yourself?”

She sighed. His move meant that he'd decided that Tommy belonged with him. It meant she would be losing the boy. Oh, he would still be here in Trinity Harbor, but he wouldn't be hers anymore. The illusion that she had a family would come crashing down around her. So, no, there was no way she could be happy about that. Not entirely.

“This isn't about me,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady and the tears from spilling down her cheeks.

Walker reached for her hand. “Maybe it is.”

Daisy lifted her gaze, met his eyes. “How?”

“Tonight, it meant something, Daisy. I don't know what yet. I can't make any promises. You'll just have to trust me when I say that you played a role in my decision.”

She couldn't let herself count on vague promises and false hopes. And she couldn't relent and let him stay in her home, where temptation would face them every single minute of every single day.

She forced a smile. “I'm sure you'll keep me posted on what you decide.”

Walker looked disconcerted by her attitude. “Then you're not interested in keeping me under your roof where you can keep an eye on me?”

“That has nothing to do with it and you know it. My father's upset enough about this as it is. You moving in would give him apoplexy, to say nothing of what would happen to what's left of my reputation.”
Or her heart.

His gaze narrowed. “You really are worried about this
reputation business, aren't you? Has something happened?”

She tried to downplay it. “A few parents are complaining.”

“About what? Me staying here on the weekends?”

She nodded. “They say it sets a bad example, especially for my impressionable students.”

“Why didn't you say something?”

“It's not that big a deal. They'll get over it.”

“Will they?” He ran his hand through his hair in an impatient gesture. “Dammit, Daisy, I thought this was just a little idle gossip. Now, from what you're telling me, it's beginning to sound like more than that.”

“It's no reason to get upset. I'll handle it, but you can see why it would be best if you didn't stay here once you move to town.”

“No problem,” he said at once. “I'll find someplace else to stay. The hotel will do until we see how all of this goes.”

“What does that mean?” she asked, reminded of her own prediction for the way all of this was likely to turn out. “You'll decide you hate it here, pack up Tommy and leave?”

“Maybe. Or I could decide I want a farm or a place on the river. Who knows?”

Daisy felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. Walker's decision to move to Trinity Harbor should have elated her. Instead, she feared it was going to cost her the very thing she'd been fighting so hard to keep—a family of her own.

She felt Walker's gaze on her. She glanced up. “What?”

“The hotel's no place for Tommy. He needs a room of
his own, a cookie jar he can raid. Can he stay here till I make that final decision?”

Her heart leapt. “Of course.”

“As for you and me, we'll find some time to be together without stirring up any more gossip,” he promised. “I'm not going to be responsible for ruining your reputation.” His gaze locked with hers. “But I'm not going to give you up, either.”

To seal the promise, he stood, then bent down and kissed her until the room went spinning and the temperature soared.

The future might be in doubt, Daisy concluded when he'd gone off to bed—alone—but the present was very much worth fighting for.

I
t didn't take long for word to spread that Tucker had hired Walker and that he was going to be moving to Trinity Harbor. The general assumption seemed to be that he would be staying with Daisy. Denials weren't getting around nearly as quickly as the speculation.

While Walker was back in D.C. tying up loose ends on his cases and working out his two weeks notice, Daisy was left to cope with the fallout. She heard the whispers everywhere she went, but she kept her back straight and her smile in place. Eventually someone else would do something outrageous, and she'd be out of the spotlight.

The one person who'd been surprisingly silent was her father. Ever since the news had gotten out, she'd been anticipating an attempt to steamroll over her plan to keep Tommy until Walker was settled. Maybe King was too busy these days with his own love life to worry about hers. He and Frances had definitely become an item around town. They'd even gone to church together the last two Sundays.

She should have known, though, that her father's silence was way too uncharacteristic to last. When she came home from school on Thursday, he was sitting in a
rocker on her front porch. Even more ominous, Anna-Louise was right beside him.

“You're late,” her father grumbled.

“You didn't call to tell me you were stopping by,” she shot right back, determined not to let him put her on the defensive.

“Since when does a man have to call his own daughter before dropping by?”

“Since he apparently expects her to be there at a certain time.”

Anna-Louise regarded the two of them with amusement. “This is certainly getting off to a good start. King, I thought you had something you wanted to talk to Daisy about.”

Daisy met her father's gaze evenly, though she was quaking inside. “Is that so?” she asked, grateful that Tommy had gone fishing with Gary again. “Anything in particular?”

“This nonsense about Walker moving in with you when he starts work down here. The rumors can't be right. You've got more sense than that.”

“Walker is not moving in,” she said.

King looked taken aback by her calm reply. “He's not?”

“No, we concluded it wouldn't be in my best interests since everyone's already in an uproar about us without knowing any of the facts. Tommy, however, will go right on staying here.”

“Then why the devil is Walker coming, if he's not going to take responsibility for the boy?”

“He will, just not right away, not until he can get settled.”

“But if his nephew's here, then he'll still be hanging around day and night,” King complained.

“So what if he is? He'll be going off to his own bed, in his own hotel room every night.”
More's the pity,
she thought to herself.

“I don't like it,” King groused.

“You weren't so quick to complain about all the time I spent with Billy Inscoe,” she reminded him.

“You were living under my roof then. No one would have dared to suggest the two of you were up to no good. Besides, that was leading up to marriage.”

Daisy lost patience. “Walker and I are trying to do what's best for Tommy and for my reputation. Our decision is made and it's final.”

“I don't think you've thought this through the way you should have.”

“Well, that's just too bad, isn't it?” she snapped, and stalked inside the house, leaving Anna-Louise to deal with her father's grumbling.

But after a few minutes, she began to feel guilty about leaving the pastor to handle King. She went back to the porch and met his gaze evenly.

“Daddy, this is going to work out. You'll see.”

“Having Walker stay at a hotel is like trying to coax the horse back into the barn. It's too little, too late. People will still believe the worst.”

“Since when do you care what anybody says?” Daisy asked. “Public opinion certainly never stopped you from doing anything you wanted to do.”

“First off, I'm a man.”

“Oh, brother,” Daisy muttered. “Talk about your double standards.”

King scowled. “Second, I don't give two cents what they say about me,” he retorted impatiently. “We're talking
about you. If your mother were here, she would never allow this.”

“I seem to recall that you and mother lived together your senior year in college and didn't get married until several months after that.”

“And my folks didn't like it one bit,” King said unrepentantly. “Now I know how they felt. Besides, your mother and I were in Charlottesville, not right in our own backyard where our parents would have to live it down every single day.”

He turned to the minister. “Anna-Louise, I backed you when the church had doubts about bringing in a woman for the job. Now I expect you to do something.”

Anna-Louise rolled her gaze heavenward. “I knew that was going to come back and haunt me. What is it you think I should do?”

“Fix it. Get her to see reason. Tell her she has to get that boy out from under her roof so Walker won't have any excuses to be hanging around. Explain what happens to sinners. Give her one of those fancy sermons on morality. Maybe she'll listen to that.”

Apparently satisfied that he'd made his point, he left.

Daisy sank down into the chair he'd vacated and set it to rocking. Eventually, she turned to Anna-Louise. “Is he right? Is this a mistake, too? I thought for sure not letting Walker stay here would be enough to stop the talk.”

“In a perfect world, it should be.”

“But you don't think it will do the trick?”

“Like your father said, it could be too late. You have to let your conscience decide what's right.”

Daisy nodded. “I've done that. Keeping Tommy here, at least for the time being, is what's best for him. He's
thriving. There's some stability in his life. Having his uncle nearby will only add to that. That's all that matters. If people can't understand that, if they want to make something out of Walker's visits, I can't stop them.”

“Then it sounds as if you've made your decision.”

“I have,” Daisy said emphatically. “I'm sorry if my father and I made you uncomfortable by dragging you into this.”

“Just part of the job.” She leveled a penetrating look at Daisy. “One thing, though. Just a warning.”

“What?”

“I know you and Walker are trying to do what's best for Tommy, but think long and hard about what's really right for him, not just short term, but for the long term as well.”

“I don't understand.”

“Right now, I suspect he's living a fantasy, thinking of the three of you as a family. What happens if it all falls apart because you and Walker aren't committed to each other?” She studied Daisy's face. “Or have I missed something?”

Daisy wanted to talk about her feelings for Walker, about what had happened between them, but though she thought of Anna-Louise as her friend as well as her pastor, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She was too afraid of whatever judgment she might read in the other woman's eyes.

“No, we're not committed to each other,” she said softly, leaving it at that.

“Do you think that could change?”

“Honestly? I don't know,” Daisy said. More troubling, though, was how desperately she wanted it to.

She thought of little else all night long, weighing her own feelings against what was right for Tommy, what was convenient for Walker and the risks Anna-Louise had been right to raise.

She still hadn't made a decision when she arrived at school and was immediately called into the principal's office. Evan Washburn, a gray little man who had been a brilliant teacher but was out of his element in his new capacity, sat behind his desk, his fingertips touching as if he'd been playing that childhood game about a church and steeple. Or maybe he was just praying for guidance, since he'd never been any good at administrative details or confrontation.

He waved to Daisy to shut the door, then waited until she was seated.

“It has come to my attention—” he cleared his throat, color flaming in his cheeks “—that there is a man living with you.”

So, it had come down to this, after all. How ironic, when she and Walker had already concluded that it was time for him to stay elsewhere. She covered her dismay with indignation. “Excuse me? Why would that be any business of yours?”

“There are a few people—several in fact—who have called to express some dismay that a woman entrusted with schoolchildren would be carrying on in such a way. I don't have to remind you that you are a role model, and such behavior is hardly suitable when dealing with impressionable teenagers.”

“Perhaps what those teenagers ought to understand is that it is important for all of us to step in and help out when someone needs assistance. Tommy Flanagan needed a home. I provided it. There's no more to it than that.”

“And that's all there is to it?” he asked, plainly skeptical.

“Are you asking me if Walker Ames and I are having sex?” Daisy asked bluntly, determined to get the real issue out in the open.

Evan squirmed uncomfortably, clearly hating the situation into which he'd been thrust. Little wonder that he'd been so vehemently opposed to having sex education in school. He blushed at the mention of the word.

“Absolutely not,” he insisted, looking horrified.

“Good, because it wouldn't be any of your business if we were.” She stood up. “If that's all, I have a class to teach.”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

She turned back at the door. “Evan, if anyone else calls, why don't you refer them directly to me?”

“Yes, I'll be glad to,” he said, clearly relieved. “Let's see to it that this doesn't get out of hand. I'm sure things will die down by fall and it won't be an issue at all.”

“I'm sure,” Daisy said wryly.

Outside his office, she drew in a deep breath. Though Evan hadn't said anything directly about her job being at stake, the implication had been there. This whole mess was getting out of hand. She doubted that King was behind the calls to Evan, which meant he'd been right that there were people in the community who thought what she was doing—no matter how well-intentioned—was wrong. Sending Walker to a hotel had clearly been too little, too late to save the day. Or else that particular word just hadn't spread yet.

She couldn't let that matter, though. This was the right thing to do. She was convinced of it. She had only to think
of how well Tommy was doing to reassure herself that she had no other choice. Her relationship with Walker, whatever it was, wasn't an issue at all.

Except to her. And somehow, some way, she would manage to keep it in perspective and live with the fact that she was likely to spend the next several months all hot and bothered without doing a blessed thing about it. Because if keeping Walker out of her house and out of her bed was what it took to make the talk die down, then that's what she would have to do. Not that she thought for a second that people wouldn't believe whatever they wanted, no matter how much distance she put between herself and Walker.

 

“What's wrong?” Walker asked when he called that night.

It still threw her that he could read her so well. Few men had ever taken the trouble to even try.

“Not a thing,” she insisted brightly. “How are things going up there? How did Andy take your news?”

“His biggest complaint is that, thanks to me, it's going to be harder than ever to keep Gail from wanting to move down there right away to open that store. He's not ready to retire, which is what he says I'm doing.”

“Is that the way
you
think of it?” she asked, dismayed because she knew he would never be happy if it was.

“Absolutely not. There are a lot of positive aspects to this. Maybe I'll finally be someplace where I can really make a difference.”

“You will, especially for Tucker.”

“Leave it to you to see this as a way to keep your brother from working so hard.”

“Well, it's true. He's incredibly dedicated and I admire that, but he needs to get a life. He needs to meet someone and have a family. Neither he nor Bobby is getting any younger.”

“This from their big sister,” he teased.

“Okay, the same could be said for me, but I'm content with my life. It's the one I've chosen.”

“Is it, Daisy? Is it the way you would have wanted it to be?”

“Of course,” she insisted. “Why would you think otherwise?”

“Because anyone with so much love to give should have a family of her own.”

She sighed, wishing that were as easy as he made it sound. “Some things just aren't meant to be. Now, enough of that, when will you be here?”

“Not till next week.”

“Then let me get Tommy. I know he'll want to talk to you. He's so excited that you're going to be here all the time.”

“And you, Daisy? Are you excited?”

She didn't know how to answer that. There was the honest answer—a resounding yes. Or the safer reply—that she was thrilled for Tommy's sake.

“Nothing to say to that?” he asked, picking up on her hesitation.

“It's…complicated,” she said.

“Meaning?”

She forced a laugh. “That it's too complicated to get into now. I'll get Tommy.”

“Daisy, wait.”

“What?”

“Don't think I didn't notice that you never answered me.”

“About?”

“What's wrong? Something is. I can hear it in your voice.”

“It's nothing for you to worry about,” she insisted. “I've already handled it.”

“And you don't want to tell me whatever it is you had to handle?” he asked, clearly as exasperated as the last time she'd tried to keep a secret from him.

“No.”