Fresh Temptation: Barboza Brothers, Book One (14 page)

“You say ‘thirty’ like
it’s so old.”

“I don’t mean it that way.
It’s just that, time goes by way too fast. If you’re not careful
you can let years go by without accomplishing any of the things you
thought you’d accomplish. That’s my biggest fear. That I’ll wake up
one day and wonder where it all went. When I die, I won’t be taking
my investments or my penthouse or my sports car with me.” He stared
off thoughtfully at a window. “I want to leave a
legacy.”

Cara was taken
aback.
Perhaps he is much deeper than I
gave him credit for
. “And you couldn’t
have that legacy with her?”

He shook his head as if
startled out of a trance. “No. She and I have very different
priorities.” Victor turned to her with a wry smile, to ask about
something he had been waiting for some time to approach. “So, let’s
talk about your personal life for a while, Miss Green. Where’s
Isaac’s father? Is he in the picture, at all?”

“I don’t…” Cara’s voice
trailed off. A nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach would not
permit her to use the lie she had given everyone since the day she
announced her pregnancy. Maybe it was the hint of vulnerability
Victor had shown that made her feel bad about lying to him. She
knew she could not evade this issue for much longer, given the
eagerness of Victor’s tone. She swallowed hard and took another
second to get her words in order. “No, he’s not in the picture and
he never will be.”

“Is that by his choice, or
yours?”

“Darn, you’re really
nosy.”

“Just curious. You don’t
have to tell me, but…” He gave her shoulder a soft squeeze. “I’d
kinda like to know. Isaac’s a great kid. I hope to get to know him
better. Get to know you both better, if that’s okay.”

Cara gulped. This was not
what she had expected, at all. “Um…I don’t know what to say except,
Isaac’s father is not a concern.”

“Good.”

Her eyebrows furrowed.
“And I don’t let Isaac get attached to people. He needs
stability.”

Victor held her gaze for a
moment, then looked down at the floor. “I understand that. You’re a
good mother. Has that happened before? You dated someone and Isaac
got his heart broken?”

“Uh…are we dating? Is that
what you call this?”

With a half-hearted shrug,
he said, “I don’t know. I wouldn’t say we’re
not
dating. So, tell me. Did Isaac
get attached to someone?”

A chaotic swirl of
thoughts entered Cara’s mind. Too rattled to consider her options,
she said, “No, he’s never gotten attached to anyone, not like a
father.”

Victor’s eyebrows knitted.
“You’ve dated since he was born, haven’t you?”

Her voice was weak. “No.
Not really.”

“Not really?”

She cleared her throat.
“Not at all, actually.”

Victor’s eyes were huge.
“Okay. Let me ask something else…before today, when’s the last time
you slept with a man?”

A thin layer of tears
suddenly clouded her vision. “It was Isaac’s father.”

“Oh.” Victor’s eyebrows
rose. “Wow. I didn’t know. I’m sorry—”

She held up her hand.
“Don’t.” She sniffled. “Please don’t be sorry. I didn’t plan for it
to happen that way.” She wiped her hand across her face to erase
the few drops that rolled down her cheek. “I guess it’s a lot like
what you said about time going by. Wondering where it went. I get
that. This wasn’t how I planned it. I didn’t know I’d give so much
to my career only to have it taken away so I could move back
home.”

Victor gave her a knowing
smile. “It’s almost useless to plan. I can’t tell you how many
times I’ve thought I had everything all worked out and then…boom.
My world turns upside down.” He sighed. “I guess that’s why I got
engaged. I wanted something permanent in my life, besides work.
Wanted a sure thing.”

Cara wiped her face again,
nodding. “The only sure thing to me is Isaac. He’s the true love of
my life.”

“I understand.” Victor
tightened his grip around her shoulders. “You have every right to
be protective.” Gently, he placed his hand on top of hers. “But I’d
really love to get to know both of you better. I hope you’ll let
me.”

Cara’s voice trembled.
“Maybe.”

“I know you just met me.
You don’t have to give me an answer right now.” He kissed her
forehead. “Just let things take their natural course.”

She nodded.
“Okay.”

In a deadpan voice, he
added, “And please don’t file sexual harassment charges against
me.”

She laughed, grateful he
had added some levity to their conversation. “I wasn’t planning
to.”

“Good.” He grinned.
“Because technically, it’s not harassment as far as I know. I never
said you had to sleep with me to get a job or get promoted. I
waited over a week after your date of employment before I got you
on a private jet alone and coerced you to be my lover.”

Cara laughed. “It didn’t
take much coercion.”

He narrowed his eyes,
nodding. “It took a lot more than you realize. You’re a stubborn
woman.” He kissed her cheek. “And now I have to figure out a way to
focus on those stuffed shirts at the Lochmere Group for an entire
afternoon until we can be alone again.” He sighed. “You have no
idea the effect you have on me.”

Cara wiped away the last
of her tears. “How much longer till we land?”

Victor looked at his
wristwatch. “Another hour.”

“Should we go over the
Lochmere file again?”

“Nah.” Victor drew her
into a deep kiss, his thoughts consumed with something else he
wanted to do again before they landed.

Alexis signaled to Tom as
she sipped her martini.

It took Tom a few seconds
to see the redhead at the bar, snapping her fingers high in the
air. He nodded and rushed toward her, feeling very out of place in
this hoity toity midtown bar.

“Ms. Whitt.” He extended
his hand. “Good to see you again.”

“Yes.” Alexis shook his
hand. “Thank you for meeting me here.”

Tom straightened his
glasses. “All part of the job, ma’am.”

“Have a seat.” She patted
the bar stool next to her. “Drinks are on me.”

He chuckled to himself and
asked the bartender for a scotch on the rocks. When he retired from
the police force two years earlier, he had no idea he would end up
tracking down ex-lovers of spoiled socialites. The guys at the
station would have a good laugh if they ever found out about it.
“Care to move to a table or you wanna do this at the
bar?”

“Bar’s fine.” Alexis took
a long sip of her drink. “Please don’t drag it out. Just give me
the bad news.”

“As you wish.” He pulled
his phone and a small notebook out of his pocket. “The girl’s name
is Cara Green. She’s a single mom who lives on Brockton Avenue in
Newark with her widowed mother.”

Alexis’s mouth dropped
open. She swiveled on her stool to face him. “Single mom? Newark?
Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.” He handed
her his camera. “He went to her house for dinner on Friday
night.”

Alexis scrolled through
the pictures. “Is this the kid?” Her eyes grew wider with every
photo of the tiny boy sitting in Victor’s car, holding the steering
wheel. “Has this been going on for a long time?”

“Dunno, ma’am.”

“It had to be. They look
like they’ve known each other for a while.” Alexis let out a sound
of disgust when she came to the pictures of Cara joining them
outside. “What does he see in this woman?”

Tom silently took a sip of
the scotch that had just appeared in front of him.

“Is it the kid?” Alexis
asked. “Is that what he wants? Is that why he won’t get back
together with me?”

“I can try to find
out.”

“Did he father this child
or something? Was he living a double life I never knew
about?”

“Couldn’t tell ya ma’am.
But I can dig deeper if ya want.”

“Sure, sure.” Alexis waved
her hand dismissively. “Whatever. Money’s no object. Find out about
this kid’s paternity.” She sighed. “If nothing else, maybe I can
make
her
ex
really jealous with some pictures. That’d break ‘em up, for
sure.”

Tom took another drink.
“I’ll do my best. Oh, almost forgot. She lost her job in Chicago
about six months ago. That’s how she ended up back home in Newark.
Probably needed her mother to take care of the boy. Day care’s
expensive and—”

Alexis shook her head.
“Whatever. I need to get her away from him. I don’t care what it
takes. Jealous baby daddy. Or maybe find some way to get her to
move back to Chicago.” She emptied her martini into her mouth and
swallowed. “You came highly recommended, Tom. Please live up to my
expectations.”

Tom sighed. He could get
her the information she desired, but he was convinced it would do
nothing to help her win her fiance back. “I said I’ll do my best,
ma’am.” He looked at his watch. “It’s noon. If I head out now, I
might have some more information for you today.”

“Great.” Alexis choked
back her tears.

* * *

“Isaac, be careful on that
swing,” Patty called out.

Isaac waved at his
grandmother then threw his head back, laughing, as his new friend
Alissa pushed him higher.

Feeling a chill in the
air, Patty pulled her sweater across her chest a little tighter and
relaxed against the steel bench.

A portly gray-haired man
with a newspaper in his hand sat down beside her. “I knew I wasn’t
the only one who felt a nip in the air.”

Patty raised one eyebrow,
nodding slowly. “Oh yes. I can tell we’re gonna have an early
winter this year.”

He smiled. “I’ve been
thinking the same thing all day.”

Patty narrowed her eyes.
“Have I seen you here before? You don’t look familiar. I thought I
knew all the grandfathers in the neighborhood.”

“No, we’ve never met.” He
held out his hand. “Tom Sutton. Nice to meet you.”

Patty shook his hand.
“Likewise, Mr. Sutton. Patty Green.”

“Please, call me
Tom.”

“Call me Patty.” She
grinned. “So, is one of these rug rats yours?”

“No.” Tom glanced around
at the small mass of children playing in front of them. “I have
four grandkids, all in Connecticut. Today I’m just out and about.
Went to a deli around the corner. Thought I’d stop by the park and
read the newspaper for a while.” He turned to her. “One of these
yours?”

“Yes.” She pointed.
“Fluffy hair, blue-striped shirt. Laughing his head off on the
swings.”

“I see.” Tom straightened
his glasses, feeling a twinge of guilt that he already knew what
Isaac Green looked like. He took a deep breath and went on,
determined to do the job he was paid to do. “He looks like a
handful.”

“He is.” She sighed as she
watched him. “He certainly is. But I don’t know what I’d do without
him now. He and his mother moved in with me a while back.” She
turned to Tom, shrugging. “Recession casualty. My daughter had a
great job in Chicago. Then one day.” She drew her hand across her
neck in a line. “Axed.”

“Sorry to hear
it.”

“S’okay. She finally got
another job. Started last week.”

“Good for her. Here in
Newark?”

“No, it’s some ritzy place
in Manhattan.”

This is going to be easier
than I thought
. Tom asked, “So, how’d she
get a job like that? I know people who been outta work for a year
or more. She know someone?”

Patty kept one eye on
Isaac to make sure he was okay. “Sorta. She met a guy when she was
working at a catering job for all these rich people. Next thing I
know, she’s getting all dressed up and driving to Manhattan every
morning.” She sighed. “I figure she’ll get ‘em an apartment there,
soon as she finds one she can afford. The drive every day is
starting to get to her.”

“I would imagine so. I
never drive there unless I absolutely have to.”

“Me neither.” Patty
shrugged. “But she hates the train.”

“So, you’re the full time
babysitter? Your daughter divorced or something?”

Patty shook her head. “No,
Isaac’s never had a father. A one night stand in college. Isaac’s
our little souvenir, courtesy Drexel University.”

Tom let out a nervous
chuckle. “These kids these days, I tell ya. They do anything with
anyone.”

“Well, my Cara’s not a
slut. I can promise you that.”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t
mean to imply such a thing. I was just saying—”

“No, no. You’re right.
These kids. But my Cara isn’t like that.” She patted his knee. “So,
what about you? What’s your story?”

“Oh, there’s not much to
tell. I’m a widower. Retired cop.”

“Cop?” Patty’s eyes perked
up. “My Nathan was a cop. Killed in the line of duty eleven years
ago next month.”