Lonely Heart (22 page)

“I made my intentions clear. I want to see her,” Luke said, his attention more on Antonio than me.

“She has a name, Luke, or can’t you remember it?”

“Kaitlyn,” Luke’s attention turned back to me.

I shot daggers with my eyes. “What? It’s true. When I asked your opinion about names you had nothin’ to say.” I stopped, put a finger to my lips. “Oh wait, yes you did. ‘Pick one’.”

Beside me, Antonio sighed.

I didn’t care how right Antonio was or if Luke was being sincere. The past few months were filled with pain that could never be forgotten.

Luke ran a hand over his dark hair. “Look, you’re right, okay? I’m an asshole, but I’m here now. Please, can I see our daughter?”

Our daughter.

Hearing him say those words after months of well…it wasn’t denial, threw me for a loop. Luke’s problem came from his inability to accept the responsibility. A piece of ice fell away from my heart.

Unable to speak, I nodded.

“Your sister said she wasn’t here. Is she nearby?”

I cleared my throat. “She’s at the babysitter across the hall from my apartment.”

Antonio squeezed my hand. “Would you like me to get her?”

I looked at Antonio, unable to believe his offer. “Yes, thank you.”

Antonio kissed my hand while watching Luke, then headed past him to his grandmother’s door.

Luke gave him a cursory glance as he went by. “So that’s who you’re with, a mechanic?”

“Luke,” I warned. “That mechanic is getting our daughter from his grandmother’s house.”

He shrugged, put his hands up in mock surrender before stuffing them in his pockets. His gaze explored my body. “You look good, Kaitlyn. You always have.”

Irritated, I pursed my lips and forced my eyes away from his well-toned body. “Attraction was never our problem.”

Meeting Luke had been pure coincidence. I’d been working on the set of
Just How She Likes It
for just over a year. We were filming an episode for the summer, which involved leaving the confines of the studio set and filming on location at the beach. When the director realized he needed more bodies in the wide shots, he sent several scouts out to wrangle beach goers as extras. Luke and his friends were playing Frisbee. To this day, I could still remember how sand stuck to his sun-kissed, sweat drenched abs. Add the fact he towered over me and well…by the end of filming we had exchanged numbers.

A week later I slept with him. After a year went by, he asked me to move in.

Then I got pregnant and everything changed.

“No, it wasn’t.” His voice softened as if he remembered the same thing. His mouth parted, but before he could speak, Chloe’s voice could be heard.

We both turned as Antonio emerged from his grandmother’s apartment. She stood in the doorway, no doubt interested in this turn of events. After all, she was aware of my relationship with her grandson and the lack of interest from Chloe’s dad.

“Say hola, mami,” Antonio held her hand up to wave as they drew near.

My focus went from the father of my child to the man ready to claim her as his own. Antonio smiled as he always did when he held her. He cradled her in his arms, her attention on him as she blew spit bubbles.

I tried to ignore Luke’s jealous stare, but it was impossible. His body language changed from borderline flirting when we’d been alone, to down right defensive. Seeing Antonio holding Chloe with such obvious familiarity had to be eating at him.

I held my hands out. The moment she saw me she reached for me.

“Hi, baby.” I kissed her cheeks and snuggled into her chest, inhaling the scent of baby powder. “Thank you, Antonio.”

He nodded, our eyes meeting. I couldn’t miss the hint of fear in his eyes. Every part of me wanted to kiss him and tell him not to worry, but showing affection in Luke’s presence felt awkward. Antonio must have felt my hesitation because this time he rubbed my back instead of kissing.

“I’ll be across the hall if you need me.”

I nodded.

Antonio faced Luke. “Appreciate what you have, man.” And then he was gone.

Luke barely registered Antonio’s words, his attention riveted to the angel in my arms. “She’s gotten so big.”

“Yeah, she eats everthin’ I put in her mouth.”

He hesitated, took a step, then two until he stood inches away. He studied her as if she were a piece of art. Then again, she was. A part of him, a part of me.

“She’s beautiful, just like you,” he whispered.

“She’s got your eyes.” I smiled down at the small dark brown orbs. Her little blond eyebrows scrunched as if trying to figure out who he was.

“Can I hold her?”

My grip tightened. Antonio’s words came back to mind.
‘Let’s see where this goes.’

“Let’s go inside. I have to show you how to hold her.”

“Ms. Rodgers, I found them!”

“Thank God.” The minute my assistant, Erica, ran into the costume trailer, breathless, I said a quick prayer of thanks before handing them to the actress. “Okay, here we go, one pair of studded wrist cuffs with matchin’ nose ring.”

“Thanks,” she said, eyeing the accessories.

“Let me know if there’s anythin’ else you need.” I went over the list of wardrobe items designated for this actress, double-checking for good measure before heading back to the wardrobe department.

A smile stayed plastered on my face as I made my way through the maze of cast and crew; my assistant was on my heels. Once in the main trailer, I scowled.

“Erica, round up everyone, I want a staff meetin’ in five minutes.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Erica scurried out of the trailer, leaving me alone.

I dropped my weary butt into the first available chair. My head was pounding, my feet ached, and I was pissed beyond reason.

We were taping the third episode and already had our share of close calls. Everything from wardrobe malfunctions to missing garments. This was unacceptable. My job and reputation were on the line. We needed to fix this…fast.

One by one, the team came in until we crowded every available corner of the room.

“Everyone, listen up,” I shouted over the din. It got silent.

I took a minute to evaluate the faces in the room. Like me, everyone was under the age of forty with a background in theater or various degrees in fashion. For some, it was their first time working in television. A few others were seasoned vets from other shows. They all worked under me.

I remembered what it felt like to be in their shoes.

“First of all, let me say I am happy to work with all of you. I’ve studied your files and am confident we have a team of professionals in this room. I don’t care if you’ve been in the business for ten years or if this is your first rodeo. You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for your hard work and dedication. With that said, we need to improve, immediately.” I paused for dramatic effect, changing the pitch of my voice as my previous boss, Alexandrea, did when she ran staff meetings.

Each member squirmed under my gaze. Now I know why she did it.

“Today’s missin’ jewelry fiasco is unacceptable. We’ve had too many wardrobe issues. I don’t know about you, but I need my job. We are on probation, people. Let me explain what that means.” I stood, then paced, forcing all eyes on me. “It means everyone who is a part of this production is responsible for its success or failure. The writers must write a great script…beyond great, to be honest. The actors bring it to life. We provide the wardrobe and props necessary for the actors to do their jobs. That means if a character is supposed to have a specific piece of jewelry as a part of their Goth look, they should have it on a regular basis. Failure to have it shows inconsistency of that character. I mean really, when have you watched an episode of NCIS and not seen Abby wearing somethin’ that is a part of her Goth look?”

At that moment, my cell phone rang. I stole a peek at the screen and sighed.

“Alright guys, let’s stay on top of this, okay? We only have the first five episodes for now. We want long-term commitment from the studio. Let’s do our part!”

I got a few cheers and claps as they filed out. My attention went to my phone as I sat back down and redialed the missed number.

For the past six weeks Luke had visited with Chloe every Friday evening. And every time he’d been running late. While I was glad to see him putting forth the effort, the constant rearrangement of his schedule intruded on my private life.

What was the saying? Be careful what you ask for because you just might get it? Having Luke’s help raising our daughter should not become a hindrance to the rest of my life.

And to make it worse, every time Antonio made plans for us to spend time together, Luke managed to interfere.

Antonio had a life of his own, too. Though he claimed to be okay with the amount of rescheduling, I know it frustrated him, personally, and sexually. We’d barely been able to schedule time alone.

“What now, Luke?” I couldn’t hide my irritation the minute he answered.

“Hey, sorry, but I’m not going to make it tonight.”

And so it begins.

“Can we get together tomorrow night?”

“Tomorrow? I have plans.”

Antonio made reservations at a nice restaurant weeks ago. He’d be pissed if I backed out.

“I’m sorry, Kaitlyn, but my boss is making us work overtime to help another attorney prep for a case on Monday. It’s a big one so there’s nothing I can do.”

“By boss, you mean your father. Damn it, Luke, I’ve got a life, too. I can’t keep changin’ my plans to cater to yours.” I stood from my chair and paced the room in frustration.

“Sorry, but I’m doing my best here. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

Oh great, blame it on me. I bit back my reply.

“I can come through tomorrow night.”

“Fine,” I said through clenched teeth.

“Can you be ready by six?”

My brow creased. “Hold up, ready for what? Your visits are at my house.”

“Yeah, but tomorrow is special. My mom asked to see Chloe. Most of the family will be there.”

If it wasn’t for the fact Luke didn’t have enough experience to care for Chloe on his own, I’d let him take her with him.

“Hold up, you’re tellin’ me this
now
?”

“Sorry, she just sprung it on me, too.” He paused and muffled the phone. “I have to go, they’re calling us back in the conference room. I’ll call when I’m on the way. Oh and Kaitlyn…”

I sighed. “What?”

“Wear something nice, both of you.” The line went dead.

I spent the next ten minutes calling Luke every cussword I knew, including the few I had heard Antonio say in Spanish.

He was going to hate this. The last thing I wanted to do was call him at work and ruin his day. The renovations were near completion. The re-opening was just a few weeks away. When he answered the phone, a heavy metallic banging was in the background.

“Hola, Amo, qué pasa?” his greeting rolled of his tongue and was sexy as hell.

Okay, so he didn’t say anything other than ‘hello, love, how are you’, but my libido was starving for another healthy dose of him.

“Hola. I’ve got bad news.”

He groaned. “Hold on.” The sound of machinery disappeared as he walked into what had to be his office at the shop. “Okay, what did he do now?”

“Rescheduled for tomorrow, except this time, his family is involved. I couldn’t say no.”

He cursed. “Tomorrow is supposed to be our day. We’ve planned this for weeks.”

“I know, baby. This just blows our entire weekend.” The more I thought about it, the more aggravated I got.

“Hold on…you’re free tonight, right?”

“Um, yeah.” Excitement stirred in my chest.

“What time do you get off?”

I glanced at my watch. “Two hours from now. What are you thinkin’?”

“I’m thinking damn the restaurant, what I really want is to be with you. If Tiffany has plans, I’ll call my grandmother and sweet-talk her into watching Chloe for the night. I’ll pay her. Then we can meet me at my place and spend the night.”

Every nerve in my body ignited at his words. “Sounds good to me. I’ll swing by my place and─”

“No! Sorry, no, skip your place. I don’t want to take any chances. Meet me at my apartment. Besides, you’re not going to need any clothes.”

I laughed. Quitting time could not get here fast enough.

Antonio was running late.

I sent him a text message to let him know I had arrived. His reply:

Go inside. Don’t start without me. :P

I laughed and let myself in. Feeling wicked; I stripped, leaving a trail of clothing from the foyer to his bedroom.

Anticipating the moment he walked into the bedroom, I pulled the sheets back and lay across the bed giving him full view of my body when he entered. I propped up on pillows and got lost in the scent of his sheets…of him.

If tomorrow would be spent with Luke and his family, tonight was exactly what I needed to stay sane.

I sat up in anticipation the minute his key jingled in the front door. I couldn’t wait to see his face when he saw me.

“Kaity? Sorry I’m late, but…,” his voice floated around the corner as he made his way down the hall. My panties were in his hand when he stopped in the doorway. Antonio scanned my body like a man desperate for water. “I promise it will be worth it.”

I cocked my head to the side. “I’m not worried at all.”

Hot didn’t begin to describe the way Antonio looked in his work clothes. Who knew a pair of baggy Dickey pants, tank top, and unbuttoned work shirt could look so good? Even the dirt smear on his cheek turned me on. I bit my lip.

“I need a shower.” He slid his shirt off, threw it in the corner, and kicked off his shoes. His hands were on his belt buckle as he backed towards the bathroom. “Don’t move.”

The minute I heard the shower turn on, I counted to sixty. That was long enough for him to get off most of the grease and grim. The bathroom door was cracked and didn’t make a sound when I entered. His back was to me when I pulled back the shower curtain. He looked so good wet.

“You missed a spot.” I ran my hand down his backside.

Startled, Antonio turned around and smiled a wicked grin as his eyes traveled the expanse of my body. “Where?”