“Does she know Skye’s the one who killed her father?”
“Yes.”
“And she knows why?”
“Yes.”
“If she can handle that, she can handle anything,” he said. He was about to add, “There’s nothing wrong with having a male friend,” but didn’t. He doubted it would be smart to categorize their relationship. At this stage, neither one of them really knew what they were to each other.
“But it’s eight o’clock in the morning,” she muttered.
“Maybe I stopped by because we’re working together.”
She arched her eyebrows at his state of half-dress. “Like that? It’s not as if she would’ve waited for you to put on your shirt before barging in. She has a key. This is her home.”
It would’ve been awkward. But he was too stubborn to concede. He didn’t want to feel he had to be hidden or segregated from her regular life. “Having a romantic interest isn’t exactly unnatural, Jane.”
“It’s more complicated than that and you know it.”
She started to slip away, probably so she could shower and dress, but he caught her elbow. “I’d like to meet Kate.” If he could back up a little and include her daughter, maybe Jane would be able to relax, maybe she wouldn’t view him as merely a guilty pleasure.
“Sure. Someday,” she said.
“Today. Why don’t I take you both to dinner?”
She pretended to consider the invitation, but he knew she wouldn’t accept it. “I don’t think so. There’s no need to confuse her. You’ll be going back to New York when this is all over, and then…”
He let go of her. He understood why she might be extraprotective, especially of Kate. But she had to get beyond that sometime. “And then she’ll have a friend in a different state. So will you. How can that hurt?”
“There’s just no point.”
“Because…”
“Because this is a temporary fling.”
That was how she justified getting involved in such a high-risk situation? “What if you’re pregnant?”
Twin spots of color appeared high on her cheeks. “We’ll deal with that if it happens.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to explain if she’d at least met me? Maybe she’s only twelve, but surely she knows it takes two to make a baby.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I can’t handle even the possibility. Not now. I mean…I’m forty-six. I’m too old to be having another child.”
Sebastian shrugged. “People are waiting longer these days.”
“And if they wait this long, they face some serious risks.”
“I realize that. But even when the mother’s forty-six, most babies are healthy.”
“So what are you saying?”
“I’m just not going to panic, that’s all.” He had no idea how they’d work out the details but, as crazy as he knew it was, a baby sort of made sense to him. Why he’d want to have that baby with a woman he’d only known for a few days, he couldn’t say. Maybe it was because Constance had been so definite about not wanting children. It hadn’t been a problem between them. When he’d made a commitment to her, he’d been satisfied with the one kid he had. Since the issue was already decided, he’d never reconsidered. But now…
He wouldn’t be unhappy if it happened, he decided. Maybe another child would help fill the terrible void in his heart since Colton’s murder. Maybe he’d have a little girl this time. Although no one could take the place of his son, it’d be nice to have a child he could love as much.
But having a baby with Jane would be a nightmare if she wasn’t as pleased as he was. “Would you be too upset?” he asked.
She folded her arms in a protective manner. “I don’t know if upset is the right word.”
What would she do? A man had so little control. “Would you consider an abortion?”
“I can’t even think about that. Not right now.”
“Just so you know, if you are pregnant and you don’t want the baby, I’ll take it,” he said. “You could tell everyone you agreed to be a surrogate. It’ll be an easy out.”
Pressing a hand to her stomach, she said, “Don’t you dare offer me money!”
He chuckled. She wouldn’t worry about that if she knew his financial situation. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Okay, then. Let’s make sure there is a baby before we discuss it further. Deal?”
“Deal.”
“I’m having a shower.”
He reclaimed the dish towel. “I won’t be here when you get out. I’m going over to check on Mary.”
“I’ll call you as soon as I get hold of David. I’m hoping one of Mary’s neighbors jotted down Malcolm’s license-plate number.”
“Or at least noticed the make and model of his car.”
“That would help.”
They were finished with the conversation and had, essentially, said goodbye. But she didn’t leave the kitchen. She stood there studying him.
“What is it?” he asked.
Her expression grew wistful. “Do you really want a baby?”
The thought triggered another smile. “What do you think?”
She shook her head. “It seems like it’s never the man who wants a child.”
“This time it is,” he said.
“It’d be a change.” With that understatement, she headed down the hall. But a frantic knock at the front door stopped her from getting in the shower.
Jane wasn’t sure whether she should ask Sebastian to duck out of sight, or if she should answer the door while he was bare chested and drying dishes in her kitchen. She tried to check through the window but whoever it was stood too far to the right. Surely, Betty hadn’t brought Kate home to get her phys ed clothes. Jane had been very clear with her daughter on the phone that she wasn’t to come home right now…
A trickle of anxiety made her tense. “Who is it?” she called out to her visitor.
While she waited for a response, she half expected to hear a key in the lock. But it wasn’t Kate.
“Jane? It’s Bob.”
She breathed out in relief. Bob lived in the unit at the far end of the building. She saw him out walking his dog occasionally. They exchanged pleasantries, but this was the first time he’d ever come to her door. “Um, I’m not quite up and ready for the day, Bob. What can I do for you?”