The Father of Her Son. Kathleen Pickering

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ pointed to the TV screen above the counter. “Buzz Campbell. I’m sure you heard him throw his hat into the ring during Evan McKenna’s show on Monday.”

      She frowned. “Missed the show, but heard the news. Are you taking a poll or something?”

      He was watching her like a hawk. “Of sorts.”

      She’d handled morons like him before. She just didn’t have to bite his bait. “Mr. Doyle, I don’t understand.”

      Doyle laid a hand on the counter, palm down as if planting a root into her world. The action repulsed her. She didn’t like this man, at all.

      “Well, Ms. Sullivan, it seems this ex-assistant has an ax to grind. Something about sexual harassment.”

      Years of practice kept the jolt to her gut from showing on her face. “That’s unfortunate. I can promise you I do not sexually harass my employees.”

      He chuckled. “No, but when chatting, this assistant mentioned that the senator had a nanny that abruptly left his employ.”

      Okay. So he knew. She’d clean up this mess fast. No more dodging questions.

      She shared a conspiratorial glance with him. “And, you learned that I was that nanny.”

      He seemed surprised by her honesty. “Well, yes.”

      She shook her head as if to say she’d never understand busybodies. She added an extra lilt to her question. “So, Mr. Doyle, at the risk of being rude, why would this be any business of yours?”

      He pressed a finger to his lips before speaking. “My contact was given the tedious chore of screening candidates to replace you when you quit on such short notice. Mrs. Campbell had seemed bewildered when you left—she’d thought you were quite content with your job. This assistant suggested that perhaps you’d had a run-in with the senator.”

      A customer motioned for more coffee at the end of the counter. She released the breath she hadn’t known she was holding. “Will you excuse me for a moment?”

      Kelly’s heart pounded double-time. To regain her calm, she refreshed several coffee mugs, delivered a check and several plates before returning to the reporter. Luckily, Matt was on a playdate and was out of sight. Thank heaven for small favors. This guy was pretty sharp, but so far all he had presented to her were suppositions. One glance at Matt and there would be no question. No one ever considered the possibility before today because no one in her present life knew of her connection to Buzz Campbell. Doyle, however, had targeted the guilty party. If he saw Matt she’d have the war of a lifetime on her hands.

      She returned to the reporter as he downed the last of his Newcastle. “So, Mr. Doyle, as you can see, it’s lunch hour.”

      He lifted a hand. “That apple pie looks excellent. I’ll have a slice, if you don’t mind.”

      “Not at all. Would you like a dollop of ice cream or whipped cream?”

      “Both. And a coffee. Black.”

      She was tempted to have one of the other waitresses finish serving him, but avoiding him would only encourage the man to persist in his questioning—or worse, return at another time. The fact that he was staying for dessert proved he thought he’d sniffed out a lead. She glanced at Bunny and saw from her friend’s expression that she had already assessed the guy as trouble. Kelly shot her a quick grin that confirmed it. As much as her insides quaked, she’d handle this clown and slide him out the door faster than grease off a skillet.

      She poured his coffee and watched him shovel a forkful of pie into his mouth. The look on his face as he savored the sweet was priceless. She couldn’t help herself. She reached for the ever-present Nikon and snapped a few shots of Jay Doyle enjoying her favorite pie with a goodly amount of whipped cream in the corner of his mouth.

      “Hey, what are you doing?” He wiped his mouth with a napkin.

      Kelly gestured to the wall covered in photos. “Well, Mr. Doyle. When I spy a customer who is particularly enjoying my food, his or her picture becomes part of Neverland’s Wall of Fame.”

      He grinned. “Nice. I’d like that. I’ll bring my wife back to show her.”

      “You do that, Mr. Doyle. So, let’s finish with your questions before I get distracted again. As I said, it’s busy in here.”

      “Sure. Sure.” He spooned that last bit of pie into his mouth. “Amazing, this pie,” he said as he chewed. “So, it seems this assistant doesn’t think she is the only one with a gripe against Buzz Campbell.”

      Kelly stood with arms crossed. “Is she charging him with harassment?”

      “More like sexual assault. She had to fight him off. Only, she’s concerned that Campbell’s attorneys would pound her into the ground if she accuses him alone. If more women step forward, the charges will have more power.”

      “What does this have to do with me?”

      “My informant knows of other women in Campbell’s wake with the same complaint. We were wondering if you were swept into his net, as well.”

      Doyle’s gaze was drilling right through her.

      She lowered her voice, grateful that the immediate seats surrounding Doyle at the counter had been vacated. “So you want to know if I was assaulted by the senator. Is that correct?”

      “It’s the reason I am here, but now that I’ve had your food, I’ll come back for sure.”

      “I have another question for you.”

      He drained his coffee mug as if they chatted about the weather. His nonchalance was not lost on Kelly. Actually, it made her blood steam that this man could so blithely discuss female degradation while obviously enjoying his meal.

      He placed the cup on the counter as if he’d take a refill. Kelly ignored the gesture.

      He asked, “What’s your question?”

      Instead of pouring, she placed the coffeepot she was holding on the counter between them. “Did Campbell’s assistant approach you or did you approach her?”

      “Does it matter?”

      Kelly let a grin play across her lips. “Motive means everything to me, Mr. Doyle. I’m simply wondering if you really care about this woman’s story or if you’ve been tapped to do a witch hunt by Campbell’s opposing party.”

      The man looked decidedly uncomfortable.

      When he didn’t answer, she knew. Politics could be such a dirty business. A rising star under attack by his opponents certainly seemed to be the American model during election years. Only this time, Buzz Campbell’s enemies were right on target. The knowledge that Campbell had taken liberties with other women seeped like acid between her ribs, burning her lungs and making her want to cry, all over again. Under any other circumstance, Kelly would have led the cause against the senator—in a heartbeat. Only, now she had a son to protect. Her own shame and/or vindication no longer mattered. Matt’s anonymity did. God forbid Campbell learned he’d fathered a son. From the three years she spent caring for his daughters, Kelly knew he’d always wanted СКАЧАТЬ