Six Hot Single Dads. Lynne Marshall

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СКАЧАТЬ one time it must have been a boy’s bedroom because two of the walls were papered with sports motifs, the other two were painted bright blue, and the ceiling fixture was a basketball pendant, and a decidedly hideous one at that. How could he work in here?

      His large oak desk wasn’t old enough to be an antique, but it had that vibe about it. It had been shoved into one corner, and the surface was covered with neat stacks of paper and books, with a clear space in the middle that was about the right size to accommodate the laptop she’d seen on the kitchen peninsula when she arrived a while ago. The floor-to-ceiling shelves that spanned one wall were every bit as crammed as the desk, but like the desk, the books and papers were arranged in neat rows and stacks.

      She quickly perused the books on one shelf. Botanical research, plant physiology, forest ecosystems. Molecular phylogenetics, whatever that was. Nate McTavish was one really smart guy, and she couldn’t even understand the titles of the books he read. It was a good thing their fake dates would be restricted to family events with plenty of other people around to keep the conversation moving. If they went on an actual date, just the two of them, they would never find anything to talk about.

      Here in his office she saw the same kind of organization she’d noticed in the greenhouse yesterday. He had a ton of stuff but she was willing to bet he had a system, that he knew exactly where to look if he needed something. If she had to describe her idea of what a scientist’s brain looked like, this would be it. Lots and lots of neat compartments overflowing with information but at the same time never quite full.

      She knew better than to try to organize this room, although it would be nice if Nate would agree to reduce some of the sheer volume of it, maybe store the things he didn’t need in boxes. Until the house was sold, she would like to create a better sense of space here. Would Nate be as eager to tackle his office as the two little girls chattering in their room across the hall? Maybe he liked cupcakes, too. That made her smile.

      She would also swing the desk around and away from the wall to give it the importance it deserved, and so he didn’t sit with his back to the door. She wouldn’t tell him its present position was bad feng shui—he’d probably think that was totally unscientific—but when she was finished in here, she knew he’d find it a more productive place to work.

      She pulled her notebook out of her bag. At the top of a clean page she jotted “Nate’s Office” and started a list. She was still making notes when her BlackBerry buzzed a few minutes later. The Ready Set Sold office number appeared on the screen. Their morning conference call. Claire was right on time, as always. This would give her and Sam a chance to discuss her ideas for Nate’s place. As for other developments with this client, well, she might hold off talking about those.

      * * *

      AFTER NATE WAS sure that Kristi was down the hall and out of earshot, he dialed his mother’s number before he lost his nerve. While it rang, he let himself out through the patio doors and walked to his greenhouse, where there was no chance of being overheard. His mother would be full of questions and in case he needed to get creative, he’d rather Kristi not have a chance to eavesdrop.

      “Hi, Mom,” he said when she answered. “Sorry I had to cut you off.”

      “No problem. Are the girls okay?”

      “Oh, yeah. They were just…ah…being a little too quiet so I thought I’d better check on them.”

      “Of course. So, about Friday night. Your father and I are throwing a little cocktail party to celebrate Britt’s thirtieth. I wanted to give you enough notice so you can find a sitter for the girls. And of course now we’re hoping your friend can join us.”

      He drew a deep breath and took the plunge. “I just talked to her and she’s free. So yes, we’ll be there.”

      “Wonderful. You said her name is Kristi? We can’t wait to meet her. I’m glad we talked before I invited Evelyn’s daughter.”

      So was he. “So, about the party. Do I…we…do we need to bring a gift?” He hated shopping for anything, groceries included, but he could always grab some flowers on his way there.

      “It would be a brave man who showed up empty-handed at Britt’s birthday party.”

      Flowers it is.

      “We’re also having a family brunch on Sunday and of course you’ll bring the girls for that. Kristi, too.”

      The fake date tally rose to three. And he would have to take another gift, and it couldn’t be flowers. “We’ll be there.”

      Would Kristi agree to go? He hoped so. He had no more interest in meeting Evelyn’s daughter than he’d had any of the other daughters, sisters and second cousins twice removed of his mother’s friends. In the past six months she and his sister had introduced him to a string of women deemed to be suitable wife-and-mother material. Apparently they discussed his sorry existence with everyone they knew. He shuddered to think how those conversations played out, but he could well imagine they’d read like an ad on an online dating site.

      Desperate widower seeks equally desperate single woman. Must love kids and dogs.

      Not anymore. He and Kristi had an arrangement that was both mutually beneficial and blissfully uncomplicated.

      “I should go, Mom. I’ll see you on Friday.”

      “Tell Kristi we’re looking forward to meeting her.”

      “She’s looking forward to meeting you and Dad, too,” he added because he knew that’s what she wanted to hear.

      “See you on Friday. And Nate, we’re so glad you’re seeing someone. All any of us want is for you to be happy.”

      Leaving him alone would make him happy. Taking Kristi to his sister’s birthday party would feel a lot like being under a microscope, but it couldn’t be as bad as any of the blind dates he had agreed to. Like the one he’d met for coffee and an awkward conversation after work last month. Or the woman he and the girls had met at the park one Saturday afternoon when the babysitter backed out at the last moment. That woman had made a valiant effort to find his daughters engaging, and failed dismally.

      Back in the kitchen, he dropped the phone into its cradle and scrawled the time and dates of his sister’s two birthday parties on the magnetic calendar on the fridge door. Before he left for the market he should do a little tidying up in the kitchen. He stowed the girls’ breakfast dishes and his coffee mug in the dishwasher and wiped down the counter. He closed his laptop and lifted it up, uncovering the pageant information Alice had dropped off. Kristi’s arrival and his mother’s phone call had pushed all this nonsense out of his mind. He set his computer down, picked up the envelope and removed the contents. Fanning through the pages, he saw there were application forms, which Alice had conveniently completed, waivers that required his signature, a bio for each girl, and pages of information about the venue and answers to frequently asked questions. Alice had clipped a note to the sheets describing the contestants’ talent, pointing out that if the girls were taking ballet or piano lessons, they could also enter this part of the pageant. The head shots were at the bottom of the stack.

      Nate set the application package on the counter and stared at the photographs. Molly and Martha stared back. Instead of their usual pigtails, which were the only way he knew to manage their flyaway blond curls, they each had a poufy updo with flower barrettes that matched clothes he’d never seen before. He took a closer look. Was that makeup? Had Alice actually put makeup on his kids, got them dolled up and taken them to a photographer? How СКАЧАТЬ