Real Men Don't Quit(15)

“You’re making things up. I don’t have a hangover.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “You’d better leave now before I say something I might regret.”

Gretchen’s stony glare scoured her from head to toe. “I’m warning you, Tyler. I won’t give up. My granddaughter would have a much better life with me, and everyone knows it, including you.”

Tyler lifted her head. “Why are you so desperate to get your hands on Chloe? Is it because you want to replace Damien?”

The older woman rose to her feet, her silver hair quivering. “You leave my son out of this,” she hissed. “You were the one who led him astray.”

“He’d already made up his mind to leave home before we met, so don’t try to blame me. You know his reasons better than I do.”

For a split second, Gretchen’s expression wavered. Finally, Tyler thought, I’ve found a chink in the dragon’s armor. But the woman quickly recovered. “Outrageous.” Gretchen made for the front door. “This isn’t the end. You’ll hear from me again.”

The door shuddered as it slammed shut. Numb, Tyler stared at the mess around her. There was so much cleaning up to do, and Chloe needed attention, and she still had to finish all that jewelry work. Competing demands pressed in on her, and the first flashes of panic darted through her.

Another knock at the door. Her heart lurched. Not Gretchen again. But the knock was a gentle tapping, so it had to be someone else. She forced herself to stand on her shaking legs and answer.

Luke stood before her in running shorts and singlet, his expression concerned. “I was just going for a jog when I heard crying and then doors banging,” he said. “Is everything okay?”

Her legs were like jelly, and her skull pounded from the stress. “Um” She couldn’t stop her voice from shaking.

Before she could continue, Luke stepped inside and cupped her shoulders. “What is it? Is it Chloe?”

“C-Chloe’s fine. It’s” A strange prickling sensation stung her eyes. Oh no, were they tears? A moment later, she found her face buried in Luke’s shoulder as he curled his arms around her and pressed her head to him. The shock of finding herself in his embrace almost undid her. Suddenly there was a storm of tears inside her clamoring to be released. Here a gorgeous and sensitive man cradled her, and the temptation to give in to her weakness was almost too much. But old habits died hard. She hadn’t cried in a man’s arms sinceforever, and she wasn’t about to start now.

She peeled her head away from his shoulder. “It’s that she-devil who just left my house,” she said after a few deep breaths. “Gretchen Stafford, my ex’s mother. She threatened to take Chloe to go live with her.”

“What!” The look of outrage on Luke’s face was gratifying. “She can’t do that.”

His arms were still around her. She enjoyed being held by him, but now she gently disentangled herself. She couldn’t think straight when Luke was that close to her.

“She’s tried it before, when Chloe was a baby. She tried to get social services to take Chloe from my care, said I wasn’t a fit mother.” Tyler fisted her hands once more at the memory. “It failed then, but she doesn’t give up easily.”

“And your ex? Doesn’t he have anything to say?”

“Damien is estranged from his mother, and I haven’t heard from him in ages. Last I heard, he was in rehab overseas. I guess Gretchen wants a replacement for him. She wants Chloe.”

“The hell with that,” Luke growled.

Sighing, Tyler gestured helplessly around her. “As much as I hate her, she has a point. Look how she found me. Most days I cope, but some days, like today, I feel like I’m drowning.”

“What, so you’re just going to quit? Run away from your responsibilities?”

The roughness in his tone brought her up short. She’d thought he’d commiserate with her, not upbraid her. “Run away? Of course not.”

“Okay then. Why are we standing around? Let’s get this place cleaned up.” He grabbed some dirty plates off the coffee table, looking like he was about to drive a bulldozer through the house.

Tyler watched him. “But weren’t you going jogging? I can clean up by myself, you know.”

“I can jog later, and you just admitted to feeling overwhelmed.”

Why did he have to see her like this, all needy and helpless and chaotic? She’d always coped on her own. “You shouldn’t feel obliged.”

“I don’t.” He ferried the plates to the kitchen and came back holding an empty laundry basket. “But I’m better at cleaning up than you are.”

Reluctant to agree with him, she picked up a handful of plastic farm animals. “You don’t own enough stuff to clean up.”

“You don’t have a system. That’s why it overwhelms you.” He tossed the laundry basket on the floor in front of her. “What were you going to do with those toys you’re holding?”

“These? I was going to put them in Chloe’s room where they belong.”

“No. Dump them in there.” He pointed at the laundry basket. “Put all the stuff that belongs in Chloe’s room in there, and then take that to her room. That way you’re not running back and forth like a headless chicken.”

“Hey, that actually makes sense.” She tossed the toys into the basket. Maybe it wasn’t so bad admitting she needed help, and it was good of Luke to offer assistance. “Thanks,” she said, smiling sheepishly.

“See? I’m not just a pretty face.” He flashed her a grin that melted away the last traces of her glumness.

“You’re not pretty,” she couldn’t help teasing him.

“I’m not!” He pulled a face of mock outrage. “Then what am I?”

Hot, that’s what Luke was, especially in his exercise gear that showed off his muscled legs and hunky shoulders. Hotter than a jalapeño pepper. The words quivered on the tip of her tongue, but she managed to swallow them back. “You’re, uh, nice.”

His smile lingered. “Well, that’s a relief.”

Needing breathing space, Tyler piled more toys into the basket, and a moment later Luke began gathering some scattered crayons.

“How was last night?” he asked after a while. “Did you have fun?”

Not as much as I would have had with you. She lifted her shoulders. “It was good.”

So what if Luke had turned her invitation down? Probably he thought she was too lowbrow for him. She didn’t read his kind of books. Didn’t know what intelligentsia meant. Huh. To her, it sounded like a cologne for wankers.

“Ask me again next time,” Luke said.

The Lego bricks she’d been holding clattered to the floor. “Really?” She couldn’t stop her lips edging up. “You’ll go dancing with me?”

His jet-black eyes crinkled up at the corners. “Be warned. You might regret inviting me once you see my moves on the dance floor.”

Oh, she wanted to see all his moves, both on and off the dance floor. She sucked in air, forced herself not to beam at him. Play it cool, girl. Don’t let Luke see you go all gaga over him. “And you might regret saying yes once you see my moves.”

“Okay, then. We’ve both been warned.” He turned back to the crayons.

When the basket was full, Tyler carried it to her daughter’s bedroom.

“Where’s Grammy?” Chloe asked from her bed where she was playing with the expensive doll Gretchen had given her.

“She had to go home.”

“And the ponies?”

“Another time.” Never, if she had her way. But the disappointment on her child’s face made her hesitate. Gretchen was still Chloe’s grandmother, and Chloe didn’t have many relatives. Maybe Tyler was being as selfish as Gretchen in refusing her more access to her granddaughter. But then the memory of Gretchen’s obsession to take Chloe away returned with caustic clarity. She wouldn’t let that happen. She’d never abandon her child.

She bent over to hug Chloe, squeezing her tight until the girl protested.



Tyler glanced up from the counter as Ally wandered into Java & Joolz with a loopy smile wreathing her face.

“So.” Tyler gave her friend a saucy grin. “Had a nice nooner upstairs?”

Ally turned beet red. “Is it that obvious?”

“I saw you and Nate sneaking up to his office a while ago, and now you come in looking like the cat that got all the cream. It’s not hard to guess what happened in between.”

The dreamy look returned to Ally’s face. “Okay, you got me. Nate is just so darn irresistible.”

At least one of them was getting plenty. Ally was a lucky girl and about to get even luckier. Tyler reached beneath the counter, pulled out a couple of magazines, and dumped them in front of her daydreaming friend.

“Okay, it’s crunch time,” she announced in a no-nonsense voice. “I’ve bought you the latest bridal magazines. Now you’re going to look through them and pick a dress you like.”

Grimacing, Ally pushed away from the counter. “I hate those magazines. The models are all stick thin and the dresses are hideous.”