Nick cleared his throat. “Look, every year there’s a carnival at the Super Center on the Sunday closest to Valentine’s Day. That’s this weekend. It’s very festive.” God, he was starting to sound desperate. With studied casualness he asked, “Would you like to come with me this year?”
“You’re asking me on a date? To be your Valentine?”
Damn.
He couldn’t read her expression. What the hell was he supposed to say now?
Nick forced a laugh. “No, no. Nothing like that.”
“Oh…”
God, he was screwing this up badly.
“Candace—” He broke off and reached out the hand Jennie had held and covered Candace’s with it. She flinched.
He withdrew swiftly and brushed a nonexistent piece of fluff from his jacket, trying to face up to the fact that he wasn’t behaving with very much subtlety or grace.
“I just thought you might want to join us—spend the day with Jennie.”
The joy that lit up her eyes was blinding. “Thank you. I’d love that.”
So spending the day with him held no appeal, but spending it with Jennie was something else. He should’ve expected that. He might be driven by lust, but clearly Candace didn’t reciprocate.
Ah, well. “Valentine’s…growing happy families. A loving home begins at Valentine’s.”
“What?” Confusion clouded her eyes.
“Those slogans are part of our latest advertising campaign,” he explained.
“Oh, yes.” Her face had cleared. “I’ve seen the television ads.”
She didn’t think he’d lost it.
Yet.
Just as well she couldn’t read his mind—she’d have run screaming from the room.
“It’s a day for families,” he said awkwardly. “For Jennie’s sake, you should be there.”
This time Candace didn’t say a word.
Nick wondered if that had been overkill. Too late to wish he hadn’t been quite so heavy-handed on the whole family angle. There was nothing for him to do but rise to his feet and say, “Well, I’d better get moving or I’ll be late for work.”
“You’re the boss, what would it matter?”
“It matters,” he said. “I’ve always believed a boss should lead by example. And lately I’ve been sneaking out quite a bit.”
Though what worried him most was how much he’d enjoyed playing hooky.
The temperature rose swiftly, turning into one of those glorious summer days that lingered.
With Nick at work, Candace decided to take advantage of the weather and take Jennie swimming. The water in the pool was silken and cool—and Jennie was in her element, hanging over Candace’s arm, smacking the surface of the water with fat palms while Candace laughed.
All through the day she’d been kicking herself. Why hadn’t she told Nick that Jennie should live with her, not him? She’d had the perfect opportunity this morning…
Instead, she’d chickened out.
Perhaps it had been the look on his face. There’d been something—a vulnerability—that had tugged at her heart. He’d looked…lonely.
Candace told herself that she was being ridiculous. Men like Nick Valentine weren’t lonely. They married wealthy trophy wives, lived in glossy architect-designed mansions, owned multimillion-dollar businesses.
Except Nick’s wife was dead…
He couldn’t possibly be missing Jilly, Candace told herself. Hadn’t Nick told her he’d suspected Jilly of having an affair? The extent of Jilly’s deception over the baby signaled to Candace that theirs had not been a healthy marriage.
A footfall scraped the deck and Candace turned her head. The sight of Nick coming toward her, threading his way between the lounging chairs, caused a flutter in her belly.
This made it two days in a row that he was home early…maybe being the boss had its perks after all.
“You’re early,” she commented, squinting up at him as his highly polished Italian shoes halted at the pool’s edge.
“I secured a contract to do the landscaping and supply the plants and garden furnishings for two coastal resorts. It’s a coup. I called it a day.” Nick glanced at his watch, then met her gaze and raised a quizzical eyebrow. “Half past six is not much earlier than normal.”
“Half past six?” Candace squawked. “Already?”
“Time flies when you’re having fun.”
Candace ignored his quip. “Gosh, Jennie will turn into a prune.”
“She looks fine to me.” Nick squatted down on his haunches and wiggled his fingers at the baby. She gave him a delicious smile and chuckled. “I might go change into swim trunks and join you.”