An Unexpected Partnership

Chapter Two

The door closed behind Leo, and Tess could almost feel the sting of a slap on her face. She couldn’t decide if she was more shocked or angry that he’d walked out on her. And his child. This was the man her grandfather had wanted as a partner? She’d had her reasons for pushing back on that but none of them were about him not taking responsibility for his actions.

It was about the revolving door of females in and out of his life. Well-publicized, short-term affairs with actresses and models. Glorified one-night stands with glamorous women, rich and famous. Even the not so famous made headlines with him. But in all the publicity surrounding his “over in fifteen minutes” relationships, he’d invariably taken the blame for why things hadn’t worked out. Always a version of “she’s a great girl and I’m not good enough for her.”

As much as she wanted to believe he had no feelings and hurt women from coast to coast when he threw them away, the only one he trashed was himself. One had to conclude he wasn’t mean; he just had a problem with commitment. She wasn’t into it either. That’s what happened when the man you loved cheated repeatedly. He was a cocky college jock and that baggage had affected her opinion of Leo from the moment they were introduced.

In a way, Tess respected the way he characterized the end of his affairs, even if she didn’t condone “quantity over quality” behavior. So yeah, she was more shocked than angry right now. All the scenarios she’d imagined of how this conversation would go down never included him turning his back and walking away.

Tears filled her eyes and she didn’t miss the irony. The last time she’d cried in this room, Leo had been there to comfort her and they’d had sex. Now there was a baby and he left her, taking his investment money with him.

Suddenly the door opened and Leo walked back inside. He stood there, staring at her, eyes narrowed dangerously. “A baby. You’re sure.”

“Peed on a stick and confirmed by a doctor.” She had questions, too. “Why did you walk out just now?”

An angry, intense look pulled his mouth tight and made his eyes narrow on her. “I had to think before saying anything.”

“Okay. So what are you thinking?”

“Is it mine?”

She was sorry she’d asked. The question tweaked her temper, implying that she was an underhanded opportunist. He was questioning her integrity, but she grudgingly admitted that he had a right to ask. “Yes.”

“How do I know it’s mine?”

“Because I said so and I don’t lie.” She glared at him.

He finally closed the door. “Right now, for the sake of argument, let’s assume it’s mine—”

“Stop calling me a liar. Of course this baby is yours. I’ve been pretty busy trying to save this bar, my grandfather’s legacy. When would I have time to date?”

“You don’t have to date,” he said wryly.

“That’s where you’re wrong. I would have to date before doing...” As soon as she realized what was going to come out of her mouth, she stopped talking.

“You and I never went out before we...” He glanced at the booth by the door, where they’d done the deed. Then one corner of his mouth curved up as he looked back at her. “But wait, I forgot. That never happened.”

“Obviously you don’t intend to let me forget I said that.”

“Not likely.” He moved closer, stopping on the other side of the bar from her. “You’re going to have it.” It wasn’t a question.

The part of her that wasn’t super annoyed with him respected that he wasn’t pushing for termination of the pregnancy. Truthfully, that had never entered her mind. “Not that you get to tell me what to do, but yes, I will have this baby.”

“I need a test.”

To make sure he was the father. As infuriating as it was to be doubted, she’d actually anticipated this. At her first doctor’s appointment, she’d asked questions about prenatal testing.

“Before the baby’s born it would require an amniocentesis to determine paternity. It’s an invasive procedure that requires insertion of a needle to take amniotic fluid. This test poses the risk of miscarriage.”

“Okay.” His frown deepened. “So we have to wait.”

“No. There’s a blood test that can determine a very high probability that you’re the father. Even though I’m telling you that.”

“Like I said. I need a test. Let’s do that.”

“Okay.” She folded her arms over her chest and met his gaze. “I’ll set it up. We can have results in one to two days.”

“Either you’re a very good bluffer or—”

“I’m telling the truth,” she finished for him. “Look, Leo, I didn’t plan this.”

“Okay.”

“I can tell that’s what you’re thinking. I guess if I was in your shoes, the thought would cross my mind.”

“Very understanding of you.”

“I don’t know what to say. I’ve never been in a situation like this,” she defended herself. “It’s not like I did it on purpose.”

She glanced past him to the booth where it had happened. Heat slid into her cheeks as memories rolled through her mind. Those passionate moments in his arms were all that stood between her and the overwhelming grief of losing her grandfather. She’d never felt so out of control but she couldn’t speak for Leo.

“You’ve had a lot more experience at that sort of thing than me. Since the responsibility should be shared equally, I won’t ask why you never brought up the subject of protection.”

He shifted his feet, the only sign that her comment struck a nerve. “That’s fair. If—”

“I’m telling the truth,” she finished. “I never planned to get pregnant. I was upset. I just buried my grandfather and that was a long, horrible day. I’m sorry I couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. For the record I didn’t ask you to comfort me. In fact I thought I was alone.”

A hint of sympathy softened his gaze for a moment. “You weren’t. And I assumed you were on birth control.”

“I wasn’t. And you know what they say about people who assume. Makes an ass out of you and me.”

That was an understatement. He and his consolation had taken up every square inch of her attention. And now she was paying a really high price for it.

“I had a lot on my mind that day.” She looked around the room. There were pictures on the walls of The Pub while it was being built. Opening day. The surrounding area before homes and businesses popped up. Her glance settled on the wood floor, the scarred bar between them, every mark with a story that was part of the history. “I grew up here with my grandfather. I live in the apartment upstairs. This is my home, as well as my livelihood. My business. My career. It’s everything. You’ve got no skin in the game. Not really. To you it’s just an investment.”

“Which you’re against.”

“But Granddad trusted you. And I think you would understand why I feel that way if you were in my situation. For a few weeks after losing Granddad, my bottom line improved.” Although that probably had more to do with cutbacks than actual customer expansion. “I thought I could make it. Cost reductions saved money but required me to work more hours.”

“Then you found out you were pregnant.”

She nodded. “I can’t put in the time necessary to keep the business afloat. I have to take care of the baby. And I don’t want my grandfather’s legacy to disappear, but—”

“So it’s the pregnancy that changed your mind about contacting me.”

She’d vehemently told him she wasn’t a liar. There was no point in starting now. “Yes.”

“Because it’s the only way to save The Pub.”

“Maybe there’s another investor I could interest. But Granddad liked you.” She would give anything to know why. If only she shared the opinion. She didn’t have a problem with him professionally. It was the personal that she was afraid of. Look what happened that night. But there was so much more at stake here. And she didn’t have a lot of choices. The only thing she trusted unconditionally was her grandfather’s judgment. Other than warm memories and this business, there was nothing left of him. And the thought of it ceasing to exist broke her heart. “Are you still going to invest in the bar?”

“You’re having the baby.”

“How many times do I have to repeat it? The child I’m carrying is the only reason I need your help. If I wasn’t pregnant I’d muddle through without you. Yes, I’m having the baby.”

“Then I’m definitely going through with our deal. I’ll contact my lawyer to draw up papers.”

“I’ll make an appointment for blood tests at a private lab.”

“Fair enough.”

“Okay, then.”

She said that with way more enthusiasm than she felt. He obviously didn’t believe her about the baby, and the juxtaposition of his agreement implied that if he had no connection to the child, she and her business could dry up and blow away. He was sticking around just to keep her honest.

She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when he had to admit he was wrong about her.

* * *

Leo offered to pick Tess up for the meeting at his attorney’s office to sign the partnership agreement but she politely declined. In a very cool and distant tone, she’d said it would be best to meet there. Fine with him. He hadn’t seen her for a couple of weeks and that was for the best. A cooling-off period gave him time to brace himself to deal with her as they saved her bar. But out of sight didn’t mean she was out of his mind. Her and the baby. Damn.

He rode the eight-story building’s elevator to the top floor, where Annabel Sanders had her office. The doors opened into the reception area with a view of the whole valley. Huntington Hills in Southern California had a population right around two hundred thousand and was beautiful in the spring. Trees and flowers were blooming, and the vibrant colors of purple, pink and yellow stretched all the way to the mountains.

He walked over to the receptionist. “Hi, Geraldine.”

“Mr. Wallace.” The attractive woman was in her fifties and had stylishly cut short blond hair. Her blue eyes twinkled with humor. “And you know perfectly well the name is Geri.”

“Right. I keep forgetting.”

“It’s a common problem with our former-hockey-player clients. Too many shots to the head.”

“How many hockey-playing clients does Annabel have?”

“Only you. Thank goodness.”

“Ah. Maybe I can shake the bushes, contact some of my teammates. Send some business your way.”

“Please don’t. You keep us busy enough. What with all the investment opportunities you’re researching.”

He had to make up for lost time. His career ended abruptly, and not long after his marriage ended, too. It was a dark period, most of which he’d spent in Pat Morrow’s penalty box. He owed that man a lot for pulling his head out of his ass.

“You know you love me,” he said. “If you weren’t already happily married...”

She leaned back in her chair and looked up at him. “You’re a shameless flirt. I should leave my husband and call your bluff.”

“You should. But we both know you won’t. You’re way too smart to toss aside a good man for the likes of me.” Leo felt someone behind him and turned. “Tess. Hi.”

“Leo.”

“I didn’t hear you.” No doubt she heard Geri calling him out on his crap.

She ignored him and smiled at the receptionist. “Hello. Tess Morrow to see Annabel Sanders.”

“Nice to meet you.” Geri gave her the friendly receptionist look. “Annabel is with a client. Her meeting is running a little late. I apologize for that. If you’ll just have a seat in the waiting area, she’ll be with you both as soon as possible.”

“Thanks,” Tess answered.

“May I get you something? Coffee?”

“No.”

Leo noticed her already pale face go a little whiter. “You okay?”

“Fine.” She smiled at Geri, then walked over to the cushy chairs by the windows and sat.

Leo followed and took the seat at a right angle to hers. Because she’d told him she was pregnant, he knew she was nauseated from morning sickness. He still couldn’t quite wrap his head around the fact that the baby was his. Maybe.

“So, I got the results of the blood tests,” he said.

“Me, too.” There was a “told you so” look in her brown eyes.

“It’s not conclusive,” he pointed out.

“It conclusively confirmed you can’t be excluded as the biological father.”

She was right about that. He’d done the research. The most accurate results came from an infant’s umbilical blood or tissue from the placenta, and that would have to wait another seven or so months. Fetal DNA could be observed in the mother’s blood and rule out someone who absolutely couldn’t be the father. Right now the test results were not admissible in court for purposes of custody or child support.

But they prevented a guy from getting emotionally involved for months only to find out he had no biological connection. And sometimes a man was led to believe he was a father for several years before finding out he wasn’t. He didn’t intend to be that naive a second time.

“Leo? Are you all right?”

“Hmm?” He met Tess’s questioning gaze.

“You look weird.”

Not surprising. He was remembering a weird, painful time in his life. It still hurt and he’d be damned if he’d let another woman pass off another man’s child as his. “I’m fine. But I was going to say the same about you. You’re a little pale.”

“It occurs to me the term morning sickness is inaccurate. This icky feeling doesn’t just happen in the morning. It can be anytime, day or night.”

“So that’s why you turned green when Geri mentioned coffee.”

“I thought I did a good job of hiding it,” she said.

“No.” She might be concealing other relevant facts, but not her current distaste for coffee. “But you’re not supposed to have it anyway, at least not much,” he qualified. “It’s not a complete no on caffeine, but it has to be less than two hundred milligrams a day...” He stopped because she was staring at him as if he’d grown another head. “What?”

“How did you know that about coffee during pregnancy?”

He knew because he’d married the last woman who said she was having his baby and embraced the experience with her. Along with the pain of finding out the son he loved more than life wasn’t his, he remembered pregnancy do’s and don’ts. “I guess I just heard it somewhere.”

“You do meet a lot of women.” There was sarcasm in her voice.

“One of the perks of being a hockey star,” he said, hoping to change the focus of this conversation.

“Must be a difficult cross to bear.” Now bitterness mixed with the sarcasm.

If he didn’t know better, he would say she was a little bit jealous, but that proved again just how bad he was at reading women. She’d taken a dislike to him almost from the moment they met. There was definite female interest in her eyes, right up until Pat Morrow introduced him as a former professional hockey player. An athlete, she’d said, in a disdainful tone that lumped him in with litterbugs and dog haters. Neither of which he was.

He’d liked her from the first but she gave him the cold shoulder. Until the night of her grandfather’s memorial service, when she was hot as hell and took him to heaven. She was right about one thing. He had had no room in his brain to think about protection that night. Holding her felt that good. If the baby was his, the blame could be shared fifty-fifty. But that night proved one thing. Tess was attracted to him even though she disapproved of him personally.

He met her gaze. “I do like women. That’s not a hanging offense.”

“No one said it was.”

“You didn’t have to say it. Judgment is written all over your face.”

“Wow,” she said. “Apparently my face gives away more than just the fact that the thought of coffee makes me want to barf.”

“Was it coffee? I assumed it was the sight of me.”

“Wow again. I’m surprised you could find a helmet big enough for your swelled head. Not everything is about you, Leo.”

“And jumping to that conclusion just proves—”

“Hello, Leo.” His attorney interrupted him. The pretty, green-eyed redhead smiled at Tess and held out her hand. “I’m Annabel Sanders. You must be Ms. Morrow.”

“Tess.” She shook the other woman’s hand.

“I apologize for keeping you waiting. I didn’t expect my last client to take as long as he did.”

“I didn’t see him leave,” Leo said.

“I’m not surprised. You were having an intense chat.” Annabel’s eyes narrowed on him for a moment, and then she smiled at Tess. “It’s nice to meet you.”

As the two women chatted, Leo studied his lawyer. She was a beautiful woman. Spectacular curves were showcased in the body-hugging hunter green dress with the flaring skirt. She was also funny and brilliant but he’d never felt the slightest hint of attraction to her. Not once in the nearly two years he’d known her. Maybe because their relationship was professional.

“If you’ll both follow me into my office, we can go over the agreement.”

He let the women precede him into the large corner office with floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides. In one corner was a conversation area, defined by a leather love seat, two matching club chairs and a glass coffee table. The attorney sat behind her large desk. These digs were much nicer than the small, cramped office where they’d had their very first meeting.

Annabel opened a file on her desk and put on her lawyer face. “Tess, you got the email I sent with the attachment containing the agreement?”

“Yes.”

“You had a chance to read it over and have your attorney look at it?”

“I read it,” Tess said. “It looks fine to me.”

Leo had clued Annabel in on the background that the partnership was a go because Tess was strapped for cash and trying to save her business. He could see her making that connection as the reasoning for not getting a second legal opinion.

“I can assure you that the terms are extremely fair,” Annabel told her.

Tess nodded. “I agree.”

“Do you have any questions?”

“No.”

The attorney nodded. “Leo was very clear that he didn’t want to take advantage of your grief and your grandfather’s passing. My condolences, by the way.”

“Thank you.” Tess glanced at him and the paleness in her cheeks disappeared, replaced by a charming pink. Must be the “taking advantage” comment.

As he saw it, they’d had a mutual taking advantage, and the memories were never far from his mind.

“The thing is, Ms. Sanders—”

“Annabel, please.”

“Okay. Annabel. Before he died, my grandfather approached Leo about the partnership because he trusted him. I have faith in his judgment. And I didn’t see anything in the paperwork that changed my mind.”

“Okay, then. We’ll get this done.”

She went through each page, having them sign and initial where indicated. It was a lot of paperwork, but finally they reached the end.

“Congratulations,” the attorney said. “You two have a partnership.”

“In business,” Tess clarified.

“Yes.” Annabel looked from one to the other. “By definition partners need to work together.”

“Are you lecturing us?” Leo asked.

“No. Yes. Maybe.” She looked at him. “I heard you talking in the waiting room and got the feeling there’s an adversarial aspect to your relationship. If you’re going to make a success of this venture, it’s important to work together.”

“Of course,” he said.

“I mean it.” She looked at Tess. “I don’t know you, but I’ve worked with Leo for several years. He has an excellent head for business and a successful track record to prove it. Don’t let his cocky attitude fool you.”

“If you say so,” Tess said defensively. “I should point out that I’m no slouch. I have a degree in business and I’ve worked at the bar my whole life. There’s a loyal core of customers and we have to build on it.”

“That’s the plan,” Leo agreed.

“Okay. I didn’t mean to overstep, but I see the other side when things don’t work out. I dissolve partnerships, too.”

“Our joint venture will be fine,” Leo assured her. It was also necessary. “So, Tess, I’ll come by The Pub in the morning and we’ll discuss strategy?”

“Fine.”

“Is nine too early?”

“No.” But she looked as if she had swallowed a worm.

He’d never expected to go into business with Tess Morrow. But now that she was allegedly carrying his child, it was the best way to keep tabs on her. If she slipped up, he would be around to call her on the deception.

The last time he got screwed, he lost everything. He wasn’t so gullible now. He would do whatever he had to in order to protect himself.

Chapter Three

Morning sickness really sucked!

It especially sucked when Tess had to see Leo bright and early. The early part she could do. Bright? Not so much. But he would be arriving at nine o’clock sharp and she needed to look her best. Well, at least the best she could what with feeling like something the cat yakked up.

She showered, put on makeup and blew her hair dry. Unlike her unruly tummy, it cooperated, falling past her shoulders in its shiny straightness.

She stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and ignored the dark circles under her eyes. “You look fabulous. This will be the first of many productive and profitable meetings.”

She managed to choke down a piece of toast with peanut butter. The doctor had said to eat lots of protein but she’d never expected that to be such a challenge. Five minutes before nine o’clock, she walked downstairs from her apartment. The staircase ended in a hall where a left turn went to public restrooms and the bar. Going right would put her in the office and storeroom, with high-capacity refrigeration, an ice maker and shelves. She went left.

In the bar, chairs were turned upside down on tables, where they always spent the night. There were two more rooms off the main area—one for pool and darts, the other with tables for a quieter space for grabbing a bite to eat. Some people might still enjoy eating even though she wasn’t one of them right now.

A knock on the door pulled her from the brink of self-pity and she moved to let Leo in. “Good morning.”

“Hi.” He handed her a bag.

“What’s this?”

“Thought these might come in handy.”

She peeked inside and saw soda crackers. “Wow. Be still my heart.”

“What were you expecting?”

“Nothing actually. So, thanks.”

“Keep them by the bed and eat one before you get up. It helps with morning sickness.”

“And you know this how?”

He shrugged. “I picked up the information somewhere.”

“It’s unexpectedly thoughtful, so I won’t say anything snarky about your women clueing you in.”

“That’s very generous of you.” One corner of his mouth quirked up. Then he indicated the briefcase he was holding. “I’ve been consulting with a building contractor—”

“Wait.” She held up a hand to stop him. “We only just signed the papers yesterday.”

“Since our verbal agreement, I talked to someone I’ve worked with on other business ventures. The guy is creative and does great work. He came up with some changes and I happen to think they’ll be a better use of the space we have.”

We? Apparently just signing the papers didn’t make her a team player. But since she’d put her name on the bottom line, telling him to take a flying leap didn’t seem like something she could do.

“Okay. Show me.” She grabbed one of the chairs from a table to make room for a conversation with visual aids.

“You shouldn’t be lifting things.”

“Why not? I’m fine. Just pregnant—not an invalid.” She rested her hands on her hips. “If not me, who’s going to lift things?”

“Not while I’m around.” He set down his briefcase, then removed the other three chairs.

“Thanks.”

There he went being sweet again. That was twice in one morning. Tess didn’t trust sweet. It was easy to heft chairs and bring crackers, but a man like him couldn’t keep up sweet for long.

They sat and he pulled out his laptop, then set it on the table. He opened a file and then slid his chair closer to hers so they could view the screen together. He smelled good, disarmingly masculine. Some combination of soap and cologne that made her tummy flutter—with something besides nausea. It was attraction, damn him. That’s what had gotten her into this mess in the first place, and still fascination survived. There was something seriously wrong with her that she couldn’t shake this feeling.