Astonished, he held out his arms and Kendall transferred the little girl to his keeping. While he held her close, she grabbed him around the neck and planted a kiss on his cheek. “’Bye.”
“See you soon, Jodi.”
She patted his cheek “Yep.” Then she turned toward her mother, task accomplished.
Kendall took her back. “She’s a hugger, but only after she figures out you’re part of her world.”
“I’m honored to have made the grade.” He hadn’t held a child in years. Taking Jodi in his arms had tapped into a part of him that had lain dormant.
Jodi continued to gaze at him over Kendall’s shoulder as he followed the crew filing out of the Raccoon. He’d assumed he’d be a dad someday but the image had been distant and out of focus.
He could still feel the lingering warmth of Jodi against his chest and cool air on the spot where she’d left her slightly slobbery kiss. He could have wiped it off with his bandana, but that would be like refusing a gift.
After walking the crew to Angie’s truck, he bid them all goodbye and continued on toward Tracy’s office, still stuck on the kid issue. Kendall had struck a nerve with her comment about wanting to make another one. He didn’t have any.
Until now, he’d been okay with that. He’d felt no sense of immediacy. Considering what would be happening during the next hour, it made sense that an image of Tracy holding a red-headed baby had become lodged in his brain.
They wouldn’t be working toward that goal, obviously. The condoms in his coat pocket were designed to prevent such an outcome. But what would it be like if they were making love and hoping for a pregnancy?
That got to him, arousing him in a way that he’d never experienced before. Quickening his step, he approached her door and took out his phone to check the time. Four minutes. Close enough.
Oh, yeah, he hadn’t remembered to carry a briefcase to this so-called meeting. Oh, well.
She’d put up herBack Soonsign with the clock hands set at two. The bell she’d hung on the inside of the door jingled when he opened it.
Stepping in, he turned and locked the door as she called his name from upstairs.
“Yes, ma’am. It’s me.”
“Lock the door.”
“Already did.” He started to take off his jacket and hat. Hesitated. “Does anyone have a key?”
“Just my cleaning service.”
“Okay.” He hung up his jacket and hat on the coat tree by the door. Might as well toe off his boots while he was at it.
“What are you doing?”
“Boots.”
“Oh.”
Setting them next to the coat tree, he bounded up the stairs. Uh-oh, the condoms. He went back down, slipped and had to grab the railing to keep from going down.
“What the hell, Adam?”
“Forgot something.”
“If you brought me flowers?—”
“Should I have?”
“No! You can’t walk over to my office carrying a bouquet of flowers!”
“Right.” He grabbed the two condoms from his jacket pocket and charged up the stairs again. She’d left the door to her apartment open.
He dashed through it and glanced around the empty space, living room on the left and kitchen on the right. “Where are you?”
