Avery
I returned to work with the knowledge that my son and my dog were both safe with Jacy. She’d moved into the spare room next to mine and opposite Declan’s, the shared bathroom down the hall, with the ease of a bolt sliding home. I’d never asked if she could cook, yet Jacy relegated herself to chief cook and bottle washer without complaint nor anythis isn’t in my job descriptionwhining.
Declan adored her. As did Max.
Come the Monday after Jacy moved in, I sat in my office in the downtown region,answering phones and e-mails, making deals and hefty commissions, studying the market via online platforms, content that I could work as long as I needed to, and that Declan had a sort of mother figure in his life he could turn to.
While I didn’t exactly plan for Jacy to become his mother figure, I confess I hoped she would. When my wife, Elsa, left us, there remained a hole in our lives that couldn’t be filled. I did my best to be both father and mother to Declan, but I also knew I’d utterly failed. He needed a woman in his life.
And Jacy, I hoped, would fulfill that need.
Her simple yet elegant beauty haunted me as I focused on market conditions and encouraging my clients to take my investment advice. Her startlingly green eyes stared at mefrom my computer screen. Her red-gold hair, falling past her shoulders and nearly to her waist captivated me. As did her slender, firm body and pert boobs. I blinked and tried to banish her image from my mind’s eye.
No, I hadn’t sought out any girlfriends since Elsa departed. I had no time and very few options in this town of less than ten thousand souls. Any available ladies were either old and widowed or young and far too young. Declan needed me more than I needed to get laid.
Abruptly, my cell buzzed, startling me out of my overactive imagination. The phone’s screen revealed my oldest friend and confidante, Barry. With a grin, I clicked the answer button.
“Dude.”
“Hey, man.” Barry sounded cheerful and confident. “How’s it hanging?”
“Long and low. You know that.”
He laughed. “Cool. How’s Declan?”
I leaned back in my office chair, smiling. “Happy. I found the perfect nanny for him. Gorgeous with lovely smile.”
“Is she his nanny or yours?”
I laughed. “His, of course. Not that I don’t daydream just a little. Even Max likes her.”
“That damn mutt likes everyone,” Barry complained. “Not a good guard dog at all.”
“Don’t underestimate my dog, man. How’s by you? And your lil wife?”
“I get laid often enough to keep the mini me happy. She wants kids. Can you imagine me a dad?”
“Yeah. You’d be a good one.”
Barry made a sour noise. “I’m not like you, dude. I’m not dad material. I keep the condoms on and pray none break.”
“Once your first kid is born, you change,” I commented. “Take the leap, Barry. Get her preggers. You’ll never regret it.”
I heard his deep sigh cross the many hundreds of miles between us. “Look, Avery, this isn’t just a social call. I’ve heard that the big guy, Ian, has learned the name you now live under.”
My blood turned to ice. I gripped my cell hard as I leaned forward over my desk. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, man. That’s why I’m calling. Get thee gone, my friend. Move. Change your name again. Get Declan and that useless mutt out of dodge. I mean it.”
Lowering my face, I contemplated what his advice meant. Changing towns. Finding a new nanny. A new house Declan would have to get used to. Fresh friends, neighbors, a place where no one knew us, and the big dude would have to start his search over if he wanted me.
I groaned. “I can’t. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“That’s not the point,” Barry snapped. “He thinks you did. He’ll put you on trial, find you guilty, and banish you. What will happen to Declan if that happens?”
I ran my free hand through my hair, panic singing in my veins. “I’m not running,” I said, my mouth dust dry. “Let him try to convict me. I’m owed a fair trial.”
“Yeah, you are.” Barry tried to stifle a groan and failed. “But Ian is already certain you’re guilty. That’s all that matters. He’s the head honcho, the chief judge. What he says goes.”
