“Or you can get dressed, do your homework, and Grandma can bring you to CG later today. I have a surprise for Alice. Unless you’d rather be a couch potato,” Niko said.
Chloe sat upright, her bony elbow landing hard in his side. She leaned back and her blue eyes sparked with curiosity. “What kind of a surprise?”
“I can’t tell you, because then it won’t be a surprise.”
She wrinkled her pert nose, the sulkiness evaporating with her growing excitement, a good sign she was overcoming the inevitable fear that her illness wrought. “You said it’s Alice’s surprise, not mine. So you could tell me.”
“I could, but I’m not going too. I think you need to see it when she does.”
“Do you love Alice?” she giggled at the question.
Boy, she asked some tough questions. Yes, he liked her. Too much. But he’d never tell Chloe that or anyone else until he had more of a handle on his own confused emotions. There was an obvious attraction between them but there was a great chance it would go no where. He raised his eyebrow, hoping to brush this off without replying to a question he had no idea how to answer. “I like Alice. That’s why I have a surprise for her.”
“Do you like her, like her? She’s pretty. And she has really nice shoes. And she’s single cause her boyfriend was boring. And she’s got a cool job.” Chloe giggled the last bit out, acting like the child she was. Although he was in the hot seat, it was good to see her lighter side coming back to life. “You should like her.”
“I should like her?”
She nodded several times, sucking on her lower lip. “I think you need a girlfriend and I think Alice is super smart like you are. Or you could go out with Brooke. She’s pretty and she has the best clothes. Or Grace, oh, I like Grace. She’s so funny, she makes me laugh.”
The smile he tried to hold back deepened. She was getting more enthusiastic by the second, which meant she was feeling better. He wished he could shake his own uncertainty when it came to Alice as easily. “So you want me to date every woman on set. What about Chefs Dean or Field?”
“Nope, probably just Alice, I think.” She twisted in his arms, her small palm settling on his heart. “You need to let someone special in here.”
He clasped her hand and pressed it closer. “You take up a lot of real estate there. I’m not sure if I have enough room.” Until she was in remission, his single most goal was to focus on her and her alone. Yet no matter how hard he tried to ignore his attraction for Alice, she was like a wound that wouldn’t heal. Not the best analogy when referring to a woman he lusted after.
“Of course you do. Mom says the human heart is big enough to love everybody in the whole wide world. And I want an aunt. And I want cousins.”
“Wow, you’ve got me married off with kids.”
“Let’s face the facts, Uncle Niko. You’re not getting any younger.”
Laughter rumbled from his chest and he hugged her tight. God, he loved this little girl. She allowed him to hold her for a few seconds and then she pushed back and scrambled off the couch. “I better go get dressed. Can’t wait to see what the surprise is.”
Niko exited the house and climbed on his motorcycle. The hour he spent with Chloe had rejuvenated his spirits. Their conversation lingered in the back of his mind. Alice was funny, and smart, and attractive, but they were opposites and definitely lived different lifestyles. She was many things but the one for him?
He wasn’t so confident.
Chapter Eighteen
Alice was a few minutes early for her lunch with Grace and moved into the bar area of the bistro where it was less crowded. She scanned her phone, re-reading the texts from Niko like some silly lovesick girl, when an unfamiliar number flashed across the screen. Hitting accept, she answered the call.
“What the fuck, Alice? I received a letter from an intermediary, something about getting my medical history.” Lance bit the words out, his anger stretching across the phone line. “How did they find me? Those papers were supposed to be sealed.”
She dropped down to the nearest barstool. After all these years, his voice still had the ability to steal her breath but for an entirely different reason. “Our daughter is sick and needs a stem cell transplant. I’m being tested right now to see if I’m a match but there’s a chance I won’t be and—”
“I don’t give a damn what you’re doing, Alice. I don’t have a daughter. I told you I wanted nothing to do with the kid. That’s all on you. You should have gotten the abortion like I told you to.”
“I’m not wasting my time rehashing the past. She’s in need and I’m trying to fulfill those needs.” How had she ever fallen for such a coldhearted man? Because she’d been young, naïve, and hopeful that she’d be able to change him, to make him love her. Pathetic.
“You better not tell her anything about me. I’m running for mayor of Provo and I have a wife who has no idea about the kid.”
“You don’t have to tell anyone nor even meet the girl. It’s anonymous. You just need to register to be a blood donor. And since it’s anonymous, if you match, you can say you’re doing it to help the community. Mayors are public servants and people will vote for a compassionate man.” Geez, she deserved an award for this little performance. Except the outcome would be well worth it.
“Nice try but no. I’m not risking my life and my future for some kid I didn’t want.”
“Then I guess I’ll have to go public... I’m sure your opponent would be very interested to know that you have a daughter, and you’re refusing to save her life by enrolling in the blood donor program.” Alice was heading straight to hell for threatening Lance but it was a necessary evil. He was one of the most selfish people she’d ever met and that was saying something given her cutthroat profession. Her knuckles whitened as she held the phone close to her ear. Listening to the dead silence on the other end of the line, she could practically see his face turning a dangerous shade of red.
“You’re lying.”
