Caught in the Act (The Davenports) (28 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

L
ATER THAT MORNING,
Cat was still thinking about Brody’s suggestion as she stood with her brother and sister-in-law, greeting volunteers filing into the park. Today was the biggest day for the project so far. Sharon had lined up the majority of the townspeople to help assemble the main section of the playground. It would take a full week of hard work, but before the amphitheater opened, the playground would be ready for use.

Emma Davenport was also there, right in the middle of all of it. She’d flown up with JP, and while it had been a shock for Cat to find her mother at the house that morning, the two had so far managed to be civil. Mostly due to not speaking to each other.

But they were good at pretending, if nothing else. It was a family trademark.

Cat had gathered up her family, ushering everyone to the park, while her mother had taken care of last-minute phone calls to ensure that her helping out with the family-donated park would hit papers countrywide. She wanted everyone to know that she didn’t forget where she came from—or, more precisely, where the Davenports had come from. She would prove it by pounding in the first nail at the playground.

However, the multihundred-dollar designer suit she wore implied that pounding one nail was about all she planned to do.

Cat winked at her brother as they both watched Becca entertain the crowd around them. She’d been going at it for several minutes, sharing stories, talking about any- and everything in her little-girl charming way, and Cat couldn’t help but laugh. If anyone in her family should be an actor, it was her mini-me.

Becca’s blonde hair and Davenport blue eyes would get her far. Added to that, she had her daddy’s long legs instead of being short like her mama.

Another little girl came up, the cute little dark-eyed girl that Cat remembered from the museum, and joined in with Becca’s antics. Tyler ignored them both and continued playing with the ball he’d brought with him. He had every intention of asking Brody to play ball with him. It was apparently the male test of friendship.

Cat scanned the assembled crowd, looking for the man who occupied the largest part of her mind. He’d occupied even more since he’d told her the story about his father. It was eerily reminiscent of how her parents had treated Lexi Dougard and her son—both with the payoff and acting as if he didn’t exist. It made her think of Daniel, the innocent child mixed up in her family’s scandals, and she wondered what lasting impact this would have on him. No doubt there would be one.

She only hoped he turned out as okay as Brody.

She also hoped she would someday get to meet him. But she would respect his mother’s wishes for privacy. After all,
not
being a part of the Davenports might be the best thing for him.

She finally found Brody in the crowd, standing with his mother and Stone on one side of him and Thomas Harrison on the other. Most likely, the fact that Thomas was in town was what had brought Cat’s mother up.

This was Davenport country, yet the man was taking advantage of the opportunity to win national support for himself. Emma Davenport couldn’t allow that. Thomas had been photographed all over town, making it clear he was a good guy, and that he was
thrilled
to learn he had a big brother. He wanted to build a solid relationship with Brody. No matter what it took. He was even thinking of buying a vacation home in the area.

Such total bull.

Brody was right. All the games and faces were too much. People simply needed to live their lives and not try to be all things to all people. Everyone would be much happier that way.

Brody turned his head then, and his gaze landed on Cat’s. He gave her a heated smile, and her heart sang a fluttery little song. She loved that man.

It was all going to be all right.

Vega snickered under her breath.

“Shut up,” Cat muttered. Vega had no doubt witnessed Cat and Brody making eyes at each other. Her sister-in-law had asked about him several times throughout the morning, making it clear she was anxious to meet the man who’d so romantically left via the balcony when the kids had shown up.

“Where is he?” JP asked quietly. Of course, Vega had also told JP about Cat’s indiscretions.

“Leave it alone,” Cat whispered.

“I want to meet this guy,” her brother said. “Make sure he’s good enough for my sister.”

“You want to embarrass me, and we both know it.”

JP’s chiseled face softened to a grin. “I don’t get a lot of opportunities for that, Shortie. A guy has to take them when he can.”

“There are far too many cameras out here today to take that particular opportunity, so behave yourself.”

Sharon stepped to the microphone at the front of the crowd, thanking everyone for coming out. She began introducing the crew who’d been hired to oversee the project and explaining how each person would take smaller groups of people to work on different sections of the playground. She was hopeful everyone would be able to come back several times throughout the next week. It was
their
park, and she wanted them to be a part of it.

Food and drink stations would be going all week, and though it would be a lot of hard work, she was confident a good time would be had by all. She also pointed out the manned kid zone, where kids would be participating in the building of the park themselves. They would be crafting flower boxes and painting artwork that would grace the area.

Sharon had thought of it all.

In the end, this would be a place the community could be proud of. A place they’d all created.

The land might have been donated for the wrong reasons, but Cat was suddenly grateful it had happened. This was the type of stuff she enjoyed being a part of. Working to truly build something in people’s lives. Not merely covering her family’s butts or smiling for the media.

Their mother stepped to the section Sharon had marked off, ready for her photo opportunity as she attached the first two boards of the playground together, and Cat felt her body wind tight.

“What’s going on with you two?” JP asked from the corner of his mouth. “You haven’t spoken to her since we got here.”

“She shouldn’t have come, and she knows it.”

“Is this about Hollister? Her leaking the story?”

She nodded. She and JP had talked about it over the phone. She’d filled her brother in on this being their mother’s antics, but she hadn’t told him about the past. Or that Cat had delivered another daughter. That was something Brody got to hear first. Then she’d share it with JP.

“I’m not saying that’s not bad,” he said. “It is. But your anger, it feels like more.”

“Her leaking the story is only the tip of the iceberg.” Cat smiled at a camera when a reporter shouted out her name, then returned to whispering to her brother. “She’s been manipulating things for years. I’ve had enough.”

JP eyed her. “More than I already know about?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me.”

“I will. But not yet.” She looked at Brody again. He was making his way over to her.

“I’m worried about you,” JP said. “You seem different.”

She looked up at him then, surprised that he’d noticed. “Good different or bad different?”

He studied her before answering. “Harder,” he finally said. “I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.”

“It’s
good
,” she assured him. “And I’ll be fine. I needed to be different.”

He nodded subtly toward Brody. “So this is real? Not just teenage memories?”

She watched the man she loved. He was currently watching her kids. She was about to introduce the three of them, and she hoped with everything she had that it would end the way she wanted.

“It’s real.”

“Good for you.” Her brother pulled her to his side, the top of her head barely skimming his chin as he hugged her tight. He whispered in her ear, “Sorry I brought Mom. I didn’t realize how bad it was.”

“Don’t worry about it. She would have come herself. Thomas Harrison is getting her attention, and she couldn’t have that.”

They both turned their sights on their mother, who was now taking selfies with several people from the crowd. Humorously, Thomas Harrison was doing the same.

“I never thought she’d sink as low as them,” JP admitted.

But Cat knew better. Their mother had sunk lower.

With more nerves than Brody knew was possible, he approached Cat where she stood with her family. Her sister-in-law gave him a once-over, nodding when she finished as if providing her approval. Cat jabbed her in the side.

“Good morning, Cat,” he said. He sounded stiff. “Good to see you today.” Cat’s sister-in-law guffawed.

Cat punched her again.

“Morning, Brody.” Cat smiled up at him. “Don’t look so grim. There are lots of cameras watching us right now.”

He was aware of those cameras. They’d been following him all week. He also suspected the people behind them must feel as if they’d won the lottery today. Davenports, a Harrison, and a Romeo and Juliet affair, all in the same place at the same time.

Not to mention, he was about to meet Cat’s kids.

And to think, he’d once sworn he wouldn’t be put in the spotlight. For anyone. But Cat was different. If the spotlight was what it took to be with her, then sign him up.

Cat introduced him to her brother and sister-in-law, and the three of them made small talk for a few minutes. While that was going on, Brody noticed that Emma Davenport kept a steely look turned their way. She wasn’t pleased at all to see her family cavorting with the enemy.

Too damned bad. He wasn’t pleased with her for anything.

“Are you my mommy’s friend?” a perky, feminine voice asked from his left side. Brody looked down. He’d seen pictures, yet was taken aback at just how much Cat’s daughter looked like her.

“I am. And I’m guessing that your name is Becca?”

The child smiled sweetly, but he was no fool. This kid already knew how to work the system, and he could feel himself falling immediately under her spell. “I’m the oldest,” she announced. Then she stuck one tiny foot out for him to see. Sparkly silver-and-purple shoes winked back at him. “Do you like my new shoes?”

Vega and Cat both laughed, but Brody kept his expression serious. He admired the shoes carefully before giving the girl a heartfelt nod.

“I do. They’re quite lovely.”

“My Aunt Vega bought them for me. She loves shoes and I do, too.”

Brody couldn’t keep the smile at bay. The child was precious. But there was another one to meet, too. He turned to his other side, having sensed that Tyler had joined them as well.

He’d been right. The younger boy stood there, a baseball glove tucked under one arm and a ball in his hand. He was looking Brody up and down as if he were the man of the house, and if he said no, then it would be no.

Brody hoped he didn’t say no.

Finally, Tyler made his determination. “I don’t like boyfriends,” he said.

Becca reached around Brody and jabbed Tyler on the arm. “Mom said not to say boyfriend,” she whispered. “He’s just her friend.”

And he clearly had his work cut out with this one. He stooped to Tyler’s level. “How about girlfriends?” he asked. “Do you like them?”

The kid’s face lit up. “My friend Ben has a girlfriend. She’s pretty.”

“Yeah? I’ll bet she is. Girlfriends are like that.” He glanced up at Cat before returning his full attention to her son. “I happen to think your mom is pretty, too.”

The child tilted his head back to look up at his mom. She was standing there, quiet, looking as nervous as Brody felt. Finally Tyler agreed. “She is pretty. Do you want to play ball with me?”

Brody laughed. “I would
love
to play ball with you. But first, how about I help you learn how to make something?” He motioned to the cordoned-off kids’ area. “Can we do that?”

“You’re working in the kid zone?” Cat asked.

“For a bit. They needed volunteers there.” And he’d figured that would give him plenty of time to get to know her kids. He could tell, though, that the extra time wouldn’t be a requirement. They’d already crawled into his heart. They were a part of Cat. How could he not love that?