“I found something today. I went and visited a friend of your grandmother’s. Her name’s Audrey. I’m sorry for going without you, but I had the time and I was in the area.”
“That’s okay. Did you learn anything?”
She took several steps toward him, crossing from the kitchen into the living room, her brow creasing. “I—well, she said your mother cried like her heart was breaking when she decided to go through with the adoption.” Makay’s voice wobbled a bit. “That she didn’t know if she could live without her baby.”
Harrison didn’t know what to make of that. He shook his head. “I had no idea.” His mother had never said anything about her feelings for the baby. “Wow. That makes me feel a lot better. It really does.”
As she knelt next to the coffee table kitty-corner from him, Makay’s eyes were wide and empty, reminding him of when she’d been sick and dazed. The reaction was puzzling. She was close enough that he could smell her scent—a mixture of whatever shampoo she used and her own unique fragrance that made him want to move closer. Whatever she’d taken from the backpack was out of his sight, obscured by the table.
“Audrey also said your mother was a sweet kid who trusted the wrong people,” she said, her voice without inflection. “You might want to go see Audrey. I’ve written down her information for you and also the name of the woman who managed your mother’s apartment building, though I haven’t talked to her yet. Audrey gave me this.” She handed him the item from her backpack—a photograph.
He stared at it for a moment before recognition flooded him. “Hey, that’s me on my second birthday. With my mother and grandmother. I’ve seen a picture like this in my mother’s photo album. But who’s the man? I don’t know him.”
“Apparently he’s your sister’s father. Or the most likely candidate.”
“Who is he?”
Makay looked away, but not before he caught a flare of an emotion he couldn’t name. “She didn’t know.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.” He sighed. “Though I suppose it wouldn’t matter. It’d only be one more person for my sister to blackmail. If it is her, I mean.”
Makay’s wide gaze swung to him. “You sound like you hate her.”
“No. Not really. I just—I hate to see my mother in this position. I mean, on one level I was angry at her, but she’s right that she went through hell and did the best she could at the time. This Audrey’s story verifies that her decision wasn’t made lightly. I’ve been thinking about it a lot. Assuming it
is
my sister behind the blackmailing, my mother could have aborted her or kept her in a life of poverty, but instead she gave the girl life and a chance at more. My mother did what she could do, whether or not I agree with the choices she’s making now, and this is how that child repays her? You’ve got to admit—it reeks. I much prefer to think that it’s not her but someone else looking to take advantage of us.”
Makay arose silently, taking her plate to the kitchen. Harrison couldn’t see her face, but the emotion wafting from her seemed to fill up all the space in both rooms.
Nate looked at him and shrugged, taking another bite of cashew chicken. “She’s been acting a little weird today,” he whispered.
Harrison jumped to his feet and followed Makay. “Is something wrong?” He reached her as she set her plate in the sink and turned toward him.
“I never looked at it that way,” she said softly. “That the gift of life should be enough. I guess I always thought birth parents should
feel
something more, if not love then maybe an obligation. I didn’t think about it from your mother’s perspective. Or someone like her.”
He took a step forward and she stepped back, her movement halted by the edge of the sink. “Me either,” he said. “I told you I was hoping to meet my father. I thought he’d be excited to know how I turned out. But even if he’d lived, maybe that wouldn’t be important to him. He made his choices regarding me and my mother a long time ago.”
“But life does change, and there are stories of people who want to find the children they placed for adoption. They say it fills a hole in their lives.” Makay’s face radiated pain that told him more clearly than anything she’d ever said about her hope for a possible meeting with her birth parents, or at least her birth mother. Maybe her feelings would have been different if her formative years hadn’t been so difficult, if she’d had her needs met. He’d been lucky in that respect. His mother had given him all the love he could ever want, and Eli had taken care of him physically.
Harrison’s arms went around her, but she didn’t melt into him as she usually did. “Don’t,” she said softly.
He looked behind him, but he couldn’t see Nate from this part of the tiny kitchen, only the side of the coffee table where Makay had been kneeling. “Why?” he asked, pinning her between his body and the sink. “I’ve been waiting all day to do this.” His lips met hers, gently probing. She didn’t struggle, but neither did she kiss him back. Her dark eyes looked frightened. Yet why would she be afraid of him? His lips wandered from hers, kissing her cheek, her ear, and trailing down to her neck. Still, she stood rigidly. Her eyes were closed, her lips parted. He wandered back up to her lips.
“Harrison,” she whispered, her voice hoarse.
His lips found her moist ones, and this time her arms went around his neck and she responded, pressing herself against him. He moaned, or was that her? “I’ve missed you,” he said against her lips. He deepened the kiss. She didn’t reply to his words, but she didn’t need to. Everything was there in her touch.
At last she broke away, her chest heaving. His own breath and heartbeat sounded loud in his ears. “Nate,” she said.
“Oh, right. Sorry.” He hadn’t meant to so completely lose himself. At least not with Nate so nearby in the adjoining room. He wanted her to trust him, wanted to show that he respected her role as Nate’s caregiver. Yet he had to admit to more than a little satisfaction. Her attraction to him was obvious, whatever reluctance she felt, and that made his heart soar.
He took her hand and together they returned to the living room where Nate was reading a book. “I think we should open our fortune cookies,” Nate said, his eyes glistening. “And I hope my fortune says I’m going to be lucky in love.”
Makay’s laugh was unexpected. “Is this about that little girl at school?”
Nate shrugged. “She is kind of cute. Everybody says so. But if I get one like that, I’m going to give it to you.”
“Oh,” Makay said, her smile fading. “I see.”
Harrison bent down next to Nate. “She doesn’t need luck, buddy. She’s got me.”
A heartbeat passed without a response, and then Nate threw an arm around Harrison’s shoulder. “Good,” he said. “Just don’t kiss her in front of me.”
Harrison felt a catch in his throat. “I can’t promise,” he said, his eyes going to Makay, “but maybe we can make some sort of deal if you get a fortune about getting a dog to like you.”
“Oh, that’s easy. You don’t need a fortune. You just have to get him used to you.” With that, Nate flew to the balcony door and let Snoop in. Harrison wondered if the animal was going to tear him to shreds.
“He’s all bark,” Makay said, rescuing the remaining food. She handed Harrison a piece of meat. “But this might help.”
It did—for all of five seconds, but maybe that was sufficient for this session. Makay grabbed Snoop’s collar and pulled him to her side. “Hush now.” She tapped his nose. The dog’s bark fell silent, but a growl rumbled in his throat as he stared murderously at Harrison.
“It says riches are just around the corner,” Nate yelled, staring down at the paper he’d removed from a fortune cookie. His voice sounded loud now that Snoop wasn’t acting like he was going to kill Harrison.
“Great.” Makay’s smile didn’t reach her eyes.
“What about the others?” Harrison asked. “Anything about dogs?”
Nate shook his head. “I’m going to open one a day, so you’ll have to wait.”
“I see.” Harrison looked at Makay, who opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something but closed it without voicing any thoughts. She seemed to be waiting for him to speak, but what he wanted to do was to kiss her senseless and that hardly seemed appropriate.
“So, should we go see the landlady you mentioned?” he asked.
Makay shook her head. “I have to study tonight. I didn’t do enough at the library today.”
“My fault since you were doing my research. Anyway, we can go another time. Or I can go alone. You’ve already done more than enough talking to my grandmother’s friend. It helped me understand my mother a little better.”
“So what are you going to do about the blackmail?” At her side, Snoop sat down, no longer growling. Nate slipped the dog a piece of his fortune cookie; Snoop gulped it down instantly and sniffed for more.
“A lot depends upon what she—or they—say in their response. I stopped by on the way home, and there wasn’t a note. I wonder if they’ll wait until they’re sure I’m not around like they obviously did last night.”
Makay’s eyes dropped to the photo he’d placed on the coffee table. “When is your birthday anyway?” She stood stiffly, as though every part of her awaited his response.
“February.”
“So your sister would have been born later that year. Maybe in August?” Makay’s voice sounded odd.
“You mean the baby my mother—”
“Yes.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. But I can see where you’re going with this. I’ll need those details to verify that this person is who she says she is.” He frowned and added, “Whatever happens, I think I should meet her before I hand over fifty thousand dollars.”
“That’s probably best.” Makay’s voice was so soft he wasn’t sure of the words. And was it his imagination or was she a little pale? Mentally, he derided himself. Here she was just getting over being sick and he had to force his problems on her. And try to get in a few kisses. He really needed to be more considerate if he had any hope of . . . of what?
Of getting her to fall in love with me.
He reached in his pocket for his car keys. “Much as I want to stay, I’ll get out of your hair now. I know you have studying to do.”
“First she has to get me to bed,” Nate said from his place beside Snoop. “Before she leaves.”
That’s right. The old lady from downstairs was babysitting. Makay must be going to a study group, though she didn’t seem in a hurry to volunteer information. Could it be she had a date? No, he wouldn’t believe that. He was about to offer to stay tonight to watch Nate instead of the old lady, but he felt he’d already put enough pressure on her. Besides, he wanted to try to catch whoever was placing those notes on his mother’s car.
“For the record, I’m available if you ever need a sitter,” he said casually. “I know how brutal school can be.” There, that left it open, telling her he would help if she needed, but it wasn’t pushy.
She smiled and this time it reflected in her eyes. “Thank you. I appreciate the offer.”
Did her reaction mean Harrison was making a positive impression? Or just that she was relieved he hadn’t offered to stay tonight in particular? Hard to tell. Whatever it meant, he wasn’t going to obsess about it. His offer was sincere, and he felt she understood that.
She walked him to the door. He thought about kissing her goodnight, but Nate was there with his sharp eyes. Makay herself seemed a little relieved, and Harrison had to remind himself of her earlier reaction.
Don’t take it personally.
She was scared, that’s all. Come to think of it, he was also scared, but there was no way he wasn’t going to take the leap. In fact, he felt he’d already jumped off the cliff and was now waiting to land. It was an exciting, euphoric, and yes, frightening feeling. He never wanted it to end.
“I’ll call you,” he said.
She nodded. “Okay. Let me know if you find out anything else.”
“Sure.” He loved how she took such an interest in his mother’s situation.
One more plus for her.
He whistled as he returned to his Sebring. On the drive home, he called the number of his mother’s former landlady, but nobody answered. There was also no note on the Beetle at the apartment yet, and though he waited in the dark for another hour, still no one showed.
Finally, he went inside to use the bathroom before getting his video camera and hurrying back outside to his car. He hadn’t been able to find what he needed yet in his boxes of electronic equipment, but this would record for at least a few hours.
Next note, I’m demanding a meeting,
he thought. With that, he pushed record, laid his seat back, and let himself doze.
Chapter Sixteen
M
akay didn’t know whether to scream in frustration or to weep with hurt. She reminded herself what a good uncle Harrison would make for Nate, regardless of the outcome of her parentage, but her own loss felt so big that it was hard to focus on that aspect. She’d tried to tell Harrison about her suspicions, but she hadn’t been able to. She told herself it was because doing so would incriminate her and risk Nate, but the real reason was because she couldn’t explain why she’d given in to kissing him if there was any chance of a blood relationship.
She had to talk to Lenny. The only problem would be to do it in a way that didn’t threaten Nate or Harrison. Maybe if she told Lenny she was dating Harrison, he’d end the deal. Or would he just laugh and up the price? Makay felt she knew the answer to that one. Lenny was a user.
And what are you?
That bitter, caustic voice again, the one that had told her as a child that no one loved her. She knew the thoughts were her own, and understanding that only made them more depressing.
“Okay, first a quick shower and then to bed,” she told Nate.
He shook his head. “I wanna go with you. I don’t want to stay with Janice.”
“Honey, you won’t even know I’m gone. You’ll be asleep.”
His bottom lip thrust out. “I know now.”
“Well, I could have kept it a secret,” she said. “Will you please give me a break?”
Usually that was his signal to throw a temper tantrum, but this time he scowled and stalked from the room, again a stark reminder of their father. “Fine, I’m taking a shower.”
He’s growing up.
Another thought came on the heels of the first:
He needs a man in his life.