and closed the door.
Great. So she'd be there but didn't want to be bothered. Fine. I could do that, I thought and turned away from Jim's closed bedroom door. It wasn't as if I planned to become a cradle robber.
* * *
Ryan was furious when he found out about Tanya. “You’re asking for more trouble than that brother of yours is worth!”
For once it would be nice if he told me something I hadn't already figured out for myself. “It wasn't my choice,” I reminded him.
“Where’s her family, and why doesn’t she have a job?”
“She doesn’t have any family. She and Jim met at a dance sponsored by Adult Orphans. And she does have a job. She’s a nurse’s aide. Right now she’s out on maternity leave.”
“Why?”
“How the hell should I know why?” I demanded. “Maybe she's having a difficult pregnancy. She has health benefits, but very little money and no place to stay.”
“So what? Are you going to get stuck with taking care of her until she has the baby?”
“It’s only for a couple of months.” But in my mind I knew it was going to be the hardest two months of my life. I'd spent the entire weekend trying to hide my growing desire for her.
“What makes you think Jim is coming back for her at all?” Ryan demanded.
If Ryan had met her, he wouldn't doubt that Jim would return. “He'll come back for her.”
“Why are you so sure of that?”
I shrugged. “I just am. He's already shown an interest in her welfare that he's never shown with any other woman.”
“Have you heard from him yet, Tom?”
“No, but he knows from past experience that I’d need a week or two to cool off. I have no doubt he’ll be back.”
“How do you know? Because he said so? Come on, Tom. At some point you have to stop trying to mop up his messes.”
Ryan and Jim had never really liked each other but generally managed to be civil--until Ryan felt Jim was taking advantage of me. “Because he cares about her. If he didn’t he’d have dumped her long ago.”
“Come on, Tom. Wake up! He’s conned you again. This isn’t your problem. Why don’t you try talking her into having an abortion?”
While I hadn’t balked at the other two girls having an abortion, the thought of destroying a baby that was part of Tanya made me feel sick. And Jim apparently feels the same way, I reminded myself. You can't afford to forget that. He will be back for her so don't go get any ideas about her.
But at that point, it was already too late. Not that I was ready to admit it then. During my lunch break, I drove to the tiny florist shop in the center of town and ordered a dozen roses to be sent to the apartment. I hesitated a moment, then paid to have a dozen sent every week for the next couple of weeks.
“What do you want the cards to say?” The clerk asked.
I thought for a moment. “To my special lady, Tanya. Tom will take care of you until I get back. Jim.”
The clerk looked at me.
She was pretty and young. I sighed. She probably knew Jim.
Heading back to work, I had mixed feelings about what I'd just done. I didn’t want to deceive Tanya, but I also wanted to lift her spirits. If letting her think Jim thought enough of her to send her flowers on a weekly basis helped it, so be it.
I knew I'd made the right decision when a glowing Tanya met me at the door when I got home that night.
“Oh, Tom! Look!” She held the roses out to me. “You were right. Aren't they beautiful?”
I nodded, pleased she liked them.
“He does care about me!”
“Who?” I asked, taking off my jacket. “You got a secret admirer Jim should know about?”
“Don't I wish?”
Did she really wish? If she did, she only had to look in my direction.
“They're from Jim! He sent me these beautiful roses.”
Damn. The delight I saw in her face told me Jim still had her heart. Lucky bastard. Even
Great. So she'd be there but didn't want to be bothered. Fine. I could do that, I thought and turned away from Jim's closed bedroom door. It wasn't as if I planned to become a cradle robber.
* * *
Ryan was furious when he found out about Tanya. “You’re asking for more trouble than that brother of yours is worth!”
For once it would be nice if he told me something I hadn't already figured out for myself. “It wasn't my choice,” I reminded him.
“Where’s her family, and why doesn’t she have a job?”
“She doesn’t have any family. She and Jim met at a dance sponsored by Adult Orphans. And she does have a job. She’s a nurse’s aide. Right now she’s out on maternity leave.”
“Why?”
“How the hell should I know why?” I demanded. “Maybe she's having a difficult pregnancy. She has health benefits, but very little money and no place to stay.”
“So what? Are you going to get stuck with taking care of her until she has the baby?”
“It’s only for a couple of months.” But in my mind I knew it was going to be the hardest two months of my life. I'd spent the entire weekend trying to hide my growing desire for her.
“What makes you think Jim is coming back for her at all?” Ryan demanded.
If Ryan had met her, he wouldn't doubt that Jim would return. “He'll come back for her.”
“Why are you so sure of that?”
I shrugged. “I just am. He's already shown an interest in her welfare that he's never shown with any other woman.”
“Have you heard from him yet, Tom?”
“No, but he knows from past experience that I’d need a week or two to cool off. I have no doubt he’ll be back.”
“How do you know? Because he said so? Come on, Tom. At some point you have to stop trying to mop up his messes.”
Ryan and Jim had never really liked each other but generally managed to be civil--until Ryan felt Jim was taking advantage of me. “Because he cares about her. If he didn’t he’d have dumped her long ago.”
“Come on, Tom. Wake up! He’s conned you again. This isn’t your problem. Why don’t you try talking her into having an abortion?”
While I hadn’t balked at the other two girls having an abortion, the thought of destroying a baby that was part of Tanya made me feel sick. And Jim apparently feels the same way, I reminded myself. You can't afford to forget that. He will be back for her so don't go get any ideas about her.
But at that point, it was already too late. Not that I was ready to admit it then. During my lunch break, I drove to the tiny florist shop in the center of town and ordered a dozen roses to be sent to the apartment. I hesitated a moment, then paid to have a dozen sent every week for the next couple of weeks.
“What do you want the cards to say?” The clerk asked.
I thought for a moment. “To my special lady, Tanya. Tom will take care of you until I get back. Jim.”
The clerk looked at me.
She was pretty and young. I sighed. She probably knew Jim.
Heading back to work, I had mixed feelings about what I'd just done. I didn’t want to deceive Tanya, but I also wanted to lift her spirits. If letting her think Jim thought enough of her to send her flowers on a weekly basis helped it, so be it.
I knew I'd made the right decision when a glowing Tanya met me at the door when I got home that night.
“Oh, Tom! Look!” She held the roses out to me. “You were right. Aren't they beautiful?”
I nodded, pleased she liked them.
“He does care about me!”
“Who?” I asked, taking off my jacket. “You got a secret admirer Jim should know about?”
“Don't I wish?”
Did she really wish? If she did, she only had to look in my direction.
“They're from Jim! He sent me these beautiful roses.”
Damn. The delight I saw in her face told me Jim still had her heart. Lucky bastard. Even
Similar Books
BROKEN WINGS: GODS OF CHAOS MC (BOOK THREE)
Honey Palomino
Full Fury
Roger Ormerod
Front Page Face-Off
Jo Whittemore
Blue Dahlia
Nora Roberts
Refining Felicity
MC Beaton
Dragon Stones
James V. Viscosi
Silver is for Secrets
Laurie Faria Stolarz
Intensity
Dean Koontz
A Heart Full of Lies
Nique Luarks
The Absent Author
Ron Roy