Toys and Baby Wishes Read Free Page B

life, but Clare's life was
changing.  If only he could accept this change, see how much Clare's senior
friends meant to her...
    Lexa stopped short when she saw him through the glass
window.  What a transformation!  His hair was trimmed, but its thick waves
denied attempts to be styled.  His face was clean-shaven.  Sexy in jeans, he
was even sexier in his navy pinstripe suit.  His blue shirt made his eyes a
deeper blue when he looked up and saw her.
    The suspicion was still there.
    The door to his office stood open.  She stepped inside. 
"Hi.  Do you have a few minutes?"
    His expression was guarded.  "Sure.  Have a seat."
    He perched on the corner of the desk while she sat in the
leather chair in the corner.
    "Clare called me this morning."
    He sighed.  "To ask you to talk to me."
    "Yes, but I told her this was between the two of
you."
    Josh's brows lifted.
    "I don't want to come between you."
    "But you are.  Your name crops up every two
sentences."
    Lexa shifted uneasily in her chair.  "We've become
friends."
    "Why?"
    "Because..."  She couldn't tell him she looked on
Clare as the mother she'd lost.  Her stepmother had been a poor substitute. 
"We clicked the moment we met."
    Josh stood and went behind his desk.  "I apologize for
my attitude yesterday.  I'd driven all day and was looking forward to taking
Clare to dinner.  When I found chaos instead..."  He shrugged and smiled.
    It was a disarming smile.  She'd known many men who didn't
know how to apologize.  She relaxed and smiled back.  "I'm afraid I didn't
help much.  I'm sorry I...blew up."
    "Maybe I needed to hear what you had to say.  I really
do have her best interests at heart."
    Lexa sat forward, feeling she was making progress.  "I
know.  She's told me you're more of a son than a nephew."
    He pulled out the swivel chair and sat behind his desk. 
"And what else did she tell you?"
    An imp made Lexa say, "Something about catching you
skinny dipping with your girlfriend after your high school graduation party. 
How difficult it was to teach you how to drive under the speed limit.  How you
traded two of her oldest silver dollars for a frog..."
    "Stop.  Stop!" he pleaded.  "Or you'll have
me blushing before your eyes."
    "As if anything could make you blush."
    "I could think of a few things," he teased.
    That winsome smile of his could melt Antarctica.  The
character lines that crinkled around his eyes when he smiled added to his
charm.  "Clare said you and she had reached an understanding."
    He cocked his head.  "We understand each other
perfectly.  She told me what she's planning to do and I gave my unnecessary
stamp of approval because she would have done it anyway.  If you hadn't
noticed, she's a very stubborn woman."
    "I wonder if it runs in the family."
    He grinned.  "You've noticed."
    No man's smile had ever made her feel so...unsettled.  She
straightened and got to the point of her visit.  "There's a meeting
tonight at the senior center.  I thought you might want to come and see what
goes on.  I'm sure Clare would like you to meet her friends, too."
    Josh looked at Lexa strangely, as if he couldn't figure her
out.  "What time?"
    "Seven."
    "I'll be there."
    His blue gaze was too penetrating.  And she had more work
back at her office than she wanted to think about.  She stood.  "Good.  I'll
see you there."
    Josh nodded.
    After Lexa left his office, Josh leaned back in his chair
and propped his feet on the desk.  He hadn't gotten much sleep last night,
worrying about Clare, wondering what to do about Ms. Kittredge's influence. 
She seemed so damned honest...
    sincere.  He glanced toward the store and saw the top of her
curly blond head as she passed down the aisle.
    He'd spoken to his lawyer this morning.  And the real estate
agent.  Clare would lose money if she dropped out of the sale.  Josh intended
to inspect the property himself after work with a contractor he knew to see if
the investment was sound. 
    And as