She nodded somberly, thinking of how difficult those holidays would be for him if he was still estranged from his family, which certainly seemed likely at this point. She was sure he had always considered Thanksgiving and Christmas as times to spend with his mother and siblings. She was just as sure that he would not spend those celebrations with them now if Isabelle wasn’t welcome to join them.
Because she simply didn’t know what to say about his family dilemma, she decided to let his comment pass. She pulled her car keys from the outside pocket of her black leather purse. “I’ll be in court in the morning, so it will probably be tomorrow afternoon when I see you. I hope Isabelle’s first day at preschool goes well.”
“I’m sure she’ll do fine. She’s a pretty remarkable kid.”
“Yes, she is. I haven’t spent much time with children, but I can tell that your little sister is very special.”
“Thank you.” He seemed genuinely pleased by her words, as proud, she thought, as any new father. “I think so, too.”
She pushed the button that automatically unlocked her car and opened the door. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.”
“I would like to kiss you again.”
The quiet words made her cling to her car door for support. “Please don’t say that.”
Nathan took a step closer to her, his voice just loud enough to reach her ears. “Not saying it doesn’t make it any less true.”
Shaking her head, she pressed against the car as if instinctively trying to put as much physical distance between herself and Nathan as possible. Her heart was pounding again now, as swiftly as it had been before, when he’d stunned her with that unexpected kiss.
“You’re just overwhelmed by everything that has happened in the past week. You’re feeling cut off from your family and grateful because I’ve tried to help you.”
“It isn’t gratitude, even though I am appreciative of all you’ve done. I felt this way before Alan Curtis called. I just hadn’t gotten around to doing anything about it yet, though I certainly intended to.”
“I really wish you wouldn’t. It’s too…complicated.”
“Would you have reacted differently before Isabelle moved in with me?”
Thinking of the women who would back off because of his new circumstances, she shook her head. “This has nothing to do with Isabelle. I don’t believe in office dalliances. They’re risky and awkward and ultimately messy. It’s best to avoid those complications whenever possible.”
“I’m not talking about an ‘office dalliance,’” he replied, obviously taking exception to the term she had chosen. “Yes, I’m physically attracted to you, but it’s more than that. I care about you.”
Sheer panic made her heart jump and then start pounding even harder. At least she assumed it was panic and not anything more dangerous. “Let’s…not talk about this now. As you said, there’s a lot going on in your life and at work now. It’s the wrong time to start something else.”
“So we should just pretend nothing happened? Go back to being nothing more than business partners?”
“We are nothing more than business partners,” she muttered in exasperation. “And I, for one, would like to get back to business!”
“Damn, you have beautiful eyes,” he mused, gazing at her meltingly.
Groaning, she jerked the car door open. “I have a meeting to attend. And after that I have a good four hours of research to do on the medical malpractice case, which we still haven’t had time to discuss yet.”
“I’ll discuss it anytime you like. How about here at my place after your meeting tonight?”
She frowned, refusing to be swayed by his wicked smile. “We’ll discuss it at the office. Now that your personal life is in order, there’s no reason we can’t get back to having our business discussions in the conference room.”
“I’ll count the minutes until I see you again.”
She didn’t know what had suddenly put him in this cheerful, teasing mood, but she didn’t trust it for a minute. “Stop that,” she snapped. “I’m not falling for your notorious charms, so there’s no need to waste them on me.”
“Thank you,” he said with mock gravity. “I find you charming, too.”
A low growl escaped her. Before she completely lost what little composure she had left, she slid into her car and shut the door with a loud snap. Nathan stepped back, his thumbs hooked in his jeans pockets, and watched her drive away with what, in her rearview mirror, looked suspiciously like a smug grin.
It seemed each passing day of the next week made Nathan more aware of how different his life had become.
Though Mrs. T. worked miracles on the home front, taking the load of cooking, laundry and housework off his shoulders, he still made a point to spend as much time as possible with Isabelle in the evenings. He listened to her stories about school, heard about the new friends she was making there and admired the colorful artwork and carefully drawn alphabet sheets she brought home every day.
Each night he read her a bedtime story and tucked her into bed. Every morning he woke her with tickles and kisses so that she began each new day with a smile. Even without the extra chores, his life away from the office revolved around Isabelle.