have no idea how old she is. I do know, however, that shecomes highly recommended by the agency and has excellent references.”
She felt her irritation rising. It had been difficult enough for her to use an unknown sitter, but Mrs. Lake’s references were impeccable, Matt had taken to her right away, and Randi had felt the situation warranted using a sitter; she certainly hadn’t been about to involve Matt in this meeting. And besides, what business was it of McLean’s anyway?
“You checked the references?” Travis questioned, then noted the warning glitter in Randi’s eyes and sought to soften his query. “I mean, you can’t be too careful with kids around water. I s’pose you asked if the old sweetie can swim?”
“As a matter of fact, Mr. McLean, she happens to have a certificate in life-saving from the Red Cross.” She ground this out between clenched teeth.
“Whoa, there, sugar!” He held up his hands as if to ward her off. “I was just wonderin’ how one goes about these things. Findin’ a reliable sitter, I mean.”
He gave his head a doubtful shake. “I reckon it can’t be easy. You don’t have a problem with hirin’ unknown help?”
“No,” Randi said, throwing down her napkin, “but I do have a problem with you.” Rising swiftly, she grabbed her purse and narrowed her eyes at him. “Mr. McLean, I agreed to meet with you today as a courtesy. Not as. a candidate for the third degree! Thank you for the drink,” she added in clipped syllables, and turned to leave.
“Randi, wait.” Travis cursed himself for his clumsy handling of the situation as he rose to stay her with a hand on her arm. What the hell was wrong with him? “I apologize…truly,” he added when she didn’t budge an inch.
A rueful boyish smile accompanied the gaze that zeroed in on hers. “Please don’t leave. I was bein’ ungracious in the extreme, and I’m sorry. If I promise to explain-uh,not excuse myself, mind, but just explain where I was comin’ from—will you stay ‘n’ hear me out?”
She heaved a sigh. When he looked at her like that, she suspected there wasn’t a woman alive who’d deny him anything. Herself included, she thought with annoyance. With a stiff nod, she sank back onto the chair he adroitly held for her.
“It’d better be good,” she warned as he resumed sitting with that same boyish smile in place.
Good? he thought. There was little that was good, exactly, or that he was proud of, in what he was about to tell her. Still, he’d determined it was necessary if he was ever going to get her to trust him. He’d made up his mind to it last night, as he’d tried to sort out what it was he wanted in this bizarre situation involving the child they’d brought into the world.
Having discovered Matt’s existence, he knew it was impossible to go back. No way could he imagine his life now without the kid’s presence. He wasn’t sure yet what form that presence would take, but he desperately wanted to forge some kind of a link between himself and his son. But to do that, he needed Randi’s cooperation. And trust. It all came down to trust.
And so, without stopping to second-guess his decision, Travis found himself revealing more about himself than he’d ever told anyone. He told her first about the night he’d foolishly accepted the dare. And then about the doubt. The stabs of guilt over helping to bring into the world a child he wouldn’t be around to parent. And finally, in halting tones, of the less-than-satisfactory relationship with his own father. The father who was never there for him as a child, not physically, not emotionally.
Randi was silent as she heard him out, but she found herself caught in a range of emotions she hadn’t been prepared to feel: surprise, at his candor over the incident that prompted his sperm donation; amazement tinged with cha-grin, at his decision to leave medicine after most of the grueling preparation was behind him; and sympathy, for the
She felt her irritation rising. It had been difficult enough for her to use an unknown sitter, but Mrs. Lake’s references were impeccable, Matt had taken to her right away, and Randi had felt the situation warranted using a sitter; she certainly hadn’t been about to involve Matt in this meeting. And besides, what business was it of McLean’s anyway?
“You checked the references?” Travis questioned, then noted the warning glitter in Randi’s eyes and sought to soften his query. “I mean, you can’t be too careful with kids around water. I s’pose you asked if the old sweetie can swim?”
“As a matter of fact, Mr. McLean, she happens to have a certificate in life-saving from the Red Cross.” She ground this out between clenched teeth.
“Whoa, there, sugar!” He held up his hands as if to ward her off. “I was just wonderin’ how one goes about these things. Findin’ a reliable sitter, I mean.”
He gave his head a doubtful shake. “I reckon it can’t be easy. You don’t have a problem with hirin’ unknown help?”
“No,” Randi said, throwing down her napkin, “but I do have a problem with you.” Rising swiftly, she grabbed her purse and narrowed her eyes at him. “Mr. McLean, I agreed to meet with you today as a courtesy. Not as. a candidate for the third degree! Thank you for the drink,” she added in clipped syllables, and turned to leave.
“Randi, wait.” Travis cursed himself for his clumsy handling of the situation as he rose to stay her with a hand on her arm. What the hell was wrong with him? “I apologize…truly,” he added when she didn’t budge an inch.
A rueful boyish smile accompanied the gaze that zeroed in on hers. “Please don’t leave. I was bein’ ungracious in the extreme, and I’m sorry. If I promise to explain-uh,not excuse myself, mind, but just explain where I was comin’ from—will you stay ‘n’ hear me out?”
She heaved a sigh. When he looked at her like that, she suspected there wasn’t a woman alive who’d deny him anything. Herself included, she thought with annoyance. With a stiff nod, she sank back onto the chair he adroitly held for her.
“It’d better be good,” she warned as he resumed sitting with that same boyish smile in place.
Good? he thought. There was little that was good, exactly, or that he was proud of, in what he was about to tell her. Still, he’d determined it was necessary if he was ever going to get her to trust him. He’d made up his mind to it last night, as he’d tried to sort out what it was he wanted in this bizarre situation involving the child they’d brought into the world.
Having discovered Matt’s existence, he knew it was impossible to go back. No way could he imagine his life now without the kid’s presence. He wasn’t sure yet what form that presence would take, but he desperately wanted to forge some kind of a link between himself and his son. But to do that, he needed Randi’s cooperation. And trust. It all came down to trust.
And so, without stopping to second-guess his decision, Travis found himself revealing more about himself than he’d ever told anyone. He told her first about the night he’d foolishly accepted the dare. And then about the doubt. The stabs of guilt over helping to bring into the world a child he wouldn’t be around to parent. And finally, in halting tones, of the less-than-satisfactory relationship with his own father. The father who was never there for him as a child, not physically, not emotionally.
Randi was silent as she heard him out, but she found herself caught in a range of emotions she hadn’t been prepared to feel: surprise, at his candor over the incident that prompted his sperm donation; amazement tinged with cha-grin, at his decision to leave medicine after most of the grueling preparation was behind him; and sympathy, for the
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