Saving Alyssa (Mills & Boon Heartwarming) (11 page)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“W
ELL
,
THIS
 
IS
a nice surprise!”

Instantly, Billie recognized her mom's not-so-subtle hint that she didn't call often enough.

“Just giving you and Dad a heads-up. I can't come to Philly this weekend, after all.”

“Mary Margaret Elizabeth Landon, you had
better
have a good excuse.”

“Remember Bud, my next-door neighbor? He's having surgery tomorrow, and since he doesn't have any family, I promised to take care of his place and his cat while he's in the hospital.”

“That's my Billie, always looking out for
other
people.”

Her mother's sarcasm inspired a soft groan. What would her mom say if Billie admitted that she'd offered to look after Bud once he went home, too?

“Who's looking after your business while you're looking after Inky?”

“Believe it or not, Mom, I can walk and chew gum at the same time. As long as I have electricity to run my laptop, I can work.”

“You'll wear yourself to a frazzle, make yourself sick.”

“Don't worry, I bought a baby monitor, so I can sleep in my own bed
and
make sure Inky is okay.”

Her mom sighed. “Well, I suppose we can do this weekend thing anytime.”

“Actually, I was wondering how you and Dad would feel about spending Thanksgiving here. I'll invite Todd and Dani, too. It'll be a little crowded, but we manage at Gramps's cabin, and it's even smaller than my place.”

“That might be fun, and who knows? Troy might have a place of his own by then, and some of us could stay over there.”

“If you tell him I said this, I'll deny it. But I sort of hope he won't find anything, at least until after Christmas. I really enjoy having him here.”

“I hate to say I told you so, but if you'd stayed in Philadelphia, you'd have no reason to miss your family.”

Well,
that
hadn't gone as expected. The two of them had been over this ground so many times, Billie had lost count.

“Oh, dear!” her mom said. “There's someone at the door. Can I call you later?”

Saved by the bell, Billie thought. “Sure. Love you, Mom.”

She hung up and called the next number on her list. A weird little buzz of disappointment went through her when he didn't pick up.

“Hi, Noah,” she told the machine, “it's Billie Landon. I got your email and loved your suggestions. If you'd rather see the changes in person, let me know so we can schedule something. Otherwise, just shoot me an approval in your reply and I'll make it official.”

She'd barely hung up when the phone rang again.

“Billie, m'darlin', how are things on your side of the fence?”

“Things smell like bacon. I thought your doctor told you that's off-limits from now on.”

“That's kind of why I'm calling. Doc's nurse just phoned to say I need to be at the hospital by seven tomorrow for all the pre-op stuff. I know you said you'd drive me, but I can take a cab. Hopkins is a good thirty-minute drive. And it'll be rush hour, meaning—”

“I'm driving you. Got it?”

“Then have dinner with me tonight. We'll make it a big one. And early. My last hoorah, since I can't eat after midnight.”

Billie thought back to yesterday. After showing her where he kept Inky's food and litter, and how much to feed the fish, Bud had handed her a legal-sized envelope that read To Be Opened in the Event My Doc Was a Quack. She would never admit it, but the minute she'd gotten home, Billie had opened it...and found Bud's will. How ironic that someone she barely knew trusted her more than the man she'd married had.

Billie swallowed. “How about if we celebrate after your doctor gives you a clean bill of health?”

Bud agreed, then they chatted about the weather forecast, the latest gas prices, the accident that blew out the traffic light at the corner of Old Columbia Pike and Main Street, and finally agreed to leave for the hospital at five-thirty the next morning.

Afterward, Billie spent the day cleaning and doing laundry, making calls and answering emails so things wouldn't pile up while she was looking after Bud.

It was nearly three when she answered a third call.

“Sorry to be such a pain,” Noah said, “but I can't get your email to download. Is it okay if I stop by after I pick Alyssa up at school?”

She pictured his clunky PC and enormous monitor, and put part of the blame there.

“I'll be here all day,” she said, “so come over anytime.”

They arrived an hour later, and once Noah got Alyssa started on her homework, he and Billie sat at her desk.

“Was this here the other day?” He picked up a framed photo of Billie in a flight attendant's uniform.

“Yeah, but it was probably hidden behind a stack of work.”

“Cute,” he said, putting it back. “So web design wasn't your first career.”

A statement, she noticed, not a question. It wasn't a stretch to assume he was only being polite, because a guy who didn't talk about himself didn't really want much information from others. “Bet it was a hoot, traveling the world for free.”

“Not really,” she said, pulling up his website. “You're usually not in a place long enough to see much more than the inside of a hotel room.”

She'd left her desk drawer open, and followed his gaze to the picture of her and Chuck, standing side by side in the cockpit of a 747.

“Your ex?”

She closed the drawer. “'Fraid so.”

Noah didn't respond right away, but when he did, Billie didn't know what to make of it.

“His loss.”

That's what her friends and family said. How long before she believed it, too?

Pointing, she drew his attention to the monitor. After loading his main page, she reduced its size and pulled up a competitor's site. Tab by tab, she explained why his worked and the other one didn't.

“I don't know what to say, except wow. It's terrific.”

His expression went from something akin to approval to baffled.

“What's wrong?”

“Nothing. It's great. But...” He met her eyes. “I just hope I won't be sorry.”

“Why would you be sorry?”

“I could use the extra cash. With the economy in the shape it is, who couldn't, right? But I like not having to rush, and it's great having plenty of time for Alyssa. I'm not sure I want that to change, even for more money in my wallet.”

“You're giving me way too much credit. You'll see some new business—how much, I can't say—but if I were you, I wouldn't put a down payment on a yacht just yet.”

Noah produced a check and she tucked it under her mouse pad.

“I'd offer you coffee,” she said as they walked toward Alyssa, “but it's been on the burner since breakfast.”

“I never touch the stuff after lunchtime, any—”

One look at his face told her why he'd stopped talking so suddenly.

There sat Alyssa amid an assortment of loose photos: Billie and her brothers as kids in front of a Christmas tree; her parents on their wedding day; Great-grandpa Landon on the hood of his shiny black Buick; the house Billie had shared with Chuck. The picture Alyssa held took her breath away. Billie had almost forgotten taking one of her baby's grave. Almost.

“Alyssa!”

The girl jumped at Noah's stern voice, which startled Billie, too.

“What do you think you're doing?”

“My knee bumped the box, and it fell off the shelf.”

Billie dropped to her knees and, hands shaking, started gathering snapshots of her life.

“It's my fault,” she said. “That shelf is no place for family photos. I should have put them into albums years ago.”

Alyssa looked relieved, but Noah did not.

“You know better than to snoop through other people's things,” he said. “We're going to have to talk about this when we get home, young lady.”

The girl's eyes filled with tears. Her lower lip trembled, too.

“I'm sorry, Daddy.”

“It isn't me who deserves the apology.”

Big, damp eyes locked on Billie's face. “I'm sorry, Billie. I didn't mean to snoop.”

“Oh, don't cry, sweetie. It was an accident. That box falls off the shelf every time I vacuum.”

Alyssa had no sooner dried her eyes on the hem of her shirt than Noah took her by the hand and led her to the foyer.

“Noah. Really. It's okay.” Billie stood between them and the door. “No harm, no foul, y'know?”

“Don't worry. I don't believe in spankings.” He fixed his impatient stare on Alyssa's face. “But we
are
going to talk about a punishment.”

“The shoebox slid off the shelf. A few pictures fell out. I'm sure it wasn't deliberate.”

“Look, I appreciate your concern, but drop it, okay?”

Drop it? How could she do that, with Noah looking so annoyed and Alyssa looking so worried? Billie had never expected to feel anything but grudgingly tolerant of the girl, because for years she'd soothed the ache of losing the baby by telling herself that she didn't like kids, anyway. They were noisy. Sticky. Demanding. Rude. But this one, with her big eyes and bubbly personality, had exposed the lie.

“You're her dad,” Billie stated. “And you know what's best.”

If he hadn't looked so smug when she said it, Billie might not have felt it necessary to add, “Just don't go
too
hard on her, okay?”

He opened the door. “You're a great web designer, and I'll bet you were a dynamite flight attendant, too. But unless you can show me a certificate that proves you're qualified to analyze me or my daughter...”

In other words, Billie thought, butt out.

She gripped the doorknob so tightly her knuckles ached. “Your site is live now, but I can make changes anytime. Call me if you see anything you'd like tweaked,” she said, and closed the door.

Nothing about him made sense. Troy had been a security specialist in Philadelphia, yet he hadn't been able to roust out one iota of information about Noah—not even after calling in a few favors from former coworkers. Who lives thirty-some years without leaving
some
kind of a paper trail?

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Y
OU
 
KNOW
 
WHY
you're in trouble, right?”

“Because I was snooping?”

“I thought the box fell, accidently.”

Alyssa tucked in one corner of her mouth. “So when are we going back to Billie's house, so I can say I'm sorry
again?
”

Noah replayed those final five minutes at her place and grimaced inwardly. Everything he'd said and done had been uncalled for. Picturing her as she came to Alyssa's defense put a smile in place of the grimace: spine stiff, shoulders back, hands on hips and chin up, she'd stared him down...right up until the moment when she thought her attitude might affect the way he'd punish Alyssa.

“We'll give her a couple of days.” The truth?
He
needed the time to come up with a good excuse to call.

Alyssa plopped back onto her pillow and flapped her covers. “I think she'd make a great mom.” Her nose wrinkled. “Wonder why she doesn't have a husband and kids.”

“Good question.” Because Billie
would
make a great mom.

Noah listened to Alyssa's prayers and tucked her in, then left the door open a crack so the glow from the night-light in the hall could filter into her room. After settling into his recliner, he picked up the latest issue of
Bicycling
and flipped to the feature article, a story about the rise and fall of a cycling legend. Noah had read only a few paragraphs when a soft knock interrupted him.

The only time Max dropped in at this hour was when she had something to tell him that Alyssa shouldn't hear. Hopefully, the purpose of this visit was to tell him that Hank O'Malley would no longer be a problem.

But it was Troy Landon on the small landing, not Max. Had he come to read him the riot act for upsetting his little sister?

Noah opened the door. “Hey, Troy. How goes it?”

“It goes. I know it's late, and to be honest, Billie would have my head on a plate if she knew I was here.”

“Soda? Beer?” Noah asked, closing the door.

“I'm good, but thanks.”

The men sat facing one another in the living room, and Troy was the first to speak.

“I understand you had a little run-in with my sister today.”

Noah didn't know what to say. First of all, it wasn't exactly a run-in....

“I'm sorry if she's upset. Alyssa and I were talking earlier about going back over there, setting things straight.”

Troy leaned back, rested an arm on the sofa cushions. “Here's the thing about Billie—and if you tell her what I'm about to say, I'll—”

“Don't worry. I'm a great secret keeper.”

Troy's eyes narrowed slightly, and he opened his mouth as if to ask what that meant. He propped an ankle on a knee instead, and said, “She's still mourning her baby, see, so she has...let's call them
issues.
She says the reason she avoids kids is because they always have runny noses and dirty fingernails.” He inspected his own nails, then added, “But she isn't fooling anybody. All she ever wanted was to grow up, get married and have kids.”

“Miscarriage?”

“Stillbirth,” Troy said matter-of-factly. “She bounced back physically—thanks to the Cannondale—but for a long time, we didn't know if she'd ever recover emotionally. And that idiot she married didn't help matters.”

Noah was curious about her ex, and wanted to hear what had ended the marriage. But the less he knew about Billie, the easier it would be to keep her at arm's length.

“Understood.” He paused, then changed the subject. “How's the house hunting going?”

“Good. Found three properties I like. My place in Pennsylvania is on the market. With any luck, it'll sell fast so I won't have to take Billie up on her offer.”

Her offer? To become her permanent roommate, Noah wondered, or loan him the down payment for one of the houses he'd seen? But those weren't the questions he wanted to ask. Why was Troy here? That's what he really wanted to know.

“So what brings you here, Troy?”

“Covering my bases, mostly. I'm guessing you have a wide variety of customers. Maybe somebody in the security business. One who mentioned a job opening.”

For all he knew, Billie's brother was an ex-con. Troy's brow furrowed as he picked absently at a loose thread on his sock. “Don't know how much Billie told you, but my plan is to make Ellicott City my home base.” He put both feet on the floor, as if preparing to stand. “So if you hear of anything—doesn't have to be security-related—let me know?”

Billie hadn't told him anything. No surprise there. But Noah didn't see any reason to take it out on her brother.

“Actually, I do know a guy.” Noah told him about Jeff, who owned a company that installed and repaired security systems. If Troy wasn't on the up-and-up, Jeff would find out during the interview process. “Last time he was in, he mentioned that he'd just lost his regional manager.”

Troy leaned forward, clearly interested in the news. “Commercial or residential?”

“Both. I think. Want me to give him a call?”

“Hey. Sure. Thanks, man.”

Noah opened his cell phone and scrolled to Jeff's number.

Troy laughed nervously. “Whoa. I didn't mean right now!”

“Relax. He's a night owl, like me.”

Noah called and Jeff picked up right away. “This better be good, Preston. I'm in the middle of
Moby Dick.
”

“What? You didn't read that in high school?”

“Not unless Cliff Notes count.”

“How does a lazy guy like you end up running one of the biggest security firms in the mid-Atlantic?”

“By realizing at a very tender age that math would open more doors than classic literature. But enough about me. What do you want at nine-thirty on a Friday night?”

“Remember Billie, the woman with the sprained ankle you met at the shop? The one who built my website?”

“Sounds to me like you're getting real cozy, not that I blame you. Besides, I remember the way you were looking at her. Not that I blame you for that, either.”

First Max, now Jeff? If Noah knew what was good for him, he'd put more effort into a deadpan expression when he was around Billie.

“So anyway,” he continued, “her brother is moving from Philly to Baltimore, and he's looking for a job in your field.”

“If he's okay with running up and down I-95 every week, I want to talk to him.”

“He's sitting right here. I'll put him on and you two can hammer out the details.”

Noah handed Troy the phone and gave a thumbs-up.

In the kitchen, he uncapped a beer and took a swig, and leaning against the counter, visualized one of the photographs Alyssa had found: a white marble angel, cradling an infant. At the angel's feet, a brass plaque that was too fuzzy to read. According to Troy, losing the baby had been hard on Billie. From that, Noah could only assume the blowup between her and “her idiot husband” had been enormous. Why else would she have left that beautiful, well-tended grave behind?

What had brought her to Baltimore, of all places? Certainly not her job. With a business like that, she could work anywhere, as long as she had a power source and internet access. And why settle down in one of Maryland's oldest neighborhoods, instead of a modern house like he had seen in a photo she'd held just a second or two longer than all the rest, as she put them back in the box?

Troy joined him in the kitchen, smiling as he handed back the phone. “You have another one of those?” he asked, pointing at the beer.

“Help yourself,” Noah said, using the bottle to gesture toward the fridge. “Things went well with Jeff, I take it.”

“We're meeting tomorrow so I can sign an employment contract.” Troy chuckled and popped the top off the beer. “Mr. Security Expert checked me out while we were talking, so I don't need to update my résumé or fill out an application.” Billie's brother took a swallow of his beer, then leaned forward and clinked the bottle against Noah's. “I owe you big-time, dude.
Big-
time.”

“Hey. I made a phone call. The rest is on you. Remember that, if things don't work out.”

By eleven o'clock, there were six empties lined up on Noah's kitchen counter. He hadn't talked that much, all at one time, since leaving Chicago. In the hour and a half since the call to Jeff had ended, they had discussed sports, the weather, taxes...

...and Billie.

“I've known her all her life, and I can tell when she likes somebody. Trust me, man. She. Likes. You.”

To be honest, Noah liked her, too.

Troy went home at eleven-thirty, leaving Noah to face an unsettling fact.

Everyone, it seemed, thought he and Billie ought to be together.

Everyone, that is, except Noah.