Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Today had been a good day.
Noah kissed his niece goodnight and stepped out of her bedroom, then headed to his own room to change out of his suit. He’d need to take it to the dry cleaner’s tomorrow, but it’d been worth it.
He’d attended the Tidewater board of directors meeting to address all the “scandals” they were concerned about. He’d outlined the details of the break-in as if it were nothing serious.
He hoped that was true. There was no evidence that his intruder was, as Richard had theorized, Lena Monroe. Noah had blocked the woman’s number after she’d called him, and he hadn’t seen or heard from her since that day three weeks before. Maybe she’d finally taken the hint.
Too bad he hadn’t gotten through to her before she broke up his marriage.
Noah had explained to the board that Charlotte was not his daughter but a family member who needed a home, which was true, if not the whole truth. They’d pressed for more information, but it wasn’t his place to name Jasper as her father, not when Jasper was barely willing to face the fact himself.
“For now, that’s all the information I’m willing to share,” he’d said. “I’d like to believe that taking on the responsibility for someone else’s child would be a mark in my favor.”
“And we’re supposed to believe you?” Lowell snapped. “That you didn’t father this kid when you were cheating on my sister.”
He’d met his ex-brother-in-law’s eyes. “I can show you the court papers assigning me custody, if that would put your mind at ease.”
“But you’re not willing to take a paternity test.” Lowell’s gaze had scanned the rest of the board members. “Which tells us everything we need to know.”
Noah had known Lowell would fight dirty—former friends made the worst enemies—so he’d anticipated that. “I’m happy to take a paternity test.”
Nadine, another board member, said, “That won’t be necessary. I assume you have an explanation for the magazine article?”
“I refused the interview, but I have no control over what they choose to write.”
As if any intelligent man would ever want to be named “Most Eligible Bachelor.” Noah couldn’t even go to the market these days without some woman sidling up beside him, batting her eyelashes.
He’d thought taking Charlotte along would discourage them.
He’d been wrong. Apparently, single women loved children, or, if not, they were good at pretending they did.
The board had agreed—all but Lowell—that Noah did seem to be trying to avoid scandal. Fortunately, the subject of Charlotte’s new nanny hadn’t come up. Miss Wright was attractive enough to raise eyebrows, but apparently, none of them had seen her.
Thanks to today’s meeting, the merger was back on track. Noah needed to coordinate the finishing touches on the software his employees were customizing to work with Tidewater’s system and finish collecting all the financials. Then Richard and Tidewater’s attorney would put the paperwork together.
After all the stress of the previous few weeks—not to mention the months of preparation before that—the merger should come together soon. When it did, Noah would have more time than he’d had in years, time to spend with the little girl he loved.
The little girl who kept calling him Daddy.
It was enough to make a man’s heart melt.
He liked it. He liked taking care of her. He liked being with her. He’d never considered himself good with kids—he was nothing like Miss Wright—but he’d fallen head over heels in love with Charlotte. The thought of her real father taking her away from him… He couldn’t stand it.
Did Jasper even miss her? Did he care? He sure didn’t call very often, and when he did, he rarely asked to talk to her.
Charlotte needed a daddy who loved her completely. She needed one who’d make sacrifices for her.
She needed…Noah. And Noah needed her.
He pulled on his favorite pair of jeans and a T-shirt, then stared at himself in the mirror.
What was he thinking? He couldn’t keep Charlotte, no matter how much he wanted to. Was he really going to challenge his own brother for custody? Their relationship was strained enough.
But Charlotte was more important.
Noah didn’t know what to do. He’d pray and follow God’s lead. That was his only choice.
Putting the idea out of his head for now, he headed downstairs. Normally, he’d go to his office to put in a couple hours of work before bed, but he didn’t have it in him tonight.
The front door was open, letting in the telltale creak of the swing.
Before he could talk himself out of it, he pushed through the screen door and stepped onto the porch.
The sun had set, Magnolia Street only lit by moonlight, and for a moment, he saw into the past. Mom and Dad, cuddled up like smitten teenagers, sharing secrets and ice cream.
Noah used to enjoy seeing them in moments like that, together and in love.
There was something so comforting about those times. They’d made him feel secure.
That was back when he was too little to understand how quickly security could unravel like threads on a cheap sweater.
The image faded, replaced by Miss Wright staring into the darkness. He could envision her face when he’d caught her watching him read to Charlotte, and he still couldn’t name her expression. Or maybe he just didn’t want to acknowledge it.
If he were smart, he’d turn around and go back inside.
But this was a day for celebrating. Today was for playing in the leaves in his suit and reading stories with silly voices.
Not the day for being smart.
“Mind if I join you?” He kept his voice soft, not wanting to disturb her if she didn’t welcome his company.
“Sure.” She scooted over to make room.
The swing dipped under his weight. He pushed off with his foot, and they rocked in silence, the squeak of the chains and the distant surf creating a soft symphony.
“She’s asleep. Hopefully, she’ll stay that way.”
“I heard her cry out the other night.”
“Mmm.” His niece had night terrors, something he’d never even heard of before she came to live with him. Though she seemed to be improving in other areas, the night terrors had not only not stopped, but they seemed more frequent.
“If you ever want me to handle it—”
“It’s okay,” he said. “You need to sleep.”
“So do you. You’ve been burning the candle at both ends—and maybe holding a match to the middle.”
He chuckled. “Don’t worry about me. Besides, she’s not usually even awake when she does it.
Once I go in there and hold her for a bit, she goes right back to sleep.
” He hated thinking about what caused those terrors, but there was something sweet about how she relaxed in his arms. It mattered that she trusted him.
He’d do everything in his power to never betray that trust.
“Maybe she’ll sleep through tonight,” Miss Wright said. “She played hard today.”
“She does everything with her whole heart.” Charlotte reminded him so much of her father. Jasper had been like that, passionate and determined. But that was before. Noah didn’t understand the man his brother had become. “I never thought I’d be raising a child alone. Certainly not my brother’s.”
“You’re really good with her, you know.” Miss Wright’s gaze flicked to his, but she quickly averted it. “She adores you.”
Pleasure washed over him at her words. “It’s mutual. I’m figuring it out as I go. Some days are better than others.”
“All parents can say that. That’s part of parenting.”
“Is it?” He shifted for a better look at her, needing to know if she was being genuine or just trying to placate him.
“Of course. Did your parents always have it together?”
He looked forward again, shrugging. “Seemed like they did.”
“I’ve worked for my share of families, and they all have issues. I haven’t met the perfect one yet.”
“That makes me feel better, I guess. Except I was sort of hoping I’d figure it out.”
“Oh, you will. As soon as you do, she’ll change.” Miss Wright uttered a small laugh. “I don’t think it’s supposed to be easy.”
“Hmm. S’pose not.” They rocked for a few moments. Despite the fact that he was sitting with his child’s nanny—a woman he barely knew—he felt comfortable. He settled back on the swing.
“What brought you to Driftwood?” He didn’t know what prompted him to give voice to the question he’d been wondering about since he first met her. Even before he’d seen her license plates, he’d known she was a Yankee, thanks to her distinctive accent.
“I just needed to get away.”
He guessed there was a story that she didn’t want to tell him, and he didn’t push. Everyone had secrets.
“And you picked Driftwood? Of all places?”
A small smile played at her lips. “When I was a kid, we had family friends who lived near here. We’d visit sometimes in the summer, so it’s not completely unfamiliar to me. And being close to the Atlantic…I grew up on the coast. It reminds me of home, in a way.”
“Same ocean, different view,” he said. “I can see why that would be comfortable.”
“Exactly.” She looked at him, her expression both pleased and surprised. “That’s it exactly.”
He pushed off the porch floor gently to get the swing going again. Not wanting its stopping to give her an excuse to get up and go inside. “Most of my friends left after college. Headed to Richmond or DC or New York. Bigger dreams, I guess.”
“But not you?”
“Dad was gone. Jasper rarely came home. Mom was still with us. I didn’t want her to be alone.”
“She must have been happy to have you close.”
“She was.” Noah felt a familiar pang at the memory of his mother.
“You would have liked her. She had all the”—he gestured vaguely toward the door—“home stuff figured out. The cooking, cleaning, baking, and doing it all with grace while she took care of two rowdy boys. I realize now how much work it was, but Mom made it look easy. Like you do.”
“Oh.” The surprised sound escaped Miss Wright’s mouth. “That’s a nice thing to say. Thank you.”