3. Emma
T he knock on my front door caused me to jump and nearly spill the hot tea I had been holding.
“Okay, Whiskers, you need to get off my lap so we can see whose food is being delivered to the wrong apartment again.”
My cat, Whiskey, made a protest of being displaced by taking his sweet time stretching, then letting out a long meow that I swore sounded like he had said fuck off.
I opened the door to see Wendy standing there bundled up and snow all over her.
“Wendy? What are you doing here?”
She pushed past me and started to take off her layers of winter protection.
“How could you not tell me the hot single dad was a firefighter and that he was the same firefighter who was helping you plan the Christmas dinner!”
“You came over here in a blizzard to ask me about this?”
Wendy fought to get her jacket off. Once she was free of it, she hung it up, turned to me and stared. “You bet your sweet ass I did. Harrison is a firefighter?”
I nodded. “Not only that, but he’s also an ex-Navy SEAL.”
Wendy gasped. “Shut up!”
Giggling, I made my way into the kitchen. “Tea?”
“Yes! I’m freezing.”
She slid onto the bar stool at my small kitchen island. “Tell me everything. Don’t leave a single thing out.”
“Well, after he showed up for the meeting and we exchanged a few barbs, we called a truce.”
“A truce?”
“Yep. I regretfully admit I was a bit of a bitch. Stuck my foot in my mouth once again.”
“How?”
I shrugged. “Accused him of knowing nothing about planning a dinner, let alone a fundraiser. To which he quickly put me in my place. Rightfully so.”
“Okay, go on.”
“Mr. Maggio,” I said with a waggle of my brows.
“I knew it! I knew he was Italian. That dark hair and those dreamy green eyes. They were a dead giveaway.”
“You were right. Anyway, his father was a senator.”
Wendy gasped. “Oh my God. Senator Maggio? He died not that long ago.”
“A year ago. Harrison was close to both of his parents. He said he used to help his mother plan events and even helped her in her garden, so he knows what flowers to use during the winter.”
“Wow. Okay, so you know he’ll be helpful in the planning part. Where is Noel’s mother?”
I felt the pit in my stomach once again at the thought of the whole story. “You have to promise me you won’t say a word to anyone. Promise me.”
Wendy crossed her heart with her finger then held up two fingers. “I promise I won’t say a word.”
Drawing a quick breath, I exhaled. “When Harrison found out his father had cancer, he decided not to enlist again in the Navy. The night before he was set to head back to Boston an old flame showed up. He said they’d gone out a few times.
It wasn’t anything but a hook-up kind of an arrangement, or at least I took it that way.
Anyway, she handed him a one-month-old baby girl. ”
Wendy had the same reaction I had had. She gasped and covered her mouth with both hands.
“Told Harrison she didn’t want the baby and she was his responsibility.”
“Holy crap. I mean, I’m glad she brought him the baby, but why didn’t she tell him about her?”
“Harrison said he had been overseas when Noel was born. Her mother apparently had left him a few messages that they needed to talk, but never told him about what.”
“Is he sure Noel is his?”
I nodded and placed my hand over my chest. “He said he had a DNA test done, but had already decided even if she wasn’t his, he was keeping her because he fell in love with her the moment she looked up at him and smiled.”
“It was probably gas at that young of an age.”
I smiled. “Yeah. Probably.”
“He seems to really love that little girl.”
Setting the tea in front of Wendy, I nodded. “Harrison said Noel was exactly what they all needed. She brought a light into their dark world with his father’s cancer.”
“I’m glad his dad got to know her.”
“Yeah, I think that was special. I asked Harrison about following his father’s footsteps into politics, since he followed them into the Navy.”
Wendy leaned in closer. “And?”
With a shake of my head, I replied, “He has no desire. Doug, the guy who comes in with him to story time, is his oldest and dearest friend. When he found out Harrison was coming back, he told him to think about working as a firefighter. Harrison said he talked it over with his mother and father and it was something he really wanted to try. They both supported him.”
“Who watches Noel during his shifts?”
“A nanny.”
That caused Wendy to raise her brows. “Man, it sounds like something straight out of a romance novel.”
I laughed but it had crossed my mind as well. I’d wanted to ask him more about the nanny but let it go.
“That’s all I know. We talked about the dinner after that and made plans to meet up again on Saturday.”
“Where?”
“His house.”
Wendy choked on her tea. “Wait. You’re going to his house?”
I rolled my eyes. “It isn’t anything like that. He offered to have lunch there since he had his daughter. I agreed. His daughter will be there, and he even offered to have his mother join us since she knows a thing or two about benefit dinners.”
Wendy screwed up her face. “Well, that took the wind right out of my sails.”
Smiling, I replied, “Sorry to disappoint you. Besides, a guy like that wouldn’t be interested in someone like me.”
“What? Why in the world would you say that, Emma? You’re beautiful, you have an amazing body and a wonderful personality.”
I glanced down at the sweats and long-sleeve T-shirt I had one. “Amazing body? You have a great body, Wendy.”
She laughed. “Please, I have no ass and no boobs. You have the curves that drive men insane.”
Chewing on my lower lip, I looked down at my body once again. “Maybe some men.”
“Please, all the other guys you dated in the past were idiots.”
“Well, regardless, nothing is going to happen between us. We’re simply working together.”
With a smirk and a wink, Wendy whispered, “Famous last words.”
I walked up to the building where Harrison had told me he lived. The doorman smiled as I stopped and peered around him. It was a far cry from where I lived.
“May I help you, ma’am?”
My eyes swung back over to the doorman. “Yes. I, um, I’m here to see Harrison Maggio.”
A wide smile erupted across his face as he opened the door. “Hank, the young lady is here to see Mr. Maggio.”
Hank, who sat behind a large desk, stood. “Emma Jennings?”
“That’s me.”
His grin was bigger than the doorman’s, if that was possible. “Let me make sure Mr. Maggio is home.”
I wanted to say he better be, since he was the one who told me to be here on a Saturday morning at eleven thirty.
Once quick glance around the lobby and I knew Harrison was paying top dollar to live here.
Pure white walls with beautiful furniture that looked like no one had ever sat on any of it filled the lobby area.
The building was only blocks from the Boson Harbor and the old Grain Exchange, which was one of the most beautiful buildings in Boston.
Or at least, I thought so. It was also a popular area of Boston for those who could afford to live so close to the harbor.
“You can head on over to the elevators, Ms. Jennings,” Hank said as he made his way around the desk and up a set of stairs.
We turned a corner and Hank led us to the elevators.
He punched the up button for me. As I waited for the elevator, I took in the polished marble white floors and a solid back granite wall opposite the elevators.
I drew in a deep breath and turned to see a stunning display of fresh flowers sitting on a table. I had to remind myself Harrison’s father was wealthy because there was no way a firefighter could live in a building like this.
The doors opened and Hank waved me in. “Your chariot awaits.”
I pressed fourteen and smiled back at Hank. “Thank you!”
He winked. “The pleasure was all mine.”
The doors shut and I frowned slightly. I couldn’t decide if it was my imagination, or had the doorman and Hank been awfully happy for me to be seeing Harrison?
A ding alerted me to my arrival on the fourteenth floor. The doors opened and I read the sign that said 1404 was to my right.
Another display of fresh flowers filled the hallway as I drew in a deep breath and filled my lungs with the heavenly smell.
I wasn’t sure why I was so nervous. It wasn’t like it was a date or anything.
It was a meeting to discuss a charity dinner.
That was all. Besides, did you really meet the guy’s daughter and mother on the first date?
I laughed to myself and shook away my silly nerves.
Coming to a stop at the correct door, I lifted my hand and knocked. From the other side of the door, I heard a muffled, “I got it, Mom!”
Jumping slightly when the door opened quickly, I went to smile but nearly tripped. And I wasn’t even walking.
What stood before me should have been outlawed. It was sinful. It was wrong on so, so, many levels.
“Harrison,” I said as I forced myself not to look like how I felt. All hot and bothered by the site of one of the most handsome men I’d ever laid eyes on, dressed in jeans, a long-sleeve black T-shirt, and an apron on that read: Caution – Hot Dad.
“Hey, Emma. Come on in.”
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I walked into the small foyer. Then it hit me. The smell of something so delicious I let out a moan.
“Ohhh, what is that heavenly smell?” I asked as I took off my coat.
Harrison smiled as he hung it up. “That would be my grandmother’s famous lasagna.”
“Did your mother make it?”
He looked offended. “No. I made it.”
“And you cook too? Wow. How I misjudged you, sir.”
Lifting a brow, he asked, “Did you think I just ordered out all the time?”
“Pretty much.”
He clutched at his chest. “Wounded again by how you have stereotyped me.”
I held up my hands. “I’ll admit I was wrong.”
“Again,” he said with a wink.
Ignoring the way that made my insides melt, I laughed. “Yes, again.”
“Come on, let me introduce you to my mom.”
My heart raced a bit faster as I followed him.
“Mom? Noel?”
The sounds of giggling came from down the hall.