A Father's Name(26)

“It takes me back to when we were all juggling him,” her father said. “Hard to believe he’s graduated now.”

“Yes, it’s hard to believe,” Tucker murmured and handed Jace a sippy cup of milk, followed by a handful of Cheerios. They read Russell Hoban’s Bread and Jam for Frances together, and within minutes, he was down for the count.

She tucked the baby into the porta-crib, turned on her iPod in its dock in order to provide some background noise, then returned to her desk.

Maybe she should consider her father’s suggestion that she take on a partner. If she kept controlling shares, and had someone else to do the books, it might not be too bad. She could hire someone to do them without letting go of any of the business, but she wouldn’t for the same reason her father never had—it was tough to trust someone who didn’t have a vested interest in a company.

Bart was off to college as an undeclared major, but had talked about doing something with business, or numbers.

Maybe he’d get his MBA? A degree in accounting?

She sighed. That was years down the line, and odds are he wouldn’t want to work in the shop. As much as she might fantasize about having a partner who didn’t mind paperwork, odds are she’d never give up any control in the company. No partners for her.

Paperwork was in her future.

She sighed again and scanned her call-back list. She’d started dialing the first number when Eli appeared in the doorway. Eli Cartwright Keller had been the teacher who’d helped Tucker so much when she’d found out she was pregnant. Three years ago, Eli had found herself unexpectedly pregnant. Even though Eli had been long-past teenhood, she’d gone through a lot. The baby’s father had deserted her, which gave Zac Keller the chance he’d been waiting for. He was raising her son as his own, and they’d adopted a little girl together.



“Shh,” Tucker warned her friend, and pointed to the baby sleeping in the crib.

“Something you want to tell me?” Eli asked softly, sinking into the chair across from Tucker and nodding her head at the baby. “I know I’ve been caught up in the end of school year chaos, but…?”

Tucker wasn’t sure where to start. Hell, she wasn’t sure why she hadn’t called Eli and filled her in on the whole situation earlier. “Remember that guy who kept asking me out a few years ago?”

“A lot of guys ask you out, Tuck.”

“Yeah, this was the one I wouldn’t go out with. Mr. Designer Suits?”

Eli laughed. “Oh, him I do remember.”

Tyler had been pestering her for a date at the same time Zac was trying to win Eli over. Zac had succeeded, Tyler hadn’t. “Well, Tyler works for us now and…” She launched into the story.

Eli studied Jace a moment. “So, you’re helping him out with the baby?”

“Yes.”

“And he kissed you and you kissed him back?”

“Only once, and only a little. I don’t think it meant anything,” Tucker justified. “He was upset and needed comfort.”

“And you?”

“Huh?”

“He was upset, and I get that. People want to feel connected to someone else when something horrible happens to them. He reached out to you. That explains him kissing you. But you kissing him?”



Tucker started and sputtered to aborted explanations for a moment, then finally settled on, “I…I was only being nice.”

Eli burst out laughing. “You can tell yourself that all you want, but I’m not buying it.”

“You’re saying I’m not nice?”

“I’m saying that in all the years I’ve known you, you have always been nice, but that kindness didn’t include kissing for comfort. Name one other man you’ve ever kissed out of mere compassion because they were traumatized?”

Tucker didn’t know what to say to that. She didn’t even know why she’d mentioned that barely mentionable kiss to Eli and deeply regretted that she had. Eli was going to blow it all out of proportion.

“So, what’s standing in your way now?” Eli asked. “If he’s working here, he must have retired the fancy outfits, right?”

“His life’s in turmoil. He’s barely got out of jail, lost a friend and inherited a baby. That is not a good candidate for dating.”

“And you?” Eli pressed.

Tucker blustered, “What about me?” She knew she sounded defensive. Too defensive.