When they divorced, she had been too raw and too hurt herself to tell him. By the time she’d gotten herself together, their paths never crossed. But now that their paths hadn’t merely crossed, they were actually intersecting for the next several weeks; she couldn’t keep the secret from him any more. He’d created a child. They’d lost that child. He deserved to know. And she wanted to tell him.
Which left her with two problems. When she’d tell him and how she’d tell him. She might be ready to share, but he might not be ready to hear it. She had to be alert for another opportunity like the one the day before…except when they were alone, not with other people.
Amanda turned from the stove. “Are you hungry, Cain? I’m making blueberry pancakes.”
It was clear that Amanda reveled in the role of mom. Without the constant fear of her abusive husband she had blossomed. Joy was bright-eyed and happy, a little chatterbox who had entertained Liz all through breakfast. Amanda’s only remaining problem was Billy, her sixteen-year-old son. They hadn’t been away from their violent father long enough for any one of them to have adjusted, but once they had, Liz was certain Amanda would think of some way to connect with her son.
As far as Amanda’s situation was concerned, Liz could relax…except for Cain, who hesitated just inside the kitchen door. Had he figured out she’d kept secrets bigger than an allergy to cats? Was he angry? Would he confront her? She couldn’t handle that. Telling him about their baby had to be on her terms. That would be better for both of them. It would be horrible if he confronted her now.
Finally he said, “I’ve already eaten breakfast.”
Relief wanted to rush out of her on a long gust of air, but she held it back. She’d instructed him to take everything Amanda offered. The day before he could have easily begged off her barbecue by saying it was time to go home. But he couldn’t so easily walk away from breakfast when he would be staying all morning.
Amanda said, “That’s okay. Just have some coffee.” She reached for a mug from the cupboard by the stove, filled it and handed it to him. “Sit for a minute.”
He took the coffee and he and Amanda ambled to chairs at the table, as Amanda’s sixteen-year-old son Billy stepped into the room, music headphones in his ears. Totally oblivious to the people at the table, he walked to the refrigerator and pulled out the milk.
Amanda cast an embarrassed glance at her son. “Billy, at least say good-morning.”
He ignored her.
She rose, walked over to him and took one of the headphones from his right ear. “Good morning,” she singsonged.
Billy sighed. “Morning.”
“Say good morning to our guests.”
He scowled toward the table. “Good morning.”
Liz had seen this a million times before. A teenager embarrassed that he had to count on a charity for a roof over his head frequently acted out. Especially the son of an abusive father. Even as Billy was probably glad to get away from his dad, he also missed him. Worse, he could be wondering about himself. If he was like his dad.
Liz’s gaze slid to Cain. Billy was the kind of employee Cain hated. Troubled. He wanted only the best, both emotionally and physically, so he didn’t have to deal with problems. His job was to get whatever construction project he had done and done right. He didn’t have time for employee problems.
But after the way he’d reacted to Amanda’s comment the day before, Liz knew he’d changed. At least somewhat. And he did have a soft spot for Amanda and her family. Billy was a part of that family. He desperately needed a positive male role model. If Cain simply behaved as he had the day before when he showed her how to use the blue tape and paint, Billy might actually learn something.
Plus, she and Cain wouldn’t have to be in the same room.
She didn’t want to spend the day worrying about how and when she’d tell him about their child. She also couldn’t simply blurt it out in an awkward silence, particularly since they might be alone in the room but they weren’t alone in the house. She wanted the right opportunity again, but she also needed time to think it through so she could choose her words carefully. Not being around Cain would buy her time.
She took a breath then smiled at Billy. “We could sure use your help today. Especially Cain.”
Amanda gasped and clasped her hands together. “What a wonderful idea! Do you know who Mr. Nestor is?”
Billy rolled his eyes. “No.”
“He owns a construction company.” Amanda all but glowed with enthusiasm. “I’ll bet he could teach you a million things.”
“I don’t need to know a million things, Mom. Besides, I want to go to med school.”
“And you’re going to need money,” Amanda pointed out. “Mr. Nestor put himself through university working construction.”
Billy glared at Cain.
Cain shifted uncomfortably. “Construction isn’t for everyone,” he said, clearly unhappy to be caught in the middle. “I was also a bartender.”
“But you’re here now,” Liz said, unable to stop herself. Her gaze roamed over to Cain’s. “And you could teach him so much.”
She let her eyes say the words she couldn’t utter in front of the angry teen who desperately needed to at least see how a decent man behaved.
Cain pulled in a slow breath. Liz held hers. He’d changed. She knew he’d changed just from the sympathy he’d displayed to Amanda the day before. He could do this! All he had to do was say okay.
She held her breath as she held his gaze. His steely eyes bore into hers, but the longer their connection, the more his eyes softened.
Finally, he turned on his chair, facing Billy. “What I’m doing today isn’t hard. So it might be a good place for you to start if you’re interested in learning a few things.”
“There! See!” Amanda clasped Billy on the shoulder. “It will be good for you.”
Cain rose and motioned for Billy to follow him out of the kitchen. Liz stared after them, her heart pounding. No matter how much she wanted to believe he’d done that out of sympathy for Amanda’s situation, she knew he’d done it for her.
She turned back to her coffee, smiled at Amanda, trying to appear as if nothing was wrong. But everything was wrong. First, spending time with him had caused her to realize he deserved to know he’d created and lost a child. Now he was softening, doing things she asked.
For the first time it occurred to her that maybe he wasn’t changing because of their situation but to please her.
And if he was…Lord help them.
Ten minutes later Cain found himself in the living room with an angry, sullen teenager. He debated drawing him into conversation, but somehow he didn’t think the charisma that typically worked on egotistical bankers and clever business owners would work with a kid. And the chitchat he was forcing himself to develop with Amanda and Liz hadn’t served him all that well, either. He and Billy could either work in silence, or he could hit this kid with the truth.
“You know what? I don’t like this any more than you do.”
Surprised, Billy looked over.
“But your mom wants you here and every once in a while a man has to suck it up and do what his mom wants.” Technically, he and Billy were in the same boat. He was in this room, with this angry boy, because he hadn’t been able to resist the pleading in Liz’s eyes. And that troubled him. He was falling for her again. Only this time it was different. This time he had nothing to prove professionally. No reason to back away. No way to erect walls that would allow him to be in a relationship and still protect his heart. She’d broken it once. She could do it again.
“If