She looked away, sorry she’d asked. She didn’t want to think of him with a wife and kids. Conversely, she realized it would be safer dealing with him if he was married with a baby or two of his own.
“I’ve decided to name her Kris,” she said quickly. Her voice sounded breathless. “You know, for Santa’s other name, Kris Kringle. This is the best Christmas present he ever left me.”
Andy opened his mouth, then closed it.
His troubled gaze made her anxious again. “You don’t like it? It can be Kristine or Kristina.”
“I think Kris suits her perfectly,” he said so softly she almost didn’t hear. “It’s getting very late.” He stood abruptly. “You and the baby should both get some rest.”
“I know.” She felt drained. Reaction, she knew, from the roller coaster of emotions she’d been on all day. “But we need to—”
“Tomorrow,” he interrupted. “We can’t do anything tonight anyway. I just wanted to check in and see that you were okay.”
She touched Kris’s face gently, then rose to stand beside him. “I forgot to ask. How did your thing go?”
“Okay, I guess.” He made a face. “Do you need anything before I go?”
She shook her head. “I definitely have to go shopping for her tomorrow, though,” Lori said. “I don’t think I can keep washing one outfit out while she wears the other.” She wrinkled her nose again. “But we’re okay for the night, I think. We seem to be getting into a little routine.”
He nodded wordlessly.
“Do you have any idea where I should put her to sleep? This afternoon, I put her on my bed, but—”
“You need a bed yourself. Make her one on the floor,” he suggested. “A couple of blankets under her, one over. She’ll be fine.”
“Thanks.”
He jammed his fingers in the back pockets of his jeans, looking hesitant to leave after all. The way he looked at her made her want to squirm or fill the silence with babble. Or both.
With a lengthy, clearly audible sigh, he swiveled and strode quickly to the door. “I’ll be back first thing in the morning,” he promised.
She hurried after him, nodding to his back. Her nerves were jumping crazily again. “You don’t work tomorrow?”
“My calendar’s clear until after the New Year.” He faced her. “We’ll have plenty of time to work on this little problem...and to teach you anything you need to know,” he added reassuringly. His hand hovered near her face, then dropped to his side. “Get some sleep, Lori. See you both in the morning. Night, Kris,” he called, winking at Lori as he firmly closed the door between them.
Lost in a reverie and a mishmash of emotions, she fingered the dead bolt instead of slipping it into place. She started when a soft tap sounded. He’d forgotten something. She smiled.
“You didn’t look to see who it was,” he lectured as she widened the gap between the door and its frame.
“Who else is going to be wandering around outside my apartment at this time of night?”
“Someone leaving babies.”
His quip widened her smile.
“Here.” He handed her a card. “You might need my number. I wrote my home phone on the back,” he added as she studied the front. “But if you need me, they’ll page me any time you use the front number.”
“Thanks.”
“And Lori...”
She looked up at him. The dark eyes mesmerized and confused her all over again.
“Don’t hesitate to use it. Okay? Day or night. For anything.”
“Okay.”
This time he closed the door softly. She didn’t move until she heard his footsteps go down the hall several long minutes later.
Nightmares! The woman, the situation, the whole damn day yesterday had given him nightmares.
And somewhere in there was the governor’s dinner!
Andy dragged a hand across his face, trying to wake himself up. The phone rang and the sluggishness vanished.
“McAllister,” he answered gruffly.
“Andrew?”
“Mom.” As pleased as he was to hear from her, he felt a letdown. He should be relieved it wasn’t Lori Warren. She wouldn’t call unless there was a crisis. But leftover wisps of the nightmare made him antsy and uneasy.
“Did I wake you?”
“No, Mom, I haven’t made it out of bed yet, but I was awake.”
“Sorry,” she said but didn’t fool him.
He couldn’t help but smile. The clock said ten after eight. Veronica McAllister thought staying in bed past daybreak was a sinful waste of time. Right now, she was probably patting herself on the back for rescuing him from an extreme case of sloth.
“So? Are you going to tell me? I’m dying to know how the governor’s dinner went last night.”
“I’m trying hard not to think about it,” he told her. Not whitewashing a thing, he gave her the dirty details, including his less than optimistic thoughts on his chances at getting the judicial appointment. “I think he planned to talk to me during the cocktail party,” he finished. “I was consigned to the far end of a massive table and the other candidate in attendance got the governor’s undivided attention during dinner.” Her indignant sympathy eased his disappointment.
Since the third candidate was not in attendance, the governor either knew him well—another strike against Andy—or the other candidate would be scrutinized on some other occasion.
“Why did you miss the cocktail party?”
“Something came up with a new client,” he told her.
“Maybe you’ll get another chance to meet with the governor.”
“Maybe,” he agreed skeptically.
“Well, the office is officially closed until after Christmas. That should help.”
He kept his doubts to himself this time.
“When will you be home? You are going to stay a few days?”
Andy sat up on the side of the bed and heavy-handed his face again. “Listen, Mom, I haven’t really thought about it. I’m only—”
“I know you’re only ten minutes away, but Allison will be here with her kids tomorrow. Now that she and Jeff have moved to Texas, we don’t get to see them often enough. Is it wrong for me to want all my children and grandchildren under one roof for a couple of days?”
“Will you settle for twenty-four hours?” Andy asked. “I promise, I’ll stay at least one night while Allison’s family is here. When is Melanie bringing her family over?”
He heard his mother sigh. “Christmas Eve.”
“Then plan on me then, too.” He was finally awake enough that his mind was working. “Is there something you wanted me to help you with, Mom?” He’d bet that was the reason she wanted him there earlier than everyone else.
“I could use help hanging the greenery,” she admitted. “Since John’s hip surgery, I don’t really—”
“I’ll come by this afternoon,” he interrupted. Making the promise and doing the work would be easier than trying to convince her Christmas would come whether or not