He had to admit it was a rather nice feeling, having a little human being trust him to this degree. She reminded him painfully of Hannah, the only other child hed ever held like this, and his heart lurched at the thought.
Breaking up with Hannahs mother had been a relief. But losing Hannah-God, it would kill him to go through something like that again.
Max walked his clients down the hall. They took the beautiful ads Jane had drawn with them, intending to show them to others on staff.
Well be making a decision in the next couple of weeks, Ellen said. But Im very impressed by what I see.
Yesss! Max mentally punched his fist into the air. Kaylee hadnt blown it for him after all.
Theyd almost made it to the reception area when the door to Janes office burst open and she flew out, a panicked look on her face.
Max! Max, have you seen Kaylee? she yelled, looking a bit deranged.
He turned, so she could see Kaylee was safe and sound. Shhh. Shes right here.
Oh, thank God. Jane rushed toward them. I am so sorry. Last time I checked, she was napping on the pallet I made up for her, and then I looked over and she was gone-
Jane, its okay.
I hope she didnt ruin your meeting.
On the contrary, Ellen said with a smile, she was a welcome distraction from all the facts and figures. And its so refreshing to see a man so comfortable with children.
Jane didnt bother to hide the surprised look on her face, but at least she didnt contradict the client.
Im Ellen Lowenstein. She held out her hand to Jane, who shook it, recovering her composure.
Its so nice to meet you. I love your clothes. I mean, the clothes you design. Well, of course, I like your clothes, too. Thats a lovely suit.
Max shot Jane a strong look, hoping she would just close her mouth. She was blathering.
Thank you, Ellen said as Ogden stood mutely by her side, arms folded, not smiling. Has Kaylee done much modeling?
Modeling? Jane looked confused for a moment, but then she got it. Oh, you saw the drawings. No, I did those drawings from some snapshots, nothing professional.
So youre the artist. Its doubly nice to meet you.
Thanks.
Ogden pointedly looked at his watch. We do have another appointment this afternoon.
Right. Ellen smiled at the man. Ogden keeps me on schedule. Well, youll be hearing from us.
Max handed off Kaylee to Jane and walked his maybe-clients to the door.
Do you like baseball? Ellen asked suddenly.
Yeah, sure, Max responded. Although I have to confess, Im still a Mets fan.
We have a box at the Minute Maid Park. Perhaps youd like to be our guests next week at an Astros game. With your wife and little girl, of course.
What? Ellen thought Kaylee was his daughter, and Jane his wife? He knew what he should do. He should immediately correct her misconception. But what came out of his mouth was,
Sounds wonderful. Wed love to.
JANE JOGGED BACK to her office and gently placed Kaylee back on her pallet. The child didnt wake up. Shed had a miserable night last night, and consequently Jane had, too. They were both in desperate need of sleep.
Apparently, though, the antibiotics had finally kicked in. Jane only wished that when Kaylee had awakened, she hadnt wandered into the last place she ought to be.
Max was going to fire Jane. What choice did he have? She had promised to keep an eye on Kaylee and make sure she didnt bother Max, and Jane had broken that promise. Now the most important meeting in the Remington Agencys history had been compromised.
Jane headed back out of her office, stopped, returned to her desk, opened the bottom drawer and pulled her Klean-Up towelettes out of her purse. Then she scurried to the reception room, where Max and Carol were engaged in a spirited discussion.
You are in so much trouble, Carol was saying.
Uh-oh. That didnt sound good.
I couldnt help it. I got carried away in the moment. She liked me and I didnt want to burst her bubble.
How are you going to explain this to Jane? Carol asked.
Shh. Ill think of something.
Hed already hired someone to replace her. That must be what they were talking about.
She burst into the reception area. Max, I am so sorry. She tore open the foil packet. I was focusing on the new ad, and I guess Kaylee woke up and crept out of the office without me seeing her.
She pulled the moist towelette from the packet and began attacking the drool stain on Maxs chest. He wore a beautiful shirt with a pale olive pinstripe. It probably cost a months salary-her salary, anyway.
Max jumped back. What are you doing?
Taking care of that stain before it sets. Maybe she shouldnt have touched him without asking, but with a three-year-old around all the time she was used to jumping on stains, whether they were on her, Kaylee or someone else. These little cloths are pretreated with stain remover. They work really well, even on oil and crayon. Spit should be no problem.
Except this is a silk-blend shirt.
Oops.
He held out his hand. Here, let me see it. I guess it couldnt get any worse. He took the towelette from her and scrubbed at the already damp spot on his chest.
Itll look better when it dries. Well, duh.
She was normally a composed woman. Even in divorce court she hadnt lost it. Everything shed said had been cool and confident. But around Max, she was a blithering idiot. Those people from KidznStuff probably thought he hired mentally challenged employees.
Oh, Max, Im so sorry. I dont know what to say.
Its just a shirt.
No, I mean, about Kaylee interrupting your important meeting. What did she do?
She just wandered in. I picked her up and put her in my lap and kept going like it was an everyday occurrence.
Jane winced. She didnt object?
Maybe its the medicine shes taking, but she seems to not be repulsed by me anymore.
You didnt repulse her, Jane objected. She just met you on a bad day under bad circumstances. She generally likes everybody. Except maybe Billy the bunny-snatching bully. But thats beside the point. Was the meeting ruined?
Actually, no. As it turns out, Ellen Lowenstein loves kids, and she was impressed we had a kid-friendly office.
Oh. So it actuallyworked in your favor?
This time. But, Jane-
I know, I know. This isnt really a kid-friendly office, and I cant continue to bring Kaylee in to work. But she should be able to return to school tomorrow. Or the next day at the latest.
You cant bring her back here, he said in no uncertain terms. Shes an accident waiting to happen. Ive got work crews coming in later today, and tomorrow, too. She could get hurt, not to mention exposed to the wrong people-
I understand. Ill take her home, and Ill try to find a sitter. That is, if I still have a job.
Im not firing you, he said, his voice gentle now. If I ever fire you, youll know it.
Jane nodded, afraid to speak. Shed once again dodged the unemployment bullet, but only just. She dashed back to her office before Max could change his mind.
Carol gave Max an arch look. You were kind of tough on her.
Was I? I didnt mean to be. I had to stress the point, thats all. Kaylee could get hurt.
Kaylee probably helped you land that account, Carol shot back, though she lowered her voice. Ellen Lowenstein is gaga over the child, and she thinks youre her father. You should be thanking Jane, not reprimanding her.
I didnt reprimand her. He balled up the towelette, now dry, and tossed it in the wastebasket. And I havent won the account yet. Not by a long shot. Ellen might have been charmed by a child running around the office, but Ogden Purcell clearly wasnt. For all we know, hes the real decision-maker.
The account is yours, Carol declared. I could see it in her eyes. She adores you.
Yeah, but that could all change if she finds out Im not a family man after all.
Hmm, now what are you going to do about that?
Max got the distinct impression Carol was enjoying his predicament. Im not going to mention it again, thats all. If I have any more meetings with KidznStuff, well do it at their offices in Houston.
What about the baseball game?
Ellen probably wasnt serious about that, he reasoned. If I dont mention it again, itll probably be forgotten.
Uh-huh.
IT HAD TAKEN SOME DOING, but Jane had arranged for babysitters the following day. Sara couldnt do it; she was busy catering some womens club luncheon. Allie was free in the morning, but she had a fishing charter after lunch. So she had agreed to run Kaylee over to the bed-and-breakfast at noon, where Reece, who ran his accounting business out of the B and B, had agreed to look after the child until Sara got home around three.
At least Jane wouldnt have to worry. Her friends would take good care of Kaylee. But just making the arrangements had been exhausting. Shed never before appreciated how hard it was to be a working single mom.
She arrived at the office a little later than usual, having spent extra time organizing Kaylees medicine and explaining everything to Allie, who would in turn have to explain things to Reece. Then Kaylee had gone through a minimeltdown.
But it was still before nine.
Carol was at her desk, and two workmen were busy setting up an aquarium in the reception area.
Oh, thisll be fun, Jane said. Kaylee loves fish. Of course, I wont be bringing Kaylee in here anymore, she quickly added, glad Max hadnt heard her slip.
Carol smiled. Max was a real grump about that. The stain came right out of his shirt, by the way. I have to get me some of those stain remover wipes.
They save me on a daily basis.
I think the boss must have felt a little guilty, cause he bought you a present.
Really?
Its in your office. Carol smiled mysteriously, but offered up no more hints.
Jane all but sprinted down the hall to her office. When she got there, she found a shiny new laptop computer sitting in her chair.
A laptop? Hed bought her a laptop?
She turned to seek him out and get an explanation, but she didnt have to go far. He was standing right behind her.
Is that for me? She pointed to the ultra thin computer.
Yeah. Ive loaded it with the graphics program and set up the e-mail. Everything you need to work at home, if you have child-care issues.
Oh, Max! This is so thoughtful. Ive never had my own computer before. I mean, I know it belongs to the company, but-I can take it home with me? Are you sure?