Roger’s only answer was to knock, then walk in.
Valerie stood by the low mid-century wood coffee table in a rainbow-striped dress, clasping her hands so tightly that the skin was brightred. The apprehension rolling off her made Nico’s muscles tighten in sympathy. No doubt she was expecting more of yesterday, or worse, like Roger telling her he’d reconsidered that lawsuit Penny wouldn’t stop talking about.
Roger stepped forward, hands outstretched like the lead alien trying to reassure the earthlings he meant no harm. “Ms. Peng, I apologize for my behavior at our last meeting,” he said. “Those questions were out of line.”
Valerie’s posture didn’t relax. “I hope the refund went through without issue.”
“This isn’t about my father’s memorial.”
She looked taken aback. “It’s not?”
It wasn’t?
“This is about you. May I sit down?”
Valerie hesitated, then waved them to the cream leather couch as she took her own seat. Nico liked her shoes, which were red and had little straps across the front that made him want to grasp her ankles in his hands. The thin gold chain wrapped around one made the impulse worse.
What a strange thing to think about a woman he’d barely met.
Roger looked out the window as Valerie’s polite smile grew strained. “Mr. Badgerton?”
“Call me Roger.”
They waited and watched him sweat. “I have an offer for you,” he finally said. “A personal one.”
Valerie’s eyes shot to Nico, and he knew they were thinking the same thing. He had to be wrong. Roger couldn’t possibly be that creepy.
“I’m in uncharted territory here, but once I saw you, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
He hadn’t misheard. Jesus. Nico started to stand, and Valerie was leaning back with her palms held defensively out when Roger said, “I want you to pretend to be my daughter.”
It was almost a relief Nico had assumed wrong until he realized what Roger had said.Daughter?He sat down.
“Sorry?” Valerie’s hands didn’t drop.
“I want you to pretend to be my daughter. I’ll compensate you for your time. It’ll be for the summer at our family cottage in Mariposa and not in any sort of freaky weird way.”
“Oh, that’s good,” said Valerie. “I’m glad it’s the normal fake-daughter way, like regular people do. What a relief.”
“I know how it sounds but you’ll understand better when you hear the full story.”
“After that intro, you have my attention.” Valerie waved to the crossed-out calendar with a crooked smile that vanished as soon as it appeared. “I’ve got time.”
“It’s fairly unbelievable.” Roger laughed but so bitterly no one joined him. “I recently found out I have a daughter I had no idea existed.”
Nico couldn’t believe what he was hearing. A secret child? From a man who insisted on eating instant oatmeal for 365 breakfasts of the year? Roger legitimately enjoyed doing the ironing, thought no good music had been made after 1994, and had Nico order a lifetime supply of his favorite black socks when they were discontinued. He hadn’t been on a date since Nico had known him.
“A secret daughter,” said Valerie, so slowly Nico could tell she was trying to buy herself time to formulate an appropriate response. “That’s not what I was expecting. Wow.”
“Yeah,” said Roger. “I have trouble believing it myself.”
Valerie looked between Nico and Roger, and Nico tried to appear as if he had a clue of what was going on. “I’m afraid I don’t understand where I come in.” She looked suddenly earnest. “If this is some kind of therapeutic role play, you need a professional.”
“No, no.” Roger sounded horrified. “Not at all. I’m fairly sure my father paid off my old girlfriend’s family so they would leave town andbreak contact with me, but that one of my siblings knows where she and my daughter are.”
“Is this a joke?” she demanded.
“God, I wish.”
