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“You’re not in a position to cast stones, Heather,” he said gently. “You’re lonely, too.”

She nodded. “You’re right. We’re in the same position, which is probably why we get along so well.” She stood up and grinned at him. “All right. Enough of this philosophizing. I’m collecting my daughter and heading home. You want to join us for dinner?”

“I can’t, but thanks for asking.”

“Sure.”

She moved into the hallway, then disappeared into Diane’s room. Jim watched her go, taking in the long navy skirt that outlined her slender hips and the way those hips swayed with every step. His need for her was growing. He would have sold his soul to join Heather for dinner tonight, but he couldn’t. Because he would be taking a chance. The first week of their acquaintance, he’d decided to only be around her when he was feeling strong and could resist doing all those things he wanted. In time, he would teach himself to be happy and content with the crumbs available to him. But not yet. And until he was accepting of just her friendship, he would do whatever he had to to keep them both safe from potential disaster.

Chapter Seven

“I’ve got to get these to the Federal Express drop-off box before they pick up today,” Flo said as she paused by Heather’s desk. “If he finishes what he’s doing—” she nodded her head toward the teenage boy filling out an employment application “—go ahead and take it from him, then have him wait until Jim gets back. Shouldn’t be more than a couple of minutes.”

“No problem,” Heather told her.

Flo headed for the front door, slapped herself on the forehead, then turned to face Heather again. “Did you confirm the cake?”

“Yes. We’re all set.”

“You told me that an hour ago, didn’t you?” Flo sighed. “I swear, I’m becoming more forgetful with each passing minute. Soon I’ll need to wear a name tag just so I remember who I am. Back in a second.” With that, she pushed her way through the door.

It was tough to believe, but Heather had been working for Jim for five weeks. Time was flying by. Jim liked to tease her that Diane would soon be driving. While her baby was growing fast, Heather knew she had a little bit of time until extra car insurance was an issue in her life. After all, Diane was only ten weeks old.

Ten weeks. Was that how long she’d known Jim? It felt longer to her, but in a good way. He’d accepted her into his business with a trust that made her want to work even harder than she normally did. His employees were friendly and open; Flo had become a close friend. The business was oddly like an extended family where everyone knew everyone else and cared about what happened.

There were some exceptions, of course. Charter pilots who breezed through on a regular basis didn’t always want to participate in the camaraderie. Most of them were employed by companies who simply leased equipment from Valley Helicopter Services. Heather had gotten to know a few of their names, but little else. Yet with the regular employees, it was different. She’d overheard conversations about helping a work buddy move, stock tips and offers of a ride home when required. She’d also found out they all had something in common—at one time or another they’d needed help and Jim had been there.

Heather had come to grips with the fact that he’d seen her as just another stray who needed rescuing. Since their first meeting, they’d formed a friendship, but even he had admitted that his initial impression of her had been that of a brand-new mother who was unlikely to make it on her own.

At first his confession had annoyed her, and she’d taken great pains to inform him that she had been fine before she met him and she would still be fine if their paths had never crossed. But then she’d remembered that this was Jim—he couldn’t help himself. He was a born fixer by nature, and if he saw a problem he had to step in and do something about it. As far as flaws went, it wasn’t a bad one.

So here she was, employed in an office of misfits. The irony was, of course, that instead of feeling out of place, she felt as if she’d found a second home. Frankly, she couldn’t think of a better place to work.

“Excuse me,” the young man said.

Heather glanced up and saw the teenager standing by her desk. “Yes?”

“I’ve finished my application.”

He was tall and very thin, with too long brown hair and big brown eyes. He wore a button-down shirt with freshly pressed khakis. Probably the best clothing he owned, Heather thought as she glanced at the sheet of paper in front of her. “Thanks—” she looked at the name on the application “—thanks, Brian. Have a seat in the waiting area. Jim should be back in a few minutes.”

“Okay.” The kid tried to smile but failed. He also didn’t move from the side of her desk. “I’m only seventeen,” he said. “My birthday was last week. I came here when I turned sixteen, but Mr. Dyer said I had to wait another year. So I’m back.”

“You must really want to work here,” Heather said.

Brian nodded so hard his bangs fell across his forehead and into his eyes. He pushed them back in an impatient gesture. “I want to learn to fly helicopters. I know that’s not part of the job,” he added hastily, “but I want to learn about ’em, be close to ’em, you know?”

“I think I understand.” He was so young and so earnest, Heather thought.

“I mostly need the money, but I thought maybe by working here I could learn something useful for later.” His eager expression clouded. “But there’s probably a ton of guys waiting to work here and I guess they have more experience than me. I don’t guess Mr. Dyer is going to want to hire me.”

Heather wasn’t so sure, but she didn’t want to say anything to get Brian’s hopes up. She hadn’t even known that Jim was looking to hire someone, so she didn’t know about the other applicants.

Before she could think of an appropriate response, Diane started to cry. Heather excused herself and went into the nursery to collect her daughter. Diane quieted as soon as she saw her. Heather scooped her up, then felt her diaper.

“You’re just a faker,” she said softly. “You’re dry, and you ate less than an hour ago, so I know you’re not hungry. You want some attention, don’t you?”

Big blue eyes stared at her face.