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“Well, they can be,” Jack quickly qualified, “but the way I see it, that’s more often the fault of the parents. Kids need a bit of firm direction now and then or they just run wild. Which isn’t good for anybody.”
Nina couldn’t argue with that reasoning. She agreed with it. Though the word firm needed discussion.
“Anyway,” Jack went on, “Charlie girl and I are getting along fine. Don’t be worrying about things I said, Nina. I’ll be a better dad than most.”
He spoke so earnestly, Nina let the subject slide. Picking at old wounds didn’t do any good. Besides, he’d certainly displayed a promising attitude. She smiled. “Thank you for looking after her so well tonight, Jack.”
He grinned, relieved that she had accepted his efforts to deliver peace of mind on favourable paternal attributes. “I’ve been more than rewarded,” he said magnanimously.
The idea of reward again. It struck a false note with Nina. She didn’t like it. Not one bit. Sally might advocate a system of rewards as eminently workable, but Nina didn’t want her relationship with Jack to work that way. She wanted him to care for Charlotte because she was a much-loved daughter, not because he might be rewarded with a session of lovemaking with the woman who happened to be Charlotte’s mother.
It preyed on Nina’s mind long after Jack left that night. Love wasn’t based on manipulation. Love, to her mind, was a natural reaching out to each other, an open and honest expression of genuine feeling. To reduce it to a bargaining counter or a stick-and-carrot manoeuvre was anathema to her.
She did not doubt Jack loved her. Everything he did and said reflected it. But if he couldn’t come to love Charlotte…A deep sadness dragged at her heart. Their baby, their child.
She had to tell him, lay it on the line what it meant to her and why. If he understood where she was coming from, would it help? Would it make the difference?
A sense of futility washed through her. Impossible to force what wasn’t felt. Not all the words in the world could achieve that. The only realistic course was to wait and see.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“TONIGHT is the night, Spike,” Jack informed his dog, who stood in the bathroom doorway, watching him shave.
Spike settled down on his haunches, rested his big shaggy head on his front paws and closed his eyes. He’d heard the same words all day. Clearly they excited his master, but since not
hing new had happened, there seemed no point in responding until a change did occur. This shaving business every afternoon was no longer new.
“Sleep if you like, but I won’t be sleeping. No, sir. Not if the doctor gives the okay. Good thing it’s Friday. Maybe Nina will let me stay over the weekend.”
Spike opened an eye. The tone of voice was different.
“Don’t worry. I’ll come back and feed you. Bring Nina and the kid with me. She’s not a bad little kid, Spike. Good as gold. You’ll like her.”
A querying whine seemed appropriate.
Jack grinned at him. “You can learn to play dad, too. Look after her as you would a puppy. Keep her in check, give her a lick, warn off the bad guys.”
The last words were growled, so Spike growled in agreement.
Jack laughed, unable to contain his high spirits. Cautioning himself with the possibility that Nina might need more recovery time made no difference to the tingle of anticipation. If that were the case, well, he’d take it on the chin and rise to the occasion. Or not rise, he corrected himself, instructing his anatomy to behave in an appropriate manner. Love came first, desire second.
But he sure hoped everything was fine. Celibacy did not suit him. His sex drive had been in overdrive ever since he had sighted Nina again. Being with her so much over the past couple of weeks had exercised his powers of restraint to the limit. Nevertheless, he’d hold off like a gentleman as long as he had to. Nina needed cossetting. She’d been through a bad time.
Jack put down the razor, splashed water over his face, towelled off, then closely examined the result of his shave in the bathroom mirror, running his hand over the shiny, smooth skin. Not a trace of stubble anywhere. Satisfied, he opened the new bottle of aftershave lotion and dabbed it on. Obsession by Calvin Klein. Cost him over seventy dollars.
Spike stirred, leaped to his feet. He sniffed the air and barked.
Jack grinned at him. “You like it, Spike?”
A yelp of agreement.
“Appealing. That’s what the salesgirl said. I wonder if appealing means sexy? What do you think, Spike? Does this smell sexy?”
Spike’s howl sounded like a mating call.
It put Jack in a great mood for getting dressed and on his way. New clothes, too. Casual smart. The open-necked olive green shirt had a nice feel to it, soft and silky. The snugly fitting fawn trousers didn’t need a belt. The less obstacles to undressing, the better, Jack figured. Fumbling did not feature in his plans for tonight.
It would also be good if Charlie girl cooperated by sleeping through as many hours as she could. Give Nina a real break so she could relax and not worry about interruptions and hurrying things. All going well on the medical side, he’d have to speak to Charlie girl about considering her mother’s needs. Her father’s needs, as well. He rehearsed a few lines as he slid on a pair of leather moccasins that didn’t require socks.
