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“Miss Taylor?” the gentleman—dressed in a dark gray suit Callie suspected he hadn’t picked up at the local mall—asked.
“Can. . . can I help you?” She’d hoped maybe he’d come to the wrong apartment, but if he was asking for her by name, that wasn’t possible.
Lord, you might think she’d never seen a handsome man before. Not this handsome, I haven’t.
The man offered her a friendly smile that transformed him from gorgeous to downright heart-stopping. “I hoped to have a word with you. Warren Sherbrooke sent me.” The man’s deep voice and slight English accent washed over her as his words sent her stomach plummeting.
Since her conversation with Helen Lee, she’d tried not to think about Warren Sherbrooke and her unknown family. She was having a difficult enough time dealing with the fact her mother had lied to her for thirty-one years. Unfortunately, it looked like she could not ignore Warren Sherbrooke any longer.
Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t let a stranger into her apartment, but this didn’t fall in the normal circumstances category. “Please come in, Mr…” She paused, accepting the fact the man was Dylan Talbot and not just a look-alike. Warren Sherbrooke was married to Dylan Talbot’s mother.
The man pulled open the screen door. “Dylan Talbot,” he said, extending his hand to her once inside.
Her friends would never believe Dylan Talbot had been to her apartment. She wouldn’t blame them. If they told her one of the country’s most desirable men had shown up on their doorstep, she wouldn’t believe it either. Actually, she would probably laugh at them.
So not important now. Focus on why he’s here.
He’d mentioned Warren Sherbrooke. Obviously, her father had received the letter her mother wrote him. Did he believe it? And if he did, why hadn’t he contacted her himself? Why send someone else?
Chapter 2
Dylan shoved his hands into his pants pockets and studied the woman in front of him. He already knew a fair amount about her. After his meeting with Warren and his mother, he used Sherbrooke Enterprises’ HR system to run a background check on Callie Taylor. Not that it turned up anything worrisome. She was an elementary school teacher who had done her undergraduate at Boston University on a sports scholarship. The only outstanding debt she had was a small student loan from UMass for her Master’s degree. She had no criminal record, not even a parking ticket. Still, that didn’t mean she didn’t want something from Warren.
“You look confused, Miss Taylor.”
When Callie didn’t reply, he continued. “My stepfather, Warren Sherbrooke, received a letter last week from your mother claiming you’re his daughter. Warren believes it’s true and wants to meet you. He sent me to arrange a meeting.”
As he spoke, Dylan watched the woman. Although he had his doubts, he couldn’t deny the family resemblance. Her eyes were the exact same shade of sapphire blue as Warren’s, and her visual likeness to his half-sister Sara had initially taken him aback. Like Sara, Callie had a pretty heart-shaped face with large eyes and delicate features. Unlike Sara, however, the woman in front of him had dark mahogany hair and lush full lips. But it wasn’t the family resemblance that surprised him the most; rather it was the utter shock on Callie Taylor’s face.
“He wants to meet me?” Callie whispered loud enough for him to hear.
“Are you feeling well, Miss Taylor?” All the color drained out of her face and he feared she might faint. “Maybe you should sit down.” Without waiting for an answer, he guided her to a painted kitchen chair and pulled it out for her.
Giving him a weak smile, she sank into the seat and rested her elbows on the table. “I didn’t think he would contact me.” Callie paused and Dylan sensed she was trying to regain her composure. “Mrs. Lee told me about the letter she mailed him, but I didn’t think he would want to meet me.”
“Helen Lee?”
Callie nodded.
“There was a note included from a woman named Helen Lee.” Dylan opened his suit jacket, and pulled out an envelope. Before he’d left the Hamptons, Warren had given him copies of both letters. “Warren wants to see you as soon as possible. He would’ve come himself, but he’s campaigning out West.” He thought his words would bring a smile to her face. Instead, she merely continued to stare at him as if he had grown three heads.
Callie laughed nervously. “Meet him? I don’t know if I can do that right now.” The words came out slowly, as if she was deliberately thinking of the correct response. “Until several days ago, I didn’t even know my father was alive. I’m not sure I’m ready to meet him, Mr. Talbot.”
Her admission surprised him. Neither he nor Warren had considered the possibility that she hadn’t always known the truth, or what Warren believed to be the truth, which was something Dylan couldn’t help but start to believe himself, given the family resemblance.
“Now isn’t a good time anyway.” Callie ran her tongue over her bottom lip. “It’s getting close to the end of the school year. That’s one of the busiest times.” As she spoke, she stroked her dog’s head. The dog sat pressed up against her leg, his eyes never leaving Dylan. “I need some time to think about all this.”
Dylan nodded. If what she said was true, he could only guess what must be going through her mind. Still, he needed to get this meeting set up before Warren took matters into his own hands. “I’m scheduled to be in Boston until Friday on business. If you decide you’re ready, you can fly back to New York with me.”
Callie shook her head, her long dark ponytail swinging back and forth. “That’s nice of you, but I know I won’t be ready by then. Maybe when school is out in June.”
Dylan knew his stepfather didn’t want to wait any longer than necessary. Getting him to wait till now had been a challenge, but he couldn’t physically force Callie to fly back with him. However, he might be able to change her mind. When he chose to be, he could be quite persuasive, especially when it came to the opposite sex.
“My cell phone number and office number are on here.” He handed her his business card. “I’ll be back to see you before I leave Boston. If you change your mind before then, call me.”
Without a word, Callie accepted the card. “I’ll definitely think about it, Mr. Talbot, but I don’t think I’ll change my mind.”
“Warren wanted you to have this. It’s a copy of the letter your mother sent to him. Perhaps it’ll help you make your decision.” Placing the envelope on the table, he took a step toward her. “From the sound of the letter, your mother wanted you to meet Warren.” He added the last comment about her mother hoping it would help change her mind. Though he disagreed with Warren’s decision, he’d promised his stepfather he would set up this meeting. He planned on doing just that before he left the state.
