Tempting prince charming.., p.12
Tempting Prince Charming: Ever After - Book 2, page 12
His phone vibrated and he checked it. “The kid is on her way up. Simon just dropped her and Katie off.”
Veronica sat up on the couch, too tired to move any more than that. It was like she’d just had that one brief flare of energy during the shower. Now she was back to feeling half dead. But she did feel better after Angelo’s chicken soup.
Katie and Lyra barged in, talking excitedly to each other, and in each of their hands was an ice cream cone which, given the cold weather outside, made Veronica laugh. Only kids could enjoy ice cream in the winter. The driver, Simon, came in behind them with Lyra’s glittery, green backpack slung over his shoulder.
“Ice cream, Simon?” Thad asked, raising a brow.
The driver blushed. “Sorry, sir. Everyone needs ice cream sometimes.” Simon’s gaze drifted to Veronica. “I hope you’re feeling better, Mrs. Hannigan.”
“Thank you, Simon. I am much better.” She opened her arms for Lyra, who bounded up to the couch and crawled up to sit beside her.
“Thanks for picking them up, Simon. I’ll text you in a few minutes when Lyra and I are ready to leave for the party.”
“Yes, sir.”
Only then did Veronica remember that Thad had agreed to take Lyra to a birthday party.
“Oh, Thad, really. I think I can go—”
“No, you won’t. Relax, I’ve got it covered.” He smiled that wolfish smile that made her hot all over. She kind of liked it. No, she really liked it when he got bossy. What was wrong with her? She never thought she was that kind of girl, but there was something about Thad’s easy self-confidence that made everything he did deliciously wonderful.
“You have it covered?” She echoed with a smile of her own and a shake of her head. “You have no idea what you’ve just agreed to, do you?”
He gave a shrug of his shoulders. “It’s just a kid’s birthday party.”
Boy, you are in trouble, Veronica thought. She didn’t dare warn him otherwise. The only thing better than casual self-confidence was seeing it given a reality check now and then. A reality check that came in the form of wild screaming children, cake icing stains, and total exhaustion was even better.
10
Thad was in trouble.
He stood just inside the entrance of a giant kids party place called Razzy Tazzy. Hundreds—not dozens— hundreds of children were running around and screaming like banshees. Inflatable slides almost a story tall gleamed beneath bright ceiling lights and dozens of arcade games flashed as sirens went off every time they spat out tickets to young, screeching kids.
“Holy shi—” he stopped himself short as a tiny hand squeezed his. He looked down at Lyra, who wore a bright pair of red leggings and a green shirt, beside him. He’d chosen something he’d thought at the time would make her easy to spot, but all the kids dashing about wore clothes that were just as bright. She was going to blend in, so he couldn’t risk letting her out of his sight.
“You ready for this, kiddo?” he asked her. She’d been talkative before they’d left for the party and during the car ride over, but now she seemed overwhelmed by the chaos around them.
She gazed out at the wild party scene and shook her head. When she leaned against his leg and clutched at his jeans, his heart clenched and something soft and sweet grew within him. He squeezed her hand back.
Glancing about the chaotic scene, he had sudden visions of Lyra diving into a ball pit where he’d never be able to find her.
“Stay close and don’t let go of my hand.” He navigated his way through the chaotic scene toward a party room that had six large picnic tables covered with snacks and presents. Each table had a banner with a child’s name printed in balloon-shaped letters hanging above it from the ceiling. Thad looked at each one until he spotted the name Sam Dalton.
Parents sat around the table, exhausted, beleaguered and frazzled. It made him think of a war movie, where a group of soldiers might try to get a moment’s rest while shells rained down all too close to their location. And the party had only just started.
Others hovered about the table, setting out gifts and handing out snack packs to children who shot past them like heatseeking missiles. Another group of parents slouched in uncomfortable chairs, nursing plastic cups and staring off into the distance, trying to imagine themselves being anywhere else.
Thad had a bad feeling about this.
Thad and Lyra approached the table. He took a moment to study the couple who seemed to be in charge of the party, a woman who was cutting up a large birthday cake.
“Mrs. Dalton?” Thad asked. The woman looked up at him and froze, her lips parting as she stared at him. She dropped the knife and rushed to smooth her hair back and offer him a flustered smile.
“Oh my God, she wasn’t kidding…”
The man behind the woman stepped forward. “You’re Thad?” the man asked.
“I am.” He motioned to Lyra. “I’m here for Veronica. She’s got the flu.”
“I’m Steve Dalton. This gobsmacked woman is my wife, Michelle. Ronnie said that you’d be coming. Glad to meet you.” He and Steve shook hands.
“You’ll have to walk me through this whole kid’s party thing.” He held out the bag filled with brightly colored tissue paper to Steve. “I’ve got Sam’s present.”
“Thanks. This is your first time at Razzy Tazzy, I take it?” There was a glint of humor in the man’s eyes.
Thad glanced around. “Yeah.” His ears rang with children screaming as the sounds bounced off the concrete walls of the play place. “Tell me there’s a place I can get a drink, I’ve got a feeling I’m going to need it.” Each time he moved, some kid screamed, usually knocking into him. He ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath.
Steve sighed in sympathy. “Well, that’s the bad news. The closest place to get a beer is two blocks away and we need all hands on deck to watch over these little monsters.” Steve bent to ruffle Lyra’s loose blonde curls. She beamed up at him with trust and adoration. He wondered if she would ever look at him like that.
“The best we can do,” he continued. “Is to survive until after cake and opening presents in two hours. The kids usually wear themselves down in the bouncy houses and not even the sugary cake can resurrect them.”
Michelle finally seemed to get control of herself and spoke again. “Wow, you really came.”
Thad raised a brow at the question.
“Oh, God. I’m sorry. That was rude. It’s just when Veronica texted me today, I didn’t really believe her.”
Thad continued to stare at her. “Did you think Veronica made me up?”
“No! No. It’s not that.”
“It’s a little that,” Steve interjected.
“It’s just after losing Parker… Well, Veronica is crazy protective of Lyra. She’s only known you a week—”
“—assuming you were real—”
“—and she’s ready to let you take her daughter to a birthday party alone? It’s just—”
Steve rolled his eyes. “What my wife means is it’s nice to meet you, Thad, and we never thought you were an imaginary coping mechanism for Veronica. We’re glad you came.” He looked down at Lyra. “Why don’t you go find Sam? He’s in the arcade over there.” Steve pointed out a little boy next to a giant whack-a-mole game.
Lyra held firm to Thad’s jeans.
“I’ll be here if you need me, okay?” he told her.
“Promise?”
“I promise, kiddo.” He put a hand on her small shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Lyra’s big blue eyes were like something out of a Margaret Keane painting. She slowly let go of his pants and moved toward Sam. She stopped after fifteen feet and looked back at him. Thad waved encouragingly, keeping his gaze on her until she safely reached the birthday boy.
“She so small,” Thad murmured. “Most of the other kids are much bigger than her.” He looked at Steve. “Is it safe for her to play on this stuff with them?”
“For the most part, yeah, but we’ll keep an extra eye on her. The teenagers who work here aren’t exactly motivated by quality performance.” Steve jerked his head toward a pair of pimply-faced teens manning the prize counter with glazed expressions.
“Swell,” Thad muttered. “I feel so safe knowing my kid is being looked after by those guys.”
“Your kid?” Steve chuckled.
Thad’s rubbed the back of his neck. “You know what I mean.” he amended.
“So, you and Ronnie. Can I ask how serious it is?” Steve’s question was casual, but Thad could hear the protectiveness in the other man’s tone.
“I’m not sure. This is all new to me. I don’t usually…” He couldn’t tell this man that he didn’t usually date women like Veronica. That made him sound like an asshole.
“I get it, man. I’ve seen the article.” Steve poured him a Diet Coke in a red Solo cup and grinned. “Cheers.”
Thad knocked his cup to Steve’s. “Cheers. So if you read the article…”
“My wife has too, obviously. She gave it to Ronnie a few days ago.”
So Veronica had finally read it, and probably knew more about the public side of his life than was probably wise. Had that changed her opinion of him?
“She’s a good person, so whatever you think about her reading the article, she’s nothing like the women you’re probably used to,” Steve said after a moment. “Michelle and I met her at Sam’s daycare last year and we hit it off. She’s had a hell of a time raising her kid alone.”
Thad wondered if he could get Steve to tell him more about Veronica. “She told me about her husband, about how he died.”
“Did she tell you she was eight months pregnant when he died?” Steve volunteered this.
That caught him by surprise. “No, she didn’t.” His heart gave a strange lurch as he pictured a young pregnant Veronica burying her husband, knowing she’d have to face so many things alone. He didn’t want to think about the fact that Parker had died before ever meeting his child. Christ… he couldn’t even begin to imagine how strong Veronica would have to be to get through that.
“Yeah, they’d been getting along okay, but losing Parker. She had to use all of her savings to open the Chi-Bean, and her stepmother is a real piece of work. She’s always trying to sell the house out from under them.”
Steve’s words hit him like a right hook. He’d thought she had the right to live there, with a tenant contract that protected her and Lyra.
“They aren’t tenants with a lawful contract?” Thad kept his voice calm, but a black pit was churning deep inside his stomach.
“That brownstone is her childhood home, but her dad left it in a trust that won’t end until she’s thirty. Until then, her stepmom can do whatever she wants as long as she puts the money into the trust for Ronnie.”
Thad started to panic, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. By asking to see the brownstone, he’d given Veronica’s stepmom encouragement to sell Veronica’s home. Even if he backed out of the sale, she’d be shopping it around elsewhere. He’d become the catalyst for one of Veronica’s worst nightmares.
“Not that the trust is doing her any good,” he added. “Ronnie tells us that her stepmom never pays her enough during her monthly distributions. And if the Chi-Bean does well, she lowers the amount, then never quite raises it back as high when things get slow. So, until Veronica reaches thirty, she’s struggling to get by.”
“But why?” Thad asked.
“Control. Spite. Take your pick. Whatever her reasons, it’s Machiavellian as hell. But that’s always been and will always be Annette’s way. Or so I hear.”
Thad felt that dark pit rising and swirling inside him until he was nauseous. No wonder Annette had been so eager to show him the house. Well, the joke was on her. He wasn’t going to buy the house.
Hell. He’d forgotten about Brandon and how he’d asked him to send off his offer.
“Could you watch Lyra for a second so I can make a quick call?” he asked Steve.
“Sure.”
“Thanks.” He walked back to the Razzy Tazzy’s lobby and dialed Brandon.
“Yes, Mr. Worthington?”
“Brandon, don’t send that offer for the brownstone to Mrs. Becker.”
“Oh, Mr. Worthington, I’m so sorry. I just emailed it off five minutes ago.” Brandon apologized.
Thad pinched the bridge of his nose and cursed under his breath. Shit. This was the only problem with Brandon. He was too good at his job.
“That’s okay. I’ll call her to withdraw the offer verbally and send a follow-up email.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Worthington—”
“It’s not your fault. I just changed my mind, is all. Call or text me if anything comes up.” He tried to keep his breathing deep as his vision tunneled. If he couldn’t get the offer rescinded before she accepted, he’d be facing a difficult conversation with Veronica.
“No problem. Your father has some blueprints for you to look over, but he said there wasn’t any rush.”
Thad ended the call and immediately dialed Mrs. Becker. His head started to ache as he waited for her to answer. He ran over all the ways this conversation could play out and how to make it work to his advantage. It was exactly how he always handled his job, yet this felt more important than any business negotiation he’d ever had.
“Annette speaking,” she answered.
“Mrs. Becker, this is Thad Worthington.”
“I just received the offer from your office—”
“I’m afraid I need to rescind it. I’m not quite ready for that investment yet.”
“Oh…”
“I’m very sorry,” he added. “I am very interested in sending a new offer in perhaps six months.” It was an age-old tactic: lie to prevent the other side from selling to a third party. “I’ll probably pay half a million above asking at that point if you don’t mind being patient.”
“Well, I suppose I could wait a bit longer.” She sounded more excited now. “I will wait to hear from you.”
Thad waited until he ended the call to exhale. He’d managed to buy himself some time, but he wouldn’t be able to do it forever. Still, he basked in the relief of knowing he’d kept the brownstone from changing hands anytime soon. With that taken care of, he returned to the game room to keep an eye on Lyra.
While the stalling tactic had bought him some time, it would only convince Annette to hunt for another buyer if his offer fell through. He needed to come up with a solution and fast, one that wouldn’t make Veronica hate him.
Veronica lay on the couch, debating whether she should bother Michelle during Sam’s party. She’d let a virtual stranger take her child to a party, after all. She had to know how Lyra was doing, and she was dying to know if Thad was surviving the party. There’s no way he knew what he was getting himself into. She quickly dialed Michelle before she could talk herself out of it.
“Girl, why are you torturing that gorgeous man!” Michelle asked the second she answered.
“Oh no… What happened?”
“You sent GQ’s Gentleman of the Year to the Razzy Tazzy, that’s what happened. The man is dressed like he just walked out of the magazine and has found himself in the toddler version of Mad Max. The poor man is struggling to survive in a world where everything is loud, noxious, and sticky.” Michelle said. “God, kids are so grubby.”
Veronica held back a laugh. “Seriously, Michelle, how’s he doing? How is Lyra doing?”
“Seriously? They’re both fine. Lyra was clinging to his leg when they walked in. She’s so darn cute and he’s very protective of her. Enough to make my ovaries squee. Seems like he and Steve hit it off too.”
Veronica couldn’t hold back a laugh this time. But it soon turned into a wheezing cough.
“Have you slept with him yet?”
“Michelle, please tell me no children are near you.” Veronica sipped on the hot tea she’d had just enough energy to make a few minutes ago. The soothing honey and chamomile left her calmer than she otherwise would have been.
“Naw, all the kids are going down that huge inflatable slide right now. Now answer the question.”
“No we haven’t slept together, but he did stay the night. I was so sick… I couldn’t take care of Lyra. It was frightening, I’ve never been this sick.”
The other end of the line was quiet, except for the screaming children in the background.
“Michelle, are you there?” Veronica asked.
“Yeah, I’m here,” Michelle finally answered. “He stayed the night? Like to take care for you?”
“Yeah. He put Lyra to bed and made sure she had breakfast in the morning. He even carried me to the bathroom. I’m feeling better now…just exhausted.”
“That’s so romantic. I swear when men get sick, they think it’s the end of the world, but when we get sick, it actually is the end of the world and they don’t care for us like we do for them. I mean, Steve is amazing, but my old boyfriends? They were the worst.” Michelle chuckled.
“Thad really is wonderful. He even ordered homemade soup from his friend, the chef over at the Italian village.”
“The place where he took you to dinner on Sunday, right?”
“Yeah. They’re best friends, apparently.”
“That’s pretty classy. Best friend who’s a chef? Your wedding will have the best catered food ever.”
Veronica rolled her eyes. “Michelle, don’t talk like that. We’ve only been seeing each other for a week.”
“Don’t wreck my fantasy,” Michelle said. “When I close my eyes, I see you marrying this gorgeous man. I will be your matron of honor, obviously, and it’s one of those insanely lavish weddings on some private tropical island somewhere. Oh, and you’ll have a ton of adorable kids.” Michelle’s dreamy sigh over the phone filled Veronica with her own wistfulness.
She remembered her rushed City Hall wedding with Parker. All she had was a baby blue sundress to wear, but the day had been filled with unspeakable joy. Parker had bought her a bouquet, even though they didn’t really have the money. She’d held those flowers tight, spoken her vows, and meant every word. But it didn’t stop her from having dreams of a bigger wedding, or a dress that a princess would envy. Those kinds of dreams had been around since she was a little girl. But Thad wasn’t the marrying kind.
