Underfoot

“Of course not,” she said, forcing the words from her throat. “Everyone knows you’re great at what you do. I just thought you might prefer to avoid the discomfort.”

“I did that,” he said and took a long draw from his beer. “The marriage to Brooke didn’t work out and that was for the best, but I’m not losing Bellagio over a failed engagement.”

Trina’s stomach sank at the steel in his tone. She couldn’t imagine how he would respond to her announcement that he was the father of her baby.

“Speaking of Bellagio, I wanted to show you some of the models I’m using for the commercial.” He reached into his pocket for his PalmPilot and turned it on. He pushed some buttons and handed it to her. “What do you think?”

She looked at the headshot of a toothy blonde. “Pretty,” she said. “But we’re not going for perfect,” she added. “We’re going for Ms. And Mr. Everyday who can clean up nicely.”

He nodded. “Don’t want to be intimidating.”

“Right,” she said and took a sip of her wine, mentally girding herself. “There have been some changes. I need to talk about them with you.”

He leaned closer. “At Bellagio,” he said.

She moved her head in a circle. “More with me, and it’s something you should know. I, uh. We, uh—”

“Walker Gordon, when did you get back in town?” a woman’s flirty Southern drawl oozed from a few steps away.

Trina glanced at her perfectly groomed and coiffed former classmate, Blair Smythe Manning Davis, twice divorced.

“Blair—” he said, obviously searching for her last name as he stood.

She beamed, her porcelain veneers gleaming as white as chalk. “You remembered me. The last time we met we were both committed, but you’re single now and so am I.” She shot a quick dismissing glance in Trina’s direction. “It’s been so long since you and I have seen each other, Walker. Would you mind if I join you? Or am I interrupting something important?” she asked as an afterthought.

Walker looked at Trina. “We’re discussing business.”

Blair made a clucking sound and tapped her diamond-encrusted watch. “It’s way past five o’clock. Quitting time,” she said and pulled a chair from another table.

Walker helped Blair with the chair. She smiled at him as she sat down then glanced again at Trina. “Hello, I’m Blair—”

“Davis,” Trina finished because she couldn’t resist.

Blair blinked and she studied Trina.

“Trina Roberts,” she said, rescuing the woman. “You and I went to the same girls’ school.”

“Oh,” Blair said and gave a hesitant smile. “I’ll have to look you up in my yearbook.”

“I’ve let my hair grow and I was a couple years behind you,” Trina couldn’t resist adding, noticing that Blair looked razor thin and had a man-eater look in her eyes. Her hair was highlighted platinum and her skin faux-tanned just this side of oompha-loompha. Two husbands down, ready for number three. She wondered if blood dripped from Blair’s incisors at night.

“Really?” Blair said in disbelief and gave a forced laugh. “I’ll definitely have to dig out my yearbook. But enough about me. Walker, make my dream come true and tell me you’re back in town for good?”

He shot a look of discomfort toward Trina and cleared his throat. “I’m back for good.”

“That’s great. The Walthams are hosting a party this weekend. You absolutely must come with me.”

“I’m still settling in,” he said.

She gave an exaggerated pout. “You can do that anytime. I just want to borrow you on Saturday night. For starters, anyway,” she added with a seductive glint in her eye.

And so it went for twenty more minutes while Trina nursed her little glass of wine and contributed eleven nods and eight uh-huhs. The ball of apprehension in her chest turned to irritation in her stomach.

Tonight was clearly not the night that she would tell Walker about Maddie. She glanced at her watch and was forced to interrupt Blair’s latest combination of gossip and flirting. “Excuse me. I hate to say this, but I have some other plans this evening, so I need to leave.”

She stood and Walker rose to his feet. “Let me walk you to your car.”

“Not necessary. I can find it on my own.”

“I need to cover a couple more things with you,” he said, frustration edging into his tone.

“Let’s try meeting at my office. Give me a call in the morning.”

“I’ll still walk you out.”

“What a gentleman,” Blair said. “Let him walk you out and he can come back and chat with me.”

Trina gave a tight smile. “Okay. It was great seeing you Blair. You look more amazing than ever.”

“Thank you. What a sweetie you are.”

Trina headed out of the bar, feeling Walker catch up to her in just a few strides.

“Were you really going to leave me with her?” he asked.

“Hey, she’s a great contact. She knows everyone and talks about them, too.”

He adjusted his tie. “I didn’t know you went to school with her crowd.”

“I may have gone to school with her, but that doesn’t mean we were friends,” she said, approaching her car and wondering if Walker would notice the infant safety seat in her car. At least she’d remembered to put the top up on her convertible.

She knew, however, that Walker could be very observant. Her edginess ratcheted up another notch. Not wanting to tell him he was a father in the parking lot of a bar, she quickly stepped in front of him. “Sorry I could only give you a brief reprieve from Blair. She’s beautiful and well connected, though.”

“And pushy as hell,” he said and swore. “This didn’t turn out the way I planned.”

She smiled. “It happens that way sometimes.”

“I’ll call you in the morning,” he said and she felt his gaze fall over her in some kind of combination that included masculine scrutiny.

She resisted the urge to suck in her abdomen. “Fine,” she said, backing toward her car.

“We’ll get together tomorrow.”

“No problem,” she said, fighting the jumpiness in her belly at the determined expression on his face.

He nodded. “It’s good to see you again, Trina. I’ve missed talking to you. I always felt like I could level with you.”

“Mmm,” she said with a nod and lifted her hand. “Talk to you tomorrow.”