The Sweetheart Hoax Read online

  “I want to go to the hospital,” she said. “Can we go straight there?”

  Phil stopped to take off the jacket he’d worn in Illinois. “Danny wanted me to bring him some stuff from the office. Do you mind if we run by there first?”

  Margot felt a hand on her sleeve and turned around. She couldn’t have been more surprised if Phil’s mother had stood before her. “Randall?”

  “Maggie, I’ve been calling your name. I guess you didn’t hear me.”

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  He looked at Phil. “Williams.” And back to Margot. “Something going on here I should know about?”

  Before she could answer, Phil stepped forward. “McBain. You trolling the airport now?”

  “I just dropped off my sister.” He put his hands in his pockets in what seemed like a casual move that was anything but when she saw him clench his jaw. “Where have you two been?”

  “Just flew in from St. Louis,” Phil said. “We ran into each other on the plane.”

  Margot turned her head and gaped at Phil. He wouldn’t look at her.

  “You know one another?” Randall asked.

  “Margot used to work for us,” he said in a funny voice. “She’s moving up in the world.”

  “Margot?” Randall asked.

  She couldn’t believe it. Phil couldn’t even bring himself to admit they’d spent the weekend together. All her fantasies about them having a future went up in flames before her eyes. He was ashamed to be seen with her. “Huh?” she said.

  “Phil called you Margot.”

  “That’s my name.”

  “Then why does everyone at the hospital call you Maggie?”

  “Nurse Jankowski. She just doesn’t listen.”

  “Say no more.” Randall rocked back and forth on his heels while they all stood in uncomfortable silence. “Well, I’ve got to get to the hospital.”

  “Would you mind giving Margot a ride?” Phil asked. “Danny’s wife’s been admitted to the hospital and she wants to stop by and see her.”

  It was like a one-two punch, right to her heart. The bastard.

  “Sure,” Randall said. “I’d be happy to.” He reached down and pulled the handle to Margot’s suitcase out of her grasp. “Ready?”

  Margot looked at Phil. He met her eyes briefly before pulling his phone from his pocket and fiddling with the keyboard. “Yeah,” she said to Randall, but stared at Phil. “It’s the best offer I’ve had all day.”

  ***

  Phil watched Randall escort Margot through the glass doors and clamped his jaw tight when he spied McBain slip his palm around her waist. Fucking McBain. Margot was McBain’s nurse Maggie, the tasty morsel he planned to use for research!

  He swallowed his jealousy and slowly made his way in their wake, careful not to get too close. Somehow, in the haze of sexual satisfaction, he’d forgotten about McBain. He’d poached a friend’s girlfriend—and a client. He should feel ashamed of himself, but he couldn’t feel anything other that a red-hot blaze of anger at the thought of that son of a bitch laying a finger on his Margot.

  He stopped short when he realized what he’d thought. She wasn’t his. She’d never been his. The only time she’d ever been any part of his is when she was his receptionist, and now she wasn’t even that.

  She’d looked hurt and angry, worse than when she’d overheard him talking about her to Danny. He felt like a scumbag. He’d taken her for granted for years, taken advantage of her in the worst possible way, and then dismissed her as if she meant nothing to him when in fact that wasn’t true. But what did she mean to him? He rubbed the heel of his hand over his chest and shook his head. Now he needed to apologize to her and explain, but he didn’t know how to explain when he didn’t understand how he felt. He needed to get some food because he couldn’t think straight on an empty stomach.

  Chapter 20

  Margot ditched Randall in the lobby and heaved a sigh of relief when the elevator doors closed and she was finally alone. She needed to clear her head and get a grip on her emotions so she could be there for her friend.

  She got Kate’s room number from the nurse on duty and entered her room after knocking. Kate gave a weary smile and waved Margot inside.

  “How are you feeling?” Margot asked.

  Kate shrugged. A monitor beside the bed recorded the baby’s steady heartbeat. “The contractions have slowed, but they haven’t stopped completely. Dr. Warren said if they don’t stop in the next twelve hours, they’re going to put me on another drug that’s shown more success in stopping preterm labor.”

  “Nifedipine?” Margot asked.

  “That sounds about right.” She gripped her baby at the base of her mound and rubbed her stomach with her other hand. “My head is spinning with all the medical jargon. I just want someone to tell me my baby’s going to be all right.”

  “Dr. Warren is good. Very good. And the neo-natal wing is one of the best in the country. You’re in good hands here, Kate.”

  “I know. I keep telling myself that, but I can’t help but worry.” She swept a tear from her cheek. “Oh, God, Margot, I’m scared.”

  Margot rushed to her bedside and reached for her hand. The woman Margot had envied for having everything stood to lose what was most important. “I know you are, but you have to stay positive. Lean on me and Danny and anyone else, but don’t lose hope.”

  “I’m not. I’m sorry for dumping on you, but I’m trying not to get upset around Danny.” She grabbed a tissue from the bedside table and blew her nose. “He’s trying to be strong for me, but he’s scared, Margot. I’ve never seen him scared before.”

  “You and the baby mean everything to him, Kate. I’ve never seen a man so completely devoted to his family.”

  She nodded and stared down at her lap for a long moment before looking Margot in the eye. “I wish we’d found out the sex of the baby. He or she is fighting for its life and I don’t even know what to call it.” She waved her hand around the room. “This makes it all so real. I want to call my baby by name, let it know that I love it, but that I can wait to meet it.” She shook her head from side to side. “I hate calling it an it!”

  Margot nodded. This, at least, she could do for her friend. “I’m sure it’s in the file. If you ask the doctor, he’ll tell you what the sex is.”

  “He will? I just have to ask? Are you sure they know?”

  “Positive. If you’ve had an ultrasound, and I assume after all this you have, then it’s in there.”

  “Oh.” She bit her lip. “I have to talk to Danny first, make sure he’s okay with it.”

  “Okay with what?” Danny asked. Margot turned around and saw her former boss in jeans and a wrinkled button-down carrying a cup of coffee in his hand. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

  Margot stood up. “I’ll get out of your hair,” she said. “Keep thinking positive thoughts,” she whispered to Kate.

  She gave Danny a hug. “Your baby’s a fighter, Danny, and your doctor is one of the best.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her. “I’ll walk you out,” he said to Margot. He set his coffee down on the table and squeezed Kate’s foot through the blanket. “Be right back.”

  In the hallway, he expelled a big breath and leaned against the wall. In the bright fluorescent lighting, Margot couldn’t help but notice the worry in his tired eyes. The man was exhausted.

  “I’m worried about Kate,” he said without preamble. “The doctor has been great so far, but I think she’s thinking the worst.”

  “She’s just scared, Danny. This is scary. The baby books don’t prepare you for stuff like this.”

  “I just don’t understand how this could have happened. She’s been taking really good care of herself.”

  “Has the doctor said anything about what may have caused this?”

  “He said it could have been an infection, or any number of things. I’m so tired I can’t remember half of what he said.”

  “Look,” M
argot reached up and touched his arm. “I know a couple of the nurses on this floor. I’ll ask around and see if I can find out anything that I may be able to explain to you in plain English.”

  “I’d appreciate that, Margot. I’m not sure what else to do and I hate feeling helpless. I should be able to take care of my wife and the baby and there’s nothing I can do.”

  “You’re being a rock for her, Danny. She can get through anything, the two of you can get through anything, as long as you’re together. And you can pray.”

  “I’ve done a lot of that,” he said. “Trust me.”

  “Good.” He could barely keep his eyes open. “Danny, you won’t be able to help Kate or the baby if you’re dead on your feet. Why don’t you go home for a few hours, get some sleep, take a shower, and eat some food? I’ll stay with Kate until you get back.”

  He rubbed his forehead. “I can’t leave her, Margot.”

  “Listen, I’m sure you left the house in a rush. Go home, take a nap, get some stuff that might make Kate feel better—some socks or slippers, her makeup, a toothbrush. I promise I won’t leave her side until you return.”

  “I can’t ask you to stay.”

  “You’re not asking. I’m offering. I’ve got all my study material in the nurses’ lounge on the main floor. You go talk to Kate, tell her you’re going home for awhile, and I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

  He nodded. “I do need to see about Teddy. We dropped him at Ricky and Shannon’s without anything—food, bowls, a leash, nothing. He’s probably driving them crazy.”

  “Go, but don’t spend all the time running errands. Sleep is what you need most.” She thought of Ricky and Shannon Brewster. If ever there were people who could handle a dog, it was the parents of four young boys. “Ask Shannon if she wants me to take the dog. I’ve got a fenced back yard and I’m off for the next week to study.”

  “I will.” He embraced her in a hug. She felt her face blush from the unusual gesture. “I can’t thank you enough.”

  “You can thank me by getting some sleep.”

  ***

  Phil unlocked the office door and turned off the alarm. He smelled the familiar scent of the new carpet and the red currant reed diffuser on Margot’s desk. He grimaced when he saw the empty surface of her desk and the photo of a cat Rebecca had placed in the corner.

  The sandwich he’d devoured hadn’t helped his mood or his mind. He still felt conflicted. He needed to apologize to Margot, that was the only thing he knew for certain.

  He dropped his bag on his guest chair and took a seat behind his desk. He knew he should boot up his computer, go through his emails, and get a little work done while he was there. He needed to give Margot some time with Kate before he rushed to the hospital with the files Danny had requested. He didn’t want to take the chance he’d run into her and force a confrontation he wasn’t prepared for. He ran his hands through his hair and leaned back in the chair, blowing out a breath of air when a speckle of clarity broke through his addled brain.

  When Margot left with McBain, he’d felt itchy and panicked and totally unsure of what to do—exactly the way he’d been expecting to feel for having slept with her. Never, not once, even now, did he feel the least bit unnerved about what happened between them. He could still see her, stretched out on the floor of the guest room, bathed in moonlight, her hair tumbled around her face, her lips swollen and turned up in a smile. God, she was so beautiful. How had he ever thought her plain?

  The ache he felt in his heart wasn’t because he’d taken advantage of her. It wasn’t because he’d done something he shouldn’t have done. It wasn’t even because he’d have to see her again and pretend like nothing had happened between them. The ache in his heart was because he’d let her walk away with McBain without a fight. Because he’d have to pretend nothing had happened between them because that’s the choice he’d made at the airport.

  Would McBain fire him for stealing Margot? Would it matter? He’d only done a few preliminary sketches for the doctor’s building. It wasn’t like he’d be out a bunch of time. He’d even skipped his usual retainer since McBain was a friend. The bastard.

  And was Margot actually dating him? He’d never asked, he’d only assumed they were dating after watching them kiss on the sidewalk. But what if that was all they’d ever done? Was he willing to let Margot go over something that could mean nothing to her?

  Whoa. He sat upright and got up to pace, grabbing his ball from the floor where he’d left it. What was he thinking? A relationship? If he fought for Margot and won, was he prepared to start a relationship with her?

  He stopped and let the idea of it swirl around his head.

  “Huh,” he said aloud when the idea didn’t cause him to run screaming from the building. And why would it, he wondered. He liked her; he’d always liked her. He respected her; after learning of her past and of what she’d been through in order to achieve her goals, he couldn’t help but respect her. He wanted her; there was no denying the attraction. “Huh,” he said again. “I’ll be damned.”

  “You talking to yourself again?” Danny asked from the doorway, jarring Phil out of his thoughts.

  “Jesus, you scared me. What are you doing here? I thought you were at the hospital with Kate.”

  “I was. Margot’s with her now. She insisted I go home and get some sleep.”

  “Then what are you doing here?” Phil asked. “I told you I would bring the stuff to you.”

  “I knew you’d screw it up.”

  Danny’s words were said in jest without any bluster. His friend and business partner was exhausted. “How is she?”

  “Kate? She’s…” He leaned against the doorframe and rubbed his hands over his face. “She’s trying hard to stay strong, but she’s worried. Hell, I’m worried. We’ve been trucking along like nothing could ever go wrong and then BAM, out of nowhere she starts having contractions.” He pulled his hands away from his face and balled them into fists at his side. “I can’t stand to see her in the hospital. I can’t let anything happen to her or the baby.”

  Phil dropped the ball and walked to stand in front of Danny. He put a hand on his shoulder and patted a few times before dropping his arm. “Sounds like it’s out of your hands, Dan. Margot’s right, you need some sleep.”

  “I know. I’m just going to grab the stuff I need and get out of here.”

  Phil trailed Danny to his office. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “No. I don’t know.”

  “What else has to be done?”

  Danny gathered some files from a stack on his messy desk. It was probably a good thing Danny came in. Phil would have had a hell of a time locating the files he’d asked for. “I’ve got to get Teddy from Ricky and Shannon. Apparently he’s been using the kids’ stuffed animals as chew toys and he did a number on Shannon’s flowerbed.”

  “What are you going to do with him?”

  “Margot offered to watch him this week while she’s off.”

  “Margot did?”

  “Yeah, she said she’s got a fenced yard. The dog is probably going nuts around all those kids and without Kate—he adores her.”

  “Look,” Phil said as an idea popped into his head. “Why don’t you go home and get some sleep? I can run over to Ricky’s and get Teddy.”

  Danny’s head jerked up in surprise. “In your Mercedes?”

  “Hell no, not in my Mercedes. I’ll take the work truck.”

  Danny rubbed his temple. “I appreciate the offer, Phil, but I’ve still got to go home and get his stuff.”

  “What stuff?”

  “His dog bed, his leash, his food.”

  Phil shrugged. “I can buy all that at the pet store. There’s one on the way.”

  “Are you sure?” Danny asked.

  “Would I offer if I wasn’t?”

  Danny put his hands on his hips and dropped his head. Phil feared his friend was on the edge of a breakdown. “Everybody’s being so great. I just wish there was som
ething I could do…”

  “There is,” Phil said. “Go get some rest. Kate needs you strong, bud. We’ll handle the rest.”

  Danny nodded, picked up the files, and walked out the door. “Thanks, man.”

  “No problem. Tell Kate I’ll be in to see her soon.” As soon as Danny was gone, Phil retrieved the truck’s keys from Margot’s desk. “Okay,” he said to himself. “Let’s go get my excuse to see Margot.”

  Chapter 21

  When the doorbell rang at seven-thirty Sunday night, Margot looked down at her Snoopy pajamas and cringed. Why, on a night when she planned to go to bed as soon as the sun went down, did someone have to stop by?

  She set her cookie on the coffee table next to her mug of tea and tiptoed to the door. She stretched on her tippy toes and peeked through the beveled glass window at the top of the door. Phil’s shiny dark hair gleamed in her porch light. Oh no.

  “What do you want?” she shouted through the wood.

  “I’ve got something for you,” Phil said.

  “I’m busy. Just slide it under the door.”

  “It won’t fit under the door. C’mon, Margot. Open up.”

  “Just leave it on the porch, then. I’ll get it later.” No way was she going to let him see her and Snoopy. Or anyone else.

  His answer was drowned out by a booming bark. “What is that?” she asked.

  “It’s Teddy. Danny said you’d watch him.”

  Margot leaned against the door. “Let him out in the back. There’s a gate to your left.”

  She felt the knock at her back like stakes to her bruised and battered heart. “He comes with accessories, Margot. You’re going to have to open up. And if you care at all about these pansies you’ve got on the porch, you’ll do it now.”

  She jerked the door open and gaped at the massive black and white dog with a petal in his mouth. “Bad dog,” she said and shooed him away from the pot with her arms. When she looked up at Phil, he had a stupid grin on his face. Did the idiot have to look more handsome than ever?

  “Snoopy, huh? Nice.”

  She yanked the leash from his hand. “Thanks, I can take it from here.”