The Sweetheart Hoax Read online

  “I know,” Kate said. “Thankfully that’s done. But I don’t have diapers or bottles or any of the little stuff I’m going to need. I feel bad asking Danny to get it because that baby store gives me a headache. He’d go nuts if I send him there for supplies. I’m ordering everything I need online and having it shipped to the house.”

  Margot pulled the wheeled table in front of Kate. “Need some help?” Margot asked.

  “That’d be great—wait!” Kate flung her hand over her mouth. “You’re supposed to be at home.”

  “I am?”

  “I sent Phil there with Teddy’s crate. I told him you’d be home this afternoon. You have to go home.”

  “What? Why’d you do that?” Margot’s skin started to prickle with dread. Phil at her house? Today? Oh no. Please, she prayed, let Ashley be at work.

  Kate flung her arms in the air. “You two are impossible. How are you going to figure out what’s going on between you if you never talk about it?”

  “There’s nothing going on between us! We talked about it and I let him off the hook before he started making excuses.”

  “Off the hook? Margot, you shared something together. Something special. And I happen to know he doesn’t want to be let off the hook.”

  “It was only special to one of us, Kate. To him it was just like relieving a pressure valve. The farther away we get from the weekend, the more I’m able to see what drove us together.” She ticked a list off on her fingers. “His parents insisted we sleep in the same room, his brother—believe it or not—made us watch horses mate, and we spent Saturday night locked in each other’s arms, determined to convince the town he wasn’t gay.”

  “Gay?” Kate sputtered. “That’s why he needed you to go home with him?”

  Margot stared up at the ceiling. She just couldn’t keep her big mouth shut. “It’s a long story, and if he finds out I told you, he’ll never forgive me.”

  “Okay…”

  “I mean it, Kate. You absolutely can’t tell Danny.”

  Kate closed her lips and made like a key locking with her hand. “Not a word,” she said. “I promise.”

  “Wait,” Margot said. “What do you mean Phil doesn’t want to be let off the hook?”

  Kate smiled. “He came here earlier to ask me if you were seeing anyone.”

  “He did?” Her stomach felt all light and tingly. “Why?”

  “He said there was someone at your house the other night when he brought Teddy. He thinks it was a man.”

  “Oh.” She’d wanted him to think it was a man. She’d wanted him to leave so she didn’t have to explain about Ashley. “What did you tell him?”

  Kate’s eyes widened and she chewed her lip in a way that made Margot’s stomach hurt. “I told him you were interested in him.”

  Margot felt like she was going to throw up. She brought her hand to her mouth. “What did he say?”

  “He seemed surprised because he said you blew him off. I told him you thought he regretted what had happened between you last weekend.”

  “Oh my God. Then what?”

  “Then Danny came in and he left.”

  “He went to my house?”

  “I think so. Where are you going?” she asked when Margot bolted for the door.

  “Home. I’ll call you later.”

  ***

  Phil lugged the wire crate from the back of his trunk and carried it up Margot’s porch steps. He’d pulled all the way to the back and didn’t see her car in the drive. He didn’t know whether to feel disappointed or relieved. How could she think he regretted their being together? How could he regret the most satisfying sexual experience of his life? Not to mention the fact that he’d been miserable every day since without her.

  A rapid round of deep barks met his knock on the door. When he heard footsteps and the sound of Margot calming the dog, his heart rate sped up. She was home. They were going to get things straightened out. Today.

  A pretty brunette answered the door, holding Teddy by the collar. “Can I help you?” she asked.

  “Ahhhhh, is Margot home?”

  “No, she’s not.”

  Teddy began lunging at Phil, his tail wagging a mile a minute. “Hey, boy,” Phil said to quiet the dog before he ripped the girl’s arm out of her socket. “I’ve got his crate. From Danny.”

  “Oh,” she said. “Okay.” She backed up from the door and dragged Teddy with her. There was something about her that looked familiar, but he couldn’t place her. “Why don’t you just bring it inside? I’m sure Margot will know what to do with it.”

  Phil lugged the crate into the foyer and closed the door behind him. “This thing is pretty heavy. Where do you want it?”

  “Ummm,” she glanced around the living room.

  In the afternoon sunlight, Phil could see Margot’s touches everywhere. The simple denim couch was covered in colorful throw pillows. Her bookcases were crowded with medical books and thriller novels. Magazines were stacked haphazardly on her scarred coffee table. It was the kind of room that made him want to settle in with a good book and relax, not at all like his sterile living room at home.

  “Maybe in the corner over there.” She pointed to a spot beside the long brown panels framing her window.

  He set the crate down and knelt to put it together, securing the metal edges with the attached hooks. He glanced up and studied her. There was something about the girl. When she picked up a mug of coffee, he realized where he’d seen her before. He attached the last hook and stood up to face her. “Don’t you work at The Coffee Bean?”

  She narrowed her eyes at him and lifted a brow. “Latte with skim and with a sweet treat to go? I knew you looked familiar.” She held out her hand for a shake. “I’m Ashley Hennessey.”

  Hennessey? Hennessey? They shook hands as he continued to stare. Why did that name ring a bell? “So how do you know Margot?”

  “She’s my sister,” the girl answered.

  Phil rocked back on his heels. Sister? He distinctly recalled Margot saying she didn’t have any siblings. “I…I didn’t know Margot had a sister.”

  “Well,” she said and gave a shrug. “Half-sister.”

  “Half-sister?” he asked.

  She stared at him as if he were too stupid to figure it out. “Same father, different mothers.”

  It hit him like a punch to the gut. Hennessey. Judge Hennessey. The judge who was rumored to have fathered a love child with a waitress. Holy Mother of God! Margot was Judge Hennessey’s love child!

  “Your father is Judge Calvin Hennessey?”

  The girl smirked. “The one and only, unfortunately.”

  “Margot is Judge Hennessey’s daughter?” he asked aloud because his brain just couldn’t make sense of what he’d heard.

  “Yep. She’s the infamous love child. And the lucky one if you ask me. Our father’s a tyrant.”

  He nodded and stared at Ashley Hennessey. He could see it her now, the shape of her eyes, the full mouth. Damn it all to hell. “Okay, well, I’ve got to go.” He walked to the door. “It was nice meeting you, Ashley.”

  “You, too,” she said. “I’ll tell Margot you stopped by.”

  As he got behind the wheel of his car, Phil only knew one thing for certain. He needed a drink.

  Chapter 26

  Margot shoved the car into park and ran inside her house, ignoring Teddy’s bark from the back yard. “Ashley?” she called. “Ash, where are you?”

  Her sister sauntered in from the back of the house wearing cut off shorts, slippers, and a sweatshirt. “What set your pants on fire?” she asked.

  Margot tossed her purse on the kitchen counter, shoved her hair out of her face, and took a deep breath. “Did Phil stop by here today?”

  “You mean tall, dark, and sexy? Yes, he was by about an hour ago. I know him.”

  “What do you mean you know him?”

  “He’s a regular at The Coffee Bean. He likes our cinnamon scones.”

  No, Margot thought. She
liked their cinnamon scones. “Damn it. What did he say?”

  “Nothing. He brought Teddy’s crate, which you’d think was made of gold by the way the dog acted. He set it up in the living room and left.”

  “Did he ask who you were?”

  “Yeah.” She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a can of soda. “I told him we were sisters.”

  Margot slunk back against the counter and covered her face with her hands. Oh no. “Did you tell him your name?”

  Ashley pulled Margot’s hand away from her face. “The gig is up for you, sis. He knows you’re the love child.”

  Margot swallowed a gasp. “Tell me you didn’t use that disgusting term. Please, Ashley, tell me you didn’t tell the man I’m in love with that I’m Judge Hennessey’s love child.”

  Ashley looked away. “Well, you are, technically.”

  “Damn it!”

  “Since when are you in love?”

  “Since forever!” Margot burst into the living room, spied the crate in the corner by the window, and groaned.

  “What’s the big deal?” Ashley asked. “That scandal is old news. I don’t know why you’re so embarrassed by it all. Jeez, if my mom can get over it, so can you.”

  “Excuse me if I can’t get over the fact that my father cheated on his wife, lied about it for years, and didn’t bother to acknowledge my existence until my mother was on her deathbed!”

  “You know, he shit all over us, too,” Ashley said in a low voice that brought Margot out of her hysterical fit. “He’s an ass who likes to control people. My mom should have left him. I should have left his house years ago.” She set her drink on the coffee table and put a hand on Margot’s shoulder. “I doubt Phil even cares who your father is.”

  Margot sank into the couch and threw her head back against the cushion. “He cares,” Margot said. “He won’t be able to help himself.”

  ***

  Phil walked through the motions at Wyndham, making adjustments with the contractor, inputting tasks into his BlackBerry. He set Margot aside, tucked her away in a corner of his brain so he could get through the rest of his day.

  It was after six when he arrived at the office. He unlocked the front, went through his messages at Rebecca’s desk, and headed back to his office. He pulled the bottle of whiskey from his bottom drawer and poured himself a healthy shot in a tumbler he’d snatched from the conference room. It stung like fire going down his parched throat and only fueled his discomfort.

  He turned to the computer and did what he’d wanted to do since Margot’s sister had outed her as the love child. He did a Google search on ‘Judge Hennessey, love child’ and scrolled through the entries. One had a picture of Margot. At eighteen, pale, her blonde hair blowing wild in the breeze, he barely recognized her. She looked so young. She must have been scared. The accompanying story unfolded everything she hadn’t shared. Hennessey’s visit to the hospital, the reporter covering the hospital budget cuts who’d witnessed a confrontation between Margot and the Judge. Gossip, too scandalous not to share, spread all over the pages of the local papers.

  He hadn’t recognized her, hadn’t really even acknowledged the event other than to feel disdain for the Judge and the girl and their pathetic two minutes of fame. At the time the story broke, he and Danny worked night and day to get their business off the ground. But it had stuck. He’d often used the Judge as a barometer of what not to do. Mistakes always came forward. It was best to stay under the radar with everything—business, women, life in general. No flash, no frills, just decent living and patience for the rewards of hard work. Well, he thought as he slipped out of his Italian suit coat, maybe a little flash.

  Damn it, the truth felt like a betrayal. She’d lied to him about her past. But staring at her frightened face on the computer screen, he understood her so much better. She’d always guarded her life. Hadn’t she been studying for her nursing degree the whole time she’d worked for him and he hadn’t a clue? In that way, they’d been the same. Hadn’t he hid his Midwestern farm boy past with fancy clothes and a foreign car?

  He’d shown her his life, his real life, and she’d envied him. Now he knew why. But she hadn’t shared hers. He swallowed the rest of the whiskey and pushed away from his desk. He found his ball in the corner of the office and paced around while his mind raced. She was probably home by now. She probably knew he’d come by. She probably knew her sister had told him the truth.

  He tucked the bottle back in the drawer before he was tempted to have another drink and he couldn’t drive home. The last thing he needed was for uptight Rebecca to find him asleep in his office wearing the same clothes from the day before. He needed to go home, maybe go for a run, clear his head. As he got behind the wheel of his car and let the cool breeze hit him in the face, he knew his heart was what hurt the most.

  Chapter 27

  Margot scrubbed her face clean of makeup and crawled into bed. She was exhausted, but in a good way. They’d said it would take a week or more for her body to adjust to working nights. After her second night at the hospital, she’d certainly hit what one nurse had called the time zone wall. The room darkening shades helped to block out the sun’s rays on another beautiful day. So far, she’d only been able to sleep for four hours at a stretch, but today she felt so tired, she felt sure she could sleep for more.

  If she could just shut off her mind.

  It had been a week since Phil had dropped off the crate and discovered her identity. She hadn’t heard a word from him since. Things at Flannery & Williams were busy, at least that’s what Kate had said both mornings when she’d checked on her before going home.

  She tried not to care. Things at Flannery & Williams were always busy, and that had never stopped Phil from having a social life. If only she didn’t know that he’d asked Kate if she were dating anyone. If only she didn’t think they would have had a chance if only he hadn’t found out about her father. If only, if only, if only!

  Her eyes drifted closed. When Teddy sighed from his dog bed, she did what she promised Kate she wouldn’t do. She tapped her hand on the bed and called him. He jumped up, wagged his tail, licked her face, and settled in beside her. She wrapped her arm around him and gave in to the tears that had threatened to burst free since she’d discovered Phil knew her secret.

  The sound of her phone ringing jarred her from a sound sleep. She reached for her cell where she’d left it on her nightstand and noticed the sun’s position in the sky. She’d been asleep for hours.

  “Hello?”

  “Margot, it’s Danny.”

  “Hi.” Margot sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “Wait, what’s wrong?”

  “Kate’s in labor. She wanted me to call you. She’s delivering the baby tonight.”

  She tossed the covers aside and bolted from the bed. “I’ll be right there.”

  “There’s no hurry,” he explained. “The doctors don’t want to stop her labor. The baby’s lungs are fully developed, so they’re going to let things progress naturally. It could be a while.”

  “Okay.” She looked at her watch. It was after seven. “I’m on tonight at eleven. I’ll be in before my shift.” She sat on the bed. “How is she, Danny?”

  “She’s good. A little scared—we both are, but ready to meet our daughter.”

  “Me too. I’ll see you soon.”

  She stretched, let the dog outside, and got into the shower. As the water hit her square in the face, she realized she’d probably see Phil at the hospital and the gnawing pain in her stomach began in earnest. She didn’t think she could handle his cool disdain, not after years of friendship and one incredible night of passion. She’d resigned herself to the fact that they wouldn’t have a future, but could she handle being shunned by him?

  ***

  “Did you call Margot?” Phil asked Danny as he paced his office. Was it hot or was it just the direct rays of the setting sun as they streamed through the window? He yanked his tie loose and picked up his ball.

&
nbsp; “Yeah, I called her. What’s this about?”

  “Nothing, I just want to make sure she’ll be there.”

  “I’m done matchmaking for you, Phil. I’m going back in to be with Kate. The rest is up to you.”

  Phil blew out a big breath. Yes, he thought. The rest was definitely up to him. He dropped the ball, threw some papers in his case, and locked the office up tight. He needed a run, a shower, and a change of clothes before he faced the woman who may or may not have stolen his heart.

  The maternity waiting area wasn’t crowded for a Thursday night. An older couple huddled in the corner chairs, him dozing against the wall, her reading from an electronic book. A few twenty-something women sprawled in the chairs nearest the television. After spying Danny’s dad and step-mom along the far wall, Phil took a seat next to them facing the entrance so as not to miss Margot when she came in. He couldn’t sit still for long. He fiddled with his BlackBerry, flipped through a magazine, and looked at his watch a million times.

  Where was she?

  At a quarter to ten, he wandered over to the coffee machine in the corner. When he heard Danny’s dad’s baritone over the hum of the machine, he glanced around to see Margot in dull brown scrubs and tennis shoes. If she’d seen him at the coffee machine, he sure couldn’t tell.

  “I just checked on Kate,” he heard her tell Danny’s step-mom. “She’s fully dilated. It won’t be long now.”

  “How are they holding up?” his step-mom asked.

  “Good, I think. Kate’s a trooper. She’s trying to deliver without an epidural. She’d always planned to have one, but she doesn’t put any more stress on the baby. I think Danny would prefer for her to have some relief. He seems to be doing worse than she is.”

  He stepped next to her, his approach masked by the waiting room’s carpet. “Margot.”

  He’d kept his distance on purpose. He’d needed to think, to breathe, to let everything settle in his brain before running off to scoop her off her feet. He wondered if his attraction to her had faded. He wondered if he’d exaggerated his feelings simply because he didn’t see her everyday at the office. He wondered if she wasn’t interested in him now that she’d earned her position at the hospital and her real life had started.