Secrets of Paternity Read Online Free

Investigations, they, along with their boss, Quinn Gerard, had forged a friendship rare for such independent souls. They were the only people he’d told about what was happening in his life, what he was waiting for.
    â€œAny word?” she asked as she pulled plates from his cupboard.
    â€œNothing.”
    â€œGive them time.” Her long, golden-brown braid swung along her lower back as she reached for a couple of wineglasses.
    He grabbed a bottle of Merlot. “Maybe Paul decided to ignore our agreement.”
    â€œFrom everything you’ve told me about Paul Brenley, I don’t think you need to worry about him going back on his word.” Cassie stopped dishing up the food and set her hands on the counter, leaning toward him. “Let’s focus on your biggest worry—what if the kid doesn’t want to meet you?”
    He plunked down a tub of grated parmesan cheese next to the plates. “Yeah, so? That’s normal.”
    â€œMy point exactly, Jamey. And if you don’t hear from them, you only have to track down the Brenley family and get the answers yourself. An easy thing for you, unless they’re in witness protection or something.” She flashed him a teasing smile then went back to serving generous portions of ravioli. “In fact, I can’t believe you haven’t tried.”
    â€œI agreed to no contact, and I’ve stuck by it. I don’t want to take advantage of my resources unless I have to. We’re jaded enough from this business, Cass. Maybe my agreement with Paul was only slightly more than a handshake, but I want to believe he would honor it.” Like the Harley wrecker this afternoon, he thought. He wasn’t going to track her down, but let her prove him right—that most people were trustworthy.
    â€œSpeaking of being jaded,” she said, “how was your date last night?”
    He’d put the woman out of his mind already. Not very complimentary, he supposed, but he didn’t date for fun anymore. Every woman was a potential wife and mother, now that he was looking to settle down. “It was okay,” he said.
    â€œHow old was this one?”
    He gave her a cool look.
    â€œThat young, huh?” she asked innocently.
    â€œNeed I remind you that your fiancé is eleven years older than you.”
    â€œYeah. Eleven. Not twenty.”
    â€œMy date wasn’t that young.”
    â€œHow old?”
    â€œTwenty-five.”
    â€œOh, okay. Only seventeen years’ difference. Jamey, Jamey, Jamey. I know dating a P.I. can make a woman starry-eyed for some odd reason, but, really, what do you want with someone that young?”
    Babies, he thought. A home. “Energy,” he said instead with a grin, to which Cassie heaved a huge sigh.
    James made it through the evening without telling Cassie about his incident that afternoon with the Harley wrecker, knowing he wasn’t ready to deal with Cass’s potential interrogation, even though she would like the fact the woman was closer to his own age. Is she attractive? Cass would ask. Yes, and although she looked as if a strong wind could blow her away, her personality wasn’t subtle. He thought about the empty place on her ring finger. Divorced? Widowed? While there was a certain vulnerability to her, he hadn’t seen weakness.
    Is she smart? Oh, yeah. He’d especially liked how she’d told him to take a cab and add the cost to her bill.
    But the question he was likely avoiding most from Cassie: What is she hiding? That he didn’t know, but it seemed tied more to her not giving him her name than insurance issues.
    The encounter had jarred his life—in a good way—at a time he needed jarring.
    After Cassie left around ten o’clock, James sat down at his computer, found he couldn’t concentrate, and so he wandered into his backyard. The size of his house and the denseness of foliage blocked most of the street noise andcity