show to prove he wasn’t the least bit shaken up about seeing Mandy. Now, if he could only convince himself…
The nine-month-old baby kicked her legs several times and squealed with glee. He quieted her down with a pacifier he dug out of his pocket, and found a seat at the back of the class with an excellent view of his ex-wife.
He’d known it would be difficult, but still he hadn’t expected to be this jarred by seeing her again. He’d spent a full year trying to put the pieces of his life back together after their breakup. How could she have walked away over a disagreement on kids? Why had he let her? He’d moped, drunk too much, even womanized briefly. Nothing had helped until he’d toughened up and gone back to the way of his parents: becoming a devoted workaholic. It hadn’t changed anything, but at least it had kept him from thinking about her. His gaze drifted upward to the woman he’d once loved and trusted—until she’d changed their game plan.
The topic turned to the importance of daily exercise. Mandy had everyone up and stretching. Hunter had a sudden memory of being in running gear with her. She’d worn a sports bra and silky short-shorts with slits up the sides. A lazy smile crossed his lips. Damn, he was a masochist.
“We’ll be doing this routine every morning. Isn’t that right, Dr. Phillips?”
What? He straightened in his chair and tried to appear halfway alert. “I’m sorry. I was distracted with the baby.”
“Class, you can all sit down.” Clearly giving him the benefit of the doubt, she gave a tolerant nod, but he detected something else in her eyes. “I was saying that after thorough physical examinations, we’ll be evaluating everyone here and dividing them into groups of walkers and joggers. I’ll handle the walkers and…” She glanced at Hunter and frowned. “Well, we’ll figure that out later.”
Hmm. He would play along for now, but once class was over, and he had Mandy to himself, he’d grill her on what exactly was expected of him and for how many hours a day. Since Joel Hersh had handily omitted those details. And if his suspicions were right that she planned to replace him, he’d put his foot down. As difficult as it would be, he owed his father and Joel at least that much.
He would have spent more time thinking about his Mending Hearts Club duties, but Sophie had a hold of his nose. She twisted it in an unnatural direction. When he looked up, for the first time that night a smile hinted at the corners of Mandy’s mouth. Until now she’d been ignoring them both. Settling for any possible headway, and feeling like the class clown, he shrugged, gingerly removed Sophie’s sticky fingers, and apologized with a smile. Looking flustered, Mandy reached for a loose lock of hair and nodded, before quickly looking away.
As the class went on, he surreptitiously read part of the syllabus—as much as was possible with Sophie trying her best to swat at the pages and rip them to shreds. Mandy had everything carefully analyzed and set up to perfection. To do anything less would go against her character.
An hour and a half later, the room had cleared of everyone but Mandy, Sophie and Hunter.
She tugged at her hair again and approached cautiously, slowly building speed and looking more confident. “No way are we going to work together,” she said.
“Yes, way. Because I’ve signed on and I’m not a quitter.”
“I’m calling Dr. Hersh first thing tomorrow morning and asking for a replacement.”
“And he’ll tell you exactly what he told me. ‘Good thing you’ve agreed, Hunter. I was about to cancel the class.’” After a brief, silent standoff, she said, “I don’t believe you.” “It’s true, so get over it. I’m here to stay.” One little white lie couldn’t possibly hurt their already strained partnership. Mandy stared him down with a defiant glint in her eyes.
“I’m your last resort. Take it or leave it,” he said.
Something changed in her demeanor. Was it acceptance of her rotten luck?
She walked back to the podium and shuffled some papers. “I almost had a heart attack when you walked into the room.”
Hunter followed her. “Then you were in the right class.”
“Don’t be a smart-ass,” she said.
“Believe me, no one was more surprised than I when Joel told me who I’d be working with.”
“Why did you agree to work with me?”
“Because you needed help,” he said quietly.
She glanced at him, but her eyes darted away before he could engage her.
Feeling a twinge of guilt, he continued. “That’s not completely true.” He scratched the back of his neck. “I didn’t know you were involved until I’d already committed.”
She tilted her head and quirked her mouth, looking neither disappointed nor surprised at his confession. “But you didn’t back out?”
“Nope.”
She shook her head. They stared at each other for a beat, and he thought he saw a hint of gratitude.
Drawing her brows together, she gazed at Sophie and asked with an acerbic flare, “Babysitter problems?”
The baby had fallen asleep halfway through the session, and had used his shoulder to lay her head and drool on.
“No. This is Jade’s daughter. I am the babysitter.”
“Jade had a baby?” Relief flashed on her face but she quickly concealed it. Amanda and Jade had become great friends while she and Hunter had been married. Unfortunately, after the divorce they’d drifted apart. Her shoulders relaxed and she seemed to breathe easier. “How wonderful.”
A surge of dread coursed through him. Of course—how else would it look? You jerk! What a heel she must have thought he was. “Oh, man, you thought Sophie was mine, didn’t you?”
She looked confused. “What was I supposed to think, Hunter?”
A sudden need to make sure she knew and understood his circumstances made him blurt out, “For the record, I’m not remarried or involved, and I don’t have any children.”
She lifted her brows, and after a long silence said, “I can’t believe Jade had a baby.”
“It wasn’t under the best circumstances. She’s a single mother and she’s been having a rough time of it since delivery. Truth is, she’s admitted herself to the hospital for treatment for severe postpartum depression, and I’m Sophie’s guardian for at least the next month.”
She looked him square in the face and he noticed a flicker of surprise in her eyes. “All the more reason for you to step down and let me find someone else…”
“We’ve gone over that already, Mandy.”
Subtle warmth spread across his chest. When he placed a hand on his shirt, he realized with chagrin that Sophie needed a diaper change. Now.
“Oh, damn,” he said, holding the baby at a distance and letting the overflow drip to the floor. He’d have to send the suit to the cleaners. He was still on a learning curve with diapers— and everything else where his niece was concerned. Apparently he hadn’t sealed the diaper tight enough.
Sophie’s eyes opened and she fussed, fisted her hand and shoved it into her mouth. He strode to the nearby table and reached for the diaper bag, then dug inside with one hand while balancing the baby under his other arm, butt out and away from his suit. The diaper bag dropped to the floor. “Damn it.”
From the podium, Mandy shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Here, let me help you out.”
If he didn’t love Jade so much, he would never have agreed to take on such a responsibility. What was he supposed to do with a baby? But, through their parents’ neglect, the bond between him and his sister had been cemented. He couldn’t let her down.