back information.
“Sorry I’m late.” She blew out a breath, hugged little Katie closer to her chest. “She’s been a little fussy and I’m pretty sure her teeth are bothering her.”
Jack shoved his hands in his pockets. He had no experience with teething babies...not that he wouldn’t have welcomed it once. But that chance was stolen from him the night his pregnant wife had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Working with Viv seriously hit his emotions from every single angle. Self-control was key to him not losing his ever-loving mind. And if he focused on the task at hand, at bringing down the O’Sheas, then nothing else mattered.
“I hope I didn’t hold you up.” Viv glanced at the table, her eyes wide. “Wow. You really went all out.”
The yeast rolls, the turkey roulade with plum sauce, the roasted potatoes and veggies, wine...even pats of butter in the shape of doves. Tilly, his chef, housekeeper and wanna-be matchmaker, had gone a bit overboard. And Jack knew for a fact there was a homemade red velvet cheesecake waiting for them in the kitchen.
He gave a mental shrug. Tilly’s attempts were all in vain. Regardless of the fact that Jack had told her this dinner was strictly business, she clearly had ignored him and done her own thing...as usual.
Tilly had been his chef for nearly a decade and never missed a chance to set him up with a woman. Jack had turned down numerous blind dates she’d foisted on him. When he was ready, he could find his own damn date. Considering he was married to Carson Enterprises and dedicated to working for justice, he didn’t have time to worry about dating or keeping a woman happy.
Jack glanced at the overly romantic table, then back to Viv. “I told Tilly this was a business dinner, but she’s hell-bent on marrying me off.”
Viv quirked a dark brow. “Well, this is already better than nearly every date I’ve been on. I’m still recovering from the last one.”
Before Jack could ask what she meant, not that it was his business, Katie let out a cry. Viv patted her back and rocked back and forth, whispering comforting words in an attempt to calm the baby. Nothing seemed to be working, but he wasn’t exactly an expert...nor would he ever be.
“I left the diaper bag up front where Tilly hung our coats. Could you grab it for me?”
Diaper bag. Sure. Maybe this meeting would have been better suited to a phone call. Viv had her hands full, technically working two jobs and caring for an eleven-month-old baby.
Jack refused to feel guilty as he headed to retrieve the diaper bag. Viv had been with him long enough and she was a strong woman. He wasn’t worried she couldn’t pull this off. He was counting on her to pull this off.
And that irritated him on a certain level. He hated relying on someone else to get the job done. He was a hands-on guy, so waiting for her to feed him information was not his idea of a dream job. But the FBI was counting on him to uncover something that would tie the O’Sheas to the crimes against the Parkers. Then they would have the open door to search the rest of their dealings.
The gray-and-white-patterned bag sat next to the accent table by the front door. Jack grabbed the strap and jerked the heavy bag up onto his shoulder. What the hell was in this thing? How could someone so small need so much stuff?
He started back down the hallway, but stopped short when Tilly stepped through the wide arched opening leading into the kitchen.
“Everything all right, Mr. Carson?”
Mr. Carson. She’d worked for him for nearly ten years and he’d given up trying to get her to call him by his first name. Tilly epitomized respect. Ironic, considering she didn’t mind nosing right on into his love life...or lack thereof.
“Fine, Tilly. Thank you. Viv just needed her diaper bag.”
Tilly smiled, the corners of her eyes creasing. “That little girl is lucky to have Ms. Smith in her life.”
Jack nodded. “You’re off duty from playing cupid tonight.” And every other night.
A smile spread across her face, deepening the fan of wrinkles around her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she claimed as she turned back to the kitchen. She stopped, threw a glance over her shoulder and added, “Just let me know when to serve the cheesecake for two.”
“I’ll serve it,” he told her with a laugh. How could he not admire her determination, even if it was wasted? “Why don’t you go on home?”
Her eyes all but sparkled. “Want to be alone? I get it. Consider me gone.”
He wasn’t going to correct her. Yes, he wanted to be alone with Viv, but not for the reasons Tilly assumed. She’d draw her own conclusions no matter what Jack said, so he wasn’t wasting his breath. Besides, he never let Tilly in on his cases. Keeping his work to himself was the only way he managed to crack cases and find justice for the people he helped. The money was just a bonus.
Tilly argued that he was too busy traveling for work and making money to find a woman. She often hinted that all that money was a waste if he had nobody to spend it on.
As much as the thought of another woman in his life terrified him, Jack couldn’t fault Tilly for her efforts. The woman’s heart was in the right place—he just wished she’d give up. He’d had the love of his life once. That kind of love didn’t happen twice.
As far as dating, well, he didn’t want to worry about that, either. He was perfectly content with the way things were. Worrying about himself was enough.
But part of him, okay a huge part, worried about Viv when she was with the O’Sheas. He’d be a fool not to worry. So much for not getting personally involved.
Katie’s cry pulled him away from his thoughts as he headed back onto the patio. Viv sat in one of the cushioned chairs at the table. She was muttering nurturing words and holding Katie in a cradle position.
Jack froze when he spotted the pale pink lace peeking from beneath Viv’s suit jacket. Mercy, not again. Katie had a white-knuckled grip on the V and was pulling the material apart.
The lace was quite the contrast against Viv’s dark skin...skin he shouldn’t be looking at and lace his fingers shouldn’t be itching to trace.
Pull it together.
He adjusted the diaper bag on his shoulder and attempted to ignore the fact this woman loved lace lingerie.
“What do you need out of here?” he asked, unzipping the bag.
She lifted her head and every time those dark eyes clashed with his, he struggled to look away. She had a power she wasn’t even aware of and he’d do good to remind himself she was off-limits.
“Just set it down. I can get it.”
Setting the bag at her feet, he stepped back and took a seat across from her. Unfortunately, when she bent down to dig inside the bag, Katie’s grip tightened and that V only widened. A little pink bow was nestled in the middle of her breasts.
Damn it all. How the hell could he conduct a “business” meeting like this?
“Just tell me what you’re looking for.”
He got to his feet and picked the bag up, forcing himself not to look her way. Focus on the bag. That was the only way they were going to get anywhere this evening.
“Oh, the pain reliever.” Viv shifted Katie on her lap, then adjusted her controversial jacket. “It’s a small pink-and-white bottle with a dropper lid.”
What the hell was a dropper lid? He shuffled through diapers, wipes, jars of baby food, lotion, a stuffed doll...
“Sorry. The outside pouch. I put it in there so it would be easily accessible.”
Of course she had.
Jack finally pulled out the right thing and handed it to her. With his hands