* * *
Dani was frozen to the bone. Her feet had long since gone numb. Though her coat and boots were nice, they were never meant to trek through deep snow for any length of time. She had struggled to keep up. Nathaniel, by all indications, was naturally athletic. He probably played multiple sports in high school and college.
They took turns holding the baby while shedding their outerwear. Dani’s chic black dress was damp and rumpled. What she wouldn’t give for a roaring fire and a cozy robe.
At the drugstore she had paid for a handful of personal items just in case. It seemed unlikely she was going to make it home tonight, though she still held out hope. Right now, all she wanted was her own bed, a warm nightie and something fun to binge-watch on Netflix.
Now that she had stripped off her black tights with the silver sparkles and was barelegged, she began to shiver. Nathaniel noticed immediately.
“If you’re going to feed the baby, we’ve got to get you warmed up first. Come with me.”
Clutching the little girl like a life preserver, Dani followed her boss down the hall.
The first thing she noticed was that Nathaniel’s condo was three or four times the size of her own modest apartment. It was decorated in soothing shades of blue and gray with occasional pops of color. Coral cushions. An abstract painting that called to mind a Gauguin nude in the tropics. The space was silent and perfectly appointed in every way. Not a magazine out of place. No dirty socks.
Dani wanted to like Nathaniel’s home, but she couldn’t. It looked more like a magazine spread than a peaceful sanctuary at the end of a long day. She stopped in the doorway to his bedroom, unable to take another step.
Nathaniel, clearly unconcerned, rummaged in his dresser and came up with a pair of cream woolen socks and some faded gray sweatpants that looked ancient. He lifted one shoulder and lowered it with a sheepish grin. “I was smaller back in high school. These will still be too big for you, but at least they’ll stay up. I think.”
After that, he flung open his closet and found a soft cotton shirt in a pale blue. “Here we go,” he said triumphantly. “Will this do?” She caught a brief glance of neatly pressed dark suits and crisp white dress shirts before he closed the closet door again.
She nodded. “Of course.”
“Use my bathroom,” he said. “I’ll entertain the little one.”
Dani frowned. “What should we call her? The note didn’t say.”
“How about Munchkin? That’s generic enough, isn’t it?”
“What kind of mother leaves her baby in a snowstorm?”
“I think Ophelia was probably watching us from somewhere nearby. She’s a little weird, but not crazy enough to bring harm to a child.”
“Why would you get involved with someone like that?” Dani wanted to snatch the words back as soon as they left her lips. It was none of her business.
Nathaniel’s neck turned red. He avoided her gaze. “We weren’t exactly involved. It was more of a physical thing.”
“Casual sex.” She said the words flatly, oddly hurt to know that Nathaniel was no better or worse than any other guy.
“I think we should change the subject,” he said tersely. “Hand me the munchkin.”
Dani passed off the baby and scuttled past man and child, already regretting that she didn’t have the little girl for armor. Using Nathaniel’s bathroom felt oddly decadent and personal. Everything was sybaritic and gorgeous. Marble. Brass. And mirrors. Those mirrors were her downfall. She looked as if she had been on an all-night bender at the North Pole.
Wincing at her reflection, she quickly took off her dress. At least her bra and panties were dry. The sweatpants were fleece-lined, and the socks were thick and warm. The shirt was miles too big, but she rolled up the sleeves. Though she was still chilled, the borrowed clothes made her feel more human.
Nathaniel smothered a grin when she reappeared in his bedroom. Wise man not to make any smart remarks. She was in no mood to be teased about her appearance, especially when it was Nathaniel’s fault she was in this predicament.
“I bought a few bottles of premixed formula,” she said. “It’s expensive, but I didn’t want Peaches to have to wait any longer than necessary?”
“Peaches? I thought we were calling her Munchkin.”
“Well, we found her on Peachtree Street, so it seemed fitting.”
“Fair enough. If you girls want to get settled in the den, I’ll change and join you in a minute. Then it might be time for the grown-ups to eat. Are you hungry?”
“Starving,” Dani said.
She made her way back down the hall and found the den. It was a more appealing room than anything she had seen so far. And hallelujah, there was a gas-log fireplace. One flip of a switch and the flames danced.
“Oh, Peaches,” Dani said. “What kind of mess have we gotten ourselves into? These are pretty fancy digs, but you should be with your mama, and I’m supposed to be going home for Christmas tomorrow.”
The baby whimpered while Dani shook the bottle and removed the protective cap. The formula was theoretically room temperature, but it might still be chilled from being outside. Fortunately, the child was too hungry to care.
Dani settled deeper into a cushioned armchair and propped her feet on the ottoman. The baby suckled eagerly. Was she old enough to take any other foods? This was a heck of a mess. Maybe they should try another call to the authorities. Or even to social services directly.
Then again, it was after nine o’clock, and tomorrow was Christmas Eve.
The child was a sweet weight in her arms. Enough to wonder what it would be like if this were really her child. Dani envied her sister at times. Angie and her husband were happily married and hoping to start a family soon. Then again, her sister was thirty-five. Dani was only twenty-eight. There was still plenty of time.
She didn’t know what was taking Nathaniel so long, but did it really matter? She couldn’t imagine leaving him in the lurch, even if this situation was his fault. Could the baby really be his? Contraceptives failed all the time. He acted like the kind of man who would live up to his responsibilities, but did she really know him that well? He seemed very sure he wasn’t a father.
What alarmed her was how content she was to spend this time with him. Though the moment was fraught with emotional danger, she was happy to be here. Against all odds, Nathaniel had shown her his human side. Seeing him in this situation made her feel woozy inside. He was visibly shaken and yet so very determined to seize control.
His masculinity was in stark contrast to the baby’s helpless vulnerability. Dani’s regard for him grew, as did her need to explore what was sure to be a doomed attraction on her part.
She was almost asleep, her head resting against the back of the chair, when her boss finally appeared.
Nathaniel surveyed the sleeping child. “She seems like a pretty easy baby, doesn’t she? If all she needs are food and diapers, maybe it won’t be so bad to wait it out until someone shows up to claim her.”
“I burped her a couple of times halfway through the bottle. She took it like a pro. I still feel bad, though. Peaches should be with her family at Christmas.”
“Fortunately, she’s too young to remember any of this,” Nathaniel said.
“Maybe. But she has to know we’re strangers.”
“I called 911 again. They asked me if the baby was in any danger. I said no. They wanted to know if the mother was someone I knew. I had to say yes. The officer apologetically insisted that they’re completely at the end of their resources and recommended I preserve the status quo until Tuesday.”
“Tuesday?”