The Perfect Father

The Perfect Father

Elizabeth Bevarly

For Elias David Beard, the new man in my life. I love you, buckaroo.

Contents

Prologue

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Epilogue

Prologue

“Okay, Simon. Now do as Auntie Sylvie says, and everything will be just fine.”

Sylvie Venner widened her eyes and nodded with encouragement, then guided a spoonful of strained carrots toward her eight-month-old nephew’s mouth. She fingered a length of her blond blunt-cut hair away from her eyes and felt something gloppy sticking to the jaw-length tresses. When she pulled away her hand, she saw that her fingertips were covered with orange. Smiling indulgently, she placed the spoon back into Simon’s bowl and reached for a napkin to wipe what she could of the carrots from her hair.

“You nailed Auntie Sylvie pretty well with that last handful, didn’t you, buckaroo?”

Simon squealed with laughter and squirmed with delight in his high chair.

Olivia McGuane, Sylvie’s sister and Simon’s mother, glanced up from tossing a salad and smiled. “I told you he was an adventurous eater, and I told you not to feed him when you’re dressed for work. But nooooooo. You had to be the one to do the honors.”

Zoey Holland, a co-worker of Olivia’s who completed the trio of very close friends enjoying their monthly Sunday-afternoon brunch, laughed. “Nice sweater,” she said of Sylvie’s thick, bright red, hand-crocheted cardigan. “How much did you pay for it?”

Sylvie sighed as she inspected the garment in question. In addition to her sweater, her bartender’s uniform of white dress shirt, multicolored silk necktie and black, man-style trousers was also decorated by a number of other colors—beet purple, string-bean green, tapioca off-white and squash yellow. Each had been a course she’d been certain the baby would love, but Simon had sent them all back, deeming them—in his own unique way—unsuitable fare.

“I got this sweater on sale, all right?” she replied. “Besides, baby food is organic. The dry cleaner can get it out. Right, Livy?”

Olivia’s expression was not reassuring. “Actually, I’m not sure what they make baby food out of. Whatever it is, it bears absolutely no resemblance to real food.”

Zoey nodded her agreement. “I think there’s some hush-hush, top secret lab somewhere in a place like Spongemop, South Dakota, that biochemically engineers baby food to be as offensively tasting and eternally staining as possible.”

“I’ve read that, too,” Olivia confirmed with a nod.

Sylvie eyed her friend and her sister warily. Both women worked as R.N.’s in a hospital maternity ward—Zoey in the nursery and Olivia in obstetrics. They probably knew what they were talking about. She threw Simon a suspicious look. He threw a suspicious look of his own right back at her. Then he smiled a two-tooth smile, revealing his dimples, and Sylvie forgave him his transgressions.

“Do you think he’ll ever grow any hair?” she asked, noting the bald scalp with which the little guy had been born.

Olivia shook her head, her own long dark curls flying. “Who knows? By this time I’m so used to him bald, I’m not sure I’d recognize him with hair.”

Zoey shoved a fat, auburn braid over her shoulder and snatched a deviled egg from a plate full of them on the table. “He’s getting cuter every day, Liv. You should list him with a talent agent. If nothing else, he could be a ‘before’ shot on one of those late-night commercials for that men’s hair-growing club.”

Sylvie chuckled. “Well, all I know is that it looks like Auntie Sylvie’s going to have to try a new tactic if she’s going to get the little buckaroo fed.” She lifted the spoon into her hand once more, then vibrated her lips together to simulate the sound of an engine.

Simon smiled at her, looking intrigued.

Sylvie smiled back. Maybe she was on to something here. “Cooperation, buddy. That’s today’s word. Now, open your mouth and let Mr. Airplane fly right inside.”

The baby did as requested until Sylvie’s hand was within millimeters of completing the task. Then Simon shut his mouth tight, crossed his pudgy arms over his stomach and turned his head to the side. Sylvie couldn’t help but laugh at his expression.

“Oh, boy, Simon. You’re definitely Venner through and through. Neither your mama nor your auntie ever does anything she doesn’t want to do.”

“And when your aunt does want something,” Olivia added, “watch out. Because nothing—and I mean nothing—is ever going to make her change her mind about going after it.”

“Must be some genetic thing,” Zoey said.

Simon cooed and gurgled his agreement.

Sylvie set the bowl of carrots on the kitchen table beside her. Simon had eaten almost as much as he’d thrown on her, she decided, which meant he’d eaten quite a bit. She pulled him out of his high chair, told the others she was going upstairs to clean up both herself and the baby, and departed with the little guy in tow.

Simon was such a wonderful baby, Sylvie thought as she fastened the Velcro closures on his diaper some time later. He stared up at her from his changing table, his ridiculously long lashes making his wide brown eyes appear even darker. He kicked his legs and circled her index finger with one hand. Then he blew a bubble and smiled at her again.

“He’s pretty cute, huh?” Zoey asked as she entered the nursery and looked over Sylvie’s shoulder.

“The cutest baby in the world,” Sylvie agreed.

“And the smartest,” Olivia added as she joined the other two.

For a long moment all three women stared down at Simon, and his gaze wandered intently over each face. When he refused to release Sylvie’s finger, she lifted her other hand to his cheek, stroking the warm, delicate skin softly with the pad of her thumb.

“I need to tell you guys something,” she said suddenly. She hadn’t intended to break the news to her friends just yet, but for some reason the moment seemed right. “I’m going to have a baby.”

She looked up to find Olivia and Zoey gazing back at her with identical expressions of undeniable surprise. Or shock, maybe, Sylvie amended. Shock was probably a more accurate assessment of their reactions.

“A baby?” Olivia asked.

“When?” Zoey demanded.

“Soon,” Sylvie told them. “Christmas, I think. That would be a nice time to have a baby, don’t you think?”

“But Christmas is more than eleven months off,” Zoey pointed out. “I think your math might be just a little skewed here, Sylvie. Or else you’re dumber than you look.”

Sylvie made a face at her.

“Uh, not as smart as you look?” Zoey amended.

Still Sylvie stared.

“Well, you do realize it only takes about nine months to make a baby, don’t you?”

“I know that,” Sylvie assured her.

“But you’re not...there’s no one...I mean...” Olivia drew a deep breath and tried again. “Okay, little sister, if you’re going to have a baby, then who’s the father? Although you certainly go out often enough that you’ve got a passel of guys to choose from, I know for a fact that you’ve almost never found one interesting enough to...you know. Don’t tell me there’s someone special after all this time.”

Sylvie smiled cryptically. “I haven’t quite decided who the father is yet.”

Her two companions turned to look at each other, then back at Sylvie. Olivia lifted a hand and cupped it gently over her sister’s forehead.

“No fever that I can detect,” she told Zoey. “So it must be some kind of psychological trauma.”

“It’s neither,” Sylvie assured them, pushing her sister’s hand away. “I am going to have a baby. In late December. And I don’t know yet who the father is.”

“I’ll get Dr. Clifferman on the phone,” Zoey said as she turned her attention to Olivia. “He’s the best shrink in town. You get the straitjacket. Just don’t make any sudden moves around her.”

“Will you guys knock it off?” Sylvie said. “I’m not crazy. I’m not pregnant yet, either. But I will be soon.”

The other women looked at her again, but this time their commentary was a bit more subdued.

“Why on earth would you want to get pregnant?” Olivia asked. “Trust me, I know what I’m talking about. Those nine months are no picnic in the best of circumstances—let alone when you’re single and have no idea what to expect.”

Sylvie shrugged. “But I want to have a baby.”

“Don’t you think it might help to find a father for this baby first?” Zoey suggested. “And fall in love with him first? And marry him first? That’s the way things traditionally happen, even in this, the very late twentieth century.”

“I’m not a traditional person,” Sylvie said.

“Well, that’s certainly true,” her sister agreed.

“And I have no interest in attaching myself permanently to a guy. They bring nothing but trouble. You, Livy, above anyone, should know that.”

“Hey, what I know is that I’m now married to the most wonderful man in the world and can’t wait to make his children Simon’s siblings,” Olivia told her. She held up a hand to ward off her sister’s objection as she added, “Oh, I won’t deny I made more than a few mistakes before Daniel entered the picture, but... That’s all the more reason to be reassured there’s some perfect guy out there for you, too. Just give it time, Sylvie.”

Sylvie shook her head. “Daniel’s one in a gazillion. There aren’t any others like him in the world. And there certainly isn’t a man in the world who could make me change my mind about staying single. I like being single. But I’d also like to be a mother. Being around Simon has stirred up something inside of me I’ve never felt before. It’s a wonderful feeling, Livy. I know—way down deep in my heart I’m absolutely certain—that I’m destined to be a mother. And I’ll be a good mom, too. I just know I will.”

“We’re not disputing that,” Zoey said, her voice softer now. “You’ll be terrific with kids of your own. It’s this father business we’re worried about.”

Olivia nodded her agreement. “You know how I feel about this, Sylvie. Mine and Daniel’s situation after Simon was born could have filled a book. You have to be careful. Having a child isn’t something you can go into without considering all the repercussions in advance.”

Sylvie lifted her chin defensively. “You did.”

“Yeah, and look how much grief it caused me.”

“But everything turned out with a ‘happily ever after,’ didn’t it?”

She knew Olivia couldn’t dispute that. She and her husband were two of the happiest people Sylvie knew. But there was another, stronger reason she was in such a hurry to become a mother. And, she decided as she thought about it, she supposed Livy and Zoey deserved to know.

“There’s something else,” she finally said quietly. “Something more that makes me eager to have a baby now, as soon as possible. I really don’t have much choice.”

Olivia and Zoey eyed her warily. “Why not?” they asked as one.

Sylvie sighed. She still hadn’t quite come to terms with it herself. “I don’t have much time left to make a baby,” she said.

“Why not?” the other two women repeated.

“I went to the gynecologist last week, and she verified something that she’s suspected for a long time. Evidently I’ve been having some problems with my reproductive plumbing. Dr. Madison seems to think that I’ve only got about a year left that I can truly count on being fertile. After that, it’s going to be increasingly difficult for me to get pregnant. If I’m going to have a baby, I have to do it now. Otherwise, there’s a chance I might never be able to conceive.”

“Sylvie, we need to talk more about this,” her sister said. “And you need to think more about this. Think long and hard before you make a final decision.”

“I’ve already thought about it long and hard,” Sylvie assured the other women. “And I’ve already made my final decision. My baby will arrive just in time for Christmas.”

“And the father?” Zoey asked in a tone of voice that indicated she was no more enthusiastic about Sylvie’s decision than Olivia was.

Sylvie smiled. “I have two whole months to decide who among the men I know will make the best father.”

“Two months,” Zoey repeated, her expression illustrating how crazy she thought the whole idea was.

“Two months,” Sylvie echoed with a decisive nod. “That’s all the time I’ll need to find the perfect father for my child.”

One

Cosmo’s Bar and Grille had been a downtown Philadelphia fixture for decades, a five-star restaurant known for its continental fare, its soothing peach-and-gray art deco atmosphere and its continual showcase of good jazz music. But those weren’t the only reasons Chase Buchanan liked to frequent the place. As he made himself comfortable at his usual spot at the bar, he caught the bartender’s eye. Without even asking him what he was drinking, she reached for a bottle of expensive single-malt Scotch and splashed a generous portion over ice in a crystal tumbler.

“Hi, Mr. Buchanan,” she said as she placed the glass before him with a cheerful smile.

“Hello, Sylvie,” he replied.

“I was beginning to think you weren’t going to show up tonight. I should have known you were just working late. Again.”

“Sometimes that’s what it takes to get the job done.”

She shook her head slowly, chin-length blond tresses shimmering with the motion. “You work too hard,” she told him bluntly. “People should work to live, not live to work. You ought to stop and count your blessings sometime.”

“Thanks, but I’d rather stop and count my change.”

Sylvie shook her head at him again and simply repeated, “You work too hard.”

Chase could hardly contradict her, not that he wanted to. Ever since he’d left his position as a junior architect of Bulwar-Melton-Jones Associates to start his own firm, he couldn’t recall a moment when he hadn’t had some major project commanding virtually every scrap of his time. BMJ had been a company without foresight, a bunch of old men with absolutely no imagination. He’d joined them immediately after receiving his college degrees and left them less than five years later. In the fifteen years that had followed, he’d made an excellent name for himself in the field of architectural design. His own company was known for its savvy, its cutting-edge timing and its farsighted vision. He had enough going on at any given moment to demand his complete and utter attention.

Buchanan Designs, Inc. meant everything to Chase. He gave 110 percent to his company. And dammit, he didn’t expect any less from anyone who worked for him.

“Yes, well, that’s easy for you to say,” he finally told Sylvie after an idle sip of his drink. “You don’t have to run this place.”

Her smile broadened. “You couldn’t pay me enough to run this place,” she countered. “You couldn’t pay me enough to run any place. I don’t want to be in charge of anything. I don’t want that kind of responsibility. Too much stress. That’ll send you to an early grave faster than anything else will, you mark my words.” She slung a linen towel over her shoulder and reached into the garnish bin to pop an olive into her mouth. “Not only that,” she added carelessly, “but it eats up way too much of your time. There’s a lot more to life than working, you know. And I intend to enjoy every moment of it I can.”

Although he wanted to disagree with her, Chase didn’t dispute her words. He was quite certain that what Sylvie said rang absolutely true—for Sylvie. But he thrived on being in charge of his own company. For him, working was living. And he was perfectly happy with things that way.

“Living means something different for everyone,” he told her. “For me, and for everyone who comes to work for me, business has to come first. It has to be the one thing in life that’s important. Hell, it has to be life, period.”

She surveyed him intently. “If you ask me, that’s nuts.”

“I don’t recall asking you,” he said with a smile.

Normally, no one—absolutely no one—spoke to Chase so frankly and dogmatically. They didn’t dare. But the attitude was perfectly normal coming from Sylvie. He expected it, and he more than tolerated it—he welcomed it. On more than one occasion she had been his devil’s advocate, and the byplay he enjoyed with her was something he shared with no one else.

What was odd was that Chase really didn’t know Sylvie all that well—hell, he didn’t even know her last name. But he’d been coming into Cosmo’s after work three or four times a week ever since he’d moved his office into the building across the street. That had been two years ago, and at that time, Sylvie had just been starting her own stint at the restaurant.

Somewhere along the way he had altered his schedule to match hers, stopping by for dinner at the restaurant before heading home only on those evenings when he knew she would be working behind the bar. Why he’d done this he didn’t know. But Chase liked Sylvie. He liked her a lot. She was funny and spirited and a welcome change of pace after a long day of stress and high pressure. She was cute in her man’s white dress shirt that always appeared to be two sizes too big, and the neckties she wore with her uniform were always something interesting. She had a nice smile. And somehow she always made him feel better before he went home at night. Already he sensed the day’s tension and irritation easing from every corner of his mind.

He’d even come close to asking her out a couple of times. But he never had. Because he just didn’t date women for very long, and he hadn’t wanted to put an end to the easy camaraderie he shared with Sylvie.

When he looked up from his drink she was eyeing him thoughtfully, and he wondered what was going on in that beautiful blond head of hers.

As if she sensed his inquisitiveness, she asked, “Are you telling me you’d rather work fifteen or sixteen hours a day than go home after the usual nine-to-five to a wife and family?”

Chase grimaced, running a big hand through coal black hair liberally threaded with silver. “God forbid. What a nightmare. Look, I’m forty years old and rabidly single. What does that tell you?”

She shrugged, still smiling. “Maybe that you’re not such a great catch after all?”

He gaped at her before chuckling. “Oh, thanks a lot. I’ll have you know there have been plenty of women who have tried to wrestle me to the ground and have their way with me—their way usually culminating in a leisurely stroll down the bridal path.”

“But you want none of it, is that it?”

He shook his head vehemently. “Absolutely not.”

“Not even the pitter-patter of little feet? You’re not one of those guys who wants to make sure he leaves his mark on the world in the form of a little Mr. Buchanan, Junior?”

He shuddered for effect. “God, no. I can’t stand children.”

Her brows arched in surprise. “Are you serious?”

“Absolutely. I mean, think about it. When they’re babies, all they do is lie there and look at you, commanding that you do everything for them. When they’re children, they’re constantly into things they shouldn’t be into—you have to watch them every moment of the day. When they’re adolescents...hell, forget about that. And when they’re adults, they’re completely ungrateful for everything you ever did for them, for every sacrifice you ever made.”

He sipped his drink again before continuing, “Don’t tell me you’re surprised by the way I feel. You don’t exactly seem like the kind of woman who wants to be dragged down by a passel of kids. You seem to enjoy being single.”

“Oh, I love being single. But I also love kids.” She bent beneath the bar and appeared to be searching for something, then rose again with a wallet in her hand. She flipped it open and thumbed through a bulging collection of photographs housed in the plastic sheets contained within. “This is my nephew, Simon,” she said as she opened her wallet on the bar before Chase. “He’s the most wonderful baby in the world. Look at that smile. You can’t tell me you don’t think he’s adorable.”

Chase offered the photo a perfunctory scan, pretended to be interested and replied dryly, “Adorable. Look, I’m starving. What’s good tonight?”

Sylvie sighed and shook her head at him again. She seemed to be doing that a lot this evening, he thought. As if she were considering him for some major project only to find him lacking in some way. Or maybe not lacking, he amended when she continued to study him as she put her wallet away. That look in her eye was distinctly...interested.

He pushed the supposition away. Probably he was working too hard lately. No doubt he was thoroughly misreading the signals Sylvie was sending his way. She had never once offered him any indication that she wanted to get to know him better, and having heard her bemoan the shortcomings of some of the men in her life, he knew he was in no way her type.

And even if he was, even if she ever did come on to him, Chase knew he would never succumb. It was nothing personal, he reflected. If he were to get intimately involved with a woman right now, he supposed Sylvie was a likely enough candidate to fit the bill. But involvements led to entanglements, and entanglements led to relationships. And relationships, he thought, simply commanded too much time to keep them running properly. Time was a precious commodity. He had very little of it to spare. Therefore a relationship with a woman was the last thing he could afford.

Watching Sylvie as she strode to the end of the bar for a menu, he sighed wistfully. But maybe he had gone too long without the intimate aspects of a relationship, he conceded. When was the last time he’d made love to a woman, anyway? he asked himself now. And who was the last woman he’d made love to? He thought back, trying to recall the details.... His eyes widened when he remembered. No, surely it couldn’t have been that long ago, he told himself. Could it? He shook his head in disbelief. Obviously he really didn’t have time for a relationship.

If only he could find a nice woman with whom he could share a brief, one- or two-time interlude and call it quits. Unfortunately, most of the women who could provide such an encounter did it for a living, and that wasn’t exactly the kind of woman Chase had in mind. He couldn’t make love to a stranger, nor to someone who chose sex for her occupation. For his fantasy fling, he wanted a woman he cared for to at least some degree—and who cared for him in return—but who wouldn’t demand all of his attention after it was over.

“Yeah, right,” he muttered to himself. And what self-respecting woman would concede to an arrangement like that? No one of his acquaintance, that was for sure.

He looked up from his drink and saw Sylvie standing before him, holding a menu out for his inspection.

“Sounds wonderful to me,” she said. “Want to give it a try?”

For one wild moment Chase thought she was offering herself up for just the kind of hit-and-run encounter he had just been imagining. Then he realized she must have been talking to him for several moments without his listening, and that he’d only heard the conclusion of her speech.

“What?” he asked. “I’m sorry, I was thinking about something else. Could you go over that again?”

She gazed back at him with much interest, and he just couldn’t shake the feeling that she was evaluating him in some way. However, when she spoke, her voice held its usual careless timbre, and the choices she offered him were anything but erotic in nature.