The Baby Contract

Three

Mila and Kassidy crept into Troy’s apartment at three a.m. after a fantastic performance. Kassidy had come back onstage for two encores, and the club manager had already contacted Eileen Renard looking to set up future gigs. The social media buzz that had started during the evening continued even now.

“I’m trending,” said Kassidy in an excited whisper as the apartment door swung shut behind her.

She scrolled through the screen of her phone while she kicked off her shoes and started for the living room. “It’s mostly good.”

“I’ll go through the posts in the morning,” said Mila.

She was dead tired right now, and as soon as she retrieved the rest of Kassidy’s email printouts from Troy’s dining table, she was headed home for bed. She’d taken dozens of photos of the audience and the outside crowds, and she’d add the new social media posts to the mix. She intended to get back to her situational analysis early tomorrow.

“Oh, look,” whispered Kassidy, coming to an abrupt halt at the edge of the living room. “How sweet is that?”

Mila followed Kassidy’s gaze to find Troy sound asleep on his sofa. He was flat on his back, Drake sprawled across his chest, eyes closed, his face pressed into the crook of Troy’s neck.

“Sweet,” said Mila. Though, even sleeping, she found Troy more imposing than sweet.

His eyes blinked once then came fully open, obviously alert.

“What happened to Alice Miller?” asked Kassidy.

“She left.” Troy cradled Drake and sat up, glancing at his watch. “This one slept until five minutes after she drove away.”

Troy’s short hair was still neat, his shirt wrinkle-free, and he seemed completely awake and alert. The only flaw to his otherwise perfect appearance was the shadow of a beard. But it was sexy—made him look rakishly handsome.

“He’ll be hungry soon,” said Kassidy, moving to take Drake from her brother.

“He’ll be chubby soon the way he eats,” said Troy.

“That’s what babies do,” said Kassidy.

“That’s not all they do,” said Troy. “Don’t go making more plans that include me. This diaper duty is not going to be a regular thing.”

Kassidy hesitated, glancing uncertainly at Mila.

“What?” asked Troy.

“They really liked me,” said Kassidy.

“She was fantastic,” Mila added. “I meant what I told you on the phone.”

The night had obviously been thrilling for Kassidy, and Mila hoped Troy didn’t put a damper on it.

“Is there any money in this?” asked Troy as he relinquished Drake. “What I mean is, enough for a full-time nanny?”

“Eventually,” said Kassidy. “I think. I’m sure.” She didn’t look all that sure.

Mila was no expert, but it seemed the money ought to rise along with Kassidy’s popularity. There might be a lag time up front, but it had to be worth the financial risk of hiring a nanny so that she could continue to perform.

Drake let out a cry, and Kassidy rubbed his back, cradling him close, rocking her body to soothe him. “It’s okay, baby,” she crooned. She headed for the kitchen. “Let’s get you a bottle.”

Mila and Troy were left alone in the dimly lit living room.

He rose to his feet. “Is this the part where you remind me she needs a bodyguard?”

Mila didn’t see an advantage to pressing him further about a job tonight. But she wasn’t going to mince words, either. “What your sister needs is a proper security plan.”

“Here we go,” he said.

“No, we don’t. That’s a conversation for tomorrow. Right now, I’m taking my analysis and going home. Can you tell Kassidy I’ll call her and let her know what I find?”

“What are you looking for?”

“I don’t know yet,” Mila answered honestly as she gathered the pile of paper. “I’ll go through the photos and the social media posts, see what jumps out. Last we checked, she was trending, so there’ll be plenty of material.”

“Trending where?”

“Just here in DC.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “How big was the crowd tonight?”

“Capacity.” She stopped halfway to the door to stand in front of him. “Which I’m told is three hundred. And there was a lineup outside.”

“What’s the typical for the Ripple Branch?”

“On a Thursday, the manager says it’s usually at two-thirds capacity.”

Troy looked thoughtful. “So she had an impact.”

“She had an impact.”

“They’ll want her back.”

“Them and a dozen other places in the DC area,” said Mila. “I did some rudimentary research on Eileen Renard. She seems legit, and she seems excited.”

“You checked out Eileen Renard?”

“Yes.”

“And you have pictures from tonight?”

“The audience, the lineup, staff, autograph seekers outside the back door.”

“Do you have a list of the new offers for gigs?”

Mila pulled her phone from her pocket and lit up the screen to show him.

“You made a list,” he said without glancing at it.

“Of course.”

“You’re hired.”

Her brain stumbled. “What?”

“Temporarily.”

“Did you just offer me a job?”

“You need to be quicker on the uptake than that, Mila.”

“You can’t blame me for being surprised.”

“I want you to watch Kassidy.”

Temporary wasn’t her first choice, but she’d absolutely take it. It was an opportunity to show him what she could do.

“That’s a smart decision,” she told him.

Now he looked amused. “Not half-confident, are you?”

“I’m fully confident.”

“Are you going to get cocky on me?”

No, she wasn’t. “Confidence is different than arrogance. I was the one on the ground tonight. I saw what I saw, and my assessment stands.”

“You think she needs a security strategy.”

Mila was about to say she knew Kassidy needed a security strategy, but it had already been a long evening. “I do.”

“We can talk about it in the morning.”

Drake started to cry in the kitchen.

“And a nanny,” said Troy. “We’re definitely going to talk about a nanny.”

* * *

Mila sat across from her sister, Zoey, beside the front window in the Benson Street Bakery. Steaming mochas and fresh-baked banana muffins sat on the table between them. Rain spattered on the glass. Pedestrians rushed past in the half light, while the morning coffee crowd lineup snaked through the center of the small space.

“Anything worth doing has a high barrier to entry,” said Zoey, breaking off a bite of her muffin.

“Do you have to quote Mom this early in the morning?” Mila cut her muffin in half and spread it with a layer of butter.

Zoey grinned. “Didn’t get a lot of sleep last night?”

“A couple of hours.” Mila took another drink of the creamy coffee, thinking maybe she should have gone with espresso. But, man, this tasted good.

“He’s hot,” said Zoey, turning her phone to show Mila a picture she’d found of Troy.

“I don’t care about hot,” said Mila. Though there was no denying Troy’s sex appeal. “He’s a bit annoying. And he’s definitely chauvinistic. But he’s great at the job. I can learn a lot from him. And that’s all I care about right now.”

Zoey turned the picture back toward her, taking it in with moony eyes. “Will you introduce me?”

“No, I won’t introduce you. You think I want my sister dating my boss?”

Mila’s brain flicked involuntarily back to the moment yesterday in Troy’s office when she’d almost kissed him. Or had he almost kissed her? It didn’t matter. Her feelings were the same, and they weren’t good. Maybe she should introduce him to Zoey.

Her sister was five foot eight, model thin, always dressed for success, and men buzzed around her like bees on a hive.

Right now, Zoey put on a conspiratorial grin. “I might be able to influence him in your favor.”

“You’re going to sleep my way to the top?”

“What are sisters for?”

“Not that.”

Zoey laughed. “You want him for yourself?”

“No,” said Mila, telling herself she had to keep any attraction to Troy under ironclad control.

“Hang on,” Zoey said, studying Mila’s expression. “You are interested in him.”

“Not interested,” said Mila.

But her sister was a lawyer, a skilled cross-examiner. There was no chance of getting away with an outright lie.

“Attracted, sure,” she continued. “I’m female, and I have a pulse. But that’s where it stops, and it’s definitely not going any further.”

“I guess you won’t get him to take you seriously once he’s seen you naked.”

“He’s not going to see me naked.” Mila felt her face heat.

“Okay.” Zoey drew out the word, obviously fighting a grin.

“Stop,” said Mila. “We’re talking about my career, not my love life.”

“Let’s talk about my love life.”

“You have a love life?” Mila immediately realized how that sounded. “I mean, other than the dozens of offers you get every week.”

“I met a guy,” said Zoey.

“A guy, guy?” Mila asked in surprise.

Zoey had an active but very informal dating life. Her career came first, and she’d studiously avoided the demands a serious relationship would put on her. She was already the youngest person in her prestigious law firm to make associate partner.

“Is there another kind?” she asked.

“An honest to goodness potential maybe-you’re-the-one kind of guy?”

Zoey hid a smile behind her coffee cup. “Yes.”

Now Mila was baffled. “Then why do you want to meet Troy?”

“I don’t. I wanted to see your reaction when I asked to meet him. He seems like your type.”

“Annoying chauvinist is not my type.”

“Rough and ready is your type. I know how you feel about those metrosexual guys.”

“Only because I can’t stand aftershave.”

It seemed shallow to discount an entire classification of men. Mila didn’t want to seem shallow. But she did prefer a man with a lot of obvious testosterone, one who looked at home in jeans and a canvas work shirt, one that she couldn’t physically overpower in less than a minute. There was no particular reason for the preference. It was just the way her hormones worked.

“You also hate men in skinny jeans and cardigans,” said Zoey.

“That’s just good taste.” Then Mila stumbled. “Wait. Your new guy, he’s not into cardigans, is he?”

“Business suits. Silk ties.”

“Not bow ties.”

“Designer suits. Business formal.”

“He’s a lawyer?”

“He’s a judge.”

“Are you allowed to date a judge?”

“Sure. Of course, I can’t date him and argue in front of him at the same time.”

“But, otherwise...?”

“Otherwise, it’s fine. Well, technically fine, from a professional standpoint, anyway.” Zoey worried her muffin.

Mila might not be an experienced trial lawyer, but even she could tell her sister was holding back something important. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“It’s Dustin Earl.”

“Dustin Earl?”

“Yes.”

Mila gave her head a little shake. “Are there two of them?”

“No, just the one.”

“You’re dating the judge who approved the demolition of the Turret Building.”

Zoey pursed her lips. “That building was over two hundred years old.”

“That would be Preservation Society’s point.” Mila had heard it all from her mother.

“It was condemned,” argued Zoey.

The structural integrity of the building—or even the merits of the decision—wasn’t really Mila’s point. “Mom’s going to have a cow.”

Their mother, Louise Stern, was also a superior court judge. She called Judge Earl a brash, maverick upstart with little appreciation for the long-range impact of his decisions. They disagreed on almost everything, but nothing more stridently than the fate of the Turret Building.

“Tell me about it,” said Zoey, popping another bite of her muffin into her mouth.

“Are you going to tell Mom and Dad?”

“I’m not telling anybody.”

“You just told me.”

“You don’t count.”

Mila couldn’t help but smile at that. “Gee, thanks.”

“You know what I mean. You’re not going to tell Mom or Dad, or Rand or Franklin.”

Their oldest brother, Rand, was a decorated captain on a Navy cruiser somewhere in the Mediterranean. Franklin’s Green Beret missions for the Army were secretive. But he was probably hunkered down in a jungle on some mountainside, monitoring drug kingpins or rebels.

Zoey continued, “And I knew you wouldn’t freak out.”

“True enough,” Mila said as she worked her way through the oversize muffin. “I’ve got far too many other things pinging my worry meter.”

Zoey’s clandestine love life would have to take a backseat to Troy’s reluctance and Kassidy’s security.

“Things like Troy Keiser,” Zoey said, the glint returning to her eyes.

Mila refused to take the bait. “If I don’t get him to hire me permanently, I’ll have to explain a professional failure to the family.”

Zoey lifted her coffee cup. “If you fail, it’ll take the pressure off me.”

“Or the other way around,” said Mila. “If they’re freaking out about Dustin Earl, nobody’s going to care that I’ve blown my dream job.”

“You want to bet on that?”

“No,” said Mila.

Not that she’d ever wish her sister ill. But she doubted even the infamous Judge Earl would be enough to distract her family from any kind of career failure.

If Troy turned her down, she’d have four drill sergeants all shouting at her to get up off the mat, to regroup and try again. If a job with Troy Keiser was the best credential for her future career, then that was exactly what Mila was expected to achieve. No hesitation, no excuses, no giving up.

“I’m headed to Pinion Security right now,” she said, polishing off the last of her coffee.

“Show him what you’ve got, little sister.”

Mila had made up her mind to take it slow, take it steady and methodical in order to impress Troy. She wouldn’t try to knock it out of the park in the first five minutes.

“There’s nothing for me to do but paperwork this morning,” she said. “And after that I have to find a nanny.”

“A nanny?”

“Kassidy can’t perform without someone to take care of Drake.”

“And if she can’t perform, she can’t be in danger. And if she’s not in danger, you can’t save her.”

Mila frowned, not liking the way that sounded. “My plan is to keep her out of danger. If there’s no danger, I’ve still done my job.”

“Troy Keiser probably won’t be all that impressed if you keep her safe from nothing.”

Much as she hated it, Mila knew Zoey’s words were the bald truth. If Kassidy’s fans were simply fans, it would be difficult for Mila to shine. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to wish any danger on Kassidy. And the most foolish move in the world would be for her to see things that weren’t there. She’d have to keep herself on an even keel, make sure she didn’t look too hard for threats.

* * *

This morning, Troy had found himself second-guessing his decision to hire Mila. Second guessing wasn’t like him. And he couldn’t afford to do it. He was in a business full of split-second decisions, most of which were final, some deadly final.

“How did she convince you?” Vegas asked from across their shared office.

It was a utilitarian room, with a couple of guest chairs, computers, monitors, an old-fashioned whiteboard and a large rectangular work table in the middle. Their desks both faced the windows, side by side, looking toward the river.

“It was Drake who wore me down,” said Troy. “I don’t care who does it, but somebody’s hiring a nanny.”

“Kassidy can hire her own nanny.”

Troy had to admit it was true. Not that he had a whole lot of faith in Kassidy’s judgment. But she could use a reputable service. Last night’s nanny seemed perfectly fine. Her only problem was leaving too early.

“Mila seems methodical,” Troy said to Vegas, using the reason he’d settled on for himself. “I appreciate methodical.”

“Do you think Kassidy’s under any real threat?”

“I think Mila will find out. If it’s nothing, terrific. Then once we have a nanny, Mila’s gone.”

Troy would let her go without a second thought. Her persistence might have seemed admirable last night, but she was just another investigator. He’d decided that a woman was probably good for Kassidy under the current circumstances, but once the threat assessment was complete, that would be the end.

“Have you set up the employment entry tests?” asked Vegas.

“No.” Troy was surprised by the question. “This isn’t a regular hire.”

Successful completion of four stringent performance tests was required of every Pinion Security agent—tradecraft theory, technical skills, weapons proficiency and physical fitness. There was an overall 80 percent failure rate, even among ex-military members. The obstacle course was particularly grueling. There was no way a woman could complete it.

“So, you’re lowering the standards?” asked Vegas.

Troy took in his partner’s critical expression. “Yes. I’m lowering the standards. For her. It’s a one-shot mission, she’s not—”

“Don’t you dare lower the standards,” Mila’s voice interrupted from the doorway.

Both men turned to the sound of her voice.

“This is a private conversation,” Troy said, coming to his feet.

“Then you should have closed the door.” Her green eyes were hard as emeralds. “I don’t need to start at the ladies’ tee.”

“You’re a woman,” said Troy. “And you’re a temp. Testing you would be a waste of time.”

“Then I’ll do the tests on my own time.” She paced briskly into the office. “It’ll be hard enough getting the other security agents’ respect without skipping the entry tests.”

“You’re not going to get their respect,” said Troy. It was the truth, and there was no point pretending otherwise.

“Not like this, I’m not.”

“And you don’t need it. You’ll be working on your own with Kassidy.”

His concern that hiring her had been a mistake was back in force. He should reverse the decision. He should do that right now.

“Maybe.” She rested both her butt and the heels of her hands against the work table. “But it doesn’t matter. I’ll still be around them.”

Not if he fired her, she wouldn’t.

He sized up the determination in her eyes and was reminded of the admiration he’d felt last night. She definitely had tenacity going for her. Too bad it wouldn’t be enough. Even if she could shoot straight, she was too small and weak to make it through the fitness course. And there was no way to picture her in hand-to-hand knife combat. No way in the world.

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