Daddy On Call. Judy Duarte

been terribly disappointed, but when Danny was born, they saw him as a precious gift and were quick to forgive.

      “You’ve always been honest,” Luke said. “I can’t imagine you wanting to keep this secret. Not anymore.”

      That was the problem. How was she supposed to tell her family—especially her son—that she’d lied? That she wasn’t as honest as she’d led them all to believe?

      “I’ll tell him,” she said. “I’ll tell everyone.” And she would. “Just give me some time.”

      “How long do you need?”

      “I don’t know.” She was a social worker. Problem solving and communications skills came easy to her. So did discussions about understanding and forgiveness. But in this case, she was too involved. Of course, she also had to admit that she wasn’t ready to share Danny with his father yet.

      Or to trust Luke to do right by the boy, to keep him safe.

      They sat in silence for a while, the only noise the rumbling tide and the occasional cry of a gull. And when the waitress came by with two glasses of ice water and took their orders, Leilani was relieved to have an interruption, a reprieve from her thoughts.

      Luke asked for a burger and a beer, while Leilani chose a diet soda. She passed on food, saying she wasn’t hungry, when in truth, she feared it wouldn’t sit well.

      When the waitress went inside, Luke broke the silence. “I imagine your pregnancy put a damper on your college plans.”

      “For a while. When Danny was two, I registered him at a campus daycare facility, then pursued a degree in social work, as well as my master’s. I had a few connections in the area, so I decided to stay in L.A., where I became a counselor at a battered women’s shelter. You know the rest.”

      The hell I do, Luke wanted to snap, followed by a few choice swearwords. He didn’t know jack about the last eleven years of his son’s life. And he didn’t want Leilani to give him an “in a nutshell” version. He wanted to know everything, like what foods he liked to eat. What games he liked to play. Who were his heroes? What did he do for fun?

      Luke’s cell phone vibrated, alerting him to a call. If he could have ignored it, he would have. But he needed to check the number on the display to make sure it wasn’t the hospital. They were shorthanded in the E.R. today, and he was on call.

      Nothing else was important enough to interrupt this conversation.

      Scratch that, he thought, as he recognized Harry Logan’s number. “Excuse me, I have to take this, but I’ll make it quick.”

      She nodded, probably relieved to have a break from the hot seat she was sitting in, then took a sip of water.

      Luke flipped open the phone and answered. “Hi, Harry. What did you find out?”

      The man responsible for turning Luke’s life around had been concerned about his wife’s health, and Luke had been worried, too.

      “We just got the biopsy results back,” Harry said, “and that enlarged lymph gland was benign.”

      “That’s great, Harry. I couldn’t be happier for you.”

      “We’re celebrating by having brunch tomorrow morning,” Harry added. “Kay and I hope you can make it.”

      Luke glanced at Leilani, saw her fiddling with the napkin again, fraying the curled edges. Harry and his wife were always hosting barbecues and beach parties. And most of the guys who were referred to as Logan’s Heroes showed up, sometimes bringing guests.

      Luke always went stag.

      “Are there going to be any kids there?” Luke asked.

      “Several,” Harry said. “Why? Do you have any you’d like to bring?”

      Yeah. His son.

      “Maybe.” Luke looked at Leilani. “I need to talk to his mother and call you back.”

      When the line disconnected, Luke returned his cell phone to the clip on his belt. “That was my friend, Harry Logan. He’s the retired detective who took me under his wing and encouraged me to make something out of my life.”

      “He sounds like a nice man.”

      “He’s the greatest. He’s been like a father to me, and I consider him my best friend. Anyway, he and his wife are having a brunch tomorrow morning, and I’d like to take you and Danny.”