The Surprise Holiday Dad. Jacqueline Diamond

bit into the first sandwich. The cheese nearly melted in his mouth.

      Patty set the tray down nearby. “While you’re eating, here’s my pitch. We could use another hand at the agency and you’d fit right in. Mike Aaron bought it, you know.”

      Wade had no idea what she was talking about, although he did recall Mike Aaron as a detective at the P.D. “Which agency?”

      “Fact Hunter.” Patty regarded him curiously. “You knew your grandfather sold it, right?”

      “I had no idea.” Wade hadn’t spoken with his grandfather since their bitter quarrel several years ago. Although Bruce Hunter had been furious that Wade had refused to quit his job in Pine Tree and join the investigations agency, the old man hadn’t mentioned selling it.

      Maybe he’d been irate because he’d hoped his grandson’s joining him would allow him to keep it afloat. No doubt Bruce had had too much pride to admit he couldn’t keep running the place by himself in his seventies. Well, he should have said so. Might not have changed anything, but Wade, who’d resented what he’d seen as an attempt to control him, might have responded more gently.

      “You and your grandpa don’t talk much, eh?” Patty said. “Well, Mike bought the agency a couple years ago with his brother, Lock.”

      “Lock? Don’t think I’ve met him.” Despite Wade’s urge to leave, those sandwiches were tasty. Judging by the number of trays still on the counter, there were plenty for this crowd.

      “Short for Sherlock, which is perfect for a detective, huh? He was a sheriff’s deputy in Arizona,” she explained. “Yeah, well, then I came on board when I got married. Being a stepmom’s important, and I’d had it with those night shifts—you understand.”

      Mouth full, Wade nodded.

      “Mike’s brought in some new clients and we’re stretched thin,” she went on. “Fraudulent insurance claims, attorneys needing evidence, companies doing background checks on new hires. Dull stuff, but it pays the bills. You could work on your P.I. license under his supervision.”

      “Just got it,” Wade said.

      “Perfect!” Scrounging in her pocket, Patty withdrew a business card. “There’s the office number. I’ll tell Mike to expect your call.”

      “Pushy little thing, aren’t you?” he teased, although she was only a few inches shorter than him.

      “Always.”

      Wade took the card. Fact Hunter Investigations. Who’d have imagined he’d ever consider working there? “Maybe I will.”

      “Good seeing you.” She reclaimed the tray. “Reggie’s a cute little dude.”

      “I think so, too.”

      As he ducked out, it occurred to Wade that his father hadn’t bothered to mention the sale of the agency. Surely he’d heard about it, if only afterward.

      It would be a stroke of luck finding a position in Safe Harbor. Being a father was a complicated business, Wade could see. Living near Reg’s friends and aunt would mean not having to tear his son away from familiar surroundings. They’d be able to get acquainted gradually, building a relationship step-by-step.

      Things looked promising. A little too promising. In Wade’s experience, the minute you got comfortable, matters exploded in your face.

      All the same, he might give Mike Aaron a call.

      * * *

      “YOU DIDN’T HAVE a clue he was coming?” Harper asked as she and Adrienne tossed out the last dropped teddy-bear grahams and torn pieces of party hat.

      The other parents had helped clean up, too, so there wasn’t much left to do. With Stacy tiring easily due to her pregnancy, Adrienne had sent her and Cole home.

      Mia and Reggie had carted his gifts to his room. The pair, who acted more like brother and sister than friends, was playing happily with all those new toys, judging by the squeals and giggles drifting from the upstairs window.

      “We’re meeting with the attorney tomorrow to set some ground rules.” Since Adrienne didn’t care to discuss Wade further, even with a close friend, she changed the subject. “You’re sure you want to plan the wedding outdoors? The weather can be tricky in late November.” While Southern California enjoyed mild winters, that didn’t preclude rain.

      Concerned about the cost of a wedding, Harper and Peter had discussed asking his parents, who lived inland, to hold it at their house. But their place was fairly small, so Adrienne had offered up hers. She enjoyed seeing her home full of friends.

      “I prefer a garden setting, and if we keep everything outside, there’s less cleanup.” Since it was the second wedding for both bride and groom, they were taking an informal approach. The guest list was short, and the only members of the wedding party would be Peter’s father as best man and Mia as flower girl. Instead of a white gown, Harper had selected a knee-length dress in autumnal shades: golden-yellow, tawny-brown and red-orange.

      “Of course, we can move inside if necessary,” Adrienne mused.

      “You’re incredibly thoughtful.” Harper dropped a lump of hardening Play-Doh into the trash bag. “Some people prefer to reserve Black Friday for their Christmas shopping.” They’d scheduled the wedding for the day after the holiday.

      “I’d rather be with friends.” Prowling across the grass, Adrienne retrieved a crumpled teddy-bear birth certificate. The kids had filled them out for their stuffed animals.

      “You do have plans for Thanksgiving dinner, right?” Harper asked. “We’re going to eat with Peter’s parents. You’d both be welcome, I’m sure.”

      “I’m on duty that night. But yes, we have plans.” Those involved treating her nephew to supper at a favorite restaurant, after which he’d join his sitter and her family. While it was painful being away from him, someone had to deliver the babies. Also, the trade-off was that Adrienne didn’t have to work Christmas Eve or Christmas night.

      “If you’re sure...” Harper stopped as childish voices drifted from an upstairs window.

      “Don’t open that!” Reggie shouted.

      “I want to play with it,” Mia answered stubbornly.

      “No way! My dad gave me that.”

      His dad. The boy had already accepted Wade in that role. It hurt, even though Adrienne knew that fathers were important. Reg used to cling to Mia’s father, Sean. His death in an off-road vehicle accident had been hard on them all. Recently, Peter and Cole had grown close to Reggie, but they were both still busy adjusting to their new families and had limited time.

      So many losses. Maybe she ought to be grateful that Wade seemed eager to step in, but she didn’t trust him.

      “I let you play with stuff my dad gives me,” Mia responded. Although the little girl treasured the memory of her late father, she’d begun referring to Peter as her dad.

      “Put it down!” Reggie sounded on the verge of a meltdown.

      “Okay, okay.”

      “Overtired,” Adrienne assessed. “Let’s call it a day.”

      “Good idea.” Harper waved to Peter, who’d just emerged from stowing tables and chairs in a storage room that opened directly to the yard. “Let’s go scrape Mia off the carpet.”

      Soon they were gone. In the kitchen, Adrienne paused to center herself. The refrigerator hummed as if happy to be stuffed with leftovers. On a rack above the old stove, light gleamed off the copper pots and pans that she rarely used. But they’d been there as long as Adrienne could remember, and she treasured them.

      With a jolt, the attorney’s statement came back to her. Wade could lay claim to Reggie’s half of this house if he chose to, and its contents, as well. Adrienne