For His Little Girl Page 8

  "You're not still mad at me, are you?"

  "No, I'm not mad at you. How could I be? You've been wonderful today. How many men would have taken it as well as you did? It's meant the world to Josie."

  He wanted to ask, "And you?" But a rare spurt of wisdom kept him quiet.

  She regarded him fondly. "Good night."

  Luke found himself faced with an unexpected problem of protocol. The lady was charming, it was late, they had talked and smiled, they were mellow with wine. The next stage was to kiss her. Standard procedure.

  But for this particular lady the standard procedure wouldn't do. Suddenly he, the most subtly experienced bachelor in L.A.-okay, say the whole world-was in unknown territory. How did you treat the mother of your kid whom you'd just re-met after eleven years? She was lovely, and you felt at ease with her, like parents should be, so it ought to be simple, right?

  Wrong!

  Wrong because she brought memories of the sexiest time of your life, memories that made you horny just to think of them. Yet now she was like a different woman, with all the mystery of unexplored territory. And the mixture of the new and the familiar was driving you crazy.

  But she solved the problem by yawning and heading for the door, pausing only to give your hand a squeeze-a squeeze, for Pete's sake! The last time a girl squeezed your hand you'd been on the back porch, with Mom breathing loudly behind the kitchen door, just in case you thought you were going to get away with anything. You didn't then, and you knew you weren't going to now.

  So you played it cool, jumping to your feet and saying heartily, "Right, right. Big day tomorrow. Need plenty of sleep.''

  Then you realized you were babbling and made yourself shut up.

  Just to turn the knife a little she looked back to smile, and there was something in that smile you'd never seen before, a shadowed quality, that only made her more mysterious. When she went on to her room, you stayed where you were, not daring to move until the silence told you she'd gone to bed.

  And then you went and had a cold, cold shower.

  In the early hours of the morning Pippa crept into the front room. The curtains were drawn back from the huge window so that she had a glorious view of the ocean, almost still in the dawn light. She sat down by the phone, and called Frank in England. He answered so quickly that Pippa knew he'd been sitting by it.

  "Just to let you know we landed safely," she said cheerfully.

  "Does Luke know you're there?"

  "Yes, he greeted us with open arms. Josie was thrilled."

  "Pippa-"

  "It's true, so you can take that disbelieving note out of your voice."

  "The important thing is, how are you feeling?"

  "Pretty good. The flight left me a bit tired-"

  "You're lucky it didn't kill you. Do you realize what a state your heart's in?"

  "Of course. The doctor laid it on the line. Why do you think I'm here? Because I know there are things I must do while there's time."

  "And what happens if you collapse out there? Have you thought of Josie?"

  "This is all for Josie's sake. It was important for Luke to know her."

  "I don't see why. He's never taken any interest in her until now. You know Elly and I were against this trip, for your sake as much as hers."

  "I can't talk now," Pippa said quickly. "Luke's coming back."

  "Which hotel are you in?"

  "We're staying with him."

  There was a silence from the other end, before Frank said sharply, "I see. Goodbye."

  Pippa hung up. She hadn't really heard Luke. She'd invented the excuse to end the call because she didn't want to go over old ground. Conversations with Frank were always fraught because neither of them could say what was really in their mind.

  Frank couldn't say, If you die I want Josie to fill the place of the child Elly and I never had, and I'm afraid of Luke in case he tries to claim her.

  And Pippa couldn't say, You're a kind man but limited. You'll teach Josie the sensible things, but I want her to know the crazy ones, too-the things that only her true father can teach her.

  She smiled ruefully and went on in her head, talking perhaps to Frank and perhaps to herself.

  He's not a solid, upright citizen. He's tricky, unreliable and unscrupulous. He does what suits him and tap dances his way out of it afterward. But he's warm and sweet, funny and charming, and he carries magic with him wherever he goes. He's a taker and a user, but he gives back so much that it works out a fair bargain in the end.

  The light was growing stronger over the sea. She sat gazing at it, thrilled by the beauty of the sight.

  I'm glad, she thought, yes, I really am glad that I didn't make him marry me all those years ago. Nature designed him to be a lover, not a husband.

  She'd had a bad moment when she'd thought he was about to admit to an old infidelity. She shouldn't care now, but she did. Those few months still lived as the brightest, loveliest time of her life. Whatever the Luke of today was like, the Luke of yesterday had been all hers. And if she had lost that belief, her heart would have broken as cruelly today as it would have done then.

  She was awakened early by Josie, eager to be up and doing. "Come on Mommy, Daddy says when we've had breakfast he'll take me to the beach and teach me to bodysurf. Please hurry."

  "Surfing isn't my style, darling. You and Daddy go, and I'll have a nice, long lie in."

  "Shall I bring you some coffee?"

  "Nope, I'm going right back to sleep. Have a nice time." Pippa burrowed down in bed and pulled the clothes over her head.

  She had come prepared with a dozen little excuses for conserving her energy. Luckily this one worked, for she heard Josie creep out of the room, and half an hour later the two of them left the house. She slipped out and went to watch through the window as they crossed the Strand to the beach, dropped their outer clothes on the sand and raced, hand in hand, to the water. She tried to keep them in sight but they grew too small and were soon lost among the other bathers.

  She made herself some tea before indulging in a nice, long bath. Feeling good, she dressed in dark-blue slacks and a white top, with just a twinge of regret for the delights of Rodeo Drive that she'd dismissed so firmly. But she didn't really regret her decision to stick to her independence.

  As she was making a salad, a shadow appeared on the glass of the back door, and she heard a knock. Pippa opened the door and found herself regretting her decision by the cartload.

  A vision of money and beauty stood outside. She was in her mid-twenties and so lovely that Pippa nearly stared. But there was more to her effect than beauty. Claudia Lomax Benton had been wealthy all her life. Her clothes were created by top designers. she traveled with her own hairdresser, and the sheen of money lay on her like a glow. Suddenly Pippa's clothes felt as though she'd rescued them from a garbage dump.

  "Hello," said the vision. "I'm Claudia," she said. "Is Luke here?"

  "No, he's on the beach," Pippa said, standing back to let her enter. "I'm Pippa Davis."

  Claudia enveloped Pippa in a scented embrace. "I've been longing to meet you. Everyone's talking about you."

  She didn't define everyone. This wasn't the moment for Claudia to mention Dominique, who'd called her with a garbled tale of a schemer who'd gotten her claws into Luke.

  The child isn't even his, the model had wailed. Anyone can see that, but poor Luke is completely taken in.

  And Claudia had said, Don't be a fool, Dominique. Luke never does anything that doesn't suit Luke. I adore him, but I'm wise to him.

  "Talking about me?" Pippa echoed.

  "You and Josie. Is she on the beach with him?"

  "Yes, he's teaching her to bodysurf." Pippa was filled with a sinking dismay. This wasn't a vulgar popsie like Dominique. This was oil wells and Car-tier and class and utter self-confidence.

  "I thought he might turn out to be on the beach," Claudia said, pulling at the buttons of her simple blue linen dress. "So I came prepared." She tossed t
he dress aside, revealing a black one-piece. "Come on, let's go and join them."

  That was what money did for you, made it possible for you to walk in on a stranger, scoop them up and take them swimming. Protests died on

  Pippa's lips, and before she knew it, she'd donned her own costume and was crossing the road with Claudia.

  Her dark-crimson one-piece was beautiful against her hair and warm skin, but against the glorious Claudia she felt like a dowdy schoolgirl. Then she forgot to be self-conscious in the pleasure of seeing Josie shrieking with excitement as her father taught her the secrets of riding the big waves that came rolling onto the beach. She had obviously taken to it, because Pippa could hear her cry, "Again, Daddy, again!" And Luke grinned, proud of her style and intrepidity.

  "Is that your daughter?'' Claudia asked, her eyes on them.

  "Yes-and Luke's," Pippa replied.

  At that moment Luke spotted them and came bounding out of the surf, Josie's hand clasped in his. He enveloped Claudia in an exuberant hug, unselfconsciously pulling her against his bare, glistening torso. Pippa braced herself for a similar greeting, but he only smiled at her and nodded. Which was fine, she told herself.

  Josie spoke politely to Claudia, but then grabbed Pippa's hand, pleading, "Mommy, come into the water."

  "All right, darling." Laughing, she allowed herself to be dragged down the beach.

  Luke would have followed, but Claudia laid a hand on his arm. "Luke, she's a great kid, but are you sure she's yours?"

  "You've been talking to Dominique," he said, still looking out to sea where Pippa and Josie were splashing each other and laughing.

  "Maybe I have," Claudia persisted, "but it's still a fair question."

  "Not to me. Dominique is suspicious because she's only just heard about Josie. But I've known from the start. Pippa called me when she knew she was pregnant, and we've stayed in touch all this time."

  "That still doesn't prove Josie is yours."

  "Okay, for one thing there's the timing. She was conceived while Pippa and I were living together, and Pippa sure as hell wasn't seeing anyone else, not the way we-" he coughed and reddened "-never mind. That's not the real reason."

  "So what is?"

  "Pippa. The kind of person she is. There's nobody more honest. It made her special. She even made me honest for a while."

  "You?"

  "Yeah, hilarious isn't it? But we had something that-well, anyway, if she says it's true, it's true."

  "And now she's turned up, after all these years?"

  "She wanted me to meet Josie, and she was right. I left it too long."

  "Sure she hasn't come back for you?"

  "Well if she has, she's going about it a damned funny way," he growled. "Last night I got warned off-at least, I think so. It was hard to tell, but it sure wasn't a come-on."

  "Darling, that's the oldest trick in the book. She'd have been very silly to throw herself straight into your arms."

  "No," he growled. "I told you she isn't like that. Hell!"

  A large wave had swooped out of nowhere and knocked Josie and Pippa off their feet. As they floundered to pick themselves up, Luke was racing down the beach, plunging into the water, picking them up, asking urgent questions.

  Josie made large gestures, delighted with the experience and trying to describe it to her father. Pippa was laughing as she wrung the water out of her hair. For a moment the dazzling sun threw the three of them into silhouette like figures on a frieze. Then another big wave came, causing Luke to move instinctively to shield the other two. Claudia watched for a while before walking thoughtfully into the water to join them.

  They spent the rest of the morning together, and when they parted it was agreed that Claudia would join them that evening at Luke's Other Place.

  "I've got to be there tonight," Luke explained to Pippa, "because they're doing the cooking for tomorrow's shows. So we'll check out the kitchens, and you can tell me what you think."

  "Until tonight, then," Claudia said, blew a kiss in the general direction of them, and hurried out to her car. As soon as she settled behind the wheel she dialed a number on her car phone.

  "Dominique? I've just left Luke-yes, I've met her, and the child, and I'm very glad you called me. Certainly something needs to be done, and the sooner the better. Be at Luke's Other Place this evening, at nine o'clock-no, just leave the details to me."

  Chapter Six

  Luke's Other Place was halfway along Manhattan Avenue. His first restaurant was glamorous, upmarket and very expensive. This one was fun. The prices were reasonable, the range of food wide, with a strong emphasis on Latin American because Luke loved it. Also he'd recently engaged Ramon, a Mexican genius whom he overpaid while skillfully picking his brains.

  The decor suggested beach life. One whole wall was given up to a painting of Manhattan Beach Pier done by a local artist. Anyone sitting at one of the tables might think he'd dropped in to a picnic.

  Behind the carefully rustic scenes, the kitchens were state-of-the-art, with flashing lights and buzzers on the gleaming ovens. Luke showed them all over, carefully explaining to Josie that each dish he would need next day was being cooked three times over, to three different stages. Josie nodded and asked some intelligent questions, which pleased her father to bursting point. Then she began to prowl around, asking more questions of the staff, who loved her.

  "You did it," Pippa said to Luke. "Just as you said."

  "I hoped you'd think so."

  "Mind you, it's not exactly the Ritz, is it?"

  He laughed "You should see the first restaurant."

  They dined on Creole pasta, followed by fillet of salmon, grilled with ginger, lime and sesame glaze, which sent Josie into seventh heaven. She was even more thrilled at what was to come. Luke's Other Place was famous for its vast array of ice creams and toppings.

  Pippa was happy for her, but her own feelings were more complicated. As she'd said to Luke, he'd done it. It was she who was still stranded in culinary mediocrity. Then she pulled herself together. As though it could matter now!

  She became aware that Luke was staring at something, dismay all over his face. Following his gaze, she saw Dominique standing statuesquely in the entrance, dressed to kill, looking around her. Claudia promptly got to her feet and went to meet her, hands extended, smile blazing.

  "What brought her here?" Luke muttered. "She never comes to this place, it's not grand enough for her."

  Claudia was bringing Dominique ruthlessly over. The model gritted her teeth at the sight of Luke in the center of a family party. He grinned and blew her a kiss.

  "Hi, honey. Glad you could make it here at last. I told you you'd love it. You know everyone, don't you?"

  "We met yesterday," she said graciously.

  "You're the lady without any clothes on," Josie declared innocently. She looked around the dumbstruck group. "Well, she was."

  "Not quite," Luke said hastily. "Dominique, what can I get you?"

  "Something fat-free," Dominque said faintly.

  "You've come to the wrong place for that," Josie confided. "It's all crawling with calories and disgustingly delicious, isn't it, Daddy?"

  "Hush brat, do you want to put me out of business?" he said with a grin.

  "I'll have a salad and some mineral water," Dominique said austerely.

  Luke summoned a waiter and relayed the order.

  "Daddy," Josie said pathetically.

  "I haven't forgotten you, honey." To Dominique he confided, "We were just about to study the ice cream question in great depth."

  "Can we go back to the kitchen?" Josie asked eagerly.

  "No need, here it is.''

  A huge circular trolley was being wheeled toward. It had five tiers, each adorned with tubs of ice cream and toppings.

  "Yummy!" Josie and Claudia said with one voice.

  Pippa, too, was fond of ice cream, and it developed into a three-way argument with Luke acting as referee. Dominique, dining on a puritanical sa
lad and a virtuous mineral water, was left isolated and ridiculous-as perhaps Claudia had foreseen.

  Josie regarded her with pity from behind a mountain of many flavored ice creams topped off with chocolate sauce that was truly "disgustingly delicious."

  "Wouldn't you much rather have ice cream?" she asked. "It's ever so nice."

  "No thank you," Dominique said. "I need to think of my figure."

  "But you've got a smashing figure," Josie said generously.

  "Thank you." Dominique relaxed a little.

  "Do you have to work really, really hard at it?"

  "That's enough, Josie," Luke said hastily. "Eat your ice cream before it melts."

  "Any swaps for my pistachio?" Claudia enquired. "Josie, your raspberry looks delicious."

  There was a general swapping, with long spoons moving back and forth and a lot of laughter. Then Pippa and Josie simultaneously made a takeover bid for Claudia's coffee and nut, and in the resulting melee a huge dollop landed on Luke's favorite pair of five-hundred-dollar slacks.

  "Oh, dear," Pippa said. "I'm sorry."

  "Sorry, Daddy," Josie said.

  "Yes, it's a pity, isn't it?" he said ruefully. "A real waste of good ice cream."

  Josie giggled.

  "How about you?" Luke turned solicitously to Dominique, beside him. "Did any go over you?"

  "Luckily, no," she said. "But I've just remembered an urgent appointment. Good night, everyone. It's been so nice." She rose, gave the barest nod of farewell and stalked away. Claudia followed at once, and before they reached the exit the others saw Dominique turn on her. They couldn't hear the words, but it was obvious that Dominique was in a sulphurous temper.

  "You planned this whole thing," she spat at Claudia.

  "I've done you a favor."

  "You said something needed to be done-"

  "And I've done it. On the beach this morning I saw a side of Luke I've never seen before. Now you've seen it, too, and I've saved you wasting any more time on a man you can't win. Luke's spoken for. I guess he's been spoken for for the last eleven years, even if nobody knew it, including Luke."

  "That dowdy little nobody-"