Liam glanced at his watch. It was barely six thirty.

  “Sure. Go for it.”

  “Well, I wanted you to know first that some rumors were flying around the office yesterday afternoon, after you showed up with a young girl who looked a lot like you.” Ryan hesitated, and Liam could tell that this was going to be another awkward conversation that neither of them wanted to have. “There were a few questions being asked about where she came from — and perhaps some implications that she might be, um, a ‘secret child.’”

  Liam sighed. “I appreciate you telling me, but I’m not too concerned with office gossip at the moment. This will all blow over in a few days when something more interesting happens.”

  “I hope so.” Ryan hesitated again.

  “You can tell me.”

  “Well, your CFO reached out to ask if he should handle the meeting with Stanley Jefferson next week, in light of the rumors. He’s worried that if you don’t paint a picture of a happy, conventional family, it might scare Stanley off.”

  Liam rubbed his temples. He’d been away from the office for only part of an afternoon, and already rumors were flying. But worse than that, Liam’s CFO, a generally balanced and intelligent guy, probably had a point when it came to Stanley Jefferson.

  Because of the structure of Lilypad Learning, the company relied on a small number of loyal investors and venture capitalists. And because Lilypad Learning catered to children, many of those investors were particularly family- and children-oriented. Stanley Jefferson was both one of Liam’s major investors and an old-school family man with children of his own. At their last meeting a few months ago, Stanley had pointed out how strange it was that the CEO of an edtech company didn’t have children of his own. But if Stanley found out that Liam had a young child he hadn’t even known about… it might signal the end of Stanley’s cooperation with Lilypad Learning.

  “I appreciate you mentioning this, Ryan. What did you tell him?”

  “Just that I’d speak with you and get back to him.”

  “Please let him know that I’ll handle the meeting myself. I’ll figure out how to present my… new situation… beforehand. Goodbye, Ryan.”

  Liam hung up and rested his forehead against the cool wood of his desk. He’d been so caught up in how suddenly being a father affected him that he hadn’t even considered the impact on his business. Liam wasn’t sure what to do. Sure, he could just not mention Grace and hope Stanley wouldn’t find out, but the events of the last day had shown that rumors were quick to start in the tight-knit circles of San Francisco’s investment community. Chances were high that Stanley would find out, one way or another. And chances were even higher that he’d pull his funding if he did. If Stanley pulled out, other investors would follow, and the company Liam had poured most of the last decade of his life into would go under.

  Liam pounded his head lightly against the desk. He needed a plan, and fast. The first thought that popped into his head was to hide Grace, but he immediately dismissed it with a wave of guilt. The little girl had already been through so much. Liam couldn’t send her away or try to hide her. He needed to give her every opportunity he could.

  So, what should he do instead? He could present himself as a single father by choice, but his more conservative investors, like Stanley, might not go for that. Plus, there was still the issue of why no one had ever seen Grace before.

  What Liam needed was a wife. The realization came to him as clearly and suddenly as a bolt of lightning. Liam needed a woman who would complete the picture of a happy, well-adjusted family. With a wife by his side, the rumors would pass — and the issue of Grace’s care would be resolved.

  Of course, going out dating wasn’t going to yield the results Liam needed fast enough. Plus, he had no real interest in being married. Liam’s first priority was his job and it always would be, which wouldn’t be fair to any woman in his life. On top of that, he had just never felt that spark of romantic love for anyone — and he probably never would.

  No, what he needed was a wife by contract. If he could hire a woman to marry him, even just for a year or two, it would solve all his problems. In time, they could stage a divorce. Stanley might not love the idea of a divorced father, either, but at least this plan would kick the problem a few years down the road. By then, Liam could figure out a more permanent solution.

  Just where was he supposed to find a fake wife, though? His mind raced for a few long moments, before a sudden bolt of clarity struck him. Liam sat up straighter, feeling optimistic for the first time this morning. The woman by the ice cream shop. Amelia.

  It was absurd to plan on marrying someone from one brief meeting, but Liam didn’t exactly have time to weigh out his choices. And Amelia had been caring, firm, and engaging with her nieces and nephews, which was exactly what Liam wanted for Grace. An image of Amelia hugging Jamie after he’d spilled his ice cream flashed through Liam’s mind. Her expression had been so full of love, and the little boy had been so quickly comforted. Yes, that was what Grace needed.

  Liam wasn’t sure that Amelia would agree to marry him — in fact, it would be very strange if she did. Yet there was a chance. Amelia clearly cared for children, and Liam was ready to offer her almost any amount to get her help on this. Money wasn’t a factor.

  Just then, the soft sound of crying broke Liam’s concentration. Grace was awake. He leaped to his feet and hurried down the hall to her. In her room, Grace was sitting up in bed, her small face red, sobbing.

  “There, there.” Liam hurried to her. He picked up the toy he’d made and set it in her arms. Then, awkwardly, he patted her back. “It’s okay.”

  Perhaps he should have taken the little girl into his arms to comfort her, but Liam couldn’t figure out how to make that work. This child was a stranger to him, even though she was related to him.

  He patted Grace’s back and offered her breakfast — even more ice cream, if she wanted. As he did so, he thought again of Amelia. He needed her, now. He was failing as a father, and he knew it.

  Failure was a new sensation for Liam. He’d always been wildly successful in business, as in most of the things he did. The idea that he wasn’t going to be able to handle something was both new and deeply unpleasant, especially now. Fatherhood was the most important thing to be good at, and Liam just couldn’t do it. Even two-year-old Grace knew that.

  Liam, usually poised and on top of his emotions, half-wished he could wail alongside his young daughter.

  CHAPTER 6

  AMELIA

  Amelia let out a long, slow sigh. She’d spent the morning sitting at her kitchen table with her laptop in front of her, scrolling through a job website. Her résumé was up-to-date, she’d chosen her references, and she had a few cover letters ready. She’d even starred a few potential jobs that would be a good fit for her experience and skill set.

  Yet now that it was time to actually apply, she was having a very hard time bringing herself to do it.

  She’d worked so hard at Shondyn to make the company the best it could be and to grow her own skills. Yet that had all fallen flat. Even though Amelia knew it wasn’t the case, she couldn’t help feeling like she’d failed. And the thought of another job that would take all her time and energy just wasn’t appealing at all.

  Yet Amelia couldn’t afford to take more time off work. She had savings, but she also had bills to pay, and she needed a steady income. Now. The thought of seeing her nieces and nephews less hurt, but she wasn’t sure what else to do.

  It was time to just apply for at least one of these jobs.

  Amelia let out a long sigh. There was no point putting it off anymore. She selected one of the jobs she’d starred, more or less at random, and started uploading her résumé.

  As though by serendipity, at that exact moment, her phone rang. She scrambled to answer it, eager for any distraction from her job search.

  “Hello, Amelia Holland here.”

  “Good morning, Amelia. This is Liam Bradshaw.” Amelia’s heart stopped at the familiar voice. Oh, no. This was the same businessman she’d let Jamie smear ice cream on. Her offer to pay the dry-cleaning bill was going to come back to hurt her. After all, with an expensive suit like that, dry cleaning might not be enough. Maybe Liam had needed to replace the suit and was going to ask her to pay for it.

  If that happened, Amelia would be out thousands of dollars and would definitely need a job — yesterday.

  “Hi, Liam. Did you make it to the dry cleaners?”

  “The dry cleaners?” Liam sounded so confused that, for a moment, Amelia wondered if she somehow had the wrong man. But then he seemed to remember. “Right, the suit. Yes, my assistant took it in. Apparently, it wasn’t the first time they’d seen that much ice cream on a suit.”

  Amelia chuckled nervously. “Well, I’m glad you were able to get that sorted out. Just send me the bill when you get a chance.”

  “The bill?” Again, Liam sounded completely nonplussed. It was a little strange, given how worried he’d been about his suit the day before. “No, don’t worry about that. It’s taken care of. But perhaps you’d be willing to help me out in another way.”

  Amelia’s brow furrowed. “How do you mean?”

  “Would you be available to join me for lunch today?” Liam sounded ever so slightly nervous and, in that moment, Amelia’s heart melted. Perhaps she’d read the guy wrong the whole time. After all, today he was friendly and seemed to care not one bit about the suit. Plus, he’d just invited her to lunch.

  Maybe he’d been having a bad day yesterday. Maybe this lunch was even supposed to be a date. Had Katie been right about the ice cream incident being a meet-cute? Despite herself, despite the fact that Amelia had a lot more on her mind than romance, she felt her heart flutter.

  “Sure. It would be my pleasure.”

  “Let’s meet at the Revena, around one?”

  “Okay. See you then.” They disconnected the call. Amelia could feel that she was grinning and, slightly surprised, she lifted her fingertips to the corners of her mouth. It had been a while since she’d been so excited about anything except her young nieces and nephews.

  Half an hour later, though, she was rather less excited. First, she’d looked up the Revena and seen that it was a very classy restaurant near the waterfront. There was no way she could afford anything more than a glass of water and an appetizer there. Then, she had gone to her closet to find an appropriate outfit — and determined that she didn’t have one. Her wardrobe was mostly business attire, slacks and skirts and blouses from her old job, plus a few pairs of jeans and T-shirts that she’d purchased more recently. None of it was exactly date wear.

  Not that this was necessarily a date. Although Amelia couldn’t fathom why else the attractive Liam would invite her out to lunch on such short notice.

  Finally, she settled on a pair of slacks and her most flattering cream-colored blouse. She still looked like she’d just stepped out of an office, but that was fine. It was a Tuesday, after all, and Liam didn’t have to know that she was unemployed.

  Amelia capped off the outfit with a dash of lipstick and twisted her hair into a half bun, which she knew from experience was the best way to tame her blond hair. Finally, she smiled at herself in the mirror by her front door. She looked nice. She was ready.

  As she got closer to the Revena, though, Amelia’s heart started to race. It had been a long time since she’d been on a date. The last few years had been dedicated to Shondyn, and even in college, she hadn’t been much of a dater. She took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves, then stepped into the restaurant’s lobby.

  “How can I help you?” A friendly-looking maître d’ smiled at her from the front of the restaurant.

  “Hi. I’m here to meet Liam Bradshaw. Perhaps he has a reservation?”

  “I do.”

  Amelia turned to see Liam striding towards her. He was dressed in a different suit today, this one in a dark navy. He looked perfectly put-together, every hair in place — except for one stray Cheerio on the leg of his slacks, which drew Amelia’s eye because it looked so out of place.

  “Hello again.” Amelia gave what she hoped was a friendly smile. With any luck, Liam wouldn’t be able to tell how quickly her heart was racing.

  “Hi, Amelia. Thank you for meeting with me today.” He turned to the maître d’. “I believe I booked the tower room.”

  “Yes, sir. Right this way.”

  Amelia was slightly taken aback at the mention of a tower room. She’d expected to dine in a crowded restaurant, not a tower. But her apprehension faded when the maître d’ led them up a flight of stairs and into a beautiful private room that was, indeed, at the top of a small tower. In the middle stood a large table made of some kind of dark wood, but the table the maître d’ led them to was tucked into a window alcove overlooking the Bay. Amelia crossed straight to the window and looked down at the water below.

  “Please, have a seat, and we’ll have a menu right with you.” The maître d’ departed, and Amelia realized that she and Liam were alone together. She turned around and saw him leaning against the wall near the table, appraising her. When he caught her looking, he stepped forward to pull out her chair in a gesture Amelia could only describe as gentlemanly.

  “Do you have any dietary restrictions? Anything you don’t like?” Liam asked.

  Amelia shook her head. “I like most things.”

  “Then I recommend we order the chef’s choice. I know the chef here personally, and he always curates a beautiful menu of local products.”

  Amelia’s eyes widened slightly and she bit her lip. There was no way she could afford to pay for the chef’s special.

  Liam seemed to read her mind, because he continued. “Cost isn’t an issue — I’ll cover the lunch.”

  “Thank you.” She didn’t like the thought of letting him pay for lunch, but it would be more embarrassing to have to leave without eating because she couldn’t afford anything.

  “Of course. So, Amelia, tell me a little more about yourself.”

  Amelia blinked. Despite the romantic atmosphere of the tower room, that question seemed like it came from a job interview, not a first date.

  “Well, as you know, I’m Amelia Holland. I was born and raised right here in San Francisco, and I have three siblings and five nieces and nephews, as you probably remember. How about you? Do you have any siblings?”

  “No.” Liam took a sip of water. “And are you working at the moment?”

  Again, Amelia felt a tingle of strangeness. Liam hadn’t seemed interested in answering her question. And now he wanted to talk about her job? Maybe she had just been off the market too long, but this was feeling less and less like a date to her.

  “No, not at the moment.” She took another stab at conversation. “I remember you mentioned you work at Lilypad Learning, though. That must be fascinating. How do you like it?”

  “I’m actually the CEO there, which I love. And Lilypad is a great company.” At just that moment, when Liam seemed on the verge of talking more, a waiter arrived with a menu. Amelia’s eyes widened at the realization that he didn’t just work for Lilypad, but actually ran it. That explained why he’d chosen such a nice restaurant.

  “We’ll take two of the chef’s choice, please,” Liam said.

  “Excellent choice, sir.” The waiter departed, and Liam turned back to Amelia.

  “Where were we?”

  “You were telling me about your work.”

  “Right. Yes, my work is wonderful. Now, tell me, do you have experience with children other than your nieces and nephews?”

  “Um…” Amelia couldn’t deny that this was getting a little too strange. She passed it off with a light chuckle. “I can’t help feeling a little like you’re interviewing me.”

  Liam hesitated. Then he chuckled as well. “We’re just getting to know each other.”

  “Okay…” Liam was still handsome and, despite his slightly strange questions, charming. “I suppose I’m just wondering exactly why you invited me to lunch.”

  Liam sighed. “All right. I had hoped to wait a little before broaching this particular topic, but I suppose I’d better just say it.” He reached into the bag he’d brought and pulled out a slim folder. “Would you be willing to sign an NDA first?”

  “Um…” Amelia gave another nervous laugh. “Why would I need to sign an NDA for our lunch?”

  “I’ll be upfront with you.” Liam leaned forward and clasped his hands. His sea-blue eyes met Amelia’s with an intensity she couldn’t quite describe. “I invited you here to speak about a job. But before I can share any specific details, I’ll need you to sign the NDA.”

  “A job?” Amelia felt herself deflating. This hadn’t been a date at all, just a job interview. Suddenly, Liam’s questions about her experience weren’t so strange at all. Although Amelia needed a job, badly, and Lilypad was a great company that she’d be happy to work for (if she wanted a job at all), this was disappointed. She’d thought there was a spark between her and Liam.

  She’d been wrong.

  “Exactly.”

  “Okay. I have to ask, though, why we’re speaking about the job here, and not in your office. And why you’re interested in me, even though you haven’t seen my résumé. Do you even know what field I work in?”

  “I’ll explain everything.” Liam tapped the folder with one finger. “Once you sign this.”

  Curiosity won out, and Amelia took the pen Liam passed to her. She skimmed the papers, which essentially were an agreement not to share anything they talked about today, and signed them with a quick flourish. Then she handed the papers back to Liam, who checked her signatures, then slid the folder back into his bag.

  “Thank you. And I do apologize for all the cloak-and-dagger.” He grinned and, despite herself, Amelia felt her heart flutter again. “Just so that we’re on the same page, you understand that the NDA you signed prevents you from sharing with anyone, including the press or other members of Lilypad, what we discuss today?”