Magnificent Folly - Iris Johansen [10]
“Right. I’ll leave the doors open, so that you can hear I’m not maligning you to her.”
She heard the door behind her open, Andrew’s steps, then the knock on Cassie’s door.
In exactly five minutes she heard his laughing farewell as he left Cassie’s room. Cassie was laughing, too, and the sound sent a pang through Lily that was half relief and half envy. A moment later, Andrew stood beside her on the deck.
“She told me to ask you if she could have a cheeseburger for supper.” A faint smile touched his lips. “And potato chips instead of a green vegetable. I think she’s trying to wring everything she can out of this situation.”
“She’s capable of it.” Lily turned to face him. “What did you tell her?”
“Nothing you wouldn’t want me to tell her.” He paused, and his hands reached out and closed on the railing of the deck. “But I did say I’d stick around and hope you’d let us become better friends.”
Lily stiffened warily.
“Who knows? Maybe Cassie will find my company boring,” he said lightly. “They say familiarity breeds contempt.”
“Not bloody likely.” Lily’s lips tightened. “I think you’ve hypnotized her.”
“Instinct.” His hands loosened their grip on the railing, and one finger traced the rough pattern of the wood. “If you’re right about me, maybe I’ll be the one to grow bored and walk away. Either way, you’ll be rid of me.” His gaze narrowed on her face. “Or perhaps you don’t think I’m that immature anymore.”
She didn’t know what to think. One moment Andrew seemed boyish, and in the next she glimpsed a maturity beyond the youthful radiance of him that startled her. “I don’t understand what you are.”
“Then find out. Let me get to know Cassie. Let me get to know you, Lily.” He took a step closer, and one finger gently touched her cheek. “You won’t regret it. I’ll never hurt you.”
Yet the touch of his finger on her cheek brought a burning sensation close to pain, she thought dazedly. His gaze was holding her own with mesmerizing intensity. She took a deep breath and moistened her lips with her tongue. “I’d never let you hurt me.” She took a step back and his hand fell away from her face. “This is crazy. I don’t know what to think. I don’t even know if you’re really who you say you are. What proof do I have?”
“None.” Andrew thought for a moment. “Call Henry. I understand you’ve kept in touch with him over the years. Ask him for the name of Cassie’s donor.”
“He told me the names of the donors were kept confidential.”
“He won’t give you the same answer now.” He asked curiously, “Just what did he tell you about the donor?”
“Not much, except that he was young, healthy, and intelligent, and absolutely stable mentally.”
He nodded. “I can see how the last would be important to you.” He smiled. “I’m still all those things, Lily. If you accepted me as a father for your child, don’t you think you could take the chance on me as a friend?”
“That’s different.”
“A different kind of intimacy?” He took a step closer, and his finger touched her lower lip. “Intimacy is good, Lily. I’m not Tait Baldor.”
The name struck through her like a sword, piercing the dreamy languor Andrew was weaving about her. She stepped back again. “I don’t want to talk about Tait Baldor.”
Andrew nodded. “All right, we won’t discuss him now, but we’ll have to talk about him sometime.”
“No, we won’t.” She moved decisively toward the front door. “My past is my own business and none of yours,” she said over her shoulder.
“But I’m part of your past, Lily.” His soft words followed her. “And your present is very much my business. I’ll be down at the beach at four tomorrow afternoon. I’m telling you in case you want to be there to protect Cassie from me.” He paused. “But I hope you believe now that I would never hurt her.”
She turned to face him, her gaze troubled. “I don’t … know. Perhaps you wouldn’t mean to hurt her, but Cassie is very sensitive, and for some reason she seems to have taken a shine to you.”
“Like to like.” He grinned. “Still, I think you’d feel more secure with me tomorrow if you were sure I was Cassie’s father. I’d like you to call Henry