Summer Secrets - Barbara Freethy [31]
"Which would irritate you the most? Never mind. I know."
"You don't know."
"I do," she said with a laugh. "You're type A -- intense, driven, ambitious, stubborn, and absolutely always on time. Never early, because you wouldn't want to waste a second waiting, which means a woman who takes an hour in the bathroom would drive you nuts."
"But you're not that kind of woman," he returned. "You're the oldest child, the responsible one. You're smart, determined, protective, and you hate to fail. Being late would seem like a failure to get somewhere on time. I'll see you at six."
She wished she could say he hadn't gotten her right at all, but that would have been a lie.
Tyler smiled to himself as he walked away from the store. He felt good, invigorated, and it wasn't the late afternoon breeze or the beautiful view of the harbor that made him feel alive; it was the woman he'd left behind. He couldn't remember the last time a simple conversation had given him such a charge. He just hoped Kate showed up for dinner. While he might be making a mistake in liking her, he wouldn't make the mistake of trusting her.
His cell phone rang, and he pulled it out of his pocket, not particularly happy to see his brother's number. "Hey, what's up?"
"That's what I want to know. What's going on?" Mark asked, impatience in his voice. "You said you'd call me today."
"The day isn't over yet."
"I can't stand the waiting. Just give me something, please."
"Well, I met Ashley today," Tyler replied. "She's a very tense, uptight woman. And she carries around anti-anxiety medication in her purse. She also seems to have a fear of the water, which is odd, considering the sailing background."
"That's something, I guess," Mark said, hope evident in his voice. "What about Kate?"
"I'm having dinner with her tonight. I wish I could move faster, but if I tip my hand, who knows what will happen?"
"I agree, but you can't move too slowly, Tyler. I got an e-mail from George today. He received a letter from an attorney out of Seattle by the name of Steve Watson. Mr. Watson states quite clearly that he believes George handled a private adoption in Hawaii eight years ago and he has some questions about the way the matter was managed and the welfare of the child involved."
"Damn. That was fast."
"My thoughts exactly. He's already found George. How long will it take him to find me and Amelia?"
"George won't talk."
"But someone else might. And I'm a single, disabled father without a job. Hell, a job is the least of my worries. I can't even walk. But that doesn't matter, because I'd cut off both legs before I'd give up my daughter. You've got to help us, Tyler. You've got to find out the truth. I need to know which of the McKenna sisters is Amelia's mother."
"I understand," Tyler said in frustration. He just wished Mark hadn't cut corners in the first place.
Mark and Susan hadn't asked many questions when their lawyer, George Murphy, showed up with a baby girl eight years earlier. They'd been trying for a few years to adopt, and Amelia had looked like a gift from God; a gift they'd paid George Murphy very well for, Tyler thought cynically. If he'd known what his brother was up to, he would have told him to ask more questions, like why there was no signature from the birth mother giving up her rights to the child. The only reason they knew the baby belonged to one of the McKenna girls was because the baby had come with a locket, the name Nora McKenna engraved on the back, the picture inside matching the one he'd seen of Kate's mother. Nora McKenna was definitely Amelia's grandmother. Unfortunately, they still didn't know which of the sisters was Amelia's mother. Duncan had apparently given the baby to a doctor in Hawaii, who had been paid handsomely for his silence. The timing had coincided with the last stop in the race. One of the McKenna sisters had given birth to a baby during that race -- but,