A Whole New Man

The reminder of where she would be if she lost Hank as a client struck home. Besides, she needed to watch her pennies, in spite of the hefty chunk he had already paid to Images, Inc. But to let him pay for their evening out was another thing.

Hank leaned close and whispered, “Next time it’s your treat, I promise.”

The sound of his deep voice skipped over every nerve in her body, even though she knew she shouldn’t let it happen. How many times in her life had men made her feel this wonderful? Only two that she could recall, and neither had affected her with the potency Hank did now. But one had led to trouble…and Amanda. The other had caused heartbreak for a two-year-old. She wouldn’t let it happen again. She couldn’t.

She took a step back, out of his range. “I’ll hold you to that.”

He tossed her another one of his winning smiles. While he was busy paying their bill, Lizzie went back to the table and finished cleaning the mess, both on the table and on her daughter.

“Is Hank coming home wif us, Mommy?”

Lizzie jerked her head up, rendered speechless by her daughter’s question, and stared at her. Amanda didn’t take to men. Not since Ken had broken her heart. And here she was, asking if Hank was coming home with them. Lizzie was in trouble.

“Hank is going back to his hotel room.”

“Is that where his family is?”

Lizzie swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. “N-no. Hank doesn’t have any family, sweetie.”

“He doesn’t?” She tugged on her mother’s sleeve. “Can we take him home wif us then?”

Sighing, Lizzie shook her head. “Amanda, you can’t bring home stray people like you do stray kitties,” she tried to explain. “But it’s very nice of you to think of him. He’ll be fine at the hotel tonight, and then I’ll take him to his new apartment tomorrow. Does that help?”

Amanda’s lower lip quivered and her eyes filled with tears. “I guess so,” she said in a sad whisper.

Lizzie gave her daughter a hug, her heart filled with pride at Amanda’s caring generosity, but she knew she needed to be cautious. “All ready?” she asked, when Hank returned.

“You bet.” He helped Amanda down from her seat and held her hand as they walked to the exit. With her other, she grabbed Lizzie’s hand. Just like a family. Lizzie shook the thought from her mind to focus on her daughter’s chatter about her cousins’ new rabbit, the neighbor’s new kittens, and how she would have a zoo when she was bigger. Hank’s attention was riveted on the child, and Lizzie wasn’t sure what to do about this new situation. When Amanda made someone a friend, it was forever. Hank would only be a client for a few weeks, and after that there would be no reason for Lizzie to see him again. She could accept that. But could Amanda say goodbye to him when the time came? And did Lizzie really want her to?

Hank watched Lizzie fit the key into the lock of the apartment he would be trying on for size. She had explained to him earlier that after the month was over, he would decide if he wanted to continue to live there under a sublease, or whether he would find another apartment. As far as he was concerned, it didn’t matter one bit where he lived, as long as he had a roof over his head and a bed to sleep in. He had spent most of his life in some sort of portable home, or at least a temporary one. None had been much to brag about. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been in a place as nice as his hotel room.