Page 11 of Dangerous Secret

“Tomorrow morning, then? To keep you from driving all the way back here, Conway is halfway between us. There’s a diner that serves a great breakfast. That work for you?”

“Sounds perfect.”

He gave her the diner’s address, and they agreed to meet at eight. For the first time since Anthony had taken Tyler from her, she had hope. It was a wonderful feeling. If Anthony managed to find out she’d hired The Phoenix Three,he would make her life miserable…more miserable than it already was. She’d just have to make sure he didn’t find out.

She got up and went to the room she had ready for her son. When he saw it, he was going to love it. Tyler loved three things: picture books, robots and dinosaurs. Her gaze scanned the room. She’d painted three of the walls a pale blue, and the fourth wall was a chalkboard. The bedspread was cute cartoon dinosaurs. There was a bookcase filled with picture books, and shelves with robots and dinosaurs waiting for him to play with.

“Soon, baby. Soon.”

* * *

Without thought as to what to wear, Harlow dressed for her meeting with Grayson. She stuck the last pin into her bun, and then she froze as she stared at the woman in the mirror. How had she become so…dowdy? Well, she knew how, but why was she still dressing like someone’s great-grandmother? She no longer had to bear Anthony’s jealous rages.

Anthony had, without reason, accused her of dressing to catch the attention of other men so many times that she’d started to dress more conservatively. Over time, when his jealousy continued, she’d gone to the extreme, becoming the woman in the mirror. That her frumpy appearance embarrassed him secretly pleased her. He couldn’t have it both ways.

Even his contemptuous criticisms hadn’t swayed her to give up her too-big dresses and hair buns. It was the one thing she’d stood fast on because she found she liked embarrassing him. It had the added benefit that he stopped requiring her presence at many of his functions.

She searched her closet for something that didn’t look as if she’d escaped from a cult. She changed into black pantsand a white blouse she found in the back of her closet. Definitely better. She added a black-and-silver belt she couldn’t remember owning, but it helped bring her outfit into the modern world.

She needed to go shopping.

Even though she was five minutes early, Grayson was already seated at a booth in the rear. He had his back to the wall, giving him a view of the diner’s interior and entrance. She did enjoy her romance books, and she especially liked military ones. Harlow smiled to herself that those books had taught her that these alpha men wanted their backs to the wall where they could watch for danger.

His gaze tracked her from the moment she’d walked in. She slid onto the seat across from him. “Good morning.”

“Morning, Harlow.” He raised a hand and a waitress scurried over as if she’d been just waiting to serve him.

Although he hadn’t commented on how she looked, Harlow thought she saw approval in his eyes, making her glad she’d decided to stop hiding herself. She took the opportunity to study him while the waitress filled their coffee cups. Of course, she’d noted he was one heck of a good-looking man when she’d met with him yesterday, but she’d been too nervous and sick at heart to really notice how seriously hot he was. How well built he was. Wowza!

Not that she was eyeing him as a potential anything, but there was nothing wrong with appreciating such a fine specimen of a man. In the here and now, though, she only had one goal. Get her son away from Anthony.

“I want to thank—” The waitress handed them menus, and Harlow peered over the top of hers. “To thank you for agreeing to help me. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“No thanks necessary. It’s what we do. Let’s have some breakfast, then we’ll get down to business.”

She was too nervous to eat anything heavy, so she only ordered toast and scrambled eggs. When he ordered the hungry man special, she found it on the menu. Three eggs, bacon, sausage, toast or biscuits and grits or hash browns. She lifted wide eyes to his. “That’s a lot of food.” Why couldn’t she keep her mouth shut? He was going to think she was making fun of him.

He laughed. “Growing boy and all that.”

Okay, she hadn’t offended him. He wasn’t Anthony. She relaxed and smiled. “If I ate half of what you ordered, you’d have to roll me out in a wheelbarrow.” Look at her not being afraid to tease him.

That she could joke with a man without fearing a verbal lashing made her want to giggle. Somehow, she managed not to.

Chapter 5

“Idon’t normally eat like this,” Grayson said as he pushed his empty plate aside. “It’s usually a protein shake to start my morning.” He nodded for a refill when the waitress came by with the coffeepot.

“My eggs and toast were good. I think they make their own jams.”

“Probably.” He leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table. “Ready for some serious talk?”

The first thing he’d noticed when she’d entered the restaurant was the change in her. Her black pants and white blouse were a vast improvement from yesterday’s clothes. Instead of the tight bun, her hair was in a low ponytail. Another improvement. He wanted to compliment her but was afraid it would make her uncomfortable.

What he liked most, though, was that her eyes were brighter today. She didn’t look quite as defeated, and that made him want to do whatever he could to keep the light in those pretty eyes.

“Before we go any further, I need to make sure I can afford you. Do you have an estimate of what it will cost to hire you?”

“It depends on how long this takes, of course. How about we agree on a retainer, and then we can evaluate as we go.I’m hoping to be able to give you enough ammunition to get the custody arrangement overturned, or at least get a more equitable agreement, in no longer than two weeks. Let’s start with two thousand. That work for you?” It actually should be more, but apparently, he was a softie. He’d do it on the side and for free if he had to because he was going to make sure she got her son back.

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