ELI WALKED THE perimeter of the living room, checking the locks on the windows. It was unnecessary since he’d already checked them all when they’d first arrived, but it gave him a few moments to compose himself before they talked.
He’d need all the composure he had to listen to Kay talk about who she’d allowed into her body in the last six months.
His fists clenched at his sides and he forced out a breath. “Let’s sit on the couch and talk.”
Kay eyed him the way you’d watch a wild animal. Under any other circumstances it would be funny, but in this case, it just proved that she was as observant as he’d always suspected. She took great pains to stay in the background and not attract too much attention to herself, but it didn’t fool Eli. She was smart. And savvy. He’d long suspected that she had a side she didn’t allow many others to see. The only time he’d seen her stand with the type of confidence he knew she should have was when she was on stage.
To make her more comfortable, Eli perched on the edge of one of the sofa cushions. Kay sank down on the opposite end, clutching one of the throw pillows to her chest.
“Let’s start with Craig.” He bit out the name as he drew a pen and pad from the inner pocket of his coat. Despite his fondness for being in the gym, evidenced by him constantly walking around shirtless, the guy had seemed way too girly in Eli’s opinion. There was just something weird about a dude who took more time in the bathroom getting ready than his girlfriend did.
“You know Craig and I broke up. I seriously doubt if he even noticed that I wasn’t around for a while. He was too busy admiring himself to care what I was up to. I don’t see him being a stalker unless he was stalking his own reflection.” Kay rolled her eyes.
Eli secretly agreed with her assessment, but he kept that thought to himself. “What about after that? Did you date anyone else that summer?”
She shrugged and picked at a piece of lint on the edge of the couch. “I didn’t really have time. That was right after Divine broke up, remember? Jackson had just offered me a solo contract, so I was spending a lot of time with him in the studio, coming up with ideas for the project.” She smiled absently at the thought, and Eli’s fingers tightened around the pen.
His little brother was devoted to Ridley, so he didn’t entertain any thoughts that something was going on between Jackson and Kay. But the way she talked about him, the little smiles when she remembered something he’d done or said, all contributed to his worry that Kay was crushing on Jackson. When he’d kissed her at Christmas, it hadn’t occurred to him until afterward that she might be projecting her fondness for his brother onto him.
He wasn’t the type of man to play second string to anyone, but even more than that, he wasn’t going to encourage a fascina
tion that could ultimately end up hurting Kay. She’d given him only bare bones information about Hope’s father, but it was enough for him to know that older men had taken advantage of her before.
He’d be damned if it ever happened again.
“I know you hate talking about him, but I need to know if Hope’s father has done or said anything out of the ordinary in the past few months.”
Kay immediately tensed and glanced down at her lap. “I haven’t seen Tim in ages. Not that I saw him that much before. Remember when I used to waitress at that Italian restaurant? That’s where I met him. I don’t think I ever told you that.”
She definitely hadn’t told him that. Eli filed that bit of information away to examine later. Maybe it would mean something when he was looking at the big picture. He put an X next to the name Timothy Banner. He’d have one of his guys check on Mr. Banner’s current financial situation later.
“So you didn’t see much of him outside of the days you were working?”
“He used to wait for me after my shift,” she whispered. “It seems so seedy looking back on it. All he wanted was someone to pass the time with when he was in town on business. We spent hours talking about everything. Or nothing. But then after I got pregnant…” She sighed and her fist clenched against her thigh. “I was so stupid to think we had a connection. I was just convenient.”
Eli laid his hand over hers. “I’m sorry, Kay.”
She looked up, seemingly startled by his touch. “It’s okay. It’s all in the past now. Anyway, I’m not even sure how long it’s been since I’ve seen him. A long time. He doesn’t care about Hope. Or me.”
The last statement was said so matter-of-factly that Eli’s heart broke on her behalf.
“He’s a fucking idiot.”
Kay’s head lifted. She blinked a few times before a small smile spread across her face. “Yeah, he is. I’m just glad my mom convinced him to sign away his parental rights. He was so worried that I’d want child support from him, but he never considered that I might be a success.”
“Like I said, he’s an idiot.”
She shrugged again.
“Okay, who have you dated since Craig?” He ran a hand roughly over his face. It was killing him to talk about it, but he’d do whatever it took to figure this thing out.
“No one,” Kay whispered. She didn’t look at him as she said it.
“What do you mean? There has to have been someone.” He stopped at the stricken look on her face.
She’d moved back on the couch and wouldn’t meet his eyes. It was obvious that this was just as uncomfortable for her as it was for him. He cleared his throat. A different approach was in order.
Light. Nonconfrontational.