Free Secrets of Paternity by Susan Crosby

wasn’t going to happen with Caryn—it would be too bizarre—so he should try to keep things simple between them, especially since they would be linked forever because of Kevin. James just wanted to prevent awkwardness in the future.
    Or so he tried to convince himself, as he drove to see her anyway.

Seven
    â€œT able eight is asking about you,” Venus said to Caryn at the beverage station.
    Distracted, Caryn checked her watch. Twelve-thirty. How was Kevin doing? She wished it was closer to two o’clock and she could call him. “What?” she said to Venus, her words finally registering. “Someone…? Who?”
    â€œI don’t know. I haven’t seen him before. Dark hair, kind of muscle-bound.”
    Panic nipped at her. She looked for an escape route. They’d followed her. They wanted more money. Or maybe it was someone else. Maybe Paul had other debts…
    She found her voice. “What’d you tell him?”
    Venus frowned. “I said you were working a private party. Shouldn’t I have?”
    â€œNo. I mean, yes, it’s fine. I’ll take a look.”
    She peeked around the corner. James sat with a very attractive woman. Relief struck first, then…disappointment? A tiny twinge of jealousy, too, perhaps? James and the woman were talking and smiling, obviously relaxed with each other. She wore an engagement ring with a diamond large enough for Caryn to see from thirty feet away. She was attractive, too, with a long, thick braid down her back and a body like Caryn used to have before she lost so much weight.
    Then it struck her. He shouldn’t be here. He should be with Kevin.
    What was she supposed to do now? She couldn’t exactly march up to him and ask where her son was, not in front of the woman or the other customers. Not to mention that Rafael was in a foul mood. She didn’t dare do anything to put her job in jeopardy.
    If this was James’s way of getting even with her for not telling him who she was when they first met…
    But he’d been attracted, too. He’d invited her to dinner before he knew who she was.
    Men. Games. To heck with— What was she thinking? She was not jealous.
    â€œTell him I said hello,” Caryn said to Venus. She flipped through her order pad, double-checked the drink orders against what she’d put on the tray, then tucked her pad into her pocket and lifted the tray, positioning it on her shoulder and distributing its weight. She could avoid him easily enough, could find the patience to contact Kevin first. Maybe he’d decided against meeting the woman. “Oh, and also tell him that I recommend the poached salmon.”
    â€œBut the salmon is—” Venus stopped. Her eyes sparkled. “Is he an ex-boyfriend? You want to get even with him for something?”
    â€œSomething like that.” Okay, so maybe she was a tiny bit jealous, but as quickly as that thought came, she shoved it aside. She had work to do.
    Caryn headed to the private dining room. As soon as she served the drinks and took the food orders from the women celebrating the end of a golf tournament, she would sneak into the locker room for just a few seconds and call Kevin.
    But when she emerged from the dining room she found James waiting by the door.
    Her irritation had escalated as the minutes ticked by. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, harsh and low, looking around for Rafael. “Where is my son? Why aren’t you with him?”
    The door to the private dining room hit her in the back as it opened. “I beg your pardon,” a woman said.
    â€œNo, I’m sorry,” Caryn said, moving aside. The woman kept walking toward the restroom. Caryn fired a furious look at James.
    â€œI came specifically to tell you,” he said calmly, his brows raised as if surprised by her anger. “Kevin and my mother hit it off, which is a mild term for the instant connection they