Damn! This wasnât going to go well. Jack Mason shifted his almost-four-year-old against his shoulder as he rang the bell at the Yellow Rose Lane fourplex.
âAlly, I need you to be really quiet and stay next to Daddy this morning, okay?â
âOkay, Daddy.â Her voice didnât show any concern. She probably had no idea what he was asking, but heâd keep her out of the way. He certainly didnât want her running into The Sharkâs sharp bite.
The apartment door swung open and Jack was suddenly face-to-face with the dreaded Shark. At least he thought he was. He sure hadnât expected her to open the door with a smile. âIâm looking for Miss McNabb.â
Dark eyes flashed at him, darting from his face to Allyâs and back again. âIâm she.â
âIâm Jack Mason. Judge Robinson recommended I contact you about some cabinetry work you wanted done.â
âYes, come in, Mr. Mason andâ¦â She paused, staring at his child.
âUm, this is my daughter, Allison. Her child-care facility closed suddenly this morning and I couldnât find a sitter. But sheâll stay by my side and she wonât cause any problems.â
âAll right,â the woman said calmly, swinging the door wide, as if bringing a child to work was normal. She indicated that he should be seated, so he settled on a white couch that made him a little nervous. He perched Ally on his knee, whispering for her to be still.
âIâm not sure exactly how you work, Mr. Mason, but Judge Robinson raved about the quality of your work.â
âThatâs very kind of him. Iâd like to start by asking some questions about what you have in mind, the kind of wood, the length of time available, things like that.â
âOf course.â She watched him juggle the child while taking out pen and paper. âIsnât it going to be difficult to hold her and write?â
Jack glared at her. He didnât care how pretty she was. She had no business telling him how to do his job. âIâll manage.â
She didnât argue with him, but her gaze remained focused on his child.
âAre we only talking about one room?â he asked.
âYes. My third bedroom. I have a month off work and Iâd like to be settled in at the end of the month.â
âAll right. Do you have a particular type of wood that youâd like me to use?â
âI believe you used oak in Judge Robinsonâs office. I liked that a lot.â
âI want to draw, Daddy,â Ally said, reaching for the pen.
âNo, sweetheart. Daddy has to write now.â
âBut, Daddyââ
âNo, Ally, not right now.â
Ally frowned but didnât protest again. He held her a little closer.
âDo you want something similar to Judge Robinsonâs home office?â he asked Ms. McNabb in his best professional tone.
âYes, I do. Except I would like more storage space.â
âWhat kind of storage space?â
âSome bins with sliding drawers. Nothing fancy. Why donât I show you the space while we talk. That might make everything more clear.â She stood, assuming heâd agree.
He had to put the pad and pen in one hand and hold Ally in the other, but he eventually was ready to follow the woman. Standing behind her, he realized she was tall. Around five foot nine, heâd guess.
To his surprise, she was wearing a polo shirt and jeans. And well-fitted, too. The denim fit like a second skin, hugging her curves. Very un-lawyer-like, he noted. Of course, his impression of lawyers was tainted by personal experience. The lawyers heâd dated in the past had been picky and difficult, always wanting to win every argument.
After going down a hall, she opened a door and walked inside. Following her, he stepped into an empty room, quite spacious for a home office.
âVery nice.â
âThank you.â
âItâs good that there arenât already some built-ins. That will save me the time of ripping them out.â
âYou have limited time?â she asked sharply.
âNo, but you might. Most of my customers seem to think I can do my work overnight.â He challenged her with a direct look.
âI wouldnât expect that, especially since you seem determined to hold your daughter at the same time. You did say she is your daughter, didnât you?â
âYes, she is. Iâll have child care worked out by tomorrow.â Though there was no sarcasm in her voice, he was perturbed anyway.
âI see.â
He began asking questions about the type of shelving she wanted. He wasnât surprised to discover she knew exactly what she had in mind. Picturing this woman in a courtroom, he saw a confident, persuasive attorney who could argue any case. Sitting Ally down on the floor with an extra pencil and a piece of paper, he began drawing the room, hoping his interpretation of her ideas would come close to what she envisioned. With a tape measure, he made sure everything would fit.