Billionaire Baby Dilemma

Five

Devin woke up in her own bed, disoriented because the sun was so high in the sky. Her first panicked thought was that something was wrong with Amelia.

But when she rushed to the baby’s room and found the crib empty, she feared that Lucas might have taken her. Then she quickly discounted that idea, shaking her head to clear it of sleep. The man couldn’t manage a multi-million dollar corporation if he was running for the border with a kidnapped baby.

Confused, and forcing herself to take a few breaths and stay calm, she headed for the living room.

It was empty.

But through the glass doors, down on the beach, she spotted Lucas, Lexi and Amelia. The two adults were perched on a log, while Amelia was digging her way through a pile of sand with a bright red shovel and bucket.

Lucas had stayed the night. And he’d let her sleep in.

For some reason, that knowledge nearly brought her to tears. It was silly. Everyone had some good qualities, and Lucas was no different. They drank wine last night. He probably didn’t want to drive home. He’d obviously slept here and woken up with Amelia, keeping her quiet so that Devin could sleep in for the first time in three months.

She sniffed and swiped a frustrated hand under her eye.

Good grief. It wasn’t as if the man had cured cancer.

She stumbled to the kitchen, found herself a mug and filled it with coffee, adding a heaping spoon of sugar. She was pretty sure Lexi must have brewed the coffee. Last night, Lucas had barely been able to figure out dish soap and hot water.

She pulled a light sweater over the T-shirt and shorts that she’d slept in and headed across the deck and down the long wooden staircase to the strip of lawn that ended at the sandy beach. Once there, she made her way toward Lexi and Lucas.

Amelia was the first to spot her, grinning and launching into a speedy crawl toward her. Lexi and Lucas both turned. They smiled in greeting, looking decidedly relaxed. Devin assumed Lexi’s gratitude for the catamaran incident had tempered her opinion of Lucas.

“Good sleep?” asked Lexi with a grin.

“What time is it?” Devin hadn’t thought to check. She knew she felt more rested than she had in months.

“Eleven,” said Lucas.

“Seriously?”

He nodded.

“You got up with Amelia?” It was a little disconcerting that Devin hadn’t heard them.

“Yes, I did.” He yawned. “About 4:00 a.m. Then she slept on my chest for a while, but I didn’t get much more sleep.”

Devin could barely believe it. “Did you change her diaper?”

“There were instructions on the package.”

“He got it on backward,” Lexi elaborated.

Devin came down on her knees beside them in the sand. “And you fed her?”

Lucas rolled his eyes. “Quit sounding so amazed.”

“It is amazing.”

Amelia smacked her sandy hands against Devin’s bare thighs.

“I gave her some juice and some Cheerios, and then Lexi came by.”

“I really appreciate you letting me sleep in.” Including both Lucas and Lexi in the thank-you, Devin held her coffee mug over to the side and out of harm’s way. “I feel pretty great.”

“Lexi’s agreed to babysit for us,” said Lucas.

“I hear you two are going on a date,” said Lexi.

“It’s not a date,” Devin quickly corrected. Had she really agreed to go to the dance with him tomorrow night? What had she been thinking? “Lucas is trying to co-opt me with, I don’t know, fine food and a waltz around the dance floor, so that I won’t support Steve.”

Lucas turned to Lexi. “See what I mean?”

Lexi nodded her understanding.

“What?” Devin glanced back and forth between the two.

“He thinks you’re suspicious,” said Lexi.

“Of course I’m suspicious,” Devin retorted. “So are you. And we’re justified in our suspicions.” She looked back and forth again. “What exactly did I miss here?”

Lucas stood up from his perch on the log, brushing the sand from the back of the borrowed sweatpants. “I’ve got a meeting,” he told them. “And I think I’d better get home and change first.” His glance went to Devin. “See you there later?”

“Sure,” she answered. She should thank him again for letting her sleep. But for some reason she hesitated to show him too much gratitude. She didn’t want him to think she liked him. She didn’t. Well, she kind of did this morning. But it wasn’t anything permanent.

Everything suddenly seemed confusing.

He bent over and gave Amelia a little rub on the head, then gave them all a careless wave as he started back across the beach to the lawn and the staircase.

“Tell me everything,” breathed Lexi.

“There’s nothing to tell,” Devin responded, moving to the spot on the log that Lucas had vacated. She’d have to clean up and get back to the Demarcos soon, but she had a few more minutes to enjoy the tranquility of her own home. “I had a great sleep.”

“Alone?”

Devin twisted her head to stare at Lexi. “Of course I was alone. What did he tell you?”

“Nothing.” Lexi shook her head. “But I couldn’t exactly ask him, could I?”

“Is that why you were being nice to him?”

Lexi had had a pretty remarkable change in attitude over a boat rescue.

“He’s not as bad as I expected,” said Lexi.

Devin understood what her friend meant. There was something disarmingly charming about Lucas. Then again, that’s exactly what Monica had thought about Konrad-that he was misunderstood, nicer than people realized, not quite the cold, hard-ass the media made him out to be. It was a dangerous road to go down.

“He’s trying to take Amelia away from me,” Devin reminded Lexi.

“Challenge him to a diapering contest in the courtroom. You’ll win.”

“This isn’t a joke.”

Lexi sobered and gazed out across the sparkling water. “I know. It’s heart-wrenching. I find myself wishing he was more of a jerk, then I could hate him.”

“You don’t have to hate him.” Devin gazed out across the water herself. A few powerboats streamed along in front of the far shore, white wakes streaking out behind them. Now that the sun was warm, most of the beaches were coming alive with residents. “I just have to beat him.”

Lexi covered her hand. “You will.”

“I’m not so sure.”

Silently, they stared at the lake.

“So,” said Lexi, “what’s up with the dancing?”

“I can’t remember how it started.” Devin sat up straighter on the log. “But I mentioned how long it had been since I’d had a date.”

“And he stepped up to the plate?”

“He’s up to something.” Devin knew she should be annoyed by the way he’d managed to manipulate her into doing something she just knew she would regret. But she couldn’t help but smile at the thought of a fancy party. “It’ll be nice to dress up again,” she admitted. “And I made him promise not to kiss me.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“You said that out loud?”

Devin gave a decisive nod. She didn’t want there to be any misunderstanding. The very last thing she needed was another go-round in Lucas’s arms. She banished the unwanted image and tamped down her wayward hormonal reaction. It would be a catastrophic mistake to kiss Lucas.

Okay, so technically, she was in Lucas’s arms again. But they were dancing, and it was all very proper. There was a good nine inches of space between them. Lucas’s dance frame was appropriate, and his lead was smooth and confident. He was also devastatingly handsome in his tux. No surprise there.

The ballroom at the Saturna Club was opulent and spacious. It had thirty-foot ceilings, with a marble pillar perimeter around the rectangular dance floor. The chandeliers were lavish, the flowers fresh, and dinner had featured fresh Pacific salmon and white chocolate mousse served with an impressive flare by what must have been a hundred efficient, tuxedoed waiters.

One long side of the ballroom opened to a concrete patio that overlooked Puget Sound. The crisp ocean breeze wafted in. Cruise ships, freighters and smaller boats passed by, while the lights of Bainbridge Island twinkled off in the distance.

After months of drool and diapers, Devin felt like a fairy princess. She’d even splurged on a new dress-though she’d never admit to Lucas that she’d gone shopping. It was strapless, copper satin, with a fitted top that shimmered against her skin, and a full skirt that rustled at her knees. She’d worn the rhinestone sandals and borrowed a silver link necklace and matching earrings from Lexi. The earrings dangled from her lobes, gently brushing against her neck as she danced.

It was fun to feel pretty.

“The nanny interviews start at ten in the morning,” Lucas reminded her as they moved into a turn.

Devin frowned up at him. “You’re ruining the mood.”

“There’s a mood?”

“Of course there’s a mood. We have music, fine food, champagne-”

“And beautiful women.” His eyes lit up with a appreciative smile that bordered on mischief.

“Handsome men,” she returned, refusing to react.

“Thank you.”

“Plural,” she corrected. “I was talking in general.”

“Well, I wasn’t.”

Her steps faltered. This wasn’t where she’d wanted the conversation to go.

“You look very beautiful, Devin.”

Though she knew she should, she couldn’t bring herself to look away from him, and it was a struggle to maintain her equilibrium. He was being polite, nothing more. It was appropriate to compliment a woman while escorting her for the evening. He didn’t mean she was beautiful in, say, comparison to the supermodels and trophy wives in ten-thousand-dollar dresses who were swirling around the room.

He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I believe the words you’re looking for are thank you.”

Her throat was dry, but she swallowed to clear it. “Thank you.”

He smiled and straightened.

“That wasn’t fair,” she admonished.

Amusement still lurked in his eyes. “Not fair?”

This time, she was the one who leaned in. “You promised.”

“Not to compliment you?”

“Not to…” She struggled for the right words. “This isn’t supposed to be a date.”

“You didn’t want to talk about nannies,” he responded with a shrug, like there were only two topics in the world.

“Fine. Let’s talk about nannies.”

“And spoil the mood?”

“Please. Go ahead and spoil the mood.” She didn’t care that she sounded petulant.

The danger in pretending she was a princess was that it made Lucas the prince. And it was all too easy to let the fantasy meander into perilous territory.

They’d arrived at the party tonight in a limo. Later, they’d go home to his castle. And if she wasn’t careful, she’d start thinking about a kiss good-night.

“The interviews begin at ten,” he said.

She shook off her wayward thoughts. “Not with the prison matrons.”

“I gave the agency both your specifications and mine. They’re sending people who are available immediately.”

She supposed she’d have to be content with that.

They danced a few more steps, swaying under shimmering lights.

“Did you have a nanny?” she found herself asking.

“Yes, I did,” he told her. “Several of them.”

“And did you like them?”

“Sometimes.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I was little boy. Nannies don’t like little boys to climb trees, throw rocks, jump bicycles and climb on the garage roof.”

Devin couldn’t help but smile at the images. “I take it you did all those things anyway?”

“Those and more. And so did Konrad. Looking back, I’m thinking that might be why we went through so many nannies.” The small orchestra switched to a slower song, and Lucas settled her a bit closer. “What about you?”

Devin shook her head. “No nanny for the Hartleys.”

“What were you like as a kid?”

“I don’t know. Normal, I guess.”

“Did you grow up at Lake Westmire?”

“Same house I live in now. With my mom and Monica. We swam, built sand castles, baked cookies, designed elaborate dollhouses all over the yard.”

Devin had moved away from Lake Westmire to attend college. She came back five years ago when her mother was diagnosed with cancer. But tonight wasn’t the time to think about that.

Instead, she fixed her memories on their teenage years. Monica had been a year younger, and the neighborhood had been full of kids around their ages.

“When we were teenagers,” she continued, remembering, “Monica and I sat with our friends around weekend bonfires down at the park by Sunny Bay.”

“And kissed the boys?” Lucas asked in a teasing tone.

“Tommy McGuire,” Devin admitted. “Ninth grade. It was a dare, and he cut my nose with his glasses.”

Lucas laughed at that.

“I bet your first kiss wasn’t perfect, either,” she retorted.

“You be the judge. I have videotape.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Steve secretly took it. He threatened to show my mother, until I beat the crap out of him and took the camera away.”

“You beat up Steve?”

“He was a Peeping Tom. I’m surprised he didn’t grow up to be a member of the paparazzi.”

“He was a kid.”

“He hasn’t changed.”

“Is this another of your warnings about the evil Steve?”

“No. This is an offer for you to review the game tape and tell me what you think of my first kiss.”

Devin chuckled low, even while she shook her head. “I’m not watching a videotape of your first kiss.”

“Why not? Maybe you could give me some pointers.”

“I’m sure your technique has changed considerably since you were… How old were you?”

“I don’t remember.” His gaze shifted to her lips, and she could tell from the glow in his gray eyes exactly what he was remembering.

She was remembering it, too.

“Lucas.” A hearty male voice interrupted the moment.

Lucas glanced to the side, while Devin tamped down the buzz of sexual awareness lighting up her body.

“Mr. Mayor.” After what felt like a brief hesitation, Lucas let go of Devin to shake the man’s hand.

“I wanted to thank you personally for your generous donation to the hospital.” The mayor’s curious glance went to Devin for a brief second.

The man was in his midfifties. His full head of distinguished gray hair topped a tall physique that he kept in shape through highly publicized biking and rowing sessions.

“Mr. Mayor, this is Devin Hartley.”

“Ms. Hartley.” The mayor took her hand and gave it a gentle shake.

Nobody acknowledged or introduced the well-groomed man standing behind and to the left of the mayor. Devin assumed he was either an aide or security.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Devin. “This is a wonderful party.”

“We have the hospital board to thank for that,” the mayor responded as he released her hand. “And we have donors like Lucas to thank for the new pediatric wing. Please, enjoy yourselves tonight. You’ll be at the ground-breaking next weekend?” he asked Lucas.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Lucas responded.

With a final nod, the mayor withdrew.

The band had started a break, and a recorded, soft rock song wafted through the speakers.

“Thirsty?” asked Lucas, stepping close, one hand going to the small of her back as the crowd made their way off the dance floor.

“Sure,” she responded, taking his lead back toward their table. “I take it you gave a big donation?” She couldn’t help wondering if her words at the barbecue had influenced Lucas on that front.

“Pacific Robotics made a big donation,” Lucas corrected. “That includes Amelia.”

Was it thousands? Tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands? “How did you decide? I mean, how do you decide how much to donate?”

“It’s tough,” Lucas acknowledged. He flagged a passing waiter and they ordered a bottle of sparkling water. “I bet we get a dozen requests a week from worthy charitable organizations. And from scam artists, of course.”

“That many?” Devin hadn’t given any thought to that side of being in business.

They arrived back at their table. All eight of the chairs were vacant, and Lucas pulled out the one draped with Devin’s light wrap.

She sat down. “I assume you say no to most of them?”

“If you didn’t, you’d be bankrupt in a year. For better or worse, you have to pick your priorities, allocate an appropriate sum of money and hope what you’re doing helps out.”

Devin found herself admiring this side of Lucas.

“Amelia needs to learn this,” he continued, gaze going thoughtful. “This and about a million other things. I don’t want to sound patronizing, but there are complexities to running a corporation that you couldn’t possibly imagine.”

Devin tried not to bristle. “How could that possibly sound patronizing?”

He gave a hard sigh.

“Is this the latest sales pitch for you as her guardian?” Devin asked.

“This is context to help you understand why I’m doing what I’m doing. This isn’t a game, Devin. Hundreds of millions…billions of dollars are at stake. Jobs for people in five different countries. The well-being of the family.”

“I don’t think the Demarcos are doing too badly.”

“And it’s going to be partly up to Amelia to see that many more generations of Demarcos keep the corporation healthy. It’s not just about boats and sports cars. It’s about hospitals and scholarships and ordinary peoples’ livelihoods.”

“She’s nine months old, Lucas.”

He paused, and some of the intensity went out of his eyes.

The waiter arrived, opening the ornate bottle of water and pouring it into two glasses over ice.

“You’re right,” said Lucas as the man left the table. “Before she decides if animal welfare is more important than inner-city youth programs, we need to get her potty trained and teach her to use a knife and fork. Back to the nanny conversation.”

“Before the weight of the world crashes down on the poor girl’s shoulders, we need to let her have a little fun.” Devin raised her glass for a sip. “Back to the nanny conversation.”

Devin clipped the portable baby monitor into the waistband of her jeans as she pulled the door shut between Amelia’s nursery and the ensuite that connected it to her own bedroom in the mansion. She’d promised Lucas they could discuss what they’d each thought of this morning’s nanny interviews once Amelia was down for her afternoon nap.

On the way past the mirror, Devin checked her reflection. Her hair was messy from Amelia playing with it, and she had a streak of dirt across one cheek. Who knew where that had come from. And the left shoulder of her blue T-shirt was one big wet blob where Amelia had sucked on it while rocking to sleep.

Telling herself it wasn’t vanity, and it certainly wasn’t because she cared about Lucas’s opinion, it was simply good grooming, she pulled a hairbrush from the vanity drawer and dragged it through her hair. Then she gave her face a quick wash, rubbing in some moisturizer with sunscreen, in case they decided to chat on the porch.

Finally, on her way back into her own room, she grasped the bottom hem of her T-shirt to pull it-

She stumbled to a halt. “Steve?”

The man was standing in front of her bedroom window, curtain lifted with his left hand, gazing out at the ocean.

“Hi, Devin.” He turned his head.

“You startled me.”

He’d also annoyed her. What did he think he was doing lingering around her bedroom?

And he’d closed the door behind him.

Okay, that was just creepy.

“I need to talk to you.” He let the curtain drop, and his cold expression did nothing to make her feel better.

“Can we do it in the hall?” she asked, moving toward the bedroom door. “Amelia just fell asleep.”

Devin wasn’t exactly frightened, but it was definitely disconcerting to have him invade her space this way.

“I’d rather talk in private,” he said.

Well, she’d rather talk in public. She didn’t stop moving.

“What happened after I left?” There was a trace of impatience in his tone.

Devin paused with her hand on the doorknob, turning back. “After you left what?”

“Your house. The other day. I know he stayed.”

“Lucas?”

“Yes, Lucas.”

“He was soaking wet.”

Steve had stayed long enough to hear Lexi offer Lucas the use of her son’s clothes.

“He was there all night,” Steve accused, anger flaring in his dark eyes.

Okay, he’d gone way over the line with that crack. Devin was getting angry. She twisted the knob. “I think you’d better leave.”

Steve took a couple of steps toward her, putting his hand up to block the door shut. “This isn’t your home, Devin.”

She didn’t bother answering.

“You’re a smart woman. You have to know what he’s doing. You have to know you’re going to get hurt.”

“That’s none of your business.” She didn’t know what Steve suspected about her relationship with Lucas. But she wasn’t about to explain herself.

He paused beside her, lowering his voice, eyes cool and detached. “I tried to make this easy for you. I offered my help. I paid for your lawyers.”

“Lucas slept on the couch, Steve.” She didn’t know why she bothered telling him that. It wasn’t because she was trying to change his mind about helping her. As of this second, she wasn’t taking anything from Steve ever again.

He shook his head. “It would have worked, Devin.”

She was tempted to ask what would have worked, but she held her tongue. The sooner this conversation was over, the better.

“This might not be my house-” she steeled her strength and looked him directly in the eyes “-but it is my room for the time being, and I’m asking you to leave.”

He stared down at her. There was a chill in his brown eyes that sent a shiver straight up her spine.

But after a long pause, he stepped back, and so did she. He reached for the door, opened it and left without a word. She swiftly closed it behind him and found her hand shaking and her stomach in knots.

She stood in the bedroom for a few minutes, wondering what to do next.

Then she heard a car start up in the driveway below. She moved to the window to watch Steve pull away. Once his taillights disappeared beneath the canopy of oaks tress, she breathed a sigh of relief, pulling her shirt over her head.

She changed into a white sleeveless blouse, tucked her feet into a pair of worn sandals, then headed downstairs to find Lucas.

He was on the deck off the great room, sitting on a padded chair at one of the round tables that overlooked the yard. Fruit and croissants had been served, along with a carafe of coffee. Lucas was sipping a cup.

“She asleep?” he asked, rising briefly as Devin took the chair opposite.

Devin nodded, debating whether to tell him about the bizarre conversation with Steve. Though she was becoming more inclined to trust Lucas over Steve, she wasn’t really ready to trust anyone in this strange family. Besides, how would it help to tell Lucas? He already thought Steve was plotting against him, which he was. Nothing new there.

“I thought nanny number three had potential,” said Lucas, holding up the coffee carafe in a question.

Devin pushed her cup toward him to say yes. “Was she the one with the braid?”

“No. The one in the hat.”

“No uniforms,” said Devin, adding sugar to her coffee.

Lucas lifted the plate of croissants, offering them to Devin. “What’s wrong with uniforms?”

She took a croissant. “I don’t like them.”

“So, you’re going to have a dress code?”

“No. A uniform would be a dress code. I don’t want Amelia to feel like she’s in an institution.”

“A uniform is only a dress code if it’s not optional. By banning uniforms you are, in fact, instituting a dress code.”

“You’re being deliberately obtuse. The nanny can wear anything she wants.”

“Unless it’s a uniform.”

Devin tore into her croissant. “Nobody wants to wear a uniform.”

Lucas selected a grape. “You can’t possibly know that.”

“I liked the one with the braid,” said Devin. She took a sip of the hot coffee. “I think her name was Beverly.”

Lucas’s phone rang. He checked the number and then pushed a button, turning his attention back to Devin. “She seemed disorganized to me.”

“How so?”

“First off, she was late. And then that big, ugly orange purse with-”

“You’re giving demerits for style?”

“You did.”

Static crackled on the baby monitor.

A man’s muffled voice came over the speaker. The words were indistinct, but Devin felt her entire body go cold.

The man spoke again.

Steve.

She swore out loud, jumped up and shoved her chair out of the way. It clattered to the floor of the deck.

She took off running through the great room, down the hall to the foyer and the main staircase, while Lucas called out her name, rushing behind her.

She pounded up the stairs and sprinted down the hall. Then she rounded the corner to find two male staff members chatting outside Amelia’s nursery. The doors to both rooms were closed, and the men looked up in surprise at Devin’s entrance.

She quickly brushed passed them and cracked open the nursery door.

Amelia was sound asleep and completely alone.

“Is everything all right, ma’am?” one of the men asked.

“Devin?” Lucas’s voice came from the end of the hall.

Devin’s heart was pounding and her lungs drew in deep breaths. She gathered her wits. “Everything’s fine.”

Lucas marched forward.

“Can you please excuse us?” he asked the two men.

They quickly withdrew.

“What the hell?” Lucas demanded, voice low. “You’re white as a ghost.”

“It’s okay,” Devin gasped. The men’s voices outside the nursery had obviously been picked up by the monitor.

“What happened?”

“I thought-” she began, wondering how much to tell him. She realized she was going to sound like a hysterical idiot. But she couldn’t come up with anything to replace the truth.

“You thought what?”

“Steve was here,” she admitted.

Lucas’s brows knit together in obvious confusion. “You thought Steve was here?”

“No,” Devin corrected. “Steve was here. Earlier. I came out of the nursery and found him in my room.”

Lucas’s brows drew together. His eyes went stormy, and his mouth thinned.

“He seemed annoyed that you’d stayed over at my place. He knew you were there all night, and-”

“Hold on a minute,” Lucas interrupted. “Did he tell you that, or did you tell him?”

“He told me.” Devin resented the implication that she’d rushed to Steve with the news. Then again, why should Lucas trust her any more than she trusted him?

She continued, suddenly wanting to get the whole story out. “Then he said he had tried to make this easy for me. I got the impression he wasn’t going to make it easy for me anymore. I didn’t know what he meant. But then I heard a man’s voice.” She paused. “On the baby monitor. And for a minute, I thought…”

“You thought Steve might harm Amelia?”

“I thought he’d come back. Beyond that, I didn’t know what to think.”

Lucas wrapped a large, warm hand over her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. “Steve is not going to hurt Amelia.”

Devin nodded, but it was only to be agreeable. Her radar was up when it came to Steve. If she had her way, he’d never be near Amelia again.

“I mean, even if he would, which believe me, he wouldn’t. He’s a jerk, but he’d never go that far. We’ll increase security, Devin. We can get Amelia a bodyguard instead of a nanny if it makes you feel better.”

Devin closed her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath.

“Okay?” he asked.

She gave a jerky nod.

His hand tightened on her shoulder, and the next thing she knew, she was being drawn into his embrace.

“It’s going to be fine,” he promised her in a gruff voice.

His arms felt wonderfully strong as they wrapped around her. His chest felt broad and solid against her cheek. And though she knew depending on Lucas was the most dangerous thing she could do, for just a moment, she let herself sink into his strength.

Lucas couldn’t bring himself to believe that Steve was a real danger to Amelia. But he was beyond furious with him for approaching and intimidating Devin. And he’d done it right here in the mansion. The man’s audacity knew no bounds.

Lucas had immediately contacted Theodore Vick, the Demarcos’ head of security and assigned extra full-time protection to Devin and Amelia. He’d also talked to Byron about Steve pulling his legal support from Devin and what it could mean. Despite his down-home manner, Byron was a shrewd strategist, with an impressive network of contacts and a gift for sleuthing out information. If anyone could ferret out Steve’s new plan, it was Byron.

Now, Byron appeared in the doorway of Lucas’s office on the lower floor of the mansion.

“Anything?” asked Lucas without preamble. He’d spent the morning trying to focus on a problem with new high-tech foreign ownership regulations in Sweden. But he hadn’t had much success forgetting about either Devin or Steve.

Byron shut the door behind him and entered the room. “Did Steve’s mama drop him on his head when he was a baby?” he asked conversationally.

Lucas wasn’t sure how to interpret that question, so he didn’t offer an answer.

“If not, she should have,” said Byron. “There is something terribly wrong with that boy.”

Lucas stood from his chair and came around the desk that was positioned at one end of the rectangular room. The sliding glass doors were open to a small patio, and Byron motioned for him to pull them shut.

Now Lucas was very curious. “What did you find out?”

“You remember this?” Byron tossed a red-labeled videotape on the square meeting table that took up one corner of the room.

“Is that the one from Granddad’s will?”

Byron gave a curt nod. “Let’s just refresh your memory a tad, shall we?” He slid the tape into the old VCR that was connected to Lucas’s television set. Then he took up the remote and gestured to the chairs around the meeting table.

“Did we miss something the first time through?” asked Lucas, lowering himself into one of the charcoal-gray, sling-back leather chairs.

“It was right there under our noses the whole time.” Byron pressed a button on the remote, and a poorly lit picture came up on the screen.

It was a younger-looking Granddad, sitting in this same office, vintage railway photos on the wall in the background.

Byron fast-forwarded through part of the tape.

“Here we go,” he said, switching the video back to Play.

Granddad’s familiar, gravelly voice came through the twin speakers. “The reason for this is that you boys need to understand the difference between work and family. This great company you’ve inherited was built on a foundation of family. Your grandmothers and great-grandmothers may not have had their names on the stationery, but they played pivotal roles in the building of what is now Pacific Robotics.” His old eyes softened. “Lucy was my rock. She was there through good times and bad, through success and failure, always believing I could do the impossible. And, you boys, you need to find your own rocks.” Granddad folded his hands on the desk and leaned toward the camera. “And if leaving my estate to a future great-grandchild gives you inspiration to get out there and look, so be it. I can live with that.”

Byron clicked a button to stop the tape.

“I don’t get it,” said Lucas, tapping the tabletop in front of him. “We’ve seen this all before. What’s the point?”

“You gotta want it,” said Byron. “Look between the lines. That’s what Steve did.”

Lucas gave his head a small shake, still not following.

“Steve and his lawyers have rustled up a set of legal precedents for videotapes being used as a preamble to a will.”

Lucas gestured to the blank screen. “Granddad only reiterated that his firstborn great-grandchild inherits.”

Byron nodded. “You got that right. Your granddaddy hoped you boys would find yourselves some pretty gals, fall in love, get married and have children.”

“Yes, he did,” Lucas sighed in exasperation. It was a ridiculous way to structure an inheritance.

His grandfather should have left his shares to the person who would do the best job of managing the company. This crap about family being the rock of a man’s existence was just the ramblings of an old man. Single men could be great managers, and married men could be terrible managers. There was much more to it than marital status.

“And Steve has entered a brand-new petition that asks for this videotape to be considered the spirit of your granddaddy’s will.”

“He can do that?” As far as Lucas was concerned, the will was already settled.

“It appears as though he can,” said Byron. “It seems the court can decide to balance the letter of a will with the spirit of a will.”

“But, the shares are already in Amelia’s name.”

“It’s like an appeal.”

“He could get the will overturned?”

“He might. He’s swearing Konrad only married Monica to get the gal pregnant. That’s a clear violation of the spirit of the will. And Steve’s got a lot of lawyers hunting up precedents to back him.”

“Amelia could lose her shares?”

She could.

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“Does he have a chance in hell?”

“I’m told he does. And it gets worse.”

Lucas paused, eyes narrowing.

“His star witness?” asked Byron. “The person who’ll get up there and testify that Konrad and Monica’s marriage was a sham?”

Lucas brought the end of his fist down on the table, rattling the water glasses as he swore out loud.

Byron nodded.

“Devin,” said Lucas.

“Devin,” Byron confirmed. He rose and ejected the tape from the machine, stuffing it back into its cardboard cover. “When she takes you on over custody, that lady will sit up there on that witness stand and hand Steve his evidence on a silver platter.”