The Surprise Holiday Dad Read Online Free PDF Page B

The cheese nearly melted in his mouth.
    Patty set the tray down nearby. “While you’re eating, here’s my pitch. We could use another hand at the agency and you’d fit right in. Mike Aaron bought it, you know.”
    Wade had no idea what she was talking about, although he did recall Mike Aaron as a detective at the P.D. “Which agency?”
    “Fact Hunter.” Patty regarded him curiously. “You knew your grandfather sold it, right?”
    “I had no idea.” Wade hadn’t spoken with his grandfather since their bitter quarrel several years ago. Although Bruce Hunter had been furious that Wade had refused to quit his job in Pine Tree and join the investigations agency, the old man hadn’t mentioned selling it.
    Maybe he’d been irate because he’d hoped his grandson’s joining him would allow him to keep it afloat. No doubt Bruce had had too much pride to admit he couldn’t keep running the place by himself in his seventies. Well, he should have said so. Might not have changed anything, but Wade, who’d resented what he’d seen as an attempt to control him, might have responded more gently.
    “You and your grandpa don’t talk much, eh?” Patty said. “Well, Mike bought the agency a couple years ago with his brother, Lock.”
    “Lock? Don’t think I’ve met him.” Despite Wade’s urge to leave, those sandwiches were tasty. Judging by the number of trays still on the counter, there were plenty for this crowd.
    “Short for Sherlock, which is perfect for a detective, huh? He was a sheriff’s deputy in Arizona,” she explained. “Yeah, well, then I came on board when I got married. Being a stepmom’s important, and I’d had it with those night shifts—you understand.”
    Mouth full, Wade nodded.
    “Mike’s brought in some new clients and we’re stretched thin,” she went on. “Fraudulent insurance claims, attorneys needing evidence, companies doing background checks on new hires. Dull stuff, but it pays the bills. You could work on your P.I. license under his supervision.”
    “Just got it,” Wade said.
    “Perfect!” Scrounging in her pocket, Patty withdrew a business card. “There’s the office number. I’ll tell Mike to expect your call.”
    “Pushy little thing, aren’t you?” he teased, although she was only a few inches shorter than him.
    “Always.”
    Wade took the card. Fact Hunter Investigations. Who’d have imagined he’d ever consider working there? “Maybe I will.”
    “Good seeing you.” She reclaimed the tray. “Reggie’s a cute little dude.”
    “I think so, too.”
    As he ducked out, it occurred to Wade that his father hadn’t bothered to mention the sale of the agency. Surely he’d heard about it, if only afterward.
    It would be a stroke of luck finding a position in Safe Harbor. Being a father was a complicated business, Wade could see. Living near Reg’s friends and aunt would mean not having to tear his son away from familiar surroundings. They’d be able to get acquainted gradually, building a relationship step-by-step.
    Things looked promising. A little too promising. In Wade’s experience, the minute you got comfortable, matters exploded in your face.
    All the same, he might give Mike Aaron a call.
    * * *
    “Y OU DIDN ’ T HAVE a clue he was coming?” Harper asked as she and Adrienne tossed out the last dropped teddy-bear grahams and torn pieces of party hat.
    The other parents had helped clean up, too, so there wasn’t much left to do. With Stacy tiring easily due to her pregnancy, Adrienne had sent her and Cole home.
    Mia and Reggie had carted his gifts to his room. The pair, who acted more like brother and sister than friends, was playing happily with all those new toys, judging by the squeals and giggles drifting from the upstairs window.
    “We’re meeting with the attorney tomorrow to set some ground rules.” Since Adrienne didn’t care to discuss Wade further, even with a close friend, she changed the subject. “You’re sure you want to plan