Page 80 of Love In The Spotlight

“That’s right,” her mother said. “But if at the same time news of his daughter is out and then shortly after news of a girlfriend, it might detract from his daughter and focus more on you. People know you more. They can find out about you.”

She ground her teeth. “A diversion?” She didn’t want to think Jamie was using her this way.

Was it possible this whole relationship was one to ease his daughter’s existence into the world?

“I don’t know,” her mother said. “And I can tell by your tone I just put something in your mind that hasn’t been there before and now you’re pissed.”

“If I find out that is part of what he is doing, I’m going to be.”

Her mother sighed. “Now you know where Nelson gets his loose lips. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“You pushed for it to be said though,” she said.

“I did and I’m sorry. I don’t want you to think he’s using you. He’s not Alex. He might not even be doing that. It’s the first thing that came to me when he mentioned both parts of his life coming out at once. But maybe it’s more that he doesn’t like to just run around in secret anymore. He could want to shout to the world he has a girlfriend and have that freedom. Secrets are tiring,” her mother said. “You know that.”

She did. West had said it more than once.

“I don’t know what to think. None of this has ever been in my mind before now.”

“I’m sorry I put it there,” her mother said. “I’d like to meet Jamie. I probably should apologize to him.”

“For what?” she asked.

“For the fight that I might have just started.”

25

OWE THAT TO ME

Jamie hadn’t planned on stopping at Laken’s when he left the airport on Sunday after getting home.

But Penelope would be in bed sleeping and it wasn’t that late. Just seven when he landed. He’d be at her place in thirty minutes and she said they needed to talk. She wanted to do it in person and he didn’t have the patience to wait for when they would have time together alone again.

He’d been thinking of her the whole time he’d been gone.

How much he enjoyed watching his daughter and his girlfriend interact together.

He was getting closer to telling Penelope about Laken. That she was more than just his friend.

Then he wondered how you told a two-year-old that and made them understand.

As smart as his daughter was, it wasn’t a conversation he knew how to broach.

He was knocking on Laken’s door a little before eight. It was not the first long day and night he’d had in his life. He could just stay the night and leave first thing in the morning. Maybe that was her plan.

“Hi,” he said when she opened the door. She was in leggings again, black ones, and a big gray fluffy sweatshirt. The fireplace was on and it was toasty warm.

There had been flurries in the air when he left the airport but no snow yet. They were calling for it by tomorrow afternoon.

Maybe they’d get enough that he and Penelope could make a snowman.

“Come in,” she said, holding the door for him.

He leaned down to kiss her but didn’t feel much heat there.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Was she seriously going to break up with him after he’d let her into his daughter’s life?

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