Not Quite Mine (Not Quite #2)(23)
Author: Catherine Bybee

She didn’t dare risk moving the baby and waking either of them. Instead, Katie tiptoed away and turned on her laptop to see if she could get some work done.

“You just couldn’t do it.” Monica’s words startled her. She had drifted off to sleep, her head pillowed on her arms.

“Did I wake you?”

“No, but it looks like I woke you. How long have you been here?”

Katelyn glanced at the clock on the stove. “A couple of hours.”

Monica padded toward the coffeemaker. “You lasted longer than I thought you would.”

“What do you mean?”

“Very few new mothers leave their infants with someone else overnight.”

Katie shook the fog from her head. “But I’m not a mother.”

Monica sent her a weary look. “Yeah, yeah you are.”

Savannah’s tiny cry sounded from the other room and brought Katelyn to her feet. Once her arms circled around the back of Savannah’s head and cooing noises spilled from her mouth in an effort to calm her, Katie thought maybe Monica was right.

“I want to be your mommy. Is that OK with you?” Katie whispered. A wave of unexpected tears welled in her eyes. Please, God…let me be her mommy.

Savannah blinked a couple of times and attempted a smile as one tear dropped from Katie’s eye.

She wiped the moisture away, refusing to think about someone, anyone, taking Savannah away from her.

An hour and a half later Katie turned over the care of Savannah to the sitter, gathered her purse, and drove to work.

“Hey, princess.” Steve Bowman waved at Katelyn from his truck. One of the construction workers who barely spoke English had called her princess about a week ago and everyone on the job site took up the nickname and used it.

She wasn’t sure if she should be flattered or annoyed.

Princesses were kept women who preened all day long and waited for their princes to give them a purpose in life. Katelyn supposed the title somehow exemplified her before she had taken the job at the hotel, but it didn’t completely fit now. It was hard to ignore that she was one of the only women on the site, and certainly the only one who dressed in high heels and short skirts.

There was one thing going for the nickname that she couldn’t deny. The men on the site treated her like their queen. A testosterone-dominated workplace would normally result in catcalls and unwanted leering. Katie didn’t find that to be the case here. For that, she was grateful.

“Hi, Steve.” She placed the now familiar hard hat on her head and retrieved her purse from her car. She noticed a pacifier on the floor and brushed it under the seat and out of sight.

“I was told you wanted to talk to me,” Steve said, walking up behind her.

“Right.” She shut the door to the car, turned, and smiled at the plumber. “I have an idea for a water feature in the courtyard and wanted to get your opinion.”

“Water feature?”

“A dancing fountain…you know, like the one they have on City Walk? The kind kids run in and out of when it’s hot?”

Recognition filled Steve’s eyes and he nodded. “Where did you have in mind?”

Katelyn motioned toward the construction trailer where an air conditioner ran and they could be more comfortable looking over the plans.

The two of them made their way inside. Jo sat behind her desk and typed feverishly. It appeared that Dean hadn’t arrived yet.

“Hi, Jo.”

Jo barely spared a glance. “Hey.”

Katelyn would have felt slighted if Jo wasn’t known for ignoring most everyone when her head was in her work.

“Hello, Josephine.”

Jo stopped typing and sent Steve a menacing look. “No one calls me that, Steven.”

Steve chuckled and winked.

Katie watched the two of them as obvious sparks snapped between them.

That deserves some thought. Steve and Jo…Jo and Steve? Hmmm…something’s going on there!

In the conference room, Katie opened up the master plans of the site and tapped her finger in the center courtyard. “This looks like a fountain.”

“It is.”

A large fountain circled by plants and meandering paths between the main hotel and the bungalows dominated the page.

“Fountains have bases that fill with water.”

“This one isn’t designed like that. It’s more of a tower with the first pool well above kid level. That way they can’t climb in,” Steve told her.

“Kids love water,” she said. “Why not give them something fun?” The swimming pool was already designed for kid play, complete with slides and shallow ends. Katie wanted more. She’d spent part of her weekend over at Universal City Walk. Pulsating water shot up from jets and kids of all ages squealed and splashed in the fountain. Although Savannah was entirely too young to enjoy the water, it wasn’t difficult picturing her there when she became a toddler.

“There’s a big difference in setting up a fountain and what you have in mind. Have you run this past Dean?”

“Not yet. I wanted to get an idea of cost first.”

“How big are you thinking?”

They talked about the space needed and Steve opened a notebook and jotted down a few things.

He was laughing over her shoulder when the door to the small trailer opened and Jo said hello to Dean.

Katie had hoped that Dean wouldn’t be around during this brief meeting with Steve. She knew he would scrutinize her ideas. Her budget was hers, however, and she wouldn’t let him talk her out of the fountain.

“Hey, Steve.”

The men shook hands and Katelyn glanced at Dean before covering the plans she and Steve were looking over. Although she wasn’t watching him, Dean dominated the small space and the pine scent of his skin floated toward her.

“I’m going to check on the convention rooms before I leave.” She’d only just arrived, but Savannah had her first doctor’s appointment at ten.

“I’ll get back to you on the quote,” Steve told her.

Dean squinted. “What quote?”

Katie offered a smile and pushed away from the desk. “A redesign for the courtyard fountain.” More like a redo, but Dean didn’t need to know that until she could figure out a way to work it into her budget. His budget.

“Redesign?”

“Yeah, no biggie.” Katie brushed off the discussion and moved around the men in the small space.

The weight of Dean’s stare followed her as she placed her hard hat on and opened the door to the trailer.