The Man Upstairs (You, Me & The Kids) Read online

  “You are not a woman a man forgets.”

  Quinn’s words echoed in Dena’s mind long after she’d returned to bed. Even in her half-asleep state she hadn’t missed the gleam of interest in his eye, although she wasn’t sure why it had been there. Not many men would find bed head and flannel pajamas a turn-on.

  She could definitely see why some women found him attractive. With his physical attributes he could probably make any woman a little weak-kneed. Not that it mattered. If she was looking for romance—and she wasn’t—it wouldn’t be with him.

  Someone like Quinn would be more work than the average guy. And she’d discovered a long time ago that that was what men were—work.

  She closed her eyes and forced her thoughts to the advertising campaign she’d been assigned the day before. If she was going to lie awake in the middle of the night, she might as well think about something that would be of use to her. Quinn Sterling was not in her future. Soy nuts were. If she could think of a clever package for the honey-roasted product, she’d be one step closer to her goal.

  As for the man who lived upstairs…it was unlikely she’d run into him again. She’d lived here for close to a month and had seen him only once. He was the kind of neighbor she wanted—out of sight and out of mind.

  Dear Reader,

  When I created the boardinghouse at 14 Valentine Place, I made a rule. No guys allowed. It was to be a residence of women, each with her own room, but with a shared kitchen where late-night conversations would always include food—preferably chocolate.

  Leonie Donovan, the landlady I created in the first book of this series, agreed with me, which is why I put her in charge. When it came time to write the second book, however, I discovered that Leonie, like many fictional characters, has a mind of her own. In between stories she had gone ahead and remodeled the third floor of the boardinghouse, creating an apartment that—to my surprise—she leased to a man. I no longer had my house of women. A man had pushed his way in. I sensed trouble.

  As it turns out, it was a good kind of trouble. You’ll see what I mean as you read Quinn and Dena’s story. If it weren’t for Leonie renovating the third floor, they wouldn’t have met.

  If this is your first visit to 14 Valentine Place, I hope you’ll come back again. For those of you who’ve read the first book in this series and have written to ask about future stories, I’m pleased to report that my next book will be Krystal’s story.

  I love hearing from readers. Feel free to write to me at Pamela Bauer, c/o MFW, P.O. Box 24107, Minneapolis, MN 55424, or you can visit me via the Internet at www.pamelabauer.com.

  Sincerely,

  Pamela Bauer

  Books by Pamela Bauer

  HARLEQUIN SUPERROMANCE

  863—DADDY’S HOME

  930—THAT SUMMER THING

  1007—TWO MUCH ALIKE

  1035—14 VALENTINE PLACE

  The Man Upstairs

  Pamela Bauer

  In loving memory of a very dear aunt,

  Mabel Hayes

  CONTENTS

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  PROLOGUE

  WHILE THE BAND TOOK a break, a man in a tuxedo grabbed the microphone on the ballroom stage and asked, “Is everybody having fun?”

  A roar from the guests indicated everyone, indeed, was having a good time.

  Everyone except Dena Bailey, that is. Weddings were never fun for Dena. They were more like punishment. If the bride hadn’t been her college roommate, she wouldn’t even be at the wedding reception.

  “Hey, we got a great crowd here tonight to help Maddie and Dylan celebrate their first day as Mr. and Mrs. Donovan,” the best man continued. “At this time we need Maddie to come forward so we can find out which one of you single ladies is going to be the next one to take that walk down the aisle.”

  The announcement was Dena’s cue to leave. Not even for Maddie would she try to catch the bridal bouquet. She grabbed her purse and headed for the exit.

  The lighting in the hallway was bright compared to the dimness of the ballroom, causing Dena to squint as she made her escape. When she glanced across the corridor she saw a line of elegantly dressed women waiting to enter the ladies’ room. She turned and walked in the opposite direction in search of another rest room.

  A few minutes later, in a deserted corridor near the rear entrance, she found one. With relief she pushed open the door, the echo of her heels on the tiled floor the only sound as she stepped into the washroom.

  She automatically glanced in the mirror hanging above the trio of sinks lining the wall. She looked tired, and for good reason. As usual, she’d been working too many hours.

  Grateful for the absence of women’s chatter, she crossed the washroom only to stop abruptly. Urinals lined one of the walls.

  Dena stared at the porcelain fixtures in disbelief. Instinctively her eyes flew to the stalls. She bent slightly, hoping she wouldn’t see any feet. There weren’t any, and she let out a gasp of relief.

  Wasting no time, she hurried back to the door, but before she could reach for the handle, it swung toward her, startling her as much as the sight of the urinals had. Standing in front of her was a man—a very attractive man in a dark suit—who took one look at her and grinned.

  “A little crowded in the ladies’, is it?” Amusement laced his words.

  “I…” she began, then stopped herself. Any explanation would only prolong her embarrassment.

  “Are you the only lady in here or do I need to give a holler?” he asked with a flirtatious gleam in his eye.

  Dena shook her head. “It’s just me.”

  He gave her a thorough appraisal. “Just you, huh?” The look on his face said he definitely appreciated what he saw. “Are you here for Maddie and Dylan’s wedding?”

  There was no point in denying it. “Yes, I’m a friend of Maddie’s.”

  “Good. You can show me where the party is. I just got here.” His grin was as bold as his body was big. He was definitely handsome, a small scar on his chin adding to the rugged good looks.

  “The ballroom’s just down the hall and to your left. I’m sure you’ll be able to find it,” she said stiffly.

  “You’re not going to wait for me?”

  With a dull ache throbbing in her forehead, she really was in no mood for flirting. “I think you’re a big enough boy to find your own way, don’t you?”

  He stepped to the side and, in a gallant gesture, held the door open for her, motioning with his other arm that she should pass. “See you at the dance.”

  She almost said, Not if I have my way, but held her tongue. As she walked by him, she couldn’t help but notice how broad he was. Or how good he smelled. Like a campground early in the morning with the scent of pines lingering in the air. She wondered who he was, then realized it didn’t matter. She’d already decided to leave the party. She’d done her duty.

  As soon as she was back in the ballroom, she looked for Maddie.

  “There you are,” the bride said, extending her hands in a warm welcome that matched her smile. “I’m sorry we haven’t had time to talk.”

  “It’s all right,” Dena assured her. “You have so many people here who want to see you. We can catch up another time. Everything’s been just lovely. Thank you so much for inviting m
e.”

  “You’re not leaving, are you?” Her face fell slightly.

  “I really would like to stay, but I have an awful headache, and I have to get up early to catch my flight. You don’t mind, do you?” Dena gave her an apologetic look.

  Maddie squeezed her hand. “Of course not. Did you have a good time?”

  Dena Bailey looked at the beaming bride and knew what she had to say. “Yes. It’s been fun seeing everyone again.” Although “everyone” was actually a couple of women who’d lived on the same dorm floor as she and Maddie during their college years.

  “It means so much to me that you came. I’ve missed you. I wish we could get together more often.”

  It was exactly what Dena had been thinking all weekend, and she’d been waiting for the opportunity to tell Maddie her news. “We might just get to do that. I may be moving to St. Paul. I interviewed for a job while I was here.”

  “You did! That’s great…” Her voice trailed off and her eyes held a look of disappointment. “Only I’m not going to be here. Dylan’s taken an assignment in the south of France. Of course, we’ll come home to visit.”

  Dena could only smile weakly and wish them good luck.

  “If you haven’t found a place to live, you should talk to my mother-in-law,” Maddie suggested. “She’s looking for someone to rent my room. It would be perfect for you. It’s on the bus line, close to Grand Avenue and all those wonderful little shops and restaurants. The rent is reasonable, too.”

  “It’s really kind of you to offer, but—” Dena began.

  “But nothing,” Maddie finished for her, pulling her by the hand. “Come. We’ll go talk to Leonie right now. Trust me. You’re going to love 14 Valentine Place.”

  CHAPTER ONE

  “ARE THOSE GORILLAS on your socks, Bailey?”

  Dena had been sitting with her feet propped up on her desk, but she dropped them to the floor when she saw the art director in the doorway of her cubicle. With his slicked-back hair and his dark framed glasses, Greg Watkins reminded her of a smaller version of Clark Kent. She half expected that if he ripped open his shirt she’d see an S on his chest. Although he couldn’t leap from tall buildings or bend steel with his bare hands, he did flaunt his power over her on occasion. She hoped this wasn’t one of those times.

  “The world’s a jungle out there,” she answered.

  “Don’t I know it,” he said with a knowing lift of his brows.

  “So what can I do for you?”

  “You can tell me whether or not you’re going to make a donation to the Aaron Jorgenson auction. He’s the high school kid who was injured in the skiing accident. Kramer’s taken a special interest in this event because the kid goes to his church.” Greg had a habit of referring to people by their last names, even the creative director who was the head of the advertising agency.

  “They’re having a benefit dinner to raise money to help pay the medical bills, right?”

  “You got it. I don’t see your name on the list.” He waved a clipboard in midair.

  “I don’t think I’m going to be able to attend,” she said apologetically, then reached for her purse. “But I’d be happy to make a cash donation.”

  “It would be better if you donated an item for the auction…preferably something that will bring in big bucks.”

  “Like what?”

  He shrugged. “Anything. I’m donating a tour of the Channel 8 studio and lunch with a news anchor. You probably heard that my sister’s their newscaster?”

  Dena nodded. “I suppose I could ask my brother to help me out, but I don’t think lunch with a mechanic would have quite the same appeal, do you?” She gave him a wry smile.

  “Probably not,” he answered with his own understanding grin. “But there are any number of items you could donate. Seriously, Bailey, this could be an opportunity for you to catch Kramer’s eye.”

  “You mean if I bring in something unique he’ll remember my name?”

  “You keep doing work like that and he’ll notice you,” he said, looking over her shoulder to the mockups lining her shelves.

  “I’m good at packages,” she admitted in a tone that was not the least bit pretentious, just honest.

  “So I’ve noticed…as have a lot of other people. So what do you say? Are you going to donate an item?”

  She hesitated a second, then said, “All right, put me down. For what, I don’t know, but I’ll come up with something.”

  He pulled a pen from behind his ear and wrote her name on the clipboard. “I’m sure you will. You’re clever. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be here.”

  She knew it was true. To land a job at an advertising agency like Delaney Design, one needed to be better than good. Getting hired had been a boost to her ego and an affirmation that she’d made the right decision in leaving her job in marketing to pursue a career in graphic design. Unfortunately, with the new job came the pressure to perform. Everyone at Delaney was talented. It wasn’t enough to simply be good.

  Greg Watkins straightened. “You’ll need to let me know by next Friday what you’re donating to the auction. The benefit is February 10. I have to tell you, Bailey, Kramer’s going to be pleased to see your name on the list.” He gave her a mock salute and slipped out of her cubicle.

  Dena didn’t want to simply please the creative director. She wanted to impress him, to prove to him that she belonged at the prestigious agency.

  It wasn’t anything new—proving herself. She’d been doing it most of her life and she’d do it now. She reached for the phone to call the one person who might be able to help her—her brother.

  AS CHILDREN, Dena and Ryan had been as close as any brother and sister, but when they were teenagers, their parents had divorced and the fragile bonds that had held their family together were broken. After graduation, Ryan Bailey saw no reason to stay in the small town in Iowa where they’d been raised. He moved away with his high school sweetheart, eager to make a new start in life.

  Left alone with her father, Dena envied her brother his freedom. No matter how hard she tried to get her father’s attention, there was only one thing in life that mattered to him now that his wife was gone—his work. His idea of being a good parent was to send Dena to boarding school, where she felt just as isolated as she had living with her father. After graduation, she didn’t return home. Like her brother, she left Iowa, but she made her exodus alone.

  It was how she’d lived most of her life—alone. She may have had a mother for thirteen years, but she’d learned at an early age not to expect much from her. As a small child she’d never understood why her mother wasn’t like other kids’ mothers. She never played with her children and rarely laughed with them. It wasn’t until Dena was thirteen that she understood the reason why. She hadn’t wanted to be a mother in the first place.

  It was a fact of life Dena couldn’t change no matter how hard she tried. So she learned to take care of herself, to rely on her own tenacity and resourcefulness rather than depend on anyone else. She was self-sufficient and proud of it, only now that she’d moved to Minnesota, she was beginning to realize how lonely her life had been and how much she’d missed Ryan.

  That’s why she didn’t hesitate to turn to him for advice about the auction donation. As usual, she’d worked late that evening and stopped at his house on her way home.

  “Dena, it’s good to see you,” her sister-in-law, Lisa, said as she opened the door to her. “Come in. Ryan took Luke sledding at the park, but they should be home shortly. I was just about to make some hot chocolate…or would you rather have a cup of tea?”

  “Hot chocolate sounds good.” Dena removed her jacket and slung it over the back of one of the wooden kitchen chairs before taking a seat. “Where’s Bethany and Jeremy?”

  “Jeremy’s at hockey practice and Bethany’s at a birthday party for one of her friends from school. It’s her first pajama party so I’m a little anxious about it,” Lisa admitted as she poured milk into a pan on the stove. �
��I didn’t want her to go. I think eight’s a little young for slumber parties, don’t you?”

  Dena shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. When it comes to raising kids, I don’t have a clue.” It was the truth. With no younger siblings and having spent a good portion of her teenage years at boarding school, she’d missed out on the typical baby-sitting experience. The only time she’d been around kids had been during the holidays that she’d spent with her brother and his family.

  “Ryan and I have days when we feel the same way,” Lisa said with a grin.

  “You must be doing something right. You have good kids,” she said sincerely.

  Lisa sat down across from Dena. “You’ve only seen them on their best behavior. Just wait until you’ve been here awhile,” she said with a crooked smile.

  Dena glanced around the room—at the drawings on the refrigerator door, the toy trucks lined up next to the wall, the bulletin board covered with heart-shaped reminders of appointments and school activities. The picture on the shelf over the sink caught her eye. It was a photograph of her brother with his three children. Three-year-old Luke was on his shoulders, his pudgy arms wrapped around his father’s neck. Bethany clung to one arm, twelve-year-old Jeremy was on the other.

  “Ryan is so different from my father. He never played with us kids.”

  “He probably didn’t have the time—he worked so many hours,” Lisa said.

  Dena nodded and didn’t follow up on the comments, not wanting to discuss her father’s shortcomings. Not that she would be telling her sister-in-law anything she wasn’t aware of. Having known Ryan since they’d been in the seventh grade, Lisa was privy to all the family secrets. She’d been his steady girlfriend when Dena’s mother had abandoned her family, leaving two teenaged kids in the care of a father whose response to losing his wife had been to bury himself even deeper in his work.