"Candy, dear – I mean Sarah," Melinda corrected herself with a grimace. "I really need to get used to calling you that…anyway, Joshua has an appointment with the pediatrician tomorrow, and Rich and I have a fundraiser we can't avoid. Do you think you could manage him on your own?"
"Of course, Aunt Mel." Candy smiled reassuringly at the older woman. "That's absolutely no problem."
The next day, Candy and Josh were just finishing up at the doctor's when the chauffeur called her. "The car won't start, ma'am," he said apologetically. "I'm not sure what's wrong. I've called the garage but I think it's going to take some time."
"Oh, dear!" Candy sighed. "Anyway, thanks for letting me know." She glanced at Josh who was happily playing with a toy car. "We could Uber it," she thought. "But…" Matt's office was very close by, just a few minutes away, and he would be leaving around this time, and Josh would be so excited to see Matt, and…Why not? She squared her shoulders. Truth was, she was excited at the very idea of seeing Matt unexpectedly. "Okay, Matt, here we come!"
A short while later, Candy stood nervously in the reception of Matt's office, an excited Josh clinging to her hand and jigging from one foot to the other. Now that they were actually here, it didn't seem like such a great idea, and she had half a mind to hare it out of there before Matt saw them.
"Mr. Kane's with someone but he should be done in a few minutes," the receptionist smiled at her.
"Thank you – we'll just wait here." Candy settled awkwardly into one of the comfortable chairs in the reception area. Why, oh WHY had she come here? There was no guarantee Matt would be done with work or that he would be free to drop them back home…the temptation to see Matt again had been so strong that she had just rushed here without thinking things through properly. What would he think of her? Well, she could simply say they had dropped in to say hi and then she would get an Uber, she decided. "What say, Josh…Josh?" Candy stood up in alarm and looked around but the little boy was nowhere to be seen. The receptionist, too, had left for the day so she was quite alone there. She rushed frantically past the desk towards Matt's office.
To her relief, she saw Josh standing there. Candy reached him just as the little boy pushed the door, which was slightly ajar, wide open.
"Uncle Matt!!"
"Oh!"
Joshua and Candy exclaimed simultaneously, one in delight and the other in dismay. Matt stood leaning against his massive desk, Olivia in his arms. He raised his head hurriedly from where they had been obviously kissing as the visitors made their presence known.
"Uncle Matt!!" Joshua barreled towards him, wrapping his plump little arms around Matt's legs.
"Hey, little man!" With a laugh, Matt set Olivia aside and picked Josh up. His eyes slid speculatively to Candy hovering in the doorway, her face red with embarrassment. Candy averted her gaze, not wanting him to see the disappointment and sorrow written there at the sight of him kissing another woman. His fiancée, she reminded herself sternly. Olivia was his fiancée now, and it was perfectly normal for him to kiss the woman he was probably sleeping with, and was planning to marry in the near future.
As Matt looked at Sarah, he caught the look of sadness in her eyes before she turned her face away. Unexpectedly, he felt a pang of – guilt? Before he could explore that feeling further, another, more basic thought entered his mind. What would it be like to kiss Sarah? he wondered. What would those soft, sweet lips feel like beneath his mouth? Matt was so taken aback by this thought and the sudden tightening in his pants that accompanied it that he was rendered speechless for a few moments.
"What in the world are you doing here?" Olivia spoke first, sounding annoyed. "Do you realize this is Matt's OFFICE?"
Candy's flush deepened. "J-Joshua had an app-appointment with the pediatrician," she said miserably, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her. "An-and the car broke down, so I thought -"
"You thought you could just waltz in here and cadge a ride off Matt, is that it?" asked Olivia, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Haven't you heard of anything like cabs?"
"I – I -"
"Didn't you think he would have better things to do than ferry you and that – and Joshua all the way back?" Olivia demanded angrily. "As it happens, Matt and I have plans for this evening, so I'll just book a cab for you and then we'll be on our way."
"Olivia, wait." Matt raised a hand to stop her. "Sarah was absolutely right to come here. I can't send Josh – and Sarah – in a cab all the way," he said. "We can go out some other evening. I'll take them home now." He looked at Candy. "In fact, you should have just called me from the clinic. I would've come and picked you up from there rather than you having to carry Josh all the way here."
"Wait, Matt! You can't just change our dinner plans for the sake of some NANNY and – and –" Olivia stopped herself with difficulty, biting back the words on her tongue.
Josh's little arms tightened around Matt's neck, his lower lip trembling as he picked up on the anger in Olivia's voice. "Uncle Matt?" he asked in a small voice. "Uncle Matt mad at Josh?"
Matt cast a warning look at Olivia. "No, baby, Uncle Matt can never be mad at you," he said gently. "Let's go home now, shall we?"
"Josh wanna pee!"
Candy hurried forward to take him from Matt but Matt waved her off. "It's okay, I'll take him to the washroom and then I'll take you both back home."
He went out with Josh, leaving Candy in the room with Olivia. As soon as they were alone, Olivia turned to Candy, an unpleasant look on her face.
"Don't think I don't see what is going on here," she said. "Just wait till Matt and I are married, and I'll see to it that little brat goes where he should have been sent in the first place."
"Y-you mean – are you talking about Joshua?" Candy couldn't believe her ears. Olivia had been so sweet to Josh in front of Matt, fawning over him as though he was her own child. In fact, Candy had felt some relief that, even if Matt ended up marrying Olivia, at least Josh would have a home with them.
"Of course." Olivia pursed her lips. "Did you really think for a minute that I'm going to allow that brat in my home? Or that I'll allow him to take my son's or daughter's place either here or in Matt's property?"
"You – you can't mean that!" Candy gasped. "The Kanes love Josh! Matt loves Josh!"
Olivia laughed nastily. "Once Matt has his own kids he's not going to care about some orphaned brat," she said confidently. "And as far as his parents are concerned, I'm sure they would rather leave their property to their own flesh and blood rather than some kid they picked off the road."
"Joshua is part of this family now," Candy replied hotly. "Neither Matt nor the Kanes will ever send him away."
"Don't for a minute think I will allow Matt to keep that kid, Sarah. He'll go to foster care, as he should have years ago."
"Foster care?" Candy repeated, dumbfounded.
"Of course – that's where he belongs, and I'll see to it he's kicked out of here as soon as Matt and I are married. So, enjoy yourself while you can, little nanny. Once that brat isn't around, neither will you be."
"I don't believe Matt will allow you to do that," Candy said firmly. "I've seen how he is around Josh."
Olivia pursed her lips. "Once Matt has his OWN family around him, he'll forget all about that brat," she replied confidently. "You can try all your little tricks now, but they won't work. How stupid do you think I am, to believe that the car actually broke down today?"
Candy gaped at Olivia. "But it did, really! I – I wouldn't – why would I lie about something like that?"
"Oh, don't pull that innocent act on me, please! It may work on Melinda and Rich, but I'm not so easily fooled. I know you're using that brat to get close to Matt, but I'll never let that happen. Matt belongs to ME, not to some bastard kid or his nanny."
Candy felt anger flare in her. "Don't talk about Joshua like that," she said quietly. "You can think whatever you want about me, but don't dare talk about my – about Joshua like that."
Olivia's eyes narrowed. "How dare you speak to me like that?" she hissed. "I'll -"