Call Her Mine (Harmony Pointe #1)- Melissa Foster Page 0,65
stone-faced as Bodhi. He had military-short dark hair, manicured scruff, and a steady gaze that rode the fine line between intimidating and regal. He wore a crisp black dress shirt and expensive slacks. His stare told Ben he was not into bullshit, and his Movado watch revealed a penchant for quality. Ben just hoped that quality carried over to his job. He didn’t give a rat’s ass if the guy wore sweatpants and told time by the sun—which this guy could probably do—as long as he could find the woman who had abandoned Bea.
“What are the chances of finding her?” Ben asked.
“That depends on how solid your information is. If Caroline is her real name and if she works for the hotel, then we’ll find her. That’ll take a little time. Assuming we find a match, then we’ll see if she’s still working there, and—”
“And if she’s not still working there? At least you’ll have her home address, right?”
His brows lifted. “If she’s still living at the same address.” He sat back, the muscles in his jaw bunching. “Clearly this pregnancy came at a bad time. Maybe she’d lost her job or her home. Maybe she was sleeping with the boss and he fired her when she got pregnant. We won’t know until we get our first lead. If we find out her full name or an address—present or past—we can then track her down with credit card records, assuming she has one. We’ll also check with hospitals in the area to see if we can track her down that way, but that’s a stretch. A baby that’s abandoned has a higher chance of having been born at home.” He paused, and then he said, “Ben, you’re a businessman. You understand the complexities of human nature. This woman could be anywhere. We’re looking for the veritable needle in a haystack.”
Ben leaned forward, worrying with his hands. “What can I do to help find her?”
“Sounds to me like you and your girlfriend have already done all the right things. You’ve come to the best. If she can be found, I’ll find her. You’re sure there’s no one else it could be?”
Ben shook his head. “Not that I remember.”
Mason cocked his head curiously.
“I know how that sounds, but seriously, I can’t remember anyone else.”
“No judgment here, Ben. I work for you.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that,” he said, but he still felt like a dick. It didn’t matter that everyone had hookups. Everyone except Aurelia, apparently. “Do you get this kind of thing a lot?”
“Babies left on a doorstep?” Mason almost cracked a smile, but it did nothing to soften his rigid exterior. “Not specifically, no. But tracking down someone a client has slept with? Sure, and a whole lot worse. I used to be a bodyguard. Let’s just say there are reasons certain people need bodyguards. I spend a lot of time tracking down those reasons.”
Aurelia had always believed there was nothing she couldn’t handle, but by midday Bea was beginning to make her question that. The day had started out calmly enough. She’d put the bouncy seat that Piper had given them to good use. Bea loved it, which gave Aurelia time to tackle emails, confirm the book signings for her grand opening, and get Everly set up to start painting. But as the day progressed, Bea got fussier, and nothing seemed to soothe her. Aurelia had practically worn a path in the hardwood floors trying to mollify her. She’d even gone up to the apartment, thinking the familiar sights and smells might help. But it seemed to make things even worse, and every time she’d put Bea down, she’d cried.
It had started raining midday, so taking her for a walk in the stroller wasn’t an option. Eventually Bea had taken a short nap, and Aurelia had started working on inventory. When Bea woke up, she was still fussy even after being fed and changed. Aurelia tried to do inventory while holding her. It had taken twice as long to get through a box of books, but at least she’d gotten through a few. Now she was trying to interview Lazarus Parsons, a nice college kid with cocoa skin, short dreadlocks, and just about the friendliest smile Aurelia had ever seen. Aurelia had been pacing with Bea throughout the interview in a futile effort to keep Bea from fussing, and Lazarus paced alongside her, kindly answering her questions.
“I worked in the library in high school. For the last few months I’ve been