and date.”
Shana could feel it coming on, that talk he would have with her and Jules on occasion. The one when he told them in so many words that he was looking forward to a grandbaby to bounce on his knee and a son-in-law to watch the games with.
“I can’t speak for Jules, but I’m busy, Dad. This new case is going to take more of my time than I imagined it would. Just today, I found spyware in my office.”
He nodded. “It’s an aeronautics company, right?”
“Yes. Marcel is working on it. I’ve given him everything, and I’ve made him aware of this new development. He didn’t seem surprised.”
“Why would he be? Granger would be ripe for trade-secret violations, considering the competition for government contracts that’s going on. It’s gotten to be a war between the strongest and the fittest. Some companies believe being devious and underhanded is the way to go.”
Enough for people to resort to corporate and industrial theft, Shana thought. But she didn’t want to think about all of what Bruce had discovered or what Marcel was doing with the information she’d supplied to him. Until she’d contacted him today, she hadn’t heard from him in a while. But then, that’s the way the feds worked while building their case. Marcel would contact her when he felt the time was right.
Deciding to get back on the subject of Ben and Mona, she asked, “So which beach are you taking Mona to?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know yet. I want to make it a full day.”
“Although it might take her out of her comfort zone?”
“Especially so. I want to become her comfort zone.”
Shana paused with her teacup to her lips, thinking that her father had said something very powerful. There was no doubt in her mind that he intended to move ahead in this affair with Mona, and it would be serious. “Why didn’t you?” she asked.
He looked over at her. “Why didn’t I what?”
“Bring home those dates. There had to be some lady at one time who caught your eye.”
“Like I said, they were fun times. I honestly never met a woman who I thought could replace your mother.”
“Now you feel that Mona can?” she inquired quietly.
He shook his head. “No, because there’s no one who can ever replace your mother. It’s not about replacement, Shana. It’s about addition, and there is a difference.”
Her father’s words weighed heavily on Shana’s mind hours later when she was getting ready for bed. It was early, but considering her activities of the night before, she had no problem not watching television or reading her book but looked forward to crawling between the covers and getting some much-needed sleep.
She had come downstairs to turn off the lights and set the alarm when the doorbell rang. She knew it wasn’t Gloria, since she’d left on an international flight to China earlier in the day.
The porch light was still on, and as she moved toward the door, she stopped when she saw who was standing there in front of it.
Jace.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Shana opened the door. There was no need to ask why he was there. She had become one of those women her father had described, a woman a man could have fun with. Why did such a thought bother her? It shouldn’t really, when she should see him only as a man she could have fun with. She didn’t want a serious relationship with anyone any more than Jace did.
She stepped back and let him inside, and he closed and locked the door behind him. Before she could say anything, he rushed to ask, “When I got out of my meeting, they said you left the office early. You never leave early. Is anything wrong?” He reached out and pushed a wayward curl back from her face. She figured he probably assumed she was ill or something since she had on her pj’s.
“No, I’m fine. I hadn’t visited my father all weekend and wanted to see him.”
“Oh. And you’re dressed for bed already. I should have called first. I had decided to call you when I got home, but halfway there, I turned around and headed back this way. I wanted to see you.”
Jace drew in a deep breath. All of what he’d just said was the truth. He had joined Dalton for dinner, and when Dalton had invited two women to join them for drinks afterward, Jace knew it was time for him to split. The women had been nice enough, but there was