waited for the next scene in the drama. He used to hate emotional scenes, but since Maya's arrival in his life, he'd learned to observe them with a measure of appreciation for her talent in manipulating them.
He let Alexa wrap her chubby fist around his finger and returned Maya's harried look with equanimity. Her sister was very definitely wearing a man's checkered flannel shirt.
Cleo shrugged. "He's sleeping in my shop. It is still my shop?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes at Axell.
"The lease papers are ready for your signature." He was having second and third thoughts about signing them, but he'd promised Maya.
That seemed to satisfy Cleo for the moment. She turned her attention to the man clattering down the stairs, half-naked. "You want your damned shirt?" she yelled. "Come and get it!"
Lifting an eyebrow, Axell watched Maya for some signal as to what she wanted him to do now. He shook his head at her irrepressible grin and dumped Alexa in her arms. "Shall I hire a baby-sitter or a lunatic keeper for tonight?"
Maya brightened. "That's ideal! Cleo, you can come over this evening and stay with the kids so Axell and I can go out for a while. Social Services can't object to that."
That wasn't ideal in Axell's book. He didn't want a drug addict looking after his kids. Their kids. Whatever. He opened his mouth to protest, but the blasted musician leaped into the fray instead.
"I'll not have this pervert looking after my daughter!" Stephen shouted. "She nearly took my balls off last night. Why didn't you warn me she was coming so I could have bought a gun?"
Maya's grin faltered, but Axell thought he really might get into this scene if he hung around long enough. Watching Stephen and Cleo duke it out could provide amusing entertainment. Some other time.
"I've got a friend on the police force we can hire for the evening," he informed them dryly. "I'll instruct him to shoot the first one who yells in front of the kids. I want to take Maya out around seven. Suit yourselves."
Giving Maya a peck on the cheek, Axell strode out, confident Stephen and Cleo would kill each other before they intruded on his safe, sane world. He'd call the baby-sitter and arrange for her to watch the kids just in case either of the idiots took Maya seriously.
* * *
"California is too close," Maya muttered as she paced Selene's office at the school. "I'm considering Alaska. Whatever made me think having a family was a good thing?"
"You didn't think," Selene replied bluntly, hitting the computer key that sent the monthly invoices to the printer. "You just have this weird idea that because you breathe love and laughter, everyone does. Well, it's not so, girlfriend. Grow up."
"I'm not naive," Maya responded sharply, then took a calming breath before continuing. "I know Cleo has problems. Part of her probation requires she get counseling. What I need is some fairy dust to send Stephen back to Never-Never Land."
"He's not half bad looking," Selene mused, watching Maya's pacing with a foxy grin. "Want me to adopt him?"
"Your own personal boy toy?" Maya inquired dryly. "He's not quite that malleable. He's moody, irritating, and bad-tempered. I don't know what I ever saw in him."
"He's talented, sexy, and you hadn't developed a taste for hot-blooded Vikings at the time," Selene concluded.
Maya shrugged. "I always thought Vikings were cold."
Selene laughed out loud. "That's because you know nothing about men. Axell's been hot after your bod since the day you met. The man's practically slavering. You want to get rid of Stephen, just mention it to Axell. He'll have him transported to Siberia before you can take it back."
"Stephen's my problem," Maya replied sulkily. She didn't know when her life had become everyone else's business. She was feeling trapped again. The footloose life had some definite advantages she hadn't appreciated when she had them.
But even the fleeting thought of losing Axell caused a full-scale panic attack.
"Pfeiffer's death is a bigger problem," Selene pointed out. "I've contacted his lawyers for confirmation that our lease is still valid, but they haven't got back to me."
Diverted, Maya pursued this new path. "How do the police know he didn't die a natural death? I can't believe anyone would kill that nice old man." She shook her head in disbelief. "I was going to visit and ask him about my grandmother. Now I'll never know."
"You said he knew Cleo. Maybe he told her." Selene gathered up the printed