He stands in the foyer, waiting until I close the door and motion him to follow me to my office. When he sits in the chair I’ve indicated in front of my desk, I take a moment to study him. Maybe I’m prejudiced by the information I have, but damn, he does look like Lia. Their hair and coloring are almost the same, but it’s the eyes that really give me pause. His eyes are the same brilliant blue as Lia’s. I realize that half of the people in the world probably have blue eyes, but there is just something about Lia and Lee’s eyes, which look almost identical. I scrub a hand over my forehead thinking that maybe I’m just seeing things that aren’t even there. I have a feeling Lee knows for sure one way or the other, so my curiosity has me asking, “So, what can I do for you?”
His lips turn up in a slight smirk as if to say, ‘so you’re going that route.’ I don’t intend to make this easy for him, though, so I wait. “When I was told you were asking questions about me, it didn’t cause much of a blip on my radar. After all, we have some similar business interests, and I figured you had some future venture in mind.” He pauses, crossing his legs before continuing. “What did surprise me was that the questions had nothing to do with business and everything to do with my personal life, or more accurately, my past. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, because it does…often. However, it’s usually by the same nosy crowd that wants to dissect me for personal gain. Your sudden interest in a period of my life twenty-some-odd years ago was enough to get my attention. So, I did a little digging of my own into your life.”
After delivering his last statement, he waits as if curious to what my reaction will be. I lean back in my chair, wishing for one of the nasty cigarettes that are in my desk drawer. I refuse to give him the satisfaction of acting like a *. Men like Lee Jacks only respect one thing: strength. Something tells me that how I react to him today will set the tone for our future relationship. If he is Lia’s father, and he deems me as weak, he’ll end up being a problem—a big one. Therefore, with a carefully blank face, I say, “I would have done the same. I’m only curious as to why it’s taken you this long to make an appearance.”
I think I must be imagining things when he looks almost guilty for a split second before wiping his expression clean. “I was out of town when I first heard of your unusual…interest in me. I just returned late last night. After I found out that you were at home instead of your office, I came straight here.”
Deciding to cut through the rest of the small talk, I ask bluntly, “Is she your daughter?”
He doesn’t bother to act ignorant; he simply says, “Yes.”
I have little doubt that he knows exactly what he’s talking about; this isn’t a man who would answer that type of question without facts to back it up. I feel rage rising to choke me as I snap, “Have you always known about her?”
“Fuck no!” He almost shouts the words, losing his composure for a moment before taking a breath. “The things you were asking made me dig. When I couldn’t find a connection between my past and yours, I had my men look at her. I knew when I saw her picture, but the first line of her background report confirmed it for me.”
“You don’t look that much alike,” I argue, not even sure why I’m protesting. Maybe because I think Lia deserves a parent who isn’t just as bad as her mother is. Without replying, he pulls his wallet from his suit pocket and takes a picture from it. When he tosses it in front of me, I gape at him. In the picture stands Lee Jacks with his arm around…Lia?
“What the hell?” I ask, staring at the picture in shock. Lia knows who he is.
“Pretty uncanny, isn’t it?” he asks as he hands me another picture. The same woman stands next to a man who closely resembles Lee, but clearly is not. “That’s my brother Peter and his daughter Kara.”
I take a closer look at both photographs, finally noticing a difference in the other woman’s hair color and height. At first glance, she could pass for Lia’s twin. However, upon closer inspection, knowing what I now do, I can see it is not her. It does seem to lend support to his statement of being Lia’s father. I hand the pictures back, saying, “This doesn’t really prove anything. Don’t they say everyone has a twin somewhere in the world?”
“Let’s not waste our time doing the denial dance, Quinn. Both you and I know I have more proof than this.”
“So, what now?” I ask, knowing he speaks the truth. There is no way Lee would be here right now if he had any question about whether Lia was his daughter. “I’m not sure of what kind of reaction you are expecting from her.”
“That’s why I sought you out first instead of Lia. I thought maybe you would have some suggestions as to how to approach her.” The surprise I feel must be written all over my face. He gives me a wry smile, saying, “You’re involved with her, so it stands to reason that you know her much better than I do.”
Before I can formulate a reply, a voice sounds from the doorway. “Luc, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had company. I was just going to sit with you for a while.”