The Child Comes First by Elizabeth Ashtree

plug-in kind.”
    She frowned. “I’m not sure I have one of those,” she admitted.
    â€œI’ll get you one before I leave for home tonight. But there’s more. You won’t be allowed to use your phone for more than ten minutes at a time. You’ll have to cancel caller ID and call waiting. Tiffany won’t be able to be in the same room with you if you’re on the phone, because her monitor will send a false alarm. She won’t be able to go anywhere except to prearranged court-related things. No taking her to the grocery store, or out to Wal-Mart, or to the parks in Columbia. It’s going to be annoying as hell.”
    She patted his arm, then preceded him into the kitchen. “I’m sure we’ll manage. We always do. And you have that nice woman, Jayda, to help this time. You could certainly do worse.”
    That’s true, was his first thought. But then he remembered that Jayda Kavanagh would in no way advance his career with his firm.
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    I T WAS LATE BY THE TIME Jayda left Ellicott City with Simon. He’d had to buy an acceptable phone from Wal-Mart and she’d stayed with Mrs. Johanson and Tiffany to make sure the monitoring team wasn’t as surly as usual. Finally, they headed out in the Mustang, car windows rolled up against the evening drizzle.
    â€œTiffany really likes you,” she said.
    â€œI like her, too.”
    â€œYour mother is nice and she’s great with kids.”
    â€œUh-huh,” he replied, sounding distracted.
    Deciding Simon must be as tired as she felt, Jayda lapsed into an awkward silence. She thought about everything she had to do tomorrow to make up for the time she’d spent with Tiffany. In case Marla asked, Jayda considered how she’d explain herself. She’d had to reschedule four appointments and she was going to need an excuse for doing that. Then, as they approached her apartment building, she thought about what she might eat so close to bedtime. That take-out sandwich had burned off hours ago. Her stomach growled just as Simon pulled alongside the curb.
    He laughed. “Maybe I should take you to dinner before we call it a night.”
    â€œNo, that’s okay. Thanks anyway. I have some leftovers I can reheat.”
    His expression became wistful for a moment, and then blanked. Jayda wondered if a man like Simon Montgomery ever cooked at home—there weren’t likely to be leftovers in his refrigerator. And then her heart began to race, and she’d spoken even before she thought about what she was going to say.
    â€œWould you like to come up and eat with me before you head home? Nothing special, just some pasta and salad. But there’s enough for both of us.”
    The instant the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. If he came up to her apartment for food, what else would he expect? Men like Montgomery always got what they wanted, no matter what, and he might misunderstand her invitation. So how would she get rid of him without an argument—what if he became insistent? What if he turned out to be like her uncle, after all? Oh, God, this could lead to all sorts of terrible consequences, for herself and for Tiffany.
    â€œAren’t you too tired to entertain a guest at this hour?” he asked, giving her a chance to back out gracefully.
    But the look in his eyes told her he’d appreciate the company, even though it was late. “Well, just come in and eat, and then you can go. How long could that take?” There. She’d established boundaries. That was good. That was healthy. Even so, with her palms beginning to sweat, she wondered why she hadn’t just taken the excuse he’d given her to rescind the invitation. How confusing to commit herself to doing something, when it also terrified her.
    Maybe because Simon seemed like a good person, and because this gave her a perfect opportunity to face a few of her demons.
    â€œOkay. Any suggestions on