* * *
Keely’s hands were shaking as she set the kitchen table for four. “I don’t believe this is happening,” she said, accepting a thick stack of paper napkins from Jack, who had just reentered the kitchen. “I don’t believe I’m about to break bread with the Beast of Bayonne, the Nutcase of Bayonne, and my supposed fiancé. Where’s the Cheshire Cat, Jack, because I think I just fell through the looking glass. And just think, last week I thought bankruptcy was the worst thing that could ever happen to me. Oh, never mind. What did Jimmy the lawyer say?”
“Nothing I’d like to repeat in mixed company,” Jack told her, then grabbed another handful of napkins from the holder on the counter. “Here, we need a bunch of these if Joey’s eating with us. I once saw him redecorate my aunt’s entire kitchen with just one bowl of linguine.”
“Don’t change the subject,” Keely ordered, grabbing Jack’s arm. “What did the lawyer say?”
“He said,” Jack told her, sighing, “that lying to Joey Morretti was stupid but legal. Lying to a judge, however, can get a person his own orange jumpsuit.”
“Oh,” Keely said quietly. “I hadn’t thought of that.” She glared up at Jack. “And, obviously, neither did you. So now what? We drop the engagement as a bad idea, right.? Jack? I said, we drop the engagement as a bad idea? Jack! Say something.”
He lowered his head, looked so pitiful, so helpless. “I can’t let her go, Keely. Not to Cecily, not to Joey. But Jimmy says Cecily’s note isn’t enough. Either I fight, and somehow find Cecily, get her to sign over custody, or it’s a pretty sure thing that Joey gets Candy.”
Keely’s stomach did a small flip. “But... but you’re a baseball star. You’ve got this big name, this big house—tons of money. Candy would never want for anything. You’re the perfect choice.”
“I’m also single, not the closest blood relative, have no outward means of employment, and I’ve already lied to Joey about you, which his lawyer will be quick to point out to the judge, proving I’m not trustworthy. And just to top it off, I’ve got this woman living with me, without benefit of holy wedlock, setting a bad example for little Candy. Besides, Jimmy says judges often bend over backward not to show preferential treatment to celebrities, which means I’m screwed, no matter how you look at it.”
“Oh. When you put it all that way...” Keely pulled out a chair, sat down. “So now what?”
“Well, we are doing something. Jimmy’s already got my verbal okay to hire a couple of private investigators to hunt down Cecily in Timbuktu, or wherever the hell she is. A good outfit, out of Philly, D&S, or something like that. But that kind of search takes time, especially since Cecily could be anywhere by now. Tibet. Australia. Paris.”
“Yeah, Paris. I hear it’s a popular place,” Keely said, fleetingly thinking of Gregory and the fact that he and his new “assistant,” Shavonna, were probably on their way there right now. Not that it mattered. Nothing mattered, except keeping Candy here, with Jack. With her?
“And I’m going to invite Joey to stay here for the next few days.”
“Good God, why?”
“To keep him from his lawyer’s office in Bayonne, for one thing. We keep him here, we keep him happy and busy, and while we’re doing that, Candy’s safe enough. It’s not much, but it buys us a little time.”
“Is there anything else? Did Jimmy suggest anything else?”
“Yeah, he did,” Jack said, heading for the back door. “He suggested we follow through, get married. That would probably win it for me with the judge. Fat chance of that, right? Excuse me, I’ve got to go warn Aunt Sadie that Joey’s going to be staying with us for a while. Ten to one she starts digging a moat around her apartment.”
Keely, her mouth dropped open, watched him go.