Harlequin Superromance December 2014 - Box Set 2 of 2: Starting with June\Scotland for Christmas\Southern Comforts by EMILIE ROSE

Author:EMILIE ROSE
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

MONDAY MORNING, JACOB headed over for his appointment with Diane, the department psychologist. The weekend spent helping Eddie move his stuff had upped the urgency for him. He needed to get this transfer rolling, to convince Diane he was on the right track with his plans for Scotland.

But when Jacob arrived at the appointed time, Diane was on the phone, so he stood in her doorway, silently observing.

Cardboard boxes were stacked on the floor. She must have brought in some personal belongings but hadn’t yet unpacked them. In one box, laid on top of a row of books, were three framed diplomas.

He tilted his head to get a better look. Her name was on all of them—Diane was seriously educated. He didn’t know whether to be grateful or worried.

Finally, she hung up the phone and stared up at him over the top of her reading glasses. “Thank you for coming in. Sit down, please, Jacob.”

He approached the chair in front of her and sat, handing her the folder containing his paperwork. He looked her in the eye.

“I want you to know, Diane, I took some steps to get the bigger information we discussed last time we met. I’ve set up an appointment in Scotland, and I’m taking a week there over Christmas. I’ll interview people who knew my father and his work, and I’ll see about the information you requested to process my transfer. Then, I’ll write a report and have it on your desk by the first of the year. How does that sound to you?”

Diane gazed across the desk at him. “A trip to Scotland is excellent. That’s a good start.”

A start? He got a sinking feeling in his chest. But he forced out a nod.

“I understand that you never met your father,” she said, folding her hands and gazing directly at him across the desk. “Did anyone ever speak to you about him when you were growing up?”

“Yes,” he said tersely. “Of course they did.”

She waited for him to say more.

He tapped his fingers against his knee. “Aren’t you going to look at my paperwork?” He gestured to the folder he’d brought. He’d gone to a lot of trouble to put it together for her—as she’d directed.

“Would you like me to?” she murmured.

“What I would really love is for you to sign my transfer papers,” he cracked.

She didn’t smile. She gazed at him quietly.

He pressed his hands against his pants. This wasn’t going well.

“The last time we met,” she said in a steady, neutral voice, “we talked about your mother moving from Scotland to New York with you when you were still a baby. Then—” she checked her notes “—she married a schoolteacher, I believe.”

Jacob nodded, not seeing why this was relevant.

“How did your mother characterize your father to you, Jacob? His job as a police officer?”

“Ah...she didn’t talk about him, really.”

Diane waited for him to continue.

He cleared his throat. “My mom doesn’t talk about him because the divorce was painful to her. And I respect that because I protect her.

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