Thank you all for your kind words :) This story will be updated on Sundays and Thursdays.

Chapter Three

Sydney made it to the restaurant with five minutes to spare. After locking her car she slipped the keys into her coat pocket and headed inside. The strong aroma of garlic and marinara sauce wafted through the restaurant. One of the perks of working for someone who was wealthy was that Sydney got to pretend she was loaded too. She ate at fancy places for meetings and stayed in plush hotels when she traveled, all on someone else's dime. And now that she wasn't quite as concerned about her weight (pregnancy changed her whole perspective on body issues) she actually enjoyed the food, carbs and all.

"Reservation for Casey," Sydney told the perky blonde hostess.

Perky blonde consulted the computer and smiled. "Would you like to wait for the rest of your party before being seated?" she asked her.

Seeing as Sydney wasn't even sure who she was waiting for she figured it would just be easier to wait at the table. "You can just go ahead and seat me," she replied.

"Right this way, miss," Perky blonde said. She scooped up two menus and led Sydney to a prime table next to the fountain in the middle of the dining room. "Kate will be your server," she said to her. "Enjoy," she added before walking away.

Sydney set her purse on the floor and slipped her coat off and onto the back of the chair. She picked up the glass in front of her to take a sip of water. Just as she was about to look at the list of specials she noticed Perky blonde leading someone towards her table. Sydney rose up to her feet so she could properly greet her potential new client. She smoothed her hand over her non descript blouse and skirt, clothing habits die hard, and tucked a few loose strands of hair back into her clip.

As Perky blonde stepped aside Sydney extended her hand. "I'm Sydney, it's very nice to meet…I'm sorry I didn't get your name," she apologized.

"I knew it was going to be you," Adrian said to her, removing his sunglasses and flashing those emerald eyes.

Sydney had to grip the table to keep herself upright. It felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room; surely her face was now as pale as his. She had been so careful to stay off the grid.

"Steele was the tip off," Adrian said to her. "You're really sentimental at heart, Sage."

Sydney opened and closed her mouth a few times before finding her words. "I have to go," she finally said.

"Go? You can't go," Adrian said quickly. "I just found you…" he added softly.

But Sydney wasn't listening she was already haphazardly trying to put her coat back on. "I can't help you with this. I'm sorry," she stammered, unable to look him in the eye.

"Sydney…" he tried again, reaching out to touch her arm.

She recoiled quickly, stumbling into the table behind her, which was thankfully empty. "I have to go…" Once she got her bearings she practically ran out the door and to the safety of her car. She scrambled for her keys in her pocket and peeled out of the parking lot, her tires squealing.

Sydney didn't want to think about how many traffic laws she broke as she quickly escaped. When she was a few blocks away from the restaurant she peeked over her shoulder to make sure Adrian wasn't behind her. She hadn't had to do any tactical driving in years so she was thankful to see the coast was clear.

She pulled off the road and turned into a gas station. After she had parked the car she rested her forehead against the steering wheel. She needed to calm down. Sydney worked better when she was dealing with facts and figures and not operating on pure emotion.

God, he had still looked so good. And he hadn't seemed that upset to see her. In fact he had almost seemed happy.

"Stop it, Sydney," she scolded herself. This was exactly what she should not be doing. She needed to get Hadley, get home, and do…something.

She reached for her bag so she could retrieve her phone and call Kenzie. Instead of feeling leather her hand groped the empty seat next to her.

"Shit," she swore under her breath. She had put the bag under the table, forgetting it in her mad dash. She slowly eased the car out of the gas station and drove at a reasonable, and legal, speed to Kenzie's apartment complex.

There was no need to worry. It's not like Adrian knew where she lived. She supposed he could contact Mr. Casey directly but she doubted her boss would give out her personal information…like her address and the fact she had a child. By the time she killed the engine on the car she felt much better. Everything was going to be fine.

"What are you doing back so soon?" Kenzie asked after letting her inside.

Sydney didn't bother to sit down or take off her coat. "The artist flaked," she lied.

"That sucks," Kenzie said sympathetically. "I know you were looking forward to meeting him."

"No big deal," Sydney replied, not really listening to what her friend was saying. "Can I use your phone? I think I left my purse at the restaurant."

Kenzie nodded and went back to join Hadley on the floor. It looked like they were building some kind of shanty town with pillows and blankets.

After locating the number of the restaurant online she dialed and found herself, once again, speaking to Perky blonde. "I was just there about twenty minutes ago and I think I left my purse," Sydney explained.

"You left in a hurry," Perky blonde replied.

Sydney rolled her eyes. She had called to find out about her bag, not gossip with the hostess. "Can you please check and see if it's there?" she asked, ignoring the commentary.

"Hold, please," Perky blonde said and suddenly Sydney's ear was filled with elevator music. Sydney stole a quick glance out the window.

"It's not at the table you were seated at," Perky blonde piped into the receiver.

"And no one turned in a bag?" she asked her.

"No, miss," Perky blonde said.

Sydney groaned and gave the hostess her home number, asking her to call if anything turned up. She hung up the phone and made a mental list of what she'd need to do to rectify the situation. Call the credit card company, buy a new cell phone, and look up the location of the closest DMV. Just the simple act of making the list calmed her nerves.

"No luck?" Kenzie asked, peeking out from under her makeshift tent.

Sydney shook her head no. "We should be getting home. I have some calls to make," she said.

"You could do that all from here," Kenzie replied. "I don't have to be at work until later and I can look after Hadley while you do all that."

That all sounded very reasonable to Sydney, but she really just wanted to get home. "Thanks, but I'd rather just do it from my place," she said.

After tearing Hadley away from Pinkie (the latest name for the dog) Sydney and her daughter were on their way. Though they were safely inside their apartment in a secure building Sydney still did a quick sweep of their home. Hadley was all too happy to follow along, as if this was some kind of treasure hunt. Satisfied that Adrian wasn't going to pop out of her linen closet she set about making the necessary calls and fixing dinner while Hadley napped.

The rest of the evening was quiet. The pair ate spaghetti and meatballs before reading a few stories. Well, more like Sydney tried to read and Hadley asked question after question. She had an inquisitive little mind that Sydney was more than happy to indulge.

"Sleep tight," Sydney said softly as she pulled the blanket up to Hadley's chin.

"Can we have a dog?" she asked through a yawn, her mouth making a tiny O.

Sydney chuckled at the request; at least she had stopped asking for a sibling…or a squirrel. "We'll see," she said to placate her for the moment.

"Okay," Hadley agreed easily as her eyelids drooped closed. "I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered and kissed her forehead.

Sydney backed away from the bed and picked up a few stray toys. She couldn't stop herself from checking the closet one more time before leaving the room. She wandered into the bathroom to grab some laundry from the hamper. She tossed a load into the wash before making herself a cup of tea and settling on the couch with her laptop. She opened up her email, trying to think of how to explain the events of the afternoon to Mr. Casey. Just as her fingers touched the keyboard there was a knock at the door.

Panic seized Sydney's body. No…there was no way it could be him. She lived in a building that required guests to be buzzed in. It was probably just a neighbor. When the knocking didn't stop she slowly got up off the couch and walked towards the door.

"Who's there?" she asked, the quiver in her voice evident.

"Sydney Sage," Adrian, calmly and evenly, said from the other side of the barrier. "You didn't think I'd let you slip through my fingers again, did you?"