“You know Craig and I broke up. I seriously doubt if he even noticed that I wasn’t around for a while. He was too busy admiring himself to care what I was up to. I don’t see him being a stalker unless he was stalking his own reflection.” Kay rolled her eyes.

Eli secretly agreed with her assessment, but he kept that thought to himself. “What about after that? Did you date anyone else that summer?”

She shrugged and picked at a piece of lint on the edge of the couch. “I didn’t really have time. That was right after Divine broke up, remember? Jackson had just offered me a solo contract, so I was spending a lot of time with him in the studio, coming up with ideas for the project.” She smiled absently at the thought, and Eli’s fingers tightened around the pen.

His little brother was devoted to Ridley, so he didn’t entertain any thoughts that something was going on between Jackson and Kay. But the way she talked about him, the little smiles when she remembered something he’d done or said, all contributed to his worry that Kay was crushing on Jackson. When he’d kissed her at Christmas, it hadn’t occurred to him until afterward that she might be projecting her fondness for his brother onto him.

He wasn’t the type of man to play second string to anyone, but even more than that, he wasn’t going to encourage a fascination that could ultimately end up hurting Kay. She’d given him only bare bones information about Hope’s father, but it was enough for him to know that older men had taken advantage of her before.

He’d be damned if it ever happened again.

“I know you hate talking about him, but I need to know if Hope’s father has done or said anything out of the ordinary in the past few months.”

Kay immediately tensed and glanced down at her lap. “I haven’t seen Tim in ages. Not that I saw him that much before. Remember when I used to waitress at that Italian restaurant? That’s where I met him. I don’t think I ever told you that.”

She definitely hadn’t told him that. Eli filed that bit of information away to examine later. Maybe it would mean something when he was looking at the big picture. He put an X next to the name Timothy Banner. He’d have one of his guys check on Mr. Banner’s current financial situation later.

“So you didn’t see much of him outside of the days you were working?”

“He used to wait for me after my shift,” she whispered. “It seems so seedy looking back on it. All he wanted was someone to pass the time with when he was in town on business. We spent hours talking about everything. Or nothing. But then after I got pregnant…” She sighed and her fist clenched against her thigh. “I was so stupid to think we had a connection. I was just convenient.”

Eli laid his hand over hers. “I’m sorry, Kay.”

She looked up, seemingly startled by his touch. “It’s okay. It’s all in the past now. Anyway, I’m not even sure how long it’s been since I’ve seen him. A long time. He doesn’t care about Hope. Or me.”

The last statement was said so matter-of-factly that Eli’s heart broke on her behalf.

“He’s a fucking idiot.”

Kay’s head lifted. She blinked a few times before a small smile spread across her face. “Yeah, he is. I’m just glad my mom convinced him to sign away his parental rights. He was so worried that I’d want child support from him, but he never considered that I might be a success.”

“Like I said, he’s an idiot.”

She shrugged again.

“Okay, who have you dated since Craig?” He ran a hand roughly over his face. It was killing him to talk about it, but he’d do whatever it took to figure this thing out.

“No one,” Kay whispered. She didn’t look at him as she said it.

“What do you mean? There has to have been someone.” He stopped at the stricken look on her face.

She’d moved back on the couch and wouldn’t meet his eyes. It was obvious that this was just as uncomfortable for her as it was for him. He cleared his throat. A different approach was in order.

Light. Nonconfrontational.

“I get that it’s weird and awkward to talk about sexual partners with me, but this is really important. Would you rather give this information to Matt? He could come over tomorrow and you guys could sit down and go over it all.”

He hated to even make the offer, but if it made it easier for her to be honest, he’d do it. Matt had a way with her. They had a rapport. Maybe she’d tell him things she was too embarrassed to admit to Eli.

Kay finally looked up. “I don’t need to pull Matt off his new job to tell him the same thing I just told you. How long does it take to write down nothing?”

Eli groaned. “Kay, you’re basically saying no one’s had their hands on you in more than six months. You’re a vibrant, beautiful young woman. I find that a little hard to believe.”

Kay stared at him for a long moment before she slid forward. “I didn’t say no one had their hands on me in all that time. I just said I hadn’t dated anyone.” Her tongue darted out and wet her bottom lip before she lifted her eyes to his. Perched forward, her weight resting on her hands, caused her sweater to dip lower, revealing a shadow of lace at the top of her bra.

He swallowed, the sound loud between them.

“Okay. His name?” Elliott’s stomach clenched but he lifted the pencil, poised to write the name of the lucky bastard she’d allowed to get close to her.