Читать книгу A Baby Between Them - C.J. Carmichael - Страница 9

AIDAN WATCHED RAE’S rushed exit from the patio. She was clearly upset and he knew he should follow her and try to calm her down.

But he wasn’t in any shape to help anyone right now. He held up his right hand. Sure enough, it was trembling.

Rae Cordell was pregnant with his baby.

He could not believe it.

His life plans had never involved getting married or having a child. Woman were too distracting. He’d learned that lesson at age sixteen, watching his friends make fools of themselves over Simone.

He’d wanted none of it for himself. Women were great, as long as you kept the upper hand. If you found that power slipping away, the smart thing to do was to back away immediately and find someone safer.

As he had backed away from Rae. Just one night together had been too much. He’d woken in a panic, knowing he’d made a terrible mistake. It wasn’t just that they worked together. He recognized something in Rae that he’d seen in Simone, too.

Like Simone, Rae had a natural ability to command attention. Call it confidence or charisma, or whatever the hell you wanted. Rae wasn’t a performer like Simone, but she still had star quality.

He’d wanted her the first time he’d met her. That on its own had signaled trouble, and so he’d tried to convince Harrison that the company didn’t need Rae Cordell. But Harrison was concerned about Aidan’s workload. He’d insisted they hang on to Rae, and so Aidan had been trapped. He’d done his best to keep one-on-one encounters with her to a minimum.

But the Triumph merger had undone all his best intentions. Late nights, last-minute negotiations and an out-of-town meeting had all added up to an impossible situation. One he hadn’t been strong enough to resist.

The morning after, he’d panicked. He’d slipped out of the hotel room without showering and caught an early flight to Seattle. Once back at the office, he’d immediately started working on damage control.

All the while, he’d berated himself. Why had he slept with her in the first place? He’d gone against all his principles. And presuming Rae had the contraceptives covered had to be one of the dumbest moves he’d ever made. Next to the night his mother died…

No. Don’t go there now.

Aidan rubbed the back of his neck, wincing at the thought of what Rae must have gone through these past months. She’d already shared some of the physical indignities of pregnancy…but what about the emotional burden?

Was she as blasé as she sounded about giving up the baby?

And what about the situation at work? He’d bet she hadn’t told anyone who the father of the baby was. But he guessed someone had figured it out. Which meant the entire company knew by now.

Everyone but him.

How was it that he hadn’t heard the rumors? Aidan thought back to a few occasions when he’d walked into an office or a meeting room and encountered a sudden, uncomfortable silence.

Well, of course no one had said anything to him. He was the boss. No one had dared.

Anyway, they must have assumed he knew. That Rae would have told him.

And she should have. Damn it, she should have told him about the baby.

TEN MINUTES LATER, Aidan went to the kitchen and found the Summer Island phone book. There weren’t any motels or hotels on the island. For the most part, the locals discouraged tourism. But there were a number of bed-and-breakfast places. He dialed Jennifer’s number first and was relieved when she answered in person and he didn’t get the standard recording.

“Hey Jenn, it’s Aidan. I’m here on the island and looking for a place to stay.”

“Aidan, you’re not kidding? You’re really here?”

“I’m on vacation.”

“You never take vacations.”

“I know. For good reason, apparently.” This one sure wasn’t going so hot.

“What do you mean?”

“Long story. I’ll fill you in later. For now, just please tell me you have room at your B and B. A single bed is all I need. I’m willing to share a bathroom.”

“Aidan, it’s August.” There was mild reproach in Jennifer’s voice.

Which meant she didn’t have room. And all the other B and B places in town would probably be booked, too. “What about a foldout couch?”

“We have one in the study. And I’d let you stay there, no problem, but that’s where we set up the crib.”

“Crib? Did someone forget to tell me something?” Was this a new trend? Had every single woman he knew gotten pregnant in the past nine months?

“I’m taking care of my brother’s baby while he and his wife are in Argentina. He’s teaching a four-week course.”

“You’re kidding.” He knew Jennifer already had to look after her father, who’d suffered a stroke many years ago, and an elderly aunt who’d moved to the island recently. Now she’d taken on her brother’s baby, as well?

“Afraid not. Look Aidan, I’m so sorry I can’t help you. Where are you now?”

“At Harrison and Justine’s.”

“They’re in Seattle for the month, aren’t they? Why don’t you just stay there?”

“Because while Harrison gave me a key to the place, Justine also gave a key to Rae Cordell. Rae works for Kincaid Communications, too.”

“Do you know each other? The house is certainly big enough for two….”

Not in this case. “I’ll figure something out. Not to worry.” Aidan heard a squawk. The baby?

“I’m dying to see you, Aidan. Why don’t you come for dinner tonight?”

He wanted to see Jennifer, too. But it sounded as though she had her hands full. He didn’t want her going to the work of preparing a meal for company. “How about I pick up some sandwiches in town and bring them over?”

“That would be great. I’ll make a few salads to go with them. Do you mind ordering enough for my dad and Aunt Annie, too?”

“No problem.”

“And why don’t you bring your friend Rae along, as well?”

He hadn’t said Rae was a friend. But before he could explain, the baby started squawking again, this time louder than before.

“I’ve got to go. I’ll see you and Rae later, Aidan. I can’t wait!”

JENNIFER WAS a naturally kind and hospitable person, so Aidan wasn’t surprised she’d extended an invitation to someone she’d never met. That didn’t mean he had to pass it on. However, if he didn’t, then he’d have to admit to Jennifer that he hadn’t, and then she would want to know why.

Aidan decided it would be easier to just invite Rae and let her say no.

He found her in the living room, feet up on the sofa, reading Forbes. He told her about the invitation. “Don’t feel as if you have to come.”

She amazed him by replying calmly, “That was very nice of Jennifer. Yes, I’d love to go.”

“You would?”

“Sure.” Her eyes betrayed nothing. No hint of the anger from earlier. No angst, no trauma, just…nothing.

“What time do you want to leave?” she asked.

“Half an hour,” Aidan said, giving her yet another reason to bow out. Not many women could get ready in that amount of time.

“Fine.”

True to her word, Rae was ready within thirty minutes. She’d combed her hair, put on a voluminous sundress and lipstick. She regarded her reflection in the full-length mirror of the foyer despondently. “I look like a puffer fish.”

She didn’t. She looked beautiful. It choked Aidan to admit it, but it was true. He’d never paid much attention to pregnant women before—he’d never had cause to. But despite her complaints, her insistence that she didn’t intend to keep the baby, there was an aura about her.

Rae grabbed her handbag, then waited while Aidan opened the door for her.

“Do you mind if I leave the top down?” he asked, as he helped her into the front seat of his car.

“It’s so hot—that would be nice.”

She needed a hand sitting down and he guessed she’d need help to get out, as well. He leaned down to find the lever to push the seat back and make more room for her bulk. Inadvertently, his shoulder brushed against her belly. It was surprisingly firm.

He stood up, embarrassed, yet oddly excited by the brief contact. That was his baby in there. And he’d touched her. It was still so incredible to him. Unbelievable and…amazing.

Wanting to touch again, yet knowing he couldn’t, he headed for the driver’s seat. As he reversed the car out of the driveway, Rae asked, “How far to your friend’s house?”

“Lavender Farm is on the north end of the island. About a thirty-minute drive.”

They stopped at the Cliffside Diner to pick up the packages of sandwiches that Aidan had ordered, then continued on the main road that circumnavigated the island.

Though paved, the route had many dangerous curves and the posted speed was low. Still, Rae’s long hair was whipped by the wind as Aidan accelerated. He leaned over to open the glove compartment and a navy silk scarf fell out.

“Use that.”

Rae gave him a questioning look, maybe wondering to whom the scarf belonged, then tied her hair back, as he’d suggested.

As the miles disappeared, Aidan began to relax. It was good to be on Summer Island again. The land to his left broke away to the ocean below with twenty-foot cliffs. The other side of the road was dotted with cultivated farmland and pastures that had been carved from the ancient rain forest. He slowed, in order to pass a small herd of cattle. A portion of the pasture fence had collapsed.

“Aren’t they beautiful?” Rae said. “I’ve never seen such black cows before.”

“Those are Kerries, an extremely rare breed of dairy cattle. They don’t produce as much milk as a Jersey or a Holstein, but the taste is incredibly creamy.”

Rae was surprised by Aidan’s detailed answer. “How do you know so much about cows?”

“For a couple of summers I worked at that farm. Mr. Olsen ran his operation the old-fashioned way, and I milked the cows by hand.”

Aidan could still remember the smell of the barn, the feel of the cows’ bellies against his head as he crouched low to access the fat, warm teats. There’d been a knack to coaxing the milk out of those teats and he’d been damn proud when he finally heard the satisfying metallic resonance of milk streaming into the galvanized pail held steady between his legs.

“I can’t imagine you milking a cow.” Rae looked at him speculatively.

“I loved that job. We’d carry the pails into the kitchen and Mrs. Olsen would run the milk through the separator. Once a week she’d give me a bottle of cream to take home to my mother. It was so thick, Mom had to spoon it into her coffee. But boy did it taste great on a bowl of fresh blueberries.”

Rae was still looking at him as if he’d just explained that he came from another planet. “Where did you and your mother stay when you were on the island?”

“We used to own the house across from the Kincaid place.”

“The pumpkin-colored yoga studio?”

“It was white in those days.” Molly Springfield, the new owner, apparently liked bright colors.

From Justine, and Harrison’s sister, Nessa, Aidan had heard that the yoga business was thriving, which surprised him. When he’d been a kid, the majority of islanders were fishermen and farmers who resisted the trends and so-called progress of the twentieth century. But they had cell phone service here now, so he supposed a yoga studio had been inevitable.

“Tell me about Jennifer,” Rae said. “Have you known her a long time?”

“Pretty much since we were in diapers.”

“She’s one of Simone DeRosier’s original Forget-Me-Not friends, right?”

He grimaced. “You know about that?”

“Last summer that was all anyone at work wanted to talk about. Simone’s tragic death and how devastated all of the Forget-Me-Not friends were.”

“Yeah, I can imagine.” The office grapevine worked well…except where he was concerned, obviously.

“Everyone was shocked when they found out Simone had been murdered. But it was never clear to me why it was assumed to be suicide in the first place.”

“Simone was found dead in a running car in her own garage. There was a letter with her that seemed to be a suicide note. It seemed pretty clear-cut at the time.”

“So how did Harrison figure out that one of your friends had killed her?”

“There were a number of things that didn’t add up. In the end, they all pointed to Emerson.” Like Harrison and Gabe, the landscape business owner had been in love with Simone. Only his love had grown into a sick obsession.

“I’m sorry,” Rae said. “I shouldn’t have raised such a painful topic.”

Aidan glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the dark look on his face that must have prompted Rae’s apology. He made an effort to smile. “That’s okay. It happened a long time ago. Now that Harrison is remarried I think a lot of the wounds have begun to heal.”

“Justine is a terrific lady,” Rae agreed.

Aidan pointed up the road. “There’s Lavender Farm.”

He eased off the accelerator. A handcrafted sign, nailed to the twisted, dark red branch of an arbutus tree, read: Lavender Farm Bed-And-Breakfast.

“Pretty,” Rae murmured.

“Wait until you see the rest of the place.”

He drove through a grove of tall cedars, veering slowly to the left, and then suddenly they were in a clearing. The two-story clapboard home sat in the midst of a rambling English-style garden. Ivy grew up and along the porch. Delicate blue hydrangea framed the doorway. And flower beds, mostly of lavender, spread out in all directions.

“I feel like I’m in a fairy tale,” Rae said, her head swiveling as she took in her surroundings. “Or maybe a nursery rhyme. ‘Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?’”

Taken aback by the prosaic comment, Aidan stared at Rae. When she saw him looking, her smile immediately vanished.

“What?” she demanded. “Did you think I was only capable of appreciating a healthy balance sheet and a profitable operating statement?”

Well, yeah. Up until today, he’d mostly seen Rae in a business environment. Now, all of a sudden, she was pregnant and quoting children’s rhymes, and earlier, she’d pulled a loaf of bread from the oven. Okay, that had been out of a package—he’d seen the wrapper on the counter—and she’d burned it so it was inedible, but still, the mere idea that she even knew how to turn on an oven was antithetical to his original view of her.

As Aidan had anticipated, Rae needed help getting out of the front seat. He’d no sooner let go of her hand than he heard his name.

“Aidan!” A woman waved at them from the porch. Jennifer’s blond hair was still long and straight—the same as always. Her smile was welcoming. Uncomplicated. The only thing different about this picture was the baby she had balanced on her hip.

“Hey, Jenn.” Aidan stepped forward to kiss her cheek. “This is Rae Cordell from our Pittsburgh office. And this must be Erica.” He tugged the baby’s bare foot gently.

“Hi, Jennifer. It’s nice to meet you.” Though her words were friendly, Rae didn’t seem as relaxed as she’d been on the drive over. Her smile was stiff now, and she hadn’t removed her sunglasses, even though they stood in shade.

“Rae, I’m glad you could make it on such short notice.” Jennifer shook the other woman’s hand, then glanced back at Aidan, her eyes registering surprise.

He should have told her Rae was pregnant.

“We thought we’d eat outside,” Jennifer said. “We’ve set up the picnic table in the back.”

“Sounds good. I’ll get the food from the car.” As Aidan retrieved the paper bags from the backseat, Rae appeared at his side, holding out a hand for one of the sacks.

“You didn’t tell me she had a baby,” Rae whispered.

“She doesn’t—that’s her niece. She’s babysitting.”

With the baby still resting on her hip, Jennifer led her guests to the back garden. It seemed to Aidan that Rae followed almost reluctantly. What was with her? Suddenly she seemed sorry that she’d decided to come. So then, why had she agreed to the invitation? He certainly hadn’t pressured her into saying yes.

They reached the patio, where a picnic table had been set with a flowered cloth. Plates and cutlery were stacked next to a pitcher of iced tea.

Sitting side by side at the table were Jennifer’s father, Phil, and her aunt Annie. Clearly, the two of them were brother and sister. Both were tall and thin, like Jennifer. However, while Jennifer had fine, feminine features, her aunt’s and father’s faces were stronger, more angular.

Jennifer provided introductions, then settled the baby in a high chair. Aidan noticed that Rae had elected to sit on the edge of the bench farthest away from the small child. He squeezed himself into the middle, between Rae and Jenn.

“So, dear,” Jennifer’s father asked as the food was served, “when is your baby due?”

“In about two weeks, is my guess,” Annie replied.

“Actually, three,” Rae said.

Annie just smiled. “We’ll see.”

“Until she retired last year, my aunt was a midwife in Prince Rupert,” Jennifer explained. “Would you pass the potato salad, please? By the way, Auntie, I used up all our eggs in that salad.”

“I’ll go to the farm tomorrow and buy more.” The older woman passed the salad to her niece. To Rae and Aidan she explained, “Jennifer insists on free-range, organically fed chickens and eggs. That means a trip to the Red Door Farm, which is all the way on the other side of the island.”

“Their eggs are the best,” Jennifer explained. “How many babies do you think you delivered in your career, Auntie?”

“Oh…hundreds. And I can tell by the way Rae is carrying that she’s going to have a—”

“Annie!” Phil admonished. “Maybe Rae wants the sex to be a surprise. What are you hoping for, dear? A boy or a girl?”

Aidan squirmed, uncomfortable on Rae’s behalf. She must get these questions all the time. How did she…

“It doesn’t matter,” Rae said bluntly. “I’m planning to give the child up for adoption.” She twisted to look beyond Aidan to Jennifer. “Can you pass the bowl this way, too, please? I love potato salad.”