Countdown: Grayson
Page 4
“She’s a four-month-old little girl who was left on a doorstep.” Sandie tightened the short ponytail at the back of her neck. Though Kara knew they were about the same age, Sandie looked younger than almost forty. Like time hadn’t worn her down. She didn’t wear a wedding ring, and she did house calls for locals who were too poor or too afraid to come into her office. But she wasn’t married, didn’t have any children of her own, and didn’t seem to miss either in the least. Kara admired her immensely.
“Don’t you think the authorities should be involved?” Sandie asked.
“Yes. Of course. I just—”
“I have three more appointments this afternoon, and then I promised Reverend Patterson I’d stop over at the church. He has a parishioner who’s pregnant and refusing to see a doctor. He thought I might be able to convince her, or at least examine her.” Sandie got up and slid Jade’s chart from the clipboard, folded the paper in half, and handed it to Kara. “That means I probably won’t be able to make follow-up phone calls until tomorrow morning, when I’m back in the office.” She gave Kara a meaningful look.
“Thank you.”
Sandie nodded and opened the exam room, then pointed down the hall to a back exit. “Take that door. It’s closer to the parking lot.” She was gone in the opposite direction before Kara had a chance to thank her again.
“It’s your lucky day, sweetheart,” Kara said as she carried Jade down the hall. She passed two empty exam rooms, then a single restroom, on her way to the exit. Funny how these places always smelled the same. Every doctor’s office she’d ever been to had the same appearance and antiseptic scent.
She reached for the door, but the letters on the exit sign swam before her eyes, and for a minute, she lost her bearings.
She’d had Harrison at sixteen. Then two miscarriages, at eighteen and twenty-two. The first had been a blessing, the second a grievous loss. Kara broke out in a sweat. She’d known nothing back then about love or sex or relationships or being a mother. She’d done the best she could, but God, how different would she do things now if Jade were her child?
She pressed a hand against the wall to steady herself and set the car seat on the floor. Get it together. But her body reacted before her mind could quiet it, and she flinched as if someone were about to hit her.
A wave of nausea swept over her, and Kara closed her eyes. She hadn’t had this kind of memory, this kind of reaction, in years. She hadn’t thought about those miscarriages, sitting on the toilet as blood spilled from her, or the ways she’d gotten pregnant. The men who had hurt her. The men who had taught her. At twenty-six she’d had her tubes tied, sworn against marrying, and sent herself to night school so she could support herself and Harrison.
She wiped her face and looked down at the baby, who gazed back at her with a puzzled expression.
“It’s okay,” she said, trying to reassure herself as much as Jade. “Just had a little memory jog. It won’t happen again.” She looked over her shoulder to make sure no one had seen her mini-breakdown, then made her way back to the car, baby firmly in hand.
Inside the car, Turk was throwing a fit, whining and pawing at the half-open window as they approached. “Okay, okay, buddy,” she said as she opened the door. He tumbled out and sniffed Jade all over, as if to make sure Kara hadn’t done something terrible to her while they were gone. Only when he’d done three rounds of sniffing from head to toe did he seem satisfied. He jumped into the back seat and waited, tongue wagging.
“Do you have bloodhound in you?” she asked. The dog cocked its head. “Maybe you can trace whoever left Jade on the mountain. Because we have less than a day to find out who she belongs to.” Kara buckled the car seat into place. Now I’m talking to an animal as if he’s going to answer me.
Her stomach rumbled and she looked at her watch. “How about some lunch?” She wasn’t sure the dog would stand being trapped alone in the car again, but Greenway had an indoor-outdoor restaurant near the interstate, so they could sit outside and enjoy some fresh air. And who knew? She might run into someone who recognized Jade or could at least offer some information about the mother.
She started the car and then texted Grayson. Going to the 14 G&G for some lunch if you want to join us. She waited a minute, but he didn’t respond, so she tucked her phone in her purse and headed out into traffic.
3:00 p.m.
Grayson pulled into the parking lot of the Yawketuck Valley Convention Center. The two-story building made of glass and sleek wood sat off the interstate and looked down on the valley. It had been built a few years ago against local taxpayers’ wishes, who swore it would create nonstop traffic and attract unsavory strangers from all parts of the country. But it was a fixture now that brought in a steady profit, so most people had stopped complaining about it.
He wondered how his dog was getting along. Actually, he wondered how Kara and Jade were getting along. Part of him wanted to know. The other part of him hoped maybe Kara and her doctor friend would decide he had no right or reason to be involved with Jade at all, and they’d tell him to stick to matters he did know, like boxing and training and fixing leaky pipes. What on earth would he do with a child? He barely managed to keep two kittens and a dog safe and fed.
He tightened his fingers around the steering wheel. The conference center’s parking lot was only half full, but he’d seen signs around town for the Old Dominion Regional Agents’ Conference, so he knew she was there.
Becca Torrance of Raleigh, North Carolina, had struck up a conversation with Grayson at the Loose Goose bar three years ago, when she’d first come to town for the annual real estate conference. He’d been on his third Jack and Coke and finishing a plate of ribs when she walked in.
“Take a look at that ass,” the bartender said, and every guy turned to see.
Becca carried herself with class. That was the first thing Grayson noticed about her. She dressed in designer clothes and looked around the bar with cool confidence, like she belonged there. She winning smiled, tossed her butter-colored hair over her shoulder, and climbed onto the empty stool beside Grayson before he had time to blink. She had a great face, blue eyes, and a dimple when she smiled. He’d been hooked from the start.
They ended up in his bed less than three hours later. Each morning she got up and spent the day at her conference, learning about staging or showing or whatever it was real estate agents did when they got together. And each night she met him at the bar. They did shots, ate dinner, did more shots, and ended up in bed again. She was a wildcat who liked it rough, and he’d barely been able to keep up with her. After three days, he was spent.
Same time next year? she texted the last morning as she drove away, and he agreed.
The following year the sex was rougher, the drinks stronger, her grip on him tighter. He found himself thinking of Becca at the oddest times during the rest of the year, getting hard when he was supposed to be training clients, or working on his cabin, or even filing his taxes, for Christ’s sake.
Grayson released the steering wheel once and for all and slammed both palms on it. Last summer, she’d just about broken him. They didn’t keep in regular touch during the year, though she might text him around the holidays or send him a naked picture when he least expected it, just enough to keep him on the line.
So he’d waited for her with a ring in his top dresser drawer. Not a diamond, but two sapphires set in white gold. He’d been married before and knew he screwed up, but Becca gave him hope for a second chance. She was smart and accomplished and had her own income without depending on his. He wasn’t stupid enough to think they’d get hitched right away, but he wanted to see her more than once a year. Maybe if they made a commitment, down the road they could also make a life together.
When he told her that, she laughed at him. He could still picture her propped up on one elbow in his bed.
“Aw, Gray. That’s sweet, but this isn’t anything but a fun fuck. I’m sorry. I thought we were both on the same page.”
She’d actually called him a couple of times since then, but he hadn’t picked up, and he hadn’t listened to her voice mails, just deleted them. Now he wondered if he should have. What if she’d been calling to tell him he was a father? A lump snagged at the back of his throat. He usually wore a condom, but with Becca, he’d let his guard down. He wanted to feel her, all of her, so the last few times, he’d gone bareback. Figured she was on the pill anyway. Weren’t most women these days?
He pushed away the hurt and rejection and scanned the parking lot. He had no idea if Becca had left Jade on his porch, but a niggling feeling thought it was possible. He’d last slept with her a year ago, so if Jade was a few months old, the math worked out.
He closed his eyes and scrubbed one hand over his face. Part of all those AA meetings was about taking responsibility, and that meant getting his ass out of the truck, as tough as it would be to face Becca again.
He kept his gaze down as he walked toward the entrance. He’d spent enough time with Becca that he knew he might recognize some of the other agents. Hell, he’d slept with a couple of the other agents, before Becca and once along with Becca. It was his first and last foray into threesomes, not because he didn’t enjoy them, but because he realized he didn’t like to share.
Thankfully, he didn’t see any familiar faces as he walked inside, and the conference must’ve been in full swing, because he didn’t see a soul in the lobby or hanging around the break tables. He took a quick glance down both hallways. Nothing but closed doors and the murmur of a speaker somewhere, followed by muted applause. He doubled back and headed for the front desk.
“Well, hello there,” purred Ginger Keller, a fortysomething woman who’d worked at the convention center since it opened. “Looking for Becca?”
How did he answer that? If he said yes, he sounded desperate. If he said no, he sounded like a jerk. Thankfully, she didn’t give him time.
“She’s here, but I haven’t seen much of her this year,” Ginger said. “Of course, I know the two of you....” She trailed off, as if waiting for him to fill in the blanks. He didn’t. She cocked her head. “You look different.”
I’ve laid off the booze, he wanted to say. Without trying, he’d also dropped twenty pounds and lost the bags under his eyes. “That a good thing?” he asked.
She beamed. “Well, of course. Let me ask you about that boot camp you’re offering at your gym. Think an old woman like me could do it?”
“You’re not old.”
Her smile grew even bigger. “That’s awfully charming of you to say.”
“It’s the truth. You should come by when you have a chance. I’ll give you some info, show you around.”
“Perfect. I will.”
He drummed his knuckles on the counter and backed away. Restless, he wandered the halls, resisting the urge to pull open doors. He peeked into the small bar and turned around in a hurry, not trusting himself to set foot inside, even if he told himself he’d just order seltzer and lime. Not yet.
Suddenly, voices filled the convention center as agents spilled into the hallways. A session must’ve wrapped up. Grayson returned to the lobby and steeled himself for Becca’s appearance.
“Hey, Grayson,” squealed a redhead who looked vaguely familiar. He nodded and smiled. A heavy brunette gave him a curious glance. Other than that, he saw no one he knew. He was about to give up when he saw her.
She’d stopped in the middle of the hallway, talking to someone. She didn’t see him at first, but then her gaze moved away from her friend and caught on him, and her cheeks turned bright pink. She said something to her companion, who turned around and gave Grayson a long look.
Becca lifted her chin and readjusted the shoulder strap of her handbag. She chewed her bottom lip, glanced over her shoulder, and finally walked up to him. “Hi, Gray. Been a while.”
She looked different than he remembered. More lines around her eyes, and gray at her temples that hadn’t been there before. She looked tired too, and in a panic he wondered if that was because she’d been up with a baby until a few hours ago. She was a little heavier and less put together, and her makeup had smudged at the corners of her eyes and mouth.
“How’ve you been?”
“Oh, you know. The same.”
But he didn’t know. His chest tightened. He cracked his knuckles. “Can we talk?”
She pulled her purse into her body as if forming a line of defense against him. “I only have a few minutes.”
“Won’t take more than that.” The words felt like grit in his mouth. He motioned outside, and they walked past the smokers and the flowerbeds so big and colorful you could see them from the highway. Finally they reached a bench on the far side of the building. Grayson sat on one end, Becca on the other.
He had no idea what to say, how to begin. He cleared his throat. “How’s the conference?”
“Same as always.”
He almost asked her why she kept coming back if that was the case, but the last thing he wanted was to get trapped in small talk or start a fight about something petty. Instead he nodded and watched a bird hop along the lawn.
“I’m sorry about the way things ended,” she said after a minute of silence. She stared at the highway, her purse still clutched close to her chest.
“It was probably better.”
She glanced at him. “Was it?”
“I mean, like you said, we were just having fun once a year. Not much to make a relationship out of.”
“I never thought you wanted a relationship.”
He hadn’t either, until he crawled out of his drunken fog and realized living solo in a cabin with a dog wasn’t cutting it anymore.
Cut the shit. No small talk. “Becca, I gotta ask you something.”
“What’s that?”
How the hell do I bring this up? He stared at his feet. “Is there, uh, any way you might....”
“Spit it out, Gray.”
His chin jerked up. “Is there any way you got pregnant last time we were together?”
She stared at him like he was high. Then she began to laugh. That cruel, indifferent laugh, the same as he remembered from his bed a year ago. It cut him to the core. “Christ almighty, no. Why would you ask me that?”
“No reason.” He was already on his feet. Had she always been this shallow, this unkind? Probably. The vast majority of the time they’d spent together hadn’t been anything close to sober.
Relief washed over him. She wasn’t Jade’s mother. She hadn’t driven up the mountain that morning and left Jade there. He had no connection to her anymore, and that brought him relief as well. Even the pain of her laughter hurt less the longer he stood there. How had he ever wanted to marry her?
“Good to see you, Becca,” he lied as he walked away. He didn’t wait for her answer, and maybe that was rude, but she hadn’t given him any reason to act otherwise. He thought of Kara, and his steps quickened. She’d texted him and asked if he wanted to meet for lunch, and he hadn’t even answered, too caught up in thoughts of Becca. The 14 G&G was less than a ten-minute drive from the convention center. Maybe she’d still be there. Maybe if he drove fast enough, he could get a burger and a cold glass of water and conversation with someone who wouldn’t laugh at him. Right then, the thought of sitting across from a woman who had her shit together, who was helping him even though she didn’t have to and was a hell of a lot sexier than Becca Torrance had ever been, was the best idea he’d had all day.
Save me a seat if ur still there, he texted Kara as he slid behind the wheel of his truck. On my way.
4:00 p.m.
Kara turned over her phone in her
hand and read Grayson’s text for the third time. She’d been sitting at a picnic bench outside the 14 G&G for over an hour, watching traffic, listening to conversation around her, and feeding Jade a bottle when she got fussy. Turk sat at her feet, chin resting on his front paws. She wondered what Grayson had found—or rather, who he had found. His text gave no indication of success or failure.
“Who’s your mama, little girl?” Jade’s toes squirmed, and she kicked off her socks. Kara had already searched every square inch of the carrier, the diaper bag, even Jade’s clothing for some indication of her origin. The onesie could’ve been purchased in any discount store. Ditto for the socks, the bottle, the diapers. She hadn’t found a single clue as to where the girl had come from or who she might belong to.
“Oh my goodness, she’s adorable,” cooed an elderly woman with a shock of white hair. She stopped at Kara’s table and touched Jade’s bare toes. “What’s her name?”
“Jade.”
“Well, that’s an unusual one.”
Kara knew. It certainly wasn’t one you heard every day, especially in the hills of Virginia. Olivias and Avas were a dime a dozen. Charlotte was still quite popular, as were Harper and Abigail. But a single syllable that could also be a precious stone? That in itself might be a clue to the mother, Kara kept thinking. Maybe she was from another state, or another country, even.
“She’s beautiful,” the woman said. She glanced at Kara’s bare fingers, and Kara wondered if she was processing the lack of a wedding ring.
“Thank you.” She bent down to pour some more water into the bowl at Turk’s feet. She waited until the woman’s shadow moved away before straightening again. The Yawketuck Valley wasn’t that big. Before long, Kara would see someone she knew, which meant she’d have to explain whose baby this was.