by Jackie Braun
“I’ve been that way a lot lately.”
“Me, too.”
“They make pills for that, you know.” Ali walked in behind Ree. She sent a wink in her brother’s direction before grinning at Ree, who felt the color rise in her cheeks.
“Hi, Ali.”
“Are you still joining Audra and me for lunch today?” She asked Ree. Glancing toward Dane, she added, “Or have you gotten a better offer?”
“We’re still on,” Ree confirmed.
Audra walked in then. Or, more accurately, she waddled. Ree couldn’t help but grin. “Hi, honey. How are you?”
“How do I look?” Audra grumbled, but then she offered an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I’m just tired of being so huge that I can be spotted from space.”
She plopped down on the chair next to Ali, who patted her twin’s arm. “You look beautiful, Aud.”
“Lovely,” Ree seconded.
“Radiant,” Dane added hastily after a meaningful look from both Ree and Ali.
Audra didn’t appear convinced. “I look like I should be flying over the Rose Bowl, but thanks anyway.”
“It won’t be much longer,” Ree told her.
“No. The doctor said if I haven’t gone into labor by Monday, they’re going to induce. And about time, I say.” She patted her stomach. “Come on, little one, stop being so stubborn and get out here already.”
“Mom says you should try walking or other light activity to get things moving,” Ali said. “She said she canned an entire batch of dill pickles just before delivering Dane.”
Ree knew from Dane’s sisters that their parents had arrived from Florida a week earlier, intent on being in Michigan for the birth of their first grandchild. They were staying with Audra and Seth. Which was why Audra insisted on working. She’d confided to Ree when they went to the movies the other night that her mother’s hovering and constant advice were driving her crazy.
“I’ve worn a path in the carpeting, no luck. Even sex hasn’t sent me into labor. And Seth and I have been going at it like bunnies for the past week.”
“Aud,” Dane murmured, looking uncomfortable.
“What?” She sent him a wicked grin. “Some of us are getting it.”
“Getting what?” Luke asked as he walked in.
“Nothing,” Dane replied, shooting his sister a black look.
Audra’s grin widened. “Exactly.”
The meeting got under way then. Since the contractor had been out of town, however, it ended a mere fifteen minutes later.
“Well, that was a short one,” Ali said, pushing her chair back from the table.
“I know. Not much new to report since last week, I’m afraid,” Ree admitted.
Audra divided a considering look between Regina and Dane. Eyebrows arching, she said, “Hmm, and I got the impression things were progressing.”
Dane didn’t say anything for a long moment. Then he admitted softly, “They are. Slowly but surely.”
His gaze was so steady on Ree that the rest of the room seemed to melt away.
“Yes, slowly but surely,” she agreed, working up the audacity to add, “Of course, I’m hoping the pace will pick up soon.”
“This kind of thing takes time,” Dane countered. “Especially if you want to get it right.”
“Oh, I want to get it right.”
Luke’s discreet cough shattered the moment. “Um, are we still talking about Saybrook’s on the Pointe?” he asked.
“I’m not sure,” Ali replied. “But I think I might need to take a cold shower.”
Ree worried that lunch with Dane’s sisters would be awkward after the scene in the conference room. It wasn’t, though. Her dealings with his sisters never were.
It amazed Ree how quickly she had come to think of Dane’s sisters as friends. She hadn’t planned to become chummy with them, any more than she had planned to fall in love with their brother. Technically she was in their employ, at least until the renovation was complete, but they never made Ree feel like anything less than their equal. And she adored them. They were funny, smart, generous and kind to a fault, even as they bickered almost comically over the most mundane things. Sometimes, sitting in their midst, Ree found herself fantasizing about what it would be like to be part of such a family.
They decided to eat in the resort’s dining room since Audra had a craving for beef tips and twice-baked potatoes. Almost as soon as they sat down at the table, the bickering began. On this day the topic was nursery colors.
“I think you should have kept the baby’s room neutral. That way she will not be subjected to society’s stereotypes from the first moment she peeks her head out of the womb,” Ali said matter-of-factly as she shook out her napkin and spread it over her lap.
“My daughter’s self-esteem will not be in jeopardy just because I’ve chosen to decorate her room in pink,” Audra replied. “Besides, I plan to make sure she knows she can be anything she chooses to be and I expect you, as her godmother, to do your part, too.”
“Her godmother,” Ali repeated on a sigh that morphed its way into a sob.
“Are you all right?” Ree blinked, stunned and a little panicked. Ali wasn’t the overly emotional sort.
Ali waved her hand and then picked up the napkin to dab at her eyes. “Sorry. I’m fine. Really. Just…” She sobbed again. “Just a little teary-eyed today for some reason.”
Audra’s eyes narrowed. “Oh? Just today? Seems like you’ve gone through a box of tissues an hour for the past week.”
“I know,” Ali admitted. “My hormones must be out of whack. I’ve been tearing up over really stupid things lately. Like last night. Luke gave me a kiss and told me he loved me—he does that every night before we go to bed—and I just started blubbering. Bizarre.”
“Not so bizarre if you’re pregnant,” Audra said.
Ali’s gaze flew to Ree, who held up her hands. “Hey, don’t look at me. Audra’s the expert on pregnancy.”
“I’m not pregnant,” Ali said. But then her eyes widened. “I can’t be…”
She sat in silence for a moment, holding out her hands as her lips and fingers moved simultaneously.
“Doing the math, huh?” Audra chuckled.
“Oh, my.”
“You could buy one of those little kits at the drugstore,” Ree suggested.
“Yes,” Audra seconded. “I’ll pick one up after we leave here.” She chuckled again. “Won’t the clerk at the pharmacy get a kick out of seeing me belly-up to the cash register with one of those things?”
Ali worried her lower lip. “What if Luke decides to come home early?”
“We’ll go to my house. I’ll make sure Seth keeps Mom and Dad out of our hair for a while. You’ll know for sure in short order and then tonight you can make Luke the happiest man on the planet. Well, the happiest man besides Seth, of course.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Ali said, smiling.
Ree was smiling, too, until Audra said, “Speaking of happy men, Dane seemed to have a little more spring in his step today.”
Ree gave the lunch menu her full attention. “How is your chef’s pasta primavera?” she asked, eager to change the subject.
“Excellent, but we’re talking about Dane.”
Ree’s gaze shifted to Ali, hoping to garner support, but the other woman shrugged. “Aud’s a nosy pain in the butt most of the time, but in this case I’m a little curious myself to find out what’s going on between you and our brother.”
“Nothing is going on,” she said, but even to her own ears, her tone lacked conviction.
“The windows in the conference room nearly fogged up, Ree,” Ali said dryly. “People pay dating services good money to encounter that kind of nothing.”
Ree felt her cheeks heating with mortification. After all, Ali and Audra knew she was married. She could only imagine what they thought of her interest in their brother.
“I really care about him,” she said, even though it went well beyond that. “But w
e’re…that is, we’ve…”
At a loss for how to explain her feelings and their relationship, she picked up her water glass and sipped.
Audra’s expression held understanding. “Look, Ree, even though you’ve never said anything about the situation with your husband, we kind of know.”
“You do.”
“Dane told me that you’re separated.”
“And Aud mentioned it to me,” Ali inserted.
“But even if Dane hadn’t said a word, it was pretty obvious your marriage was in trouble. Your husband isn’t around and you never talk about him the way most married women talk about their husbands.” She pointed to Ree’s unadorned hand. “You don’t wear a ring.”
“Yeah,” Ali said. “And then there’s the way the resort’s sprinkler system goes off whenever you and Dane are in the conference room together.”
“I’ve moved ahead with the divorce. I should have ended things permanently two years ago,” she admitted quietly.
Audra’s head bobbed once in a nod. “You weren’t ready two years ago. You are now.”
“So, what are your intentions toward our big brother?” Ali asked on a wink.
Ree wasn’t expecting company, so when the bell rang on Sunday afternoon, she walked to the front door on her heels with cotton balls tucked between her toes to keep from smudging the fresh coat of polish she’d just applied to her nails.
Dane grinned as he glanced down at her feet. “Nice,” he murmured. “Reminds me of cotton candy. I’ve always loved the stuff. Very…tasty.”
“I can do yours next, if you’d like.”
His eyebrows rose. “I’d rather apply a second coat for you.”
“This is still wet. It will take another couple minutes to dry.”
“Or less if I blow on them.”
She shivered in the open doorway. The temperature outside was hovering in the forties. But that wasn’t what had raised gooseflesh on her arms.
“Are you going to invite me in?” Dane asked.
“Of course.” She stepped back. “I’m surprised to see you today.” But glad, even though if she had known he was coming she would have dressed in something more flattering than faded jeans and an old flannel work shirt that had belonged to her grandfather.
“I probably could have called, but I figured it would be more fun to deliver this news in person.”
“What news?”
“I’m an uncle.” He pulled a pink bubblegum cigar from the back pocket of his jeans and handed it to Ree. “Aud gave birth at 7:46 last night.”
“Congratulations!” Ree squealed. “Come on, spill. I want all the details.”
He rubbed his chin. “Let’s see, the baby weighed in at seven pounds and some odd change and measures nearly twenty inches. She’s bald as a peeled egg, but then I don’t think Audra had any hair to speak of till she was about two.”
“Who does she look like?”
“Hard to say. She kind of resembles Winston Churchill.”
“God, you’re terrible.” Ree swatted his arm. “What did they name her?”
“LeeAnn, after Seth’s sister.” He turned serious then. “She’s something else.”
“I can’t wait to see her,” Ree said.
“Actually that’s why I stopped by. Audra wanted me to tell you that she’d love for you to come up if you’re free today. I’m on my way back to the hospital now. I thought I’d swing by, see if you wanted to go.”
Deeply touched to be included, Ree grinned. “Just let me change.”
“Ree! You made it,” Audra called out when they entered the hospital room.
Seth sat next to her on the bed. Both of them were beaming despite looking utterly exhausted.
Even though the hospital’s policy only allowed a couple visitors at a time, the room was packed. Ali sat in the rocking chair, a pink-wrapped bundle in her arms. Luke was behind the rocker, making cooing noises over his wife’s shoulder. An older couple stood near the window. Dane’s parents, she decided, even before he began the introductions.
“Mom and Dad, this is Regina Bellini.”
“We’ve heard a lot about you,” Mrs. Conlan said. She had been rearranging the vases of flowers that were lined up on the windowsill. She stopped now to step forward and shake Ree’s hand.
Even though Beth Conlan’s smile was friendly and her words hardly an indictment, Ree still felt on trial.
Mr. Conlan shook her hand as well. When he smiled, that same solitary dimple that dented Dane’s cheek, tugged in on his. Half a dozen real cigars peeked out of the breast pocket of his plaid shirt. He held one out to Ree.
“Nice to meet you. Have a stogie.”
“Thanks. And same here. Congratulations.” Ree glanced around the room motioning with the cigar. “To all of you.”
Every one of the Conlans was present and accounted for, welcoming the newest addition to their brood with wide smiles and eyes full of pride. Ree was awed by their closeness, and she envied it as well. They didn’t know how lucky they were. Then again, she thought, maybe they did and that’s why they were all here, celebrating this special occasion together.
Unable to resist any longer, Ree walked over for her first peek at the baby in Ali’s arms. Beneath a little pink stocking cap, a pair of sleepy eyes tried to focus before giving up and closing. Ree felt her heart swell and the old desires for family grew right along with it. Someday, she thought. Someday. This time, the inexact date was not nearly so troubling.
“Are you going to hog that baby all afternoon, Alice?” Beth Conlan demanded.
“I’m thinking about it.”
“You know, if you’d get busy and give me a second grandbaby, we would each have one to hold,” Dane’s mother stated boldly.
The lunch conversation from the other day played back through Ree’s head. She hadn’t gone to Audra’s when Ali took the pregnancy test, but she knew the results now by the way Ali glanced lovingly over her shoulder at Luke, whose face lit up with a grin more dazzling than the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
“You can stop harping, Mom. Luke and I are already on that. About the time LeeAnn starts crawling, we’ll be setting her up with a cousin.”
Pandemonium broke out then. Hugs were exchanged, backs slapped, happy sentiments offered. Ree stepped back content to be on the periphery of the excitement, and not wanting to intrude, but Ali reeled her back in with an offer to hold LeeAnn.
“Come on, Ree. Take her. It’s your turn.”
“Oh, no. Let Mrs. Conlan have her first,” she demurred, even as her fingers itched to touch the baby’s soft skin and feel that comforting weight in her arms.
But Ali was shaking her head. “Once Mom gets hold of her no one else is going to get a chance for the rest of the day. Come on.”
Ree glanced around uneasily. All eyes seemed to be on her. “Well, okay.”
She traded spots with Ali and sighed contentedly when the baby was tucked into her arms.
“Oh, look at you,” she cooed, forgetting all about being self-conscious when one tiny fist poked up from the receiving blanket. Ree held out her index finger, chuckling softly when LeeAnn grasped it.
“Isn’t she something?” Dane murmured proudly as he squatted down beside the chair.
“Amazing.”
She turned her head to grin at Dane, who smiled back. Their gazes locked, lingered. A silent message that brimmed with hope seemed to pass between them. When Ree glanced over his shoulder, she caught Dane’s parents trading a look as well. This one brimmed with both speculation…and concern.
Now that his mother had met Regina, Dane expected to get the third degree. The only surprise was that she waited nearly two weeks before doing so. During that time, she’d managed to bump into Ree twice, just happening to be at the resort when their usual Friday meeting about the Victorian’s renovations took place.
Both times, Dane had held his breath. It was important, so important, that his parents see her as he did: a smart and good-hearted woman
who was determined to carve out a new and happy life for herself.
The family was gathered around Audra’s kitchen table for Sunday dinner. His mother had prepared roast beef, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. The menu was a little more pedestrian now that Audra had delivered LeeAnn. Even so, Dane gladly helped himself to seconds, all while eyeing the apple cobbler that was still cooling on the counter. After dinner, he planned to settle on the couch in the den with a slice of it to watch the rest of the Lion’s game with the guys on Seth’s big screen television.
He never made it out of the kitchen.
“Your father and I would like to have a word with you, Dane Michael,” his mom said.
Even though he was halfway through his thirties, the use of his middle name had warning bells sounding in his head. His father’s pained sigh didn’t alleviate his trepidation.
“Beth, let it be. I thought we agreed we wouldn’t say anything?”
“We agreed? I never agreed. We’re his parents. It’s our job to say something,” she finished smartly.
“He’s a grown man.”
Sure, Dane thought, a grown man who was being talked about as if he wasn’t even in the room. He noted the grim line of his mother’s mouth, though, and decided not to give voice to that observation.
“You don’t need to stay,” she told his father, even though the look on her face clearly said she expected him to.
His father was either being very brave or very foolish, Dane decided, when he eagerly cleared out with his sons-in-law. Audra and Ali, of course, had to be shooed from the room. Even then, Dane was pretty sure they were hovering somewhere nearby, eavesdropping.
He settled back into his chair at the table. “Is something wrong, Mom?” he asked innocently.
“I wasn’t going to bring this up,” she began, and Dane heard a muffled snort of laughter from just outside the door. Every lecture he could remember from his teen years on had begun this way. She shot a black look in the direction of the door before continuing. “But I’ve heard some things and…well, I’ve got eyes.”
“What is it, Mom?”
“Are you carrying on with a married woman?”
“No!” Despite the denial, he felt heat flame into his cheeks.
He knew his mother saw it, too, when she said, “Dane Michael Conlan, your father and I raised you better than this.”