What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 8)

by Sabrina York

  He nodded, looking pleased. “If Jessie cooperates, you’re welcome to join us for dinner at seven-thirty. Mom and I are casual unless we have company.”

  She mentally shuffled through her wardrobe, wondering what he considered casual. Her eyes suddenly widened. “Oh, no.”

  “What?”

  “I left my case in the taxi.”

  Dom groaned. “I’ll call the company and have them hold it. While you settle in and get better acquainted with my mother and Jessie, I’ll drive into Corvallis to retrieve it.”

  “Thanks.” The silence lengthened, and Caris frowned, wondering if she was supposed to do something else. Should she be asking questions, maybe? “Um, what’s the salary?” Her eyes widened at the amount he mentioned. If Jessica wasn’t her baby, she would definitely want to work for them. “That’s—”

  “And, of course, that’s above room and board. There’s also a clothing allowance for casual clothes to wear during Jessie’s activities, so you won’t ruin your nice clothes.”

  “Thanks,” she said again, wincing at the contents she would find in her case when unpacking. They were hardly what anyone would consider nice. She wore her nicest outfit today—tight, faded jeans and a burgundy sweater with nary a hole.

  Once again, the silence lengthened between them. She watched Dom run a hand through his dark hair and scratch his stubbled chin. “Uh…”

  “Well, I’ll head into town.” He jerked his eyes from hers and hurried from the room.

  Caris watched him go, and sank onto the bed once she heard the main door of the suite close behind him. Her stomach hurt worse than it had for days, and she bent forward. Bile worked its way up her throat, filling her mouth with a sour flavor. She rocked back and forth, trying to overcome the pain. Why now, when Jess was so close?

  She looked around the luxurious nanny room—well, luxurious to her. Through the door was an even more resplendent room, and it had been decorated for a five-month-old baby. What would they do for Jessica when she was old enough to choose her own things?

  What else could they give her besides a professionally decorated room? Certainly, they could afford riding lessons, as Caris always dreamed of having as a child. Jessica would have dance classes, music lessons, the best schools, and a secure home. There would never be a doubt if she would have money for trips to the mall, let alone food for dinner. No nights in cold doorways, or being home alone while her mother worked two or three jobs to keep them going. She would never wake up to strange men in a dingy apartment or have to listen to her mother sob for hours if she lived with the McNeils. She wouldn’t have the kind of childhood Caris had endured. Jessica would be happy and secure.

  An anguished cry broke from her, and Caris scrubbed at her cheeks. How could she take her daughter from all this? Yet, how could she live without Jessica? Should she still go through with her plan of taking Jessica from the house later this evening, or should she kiss her daughter, maybe leave a note, and shuffle off into the sunset? Was love truly enough, or did she owe Jessica more? Would her daughter hate her for leaving her? Probably. Would she someday hate her even more for taking her? Sobs broke from Caris’s chest as she searched for the answer inside her heart. All she could hear were the mocking words of officials she had heard repeatedly the past few weeks. In the best interests of the child.

  Chapter Five

  By the time Dom returned with her case, Caris had washed away most of the traces of her crying jag and joined Elena and Jessica in the sitting room. It was a relief to hear him come in, as the tense silence and Elena’s watchful eyes had made her nervous. Only the reassurance of holding her daughter had kept her from blurting out a confession.

  She felt her heart twist painfully when Dom reentered the room, and Jessica smiled at him, holding out chubby fingers in his direction. She tried to keep her expression bland as she handed her daughter to him, but she couldn’t deny the dart of pain accompanying the transfer. Did her baby already prefer him to her?

  He rocked her gently. “Why don’t you go unpack, Caris? Once you’re settled in, I’ll bring Jessie up so you can finish getting acquainted with her.”

  She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded as she stood up from the floor. She lifted the case and walked to the doorway, trying to keep her envious gaze from Dom and her daughter. She froze when Elena called out to her. Caris’s stomach clenched as she turned back to his mother, forcing a smile. “Yes?”

  “You left your camera again.”

  Caris nodded and returned for the camera, and hurried up the stairs to the suite she was supposed to share with Jessica. She didn’t bother to unpack anything except a denim skirt and yellow blouse that fit off the shoulders. She shoved the still packed case under the bed, knowing she would be leaving tonight. Whether she took Jessica with her remained to be seen.

  Ten minutes later, she heard Dom coming up the stairs, and smoothed a hand through her brown hair before frowning at herself in the small mirror positioned on the wall. She didn’t give a wit about the way she looked to that man, and she sternly reminded herself that before leaving her room. She met them in Jessica’s room, holding out her arms to take the baby. Once in her arms, Jessica snuggled closer, and her lids drifted downward.

  “I can’t get over it.” Dom shook his head.

  She tore her gaze from Jessica to look at him. “What?”

  “How quickly she bonded with you. She’s hated everyone who’s been in and out of her life these past few weeks.”

  “Except you.” She couldn’t completely hide her bitterness, but he didn’t seem to notice.

  He shrugged. “I lucked out in that she bonded with me immediately. Otherwise, this transition would have been even more difficult for her.” He traced a finger down her back. “Jessie certainly doesn’t need anymore upsets.”

  “Yes, I imagine it was traumatic for her, being ripped from her mother, er, everything she had known. I’m sure it was hard on the mother.” Caris bit down on her tongue as punishment for her slip.

  His brows furrowed together. “I don’t know, to tell you the truth. The way Brendan described her, she probably doesn’t even know her baby’s gone.”

  Tears and angry words formed a sodden ball in her throat, thankfully preventing a retort. She took a deep breath, gently bouncing Caris. “How could any mother not realize what she had lost? Perhaps you have judged her too harshly?”

  Dom stared at her for a minute, studying her face.

  Caris held her breath as his expression grew puzzled. Had she said too much and given herself away? Had her big mouth ruined her only chance to get her child back?

  The look faded, and he shrugged once more. “Maybe, but my brother did win custody. That says a lot about the mother right there.”

  She sighed. “Yeah, I guess it does.”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets, rocking back on the heels of his boots. “So…”

  “Yes?”

  He ran a hand through his dark hair. “I guess I’ll see you at dinner, if she sleeps through.” He glanced at his watch. “She’s a little late for her afternoon nap, so I imagine she’ll sleep at least until eight.”

  Caris nodded, and then flinched as he lowered his head.

  His eyes widened and he froze, and more slowly moved to kiss Jessica’s head. “If you need me, there’s an intercom system on the wall, with receivers and transmitters in every room of the house. Press the green button to talk into it. When you come down for dinner, flip the switch from Off to On, and you can hear everything in this room. The setup’s the same in all the rooms.”

  “Are there intercoms in the bathrooms?”

  He nodded, looking sheepish. “I might have gone a little overboard.”

  She couldn’t resist a giggle. “Just a tad.”

  He strode to the door. “I have work to do.”

  “Okay.” As soon as the door closed behind him, Caris collapsed into the nearest chair. It was a large maple rocker, with a thick pink cushion conformed to the c
urvature of her spine. Yet another thing she couldn’t ever hope to afford. She laid Jessica against her chest, softly humming Good Riddance by Greenday, a tune the baby should be familiar with. On her first day home from the hospital, Caris had sung it to her, since her knowledge of lullabies was in short supply.

  Jessica’s breathing became deep and even, and her tiny chest rose and fell against Caris’s. She snuggled closer, lifting her rump into the air and making a sighing sound every few minutes. Caris rubbed her back through the flannel sleeper, wondering how she could stand to leave her behind. Yet, how could she leave her here, money or no, thinking her mother hadn’t loved her? She sighed heavily, trying to block out the decision weighing on her so she could enjoy a few moments’ peace with her baby.

  At seven, Caris forced herself to lay the baby in the crib and go into the adjoining bathroom. She took a quick shower and washed her hair, resisting the urge to linger under the hot water to make up for surviving two days with no facilities. By the time she had wound her hair into a braid and returned to the nanny’s room, it was six-fifty. She threw on the faded denim skirt, grimacing at the patch near the slit in the back. She shrugged, knowing she didn’t have anything else that was any nicer. She slipped on the yellow blouse, adjusting it below her shoulders and tying the string in front. Then she slid her feet into the sneakers she had worn earlier since she hadn’t thought to bring any other shoes.

  She passed the small mirror with resolve, refusing to look at her shabby state of dress. Dom had said casual, after all. She paused to check on Jessica and flip on the intercom, and then left the room and went downstairs. Taking a guess, she entered the sitting room, finding Elena and Dom sitting in silence. She froze when she saw another person in attendance. Caris squinted at her, recognizing the stunning blonde supermodel from the rag magazine. Apparently, she hadn’t heard of the word casual, judging from her red evening suit with sequins at the plunging neckline and down the side of each leg of the pants.

  She turned from Lisa’s burning gaze to meet Elena’s distrustful one. At least she was more casual, wearing beige slacks and a black shirt. Caris’s eyes moved to Dom, wearing an emerald-green silk shirt and black trousers. She stood there awkwardly, praying for Jessica to start screaming.

  “Would you like a drink before dinner?” Dom stood by a liquor cabinet that folded out from the wall.

  Caris shook her head.

  “Let’s eat.” Lisa set her tumbler on the coffee table without bothering to search for a coaster. “I skipped lunch for a shoot and didn’t have time to grab anything during the long drive down here from the airport.” She rose to her full height. “I do wish you would live somewhere nearer civilization, Dom.”

  He walked forward to offer her his arm. “I like it.”

  She shuddered. “Only because you haven’t lived anywhere else.”

  Dom laughed as they walked through the setting room door, leaving Elena and Caris to follow. “I’ve traveled all over the world, Lisa. I’ve stayed in worse and better places. I’m happy here.”

  Caris raised her eyebrow at their exchange as she followed them down the hallway to the dining room. She paused in the doorway, eying the expansive table, hardback wooden chairs, and elegantly draped white tablecloth. Once more, she looked at her garb, knowing she was completely inappropriate for the decor. Thank goodness this torture would end tonight.

  She remained quiet as they sat at the table. She didn’t wait for Dom to seat her, having never gotten accustomed to the habit during her short cohabitation with Brendan. She blushed as she saw him seat Lisa and his mother, but he didn’t say anything.

  To her surprise, he didn’t join them at the table. Instead, he disappeared from the room, reappearing a short time later with a double shelf server on wheels. “It’s nothing special,” he said to Lisa as he put dishes on the table. “We weren’t expecting you.”

  “I wanted to surprise you.” She gave him a brilliant smile, but her eyes weren’t so happy. “Imagine my pleasure to find a nanny installed on the premises and the chance to get you to myself for a while.” Lisa’s pleasant expression became strained as she focused on Caris. “A nice, young nanny for that baby.”

  Caris slid her eyes from Lisa’s to Elena, disconcerted to find her glaring at Dom’s girlfriend rather than at her.

  “It was pure luck,” Dom said as he took a seat at the table. “She just stumbled in here and got thrust into the position of caring for Jessie.” He grinned at Caris. “She’s handling it all well.”

  Caris tore her gaze from his, disconcerted by how her heart raced at the approval she saw in his eyes. She focused on the food, waiting until the others began serving themselves before helping herself to a pork chop and baked potato. Her stomach growled at the aroma of the food, reminding her how little she had put in her body the last two months.

  “You just happened by on accident?” Lisa eyed her with evident skepticism.

  Caris nodded. “I had heard the M & M was an excellent subject for pictures.”

  “Oh, are you a photojournalist?”

  “No, just a hobbyist.”

  “Ah.” Lisa’s expression turned smug. “What aperture did you use for shooting the pictures outside?”

  The bite of potato seemed to stick in her throat, and Caris reached for the water glass, bypassing the wine. “Um, I haven’t shot anything yet. There hasn’t been time.”

  “Of course. What with bonding with the child.” Lisa shook her head. “I could never take care of other people’s children for a living.”

  “I can’t say I ever gave it thought as a career before either,” Caris said wryly.

  “Yet, here you are.” Her tone and look bordered on hostile.

  Caris forced her smile to remain bland. “Yes.”

  “Well, at least I’ll have Dom back now. All his attention has been focused on that child.”

  “She has a name,” Dom said, sounding impatient.

  Lisa shrugged, but dropped her gaze from his to her plate. She picked up her fork and moved the food around, but didn’t actually touch any of it—not even the salad near her. “Personally, I’ll be happy when she’s old enough to go to school.”

  Caris’s brow furrowed. “Why?”

  “Three months a year will be often enough for me to play mommy.”

  A heavy silence greeted Lisa’s words, but she seemed unaware—at least pretended to be unaware—of the reaction. Her brilliant smile once more focused on Dom. “You know how I like peace and quiet.”

  Elena pushed away her plate and stood up. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m finding this painful.” She glared at Dom when he hastily hid a laugh behind a cough. “The chairs aren’t comfortable this evening. I believe I’ll retire.”

  “Good night, Mom.”

  She paused to kiss his cheek, then nodded to Caris and Lisa before exiting the dining room.

  Caris breathed a sigh of relief that his mother had left, taking her assessing looks with her. She bit back a groan when she was reminded of why his mother had left. Lisa immediately launched into more prattle, and Caris tuned her out. She didn’t raise her head until she heard Lisa saying the word nanny. She blinked and focused on her.

  “Ah, good, you can hear,” Lisa said with pseudo sweetness. “I asked when you would be leaving?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know yet.”

  “Surely you won’t be staying the entire five years the child—Jessica, I mean—needs a nanny?”

  Caris shrugged again. “I haven’t thought about it.”

  “Do,” she said, suddenly sounding cold. “Think long and hard about your place here.”

  Dom dropped his fork with a clatter. “That’s enough, Lisa. You’re being rude.”

  She laughed, a tinkling sound with a hard edge. “To the nanny? I’m merely suggesting she give thought to what she wants to do with her life.”

  “That’s not—”

  Caris cut him off by folding her napkin on the table. “If you’ll excuse me, I shou
ld check on the baby.”

  “Of course. That’s what you’re paid to do.” Lisa examined her from head to toe. “And obviously Dom isn’t paying you enough.”

  She swallowed down her angry retort and simply nodded. “Good night.” Caris kept her pace slow until she was well away from the dining room. Then she ran up the stairs to Jessica’s room, closing the door behind her softly. Before going to her daughter, she flipped off the intercom so no one could hear her in the nursery.

  After lifting Jessica, Caris took her to the changing table and removed her soiled diaper. The baby was just starting to wake up, but she didn’t cry. She gave Caris a sleepy smile and tried to grab the box of diaper wipes. Caris laughed as she moved the box out of reach before she fastened the fresh sleeper and lifted Jessica. She knew the baby must be hungry, but didn’t want to take her downstairs yet and risk running into that caustic woman.

  Instead, they returned to the rocker where Caris held her until Jessica tried to squirm away. With a reluctant tug of her heart, she put her down on the floor and watched Jessica drag herself around in a half-crawl, biting back tears at her first sight of Jessica’s amazing accomplishment. She had missed so much—so much time had been stolen from her because of her own stupidity and Brendan’s anger.

  She couldn’t leave Jessica in this house to be raised by Dom’s girlfriend. It was clear Lisa hated and resented Jessica. It was only a matter of time before her daughter was old enough to pick up on that and be the worse for it. Despite what the McNeils could offer her baby materially, love was the most important thing.

  Caris joined her baby on the floor, pushing a large caterpillar around and laughing when Jessica’s eyes widened. “You’re coming with me, Jess,” she whispered. Her stomach clenched with nerves, but Caris tried to ignore them. She had to get Jessica out of there.