Baby On His Hollywood Doorstep (Brides 0f The Roaring Twenties Book 1)

by Lauri Robinson

  A second later, the door shut. Helen questioned opening it and following him again. But accepting that would be useless, that she wouldn’t win this argument no matter how hard she tried, she stood still, looking around the room. Noticing things she hadn’t noticed before. The closet door. The sheer curtains on both windows, the pictures on the walls.

  She moved closer, examining both men. Jack and Joe. Dressed in suits and standing side by side in front of the studio. Joe had his arm around Jack, and they were both smiling. Looked genuinely happy.

  A sense of melancholy washed over her. Her mother had loved taking pictures. She’d taken pictures of everything. Everyone.

  It had been over two years since that dreadful day, but there were times when it felt like yesterday. The pain was still there. And the guilt.

  Helen turned away from the picture, and wondered, as she had many times before, what had become of those pictures Mother had taken. Of all the possessions her family had owned. She’d never gone back to the house.

  Shaking her head, she attempted to dispel other thoughts that wanted to come forward. Things she wanted to forget, as well as some she wanted to remember. Neither would do her any good right now. Nor would they do Grace any good.

  She glanced at the bed, and telling herself it was only for one night, she sat down to remove her shoes. Tomorrow Jack would take her and Grace back to Julia’s, where they would stay for the next eight weeks, and then...

  Well, like Jack had said, she’d face it when it arrived. That was a good philosophy.

  Her mind wasn’t easily convinced though, even after she shut off the light and lay down on the bed. As usual, when her head hit the pillow, her mind kicked into high gear, coming up with all sorts of things that prevented her from falling asleep. It had been that way for a long time now, but the alternative was worse. The nightmares that plagued her when she did fall asleep. They could be horrific at times. Plenty of times she’d purposefully kept her thoughts running in circles, just so she didn’t fall asleep. Didn’t dream.

  Tonight, her mind was going in circles all on its own, and coming back to one thing. Jack. The way he’d looked while holding Grace. How readily he smiled. How handsome he was. How he was sleeping on the other side of the door.

  Helen flipped onto her side, as if that would change the directions of her thoughts.

  * * *

  Jack wasn’t entirely sure what woke him, and lay still for a moment, listening through the sounds of the morning traffic filtering in from the window. He couldn’t make out any sounds coming from the bedroom, and wondered if Grace had woken up in the middle of the night. He hadn’t. Not that he could remember.

  He sat up and stretched his arms over his head to get the kinks out of his back. Despite all, he’d slept remarkably well. Even though his mind had had a hard time shutting off last night. Knowing Helen was just on the other side of his bedroom door had given his imagination plenty of ammunition to keep him awake. He’d have to get ahold of Joe as soon as possible. Find a resolution to this situation. Quickly.

  Two months from now, he’d have more time to work out a solution. Possibly. If all worked out in his favor, he might be busier then than he was now. That was what he’d hoped for. Still did. This was his chance to succeed, and he wanted that. Wanted to succeed. To know that he’d never be reliant on someone else for money, or food even. Not like when he and Joe had been kids living hand to mouth.

  He glanced at the clock on the wall and stood. Filming was scheduled to start in two hours, and he had things to do before then.

  He rose and started for the bathroom, but paused as the bedroom door latch clicked. A full-fledged smile formed and he slid up against the wall to watch. The door barely cracked open and little more than a pert nose appeared as Helen peered out of the narrow opening. She looked toward the sofa, and seeing it empty, pulled the door open wider.

  Taking advantage of the moment, he stepped away from the wall and darted in front of her. “Boo!”

  She jumped backward. “Oh!”

  He laughed.

  “That was not funny,” she said, with one hand pressed to her chest. “Not at all.”

  “I thought it was.” He also thought she was even prettier this morning than last night. Her hair was hanging loose, a tumbling cascade of shimmering brown that fell way past her shoulders. He liked it. Most women wore their hair short.

  Twisting, she glanced over her shoulder. “You could have woken Grace.”

  He looked over her head. The drawer was still on the dresser, and Grace lying in it. Fast asleep. “I didn’t hear her wake up in the middle of the night.”

  “She didn’t,” Helen whispered. “She hasn’t woken since I laid her down.”

  “She must like her new bed.” Even though it was a mere dresser drawer, a sense of pride filled him at the idea of his niece liking the bed he’d given her. His niece. That reality was growing on him. It had been a long time since he had family near.

  “Yes, she must, or she was just extremely tired from staying up well past her bedtime.”

  The smirk on Helen’s face was not only cute, it showed she had a sense of humor. Something he hadn’t seen before. He liked that too. “How did you sleep?”

  Her cheeks turned bright pink and she quickly looked away.

  He noticed something else then. “Did you sleep in your clothes?”

  She attempted to smooth out the wrinkles of the material covering her trim waist with both hands. Cheeks turning redder, she huffed out a breath and then pointed at him. “Did you?”

  Inclined to tease her, he shrugged. “I didn’t want to shock you.”

  Even her confused frown was adorable.

  He winked. “I assumed seeing me sleeping on the couch stark naked would shock you. Maybe not.”

  “Oh!” She slapped a hand over her mouth.

  He laughed and touched the tip of her chin. “So, yes, I slept in my clothes, and now that you’re awake, I’m going to get a fresh suit out of the closet and get ready for work.”

  Careful to not wake the sleeping baby, he collected his items quietly and then went into the bathroom. The image of Helen, with her pale blue eyes, stayed with him the entire time he washed up, shaved and put on clean clothes. So did his smile.

  The smell of coffee filled the air when he left the bathroom. Following his nose, he walked to the kitchen. His breath caught in his lungs at the sight he found. Helen was at the table, feeding Grace a bottle. Sun rays shone through the window, landing on them, but it was the serenity on Helen’s face as she looked down on Grace that was downright spectacular.

  She glanced up. “I made coffee. I hope you don’t mind.”

  He had to clear his throat before his voice would work. “I don’t mind.”

  “I noticed you have a basket of eggs, I can fry them for you once Grace is finished eating.”

  “How about I fry them while she eats,” he offered. “How do you like them?”

  “I have no preference,” she answered. “But I can do it, she won’t be much longer.”

  He walked toward the refrigerator. “I’m perfectly capable of frying eggs,” he said. “I do it all the time.” For some odd reason, he wanted to show her just how capable he was, not only at frying eggs. The episode of not knowing what to do for Grace last evening had been embarrassing. He’d never been so out of his element.

  “She is almost done,” Helen said. “You might get splatters on your suit.”

  He removed his suit coat and draped it over a chair, then walked to the fridge. “I have others.”

  “Will you give us a ride to Julia’s this morning?”

  Disappointment hit so hard he almost dropped an egg. There was no reason for that. It was better for everyone for them to stay with Julia. Especially him. “Yes. As soon as we are done eating.”

  Besides the eggs, they ate b
read and jam. Helen insisted upon cleaning up the kitchen. They left afterward. Their conversation focused on Grace, and what the book she’d purchased said about babies.

  As soon as he turned onto the road leading up to the studio, traffic quickly slowed to a crawl, and it wasn’t until they were but a block away that he discovered why.

  “What’s wrong?” Helen asked.

  “I’m not sure.” Keeping one hand on the wheel, he gestured up the road. “Something must be happening at Julia’s.”

  “Julia’s?” She leaned over to see around the vehicle ahead of them. “Oh, my! Those are police cars.”

  A shiver zipped up Jack’s spine at the fear in her voice. He reached over and laid a hand on her arm. It was shivering, and icy cold. “I’m sure everyone is all right,” he said, trying to assure her, even while hoping there hadn’t been a break in, or something worse.

  It didn’t seem to help. He felt her body stiffen beneath his hand, and remain that way, as if frozen stiff. Turning before the diner, he pulled into the studio parking lot and parked the car in his usual spot. “You can wait in my office. I’ll go across the street and see what’s happening.”

  She didn’t argue, and was trembling from head to toe. He climbed out and walked around the car. Opening her door, he took Grace from her. Holding the baby in one arm, he reached in and took Helen’s arm. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

  Her eyes were full of fear as she looked up at him.

  “Come,” he said softly. “It’ll be fine. I promise.”

  “I...” She shook her head.

  “Don’t worry.” Jack eased her out of the car. “You’re safe with me. I promise.” He wondered what was happening next door, but was more concerned about her. She was seriously trembling.

  He wrapped his free arm around her and led her to the studio. She tucked her head against her chin and nearly dashed for the door. Once inside his office, he helped her sit down on the couch and then laid the blanket on the floor. Grace was cooing and smiling, clearly unaffected. He knelt down and laid the baby on the blanket. “You be a good girl, Gracie. Uncle Jack will be right back.”

  Still on his knee, he turned to Helen. “I’ll go across the street and find out what’s happening. No one is here yet, so you won’t be disturbed.” He wasn’t sure why he was inclined to say that, but the way she still had her chin down, and her shoulders tucked in, made him think she didn’t want anyone to see her. As if she could hide inside her own skin. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  She covered her mouth with both hands, which were still trembling.

  That concerned him even more. “Would you rather I stayed here with you?”

  She lowered her hands to her lap. “No, we’ll be fine. Please go see what’s happening.”

  He grasped her hands, squeezed them. “All right. I won’t be long.”

  She gave a small nod. “Thank you.”

  He questioned whether he should leave her, but instinctively knew she wouldn’t come out of the stupor of fear until she knew why the police cars were at Julia’s. Anxious about leaving her in this condition, he left the room quickly and jogged down the hallway. Once outside, he ran across the street.

  A crowd stood outside the door. “What’s going on?”

  “Seems Julia helped a couple of girls escape during a raid last night. The coppers are here to find them,” a man answered.

  Jack might know who the guy was, if he cared to think about it hard enough. Right now, that wasn’t important. “Was one of them Rosie?” She wasn’t the type to be happy waiting tables and was one Julia would go to rescue.

  “Sure is. They’re searching the place, looking for her.”

  “Where was the raid?” he asked. Not that it mattered, he just hoped it was a speakeasy and not an opium joint. Girls that got mixed up in those rarely got away.

  “Don’t know. Had to be downtown. That’s the precinct these bulls are from.”

  Jack didn’t wait long enough to scan the cop cars—he’d heard enough and jogged back to the studio.

  Helen wasn’t on the couch. She’d moved to the floor, sitting beside Grace, but jumped to her feet as he opened the door.

  The fear now burning in her eyes sent him forward. She met him in the middle of the room. Her eyes asking far more than any spoken words could. “Is—?” A sob escaped at the same time tears formed.

  Something let loose inside him. “Everyone is fine.” He pulled her close, holding her head against his chest. “It was just a raid downtown. Julia helped some girls escape and they are looking for them.”

  He felt her relief, and held her tighter as she melted against him.

  “I told you it was nothing to worry about,” he whispered. “Nothing at all. Julia has been known to rescue more than one girl who has found themselves in trouble.”

  He pinched his lips together as soon as the words were out of his mouth. She was sure to assume he was including her in that explanation. He hadn’t been, but now realized that was true. He just didn’t know what her trouble was, other than it didn’t have to do with Grace. He was sure of that.

  Chapter Seven

  Helen’s heart still raced, but her fear had subsided a small amount. She wasn’t sure if that was because of Jack’s arms, or the reason he’d claimed the police were at Julia’s place. She was extremely thankful that she and Grace hadn’t been there. Not last night, and not now. The police might have asked who she was, where she was from.

  Even though she didn’t want to, she knew she had to, so she eased backward, slipping out of his hold.

  Dropping her hands to her sides, she squeezed them into fists against the tremors still quaking inside her. “You’re sure Julia’s all right?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. She can hold her own. Everyone knows that.”

  She had no reason to believe he was lying. And truly didn’t think he was. Yet couldn’t dispel the doubt inside her. Not so much doubt as fear. She sucked in a breath. “A raid on what?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know for sure. Rosie was involved.”

  Her heart leaped into her throat all over again. “Rosie?”

  “They are looking for her.” He reached out and took her hands. “You and Grace shouldn’t go over there right now.”

  The warmth of his hands holding hers kept her heart racing, but it also gave her a grounding, a comfort that she sincerely needed. “No.” Swallowing at the lump in her throat, she shook her head. “No, we shouldn’t.”

  “Do you want to go back to the apartment?” He glanced around. “Or you could stay here.”

  No, she couldn’t. Not with the police next door. “Would you mind if we went back to your apartment?” Trying to come up with a reason, she glanced over at Grace. The baby was no problem, so she couldn’t use her as an excuse.

  “No, I don’t mind. I think both of you will be more comfortable there.”

  He gave her hands a squeeze before releasing them and walking toward Grace. Helen closed her eyes for a moment. Telling herself she shouldn’t go back to his apartment, but she couldn’t stay here. Not with the police searching the area.

  His hand touched her shoulder. “Ready?”

  She opened her eyes, took a deep breath and nodded. Would this ever end? Would there ever be a time when a police car didn’t scare the dickens out of her? Fearing they were in cahoots with the family and looking for her?

  No. There wouldn’t be. That was her life.

  The ride back to the apartment was uneventful, thank goodness, and the familiarity of the apartment eased her nerves considerably.

  “I’ll be home sometime after six,” Jack said. He’d already carried the case of milk back into the kitchen. “There’s a phone downstairs in the hallway near the mailboxes. I’ll write down my office number and leave instructions with Miss Hobbs to come get me if you call for any reason.”
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br />   “There’s no reason to do that,” she said. “We’ll be fine. No reason to call you.”

  A frown tugged at his dark brows. “I’ll write down the number just in case.” He crossed the room and disappeared into the kitchen again.

  Just because he wrote it down didn’t mean she’d use it. There was no need for her to say that. She wouldn’t leave the apartment, never even open the door.

  Moving to the kitchen doorway, she watched him write on a piece of paper on the table. Much like the bathroom, the kitchen was very modern. Built-in cupboards took up two walls, painted the same pale yellow as the curtains on the windows. The stove with its side oven, the refrigerator and the sink were white and the floor was covered with white-and-black-checkered linoleum.

  “Nick’s grocery store is at the end of the block. Out the door and to the left.” He pulled out his billfold and set several dollars on top of the paper he’d written on.

  “Thank you, but we won’t need anything.”

  He tucked his billfold into his back pocket. “Well, if you think of something that either of you need, go ahead and buy it.” He held out his hands, clearly inviting her to hand Grace to him.

  She stepped forward and handed him the baby.

  He bounced her in the air. “Anything at all that this little girl needs.”

  Grace giggled. He laughed and kissed her little head before handing her back.

  “I’ll see you two, tonight.”

  Helen followed him to the door, trying to think of something to say. As he grasped the doorknob, she settled for “Thank you for letting us stay here today. For bringing us back here, for, well, everything.”

  His smile produced that dimple in his cheek as he pulled open the door. “You’re welcome. Have a good day.”

  “You, too.”

  He stepped into the hallway. “There’s an extra key to this door hanging on a hook in the kitchen.”

  “All right.” She was thankful to hear that, and would collect it as soon as he left.