A Hope Undaunted

by Julie Lessman

  “Luke has offered to study with me every week, Father – isn’t that wonderful?”

  “Offered?” Luke leaned in, elbows flat on the table. He squinted with mouth ajar. “Railroaded is more like it.” He gave Patrick a sideways glance. “She actually resorted to the protruding lip, if you can believe that.”

  Patrick set the glass down and put the aspirin back into the cabinet. He turned to commiserate with a tired smile. “Inherited from her mother, no doubt, who has given me a fair amount of lip over the years.” He started for the door. “Don’t let her ride roughshod over you, Luke. She has a tendency to do that, you know.”

  “Uh, yeah, since she was in pigtails, Mr. O’Connor.”

  “Father, wait – aren’t you feeling well?” Katie’s smile lapsed into concern.

  “No, darlin’, but it’s just a headache coming on, that’s all. This downturn of the market has me on edge, I suppose, chipping away at our investments.” He put a hand to the door and then shot them a thin smile. “Of course teaching chess to a bit of a thing who could be your twin, Katie Rose, might be at fault as well. God help me,” he said as he plowed through the door.

  Katie laughed and tugged a paper from her book, pencil in hand. “Okay, McGee, I made a list of what we need to accomplish tonight, so let’s get started.”

  Luke grinned and glanced at his watch. “You and your lists. Well, I hope it’s not too long because I promised Miss Lillian and the girls I’d stop by on the way home.”

  Katie opened the textbook with a flourish. “I swear, as much as you love kids, if you don’t have a slew of your own someday, it will be a crying shame.”

  He rolled up his sleeves. “Oh, I’ll have a houseful, you can count on that. Eight, at least.”

  With a casual flip of pages, Katie settled on the right chapter, then looked up, her eyes suddenly widening with shock. “Eight? You want eight? Sweet mother of Job, you better find a woman who’s partial to babies.”

  “All women are partial to babies.” Luke sloped back into the chair and folded his arms, giving Katie a crooked smile.

  She leaned forward with a lift of her chin. “Not me.”

  He blinked. “You don’t want babies someday?”

  “Oh, I want babies, of course, but not until my thirties. And definitely not an orphanage full. One or two is a nice number, I think.”

  He sat up, mouth gaping. “One barely constitutes a family, Katie Rose. What are you thinking?”

  “I’m thinking I want a life other than washing diapers and cooking for a man.”

  His jaw dropped. “Tell me you’re not one of those suffragettes that idolize Alice Paul and her cockeyed notion of an Equal Rights Amendment.”

  Her chin elevated to new heights. “I most certainly am – and you already know that.”

  “No, no I don’t. It’s a news flash to me. Does Jack know how you feel?”

  She tapped the pencil against her lips, which were clamped in a tight line. “Yes, he knows how I feel. We’re getting married, for pity’s sake. Don’t you think we’ve discussed this?” She averted her chin and doodled on the paper. “One child – that’s all we’re having. We’ve both agreed.”

  Luke sagged back into his chair and shook his head. “I had no idea you were so radical.”

  “Well, you’re not marrying me, so what do you care?”

  He sat up and slapped both palms on the table, shuffling his chair in. “You got that right – you’re Jack’s headache, not mine.”

  “Gee, thanks, McGee.”

  He smiled. “Start reading, kiddo, we don’t have all ni – ”

  “Hey, Katydid – ” Jack stood on the threshold, palm to the door and smile on his face. He saw Luke, and instantly the smile deteriorated into a scowl. “What’s he doing here?”

  “Well, hello to you too, Mr. Grouch.” Katie jumped up and gave him a quick kiss. “Luke and I are studying.”

  Luke smiled, all but blinded by the glare. “Evening, Jack.”

  “What are you doing here, anyway?” Katie asked. “I thought you had an open house at Harvard Law tonight.”

  His eyes flicked to Luke with a cold stare, then back to Katie. His gaze softened. “I did, but I cut out early. Had a sudden urge to see my best girl. And your father said it was okay.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and bent close to give her a kiss. “I missed you.”

  She shoved him away. “Not now, Jack, I’m busy,” she whispered, her gaze fluttering to Luke and back. “Besides, Luke’s here.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Jack pulled her close again and glowered at Luke. “Why don’t you run along, Soda Jerk, and let me spend some time with my fiancée?”

  Luke rose to his feet, nerves twitching in more places than he could count. He trained his eyes on Katie. “Let’s call it a night, Katie. We’ll pick up next week, okay?”

  “No, Jack is leaving – ”

  “No, I’m not, doll, I’m just getting comfortable.” He snatched a chair from the table and sat down, pulling Katie onto his lap.

  “Jack!” She shot up faster than the spasm pulsing in Luke’s jaw. She crossed her arms and broiled her fiancé with a look. “Jack Worthington, you are leaving this instant, do you hear? We have studying to do.”

  “Actually, Katie,” Luke said with a glance at his watch, “I really need to be going.”

  “But when will we study?” The pretty pout was back.

  He unrolled his shirtsleeves with a serene smile. “I’ll give you an hour next Wednesday, when I come to see Gabe, okay?”

  “But an hour’s not near enough! I told you I’m awful at math.”

  “I’ll help you,” Jack said with a swipe of his arm, attempting to pull her back to his lap.

  She dodged him with a scowl while her eyes negotiated with Luke. “An hour on Wednesday, and two hours on Thursday,” she countered.

  “Why can he come twice during the week, and your father balks at me even once?”

  She dismissed him with a wave of her hand. “Please, Luke, for me? As a friend?”

  He braced hands low on his hips and gave her a lidded stare. “Two hours on Thursday, take it or leave it.”

  She beamed, the smile on her face positively radiant. “Thanks, McGee, you’re the best.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” He smiled and headed for the door, his heart a bit heavier than before.

  “Good night, Luke,” she called.

  “Good night, Katie,” he said with a forced smile over his shoulder. The smile died at the sight of Katie in Jack’s arms, his mouth devouring hers as if he were a man starving to death. Hunger pains of his own rumbled within, roiled with regret.

  Yeah, he thought with a hard push through the door, he knew the feeling.

  Mornings are coming earlier all the time. Luke tossed his towel over his shoulder and yawned, half coherent as he scrubbed a slack hand across his bare chest. Of course, it didn’t help he had a meeting with Carmichael at the crack of dawn. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and plodded down the hall to the bathroom. What was it with that man, anyway? Meetings – first thing in the morning or last thing at night – didn’t he realize people had lives to live?

  A groan trapped in his throat when he rounded the corner and saw the bathroom was already occupied. He turned back to his room, then stopped at a frail noise, his senses instantly alert.

  There it was again – a fragile moan and then . . . Luke winced at the sound of someone vomiting, and it made him want to retch himself. He leaned close and lightly rapped his knuckles on the door. “Betty? Is that you?”

  Betty’s low moan sent cold chills down his back, and he sagged against the door, head bent and heart aching. “Are you okay? Can I get you anything?”

  “No. Just go away.”

  “I’m not leaving.”

  “Luke, I’m fine. Just a touch of the flu. Go back to bed.”

  “Can’t. Got an early meeting with Carmichael.” He straightened and forced a light tone. “And after a midnight game of basketball wi
th Parker following a very short game of chess, I’m guessing he’d want me to take a shower.”

  Another groan was followed by the flush of the toilet. He waited while the faucet ran, then pasted a smile on when she opened the door. “This is not a ploy to get out of work, is it, Galetti? Because I can’t type that report by myself – Carmichael will fire me for illiteracy.”

  She looked like death, and it took everything in him not to panic, not to let her know how worried he was. But the ashen cheeks and red-rimmed eyes didn’t make it easy. “Aw, Bets,” he said, instinctively drawing her close in a protective hug, her robe-clad body stiff against his.

  She pushed him away while color skimmed into her pale cheeks. “Ow . . . I’m sore. You better stay back. I don’t want you to catch what I have.”

  He pressed a hand to her forehead. “Can’t be the flu, you’re cool as ice. Did you eat something that didn’t agree with you?”

  “No.” She dodged his hold with a step to the side.

  He clamped a hand to her wrist, forcing her to turn around. “What’d you eat last night?”

  Her impatience puffed out on a sigh. “The chili that Parker made.” She scrunched her nose. “Although come to think of it, it did taste like pure indigestion. Remind me to never eat it again.”

  “But you love Parker’s chili,” he said, feeling a touch of indigestion himself as concern churned in his gut.

  “Not anymore. The smell made me sick to my stomach.” She gave him a patient smile and patted his arm before peeling his hand from her wrist. “I’m fine, Luke, really. It’s probably just a bug. Go back to bed.” She turned to go.

  He paused, heart thudding in his chest. “You’re not . . . late . . . are you, Bets?”

  She stopped, her back stiff as she rotated slowly. Her hazel eyes were mere slits in a pale face, warning him not to say another word. “We are not having this conversation, McGee.” She spun on her heel and hurried to her room.

  He was right behind her, shoving his fist in the door as she tried to slam it. “We are having this conversation, Bets, so you may as well accept it.”

  “You are not my keeper – get that through your thick head!”

  “No, but I’m your friend, and I’m not leaving till I get the truth.” With minimal effort, he pushed past her into the room and ignored the scowl on her face as he closed the door. He folded his arms and slanted back, eyes locked on hers. “Are you?”

  She slammed her arms on her hips and glared. “That’s not a question most males would ask a female friend, you know.”

  “Yeah? Well, most friends haven’t been through what we’ve been through.” He tried to rein in his own frustration, but his words still came out clipped. “Answer me – are you?”

  Her eyes shimmered with anger as she clutched her arms tightly to her waist, the picture of vulnerability despite the stubborn bent of her jaw. Her voice was a whisper. “Yes.”

  His heart sank. “How late?”

  A bitter laugh spewed from her throat. “Late enough.”

  He put his head in his hand, shock numbing his body. Why didn’t I hurt Leo when I had the chance? “Maybe it’s a false alarm,” he said quietly, not at all convinced that it was. He knew she’d been having headaches lately and Parker had said she’d been fatigued. Her favorite food – Parker’s chili – made her nauseous, and he suddenly realized she’d had enough mood swings lately to cause a strong breeze. He released a slow, tenuous breath. “Have you thrown up before this?”

  She spun around, her eyes on fire. “Yes!” she screamed. “Are you happy?”

  “Absolutely giddy.” He rammed his fist against the door. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Tears started to seep from her eyes. “And what was I supposed to say? Here’s the report I typed for you, Mr. McGee and, oh, by the way – I’m knocked up?”

  He took a step forward, his hands clenched at his sides. “Why’d you lie to me, Bets – you said he didn’t rape you.”

  She turned and gave him a cold stare, tears glazing her eyes. “Because you would have killed him, and you know it.” Her tone was as bitter as the taste in his mouth. She lifted her chin, stubborn to the core despite tears trailing her cheeks. “Besides, he didn’t rape me, McGee. All it took was one slap for old time’s sake, and I laid down without a fight.”

  He rushed forward and gripped her arms. “Stop it! This is not your fault. If it’s anybody’s, it’s mine, for being late that night and for not hurting that lowlife when I had the chance – ”

  She hurled his hands away, eyes crazed. “No – you stop it! I am not your responsibility, Luke, so it’s none of your business. I don’t need you or your pious hovering, do you hear? I’m a grown woman, I can take care of myself.”

  Her words stung. He pierced her with his gaze as a nerve twitched in his cheek. “Yeah, I’ve seen how well you can do that.”

  She stared. Water filled her eyes as quickly as grief filled his heart. Her shoulders fell, and as if in a trance, she slowly lowered herself to the bed and put her face in her hands. Her weeping all but destroyed him.

  “Forgive me, Galetti, please . . .” He rushed to her side and swallowed her up in his arms, soothing her with his words as he stroked her hair. “We’ll get through this, Bets, I promise. I’m not going anywhere, whether you like it or not.”

  With a piercing sob, she clutched him back, her body wracking with heaves. “Oh, L-Luke . . . I-I’m s-so sorry and I’m . . . s-so . . . s-scared . . .”

  He gripped her in a fierce lock, then closed his eyes to thwart the wetness in his own. “I told you, it’s not your fault, so get that type of thinking out of your mind right now. And you have nothing to be afraid of. Parker, you, and I are in this together, and we’ll figure something out, okay?” He pulled away to palm her tearstained face while his thumb stroked her cheek in gentle motion. “It still could be a false alarm. Have you ever been late before?”

  She stared into his eyes, and he saw his own pain reflected there. “Just that once . . . when you and I . . .”

  He swallowed hard. “Well, if you are pregnant, you won’t be showing for another couple of months, at least. Did the lowlife happen to mention when he’d be back?”

  A shiver rippled through her. “He’s back,” she whispered. “Pop called to say a ‘nice young man’ came by the diner looking for me. Left his number . . . so I could call.”

  “Pop didn’t – ”

  “No, he told him that I quit, and that he wasn’t sure where I was.”

  Luke exhaled the breath he had been holding and dropped his hands. He cuffed the back of his neck. “God bless Pop. But it’s only a matter of time before Leo tracks you down.” He hesitated before his gaze melded with hers. “We gotta get you out of Boston, Bets.”

  She shrank back, the fear evident in her eyes. “I’m not leaving you and Parker. And why would I even have to – Leo may never find me.”

  He lifted her chin with a gentle hand. “That’s a risk I’m not willing to take. That monster robbed you of one baby, he’s not going to rob you of another. You still have an aunt in Philly?”

  “Yes . . . but I don’t want to leave you and Parker.” Fresh tears threatened.

  He stood and tugged her to her feet, securing his hands to her arms. “Look, Parker and I both got offers from the Philly Children’s Aid Society a while back, so who knows? Maybe I’ll go with you. Carmichael has been getting on my nerves anyway.” He grinned, hoping to lift her spirits. “So has Parker, for that matter – he’s almost as bad as Carmichael.”

  A semblance of a smile trembled on her lips. “You would do that for me?”

  He grew serious as he stroked her jaw with the pad of his thumb. A rush of love thickened in his throat, making his voice gruff. “You’re in trouble, Bets. I would do anything for you.”

  She shot into his arms with a shuddering sob. “Oh, Luke, I love you!”

  She squeezed so hard, it forced a chuckle out of him. “They probably don’t have room for bo
th Parker and me, of course, but I doubt I could pry him away from Carmichael anyway. And Philly’s not all that far – he can always visit on weekends.”

  He peeled her away with a grin, then swabbed a palm across his bare chest. “Now I’m gonna take a shower, although heaven knows you’ve shed enough tears to do the job.” He grabbed her chin and placed a kiss to her nose. “And then I suggest you get ready for work, Galetti, that is, if your stomach settles down. ’Cause if I have to type my own report today . . . that’s the kind of trouble you don’t want to be in.”

  “Sweet mother of Job, what a day. Sure glad it’s over.” Collin finished drafting the last of the invoices and rose from his chair. He strolled over and tossed them into Evelyn’s tray.

  She looked up with a tired smile, her eyes as fatigued as he felt. “I think we delivered a record number of jobs this month, if my books are any indication. And with the new pressman you hired and you and Brady pulling extra hours, this month looks to be quite healthy.”

  A smile quirked on his lips. “Yeah, well, I’m glad something’s healthy around here, because my body’s sure not.” He dropped in his chair and put his feet up, pinching the back of his neck with his fingers. “My neck is killing me.”

  She pulled her purse from a drawer and rounded the counter, stopping in front of Collin’s desk with concern in her eyes. “Would you like me to massage it for you? That always helps Tommy at the end of the day.” She smiled a mother’s smile. “He says I have magic fingers.”

  Collin sat up with a grunt. “Sure, can’t hurt. Magic fingers, eh? This I gotta see.”

  She placed her purse on his desk and moved behind his chair. “Take a deep breath and relax.” He complied and she went to work, kneading his neck with nimble fingers that produced an immediate moan from his lips. “Sweet saints, Tommy is right,” he muttered. Closing his eyes, he noticed the silence from the back of the shop and raised his voice. “Hey, Brady, call it a day, will ya? Everybody’s gone except Evelyn and me, and we can’t keep up with you anymore.”