by Cindy Kirk
Poppy stilled, then placed her fork carefully on the table.
“I watched her make it,” Ben said with equanimity. “Poppy and I are living together.”
Hailey dropped her cup to the table, the hot liquid splashing over the rim.
Mitzi’s eyes brightened as if she’d been doing some simple mining and had unexpectedly struck gold.
Poppy gave him a look that said he was going to have a lot of explaining to do tonight.
“Since when?” Mitzi leaned forward, resting her forearms on the table, her eyes skipping between Ben and Poppy.
“Yesterday,” Ben told her.
Hailey stared at Poppy, a reproachful look in her eye. “You didn’t say a word. You let me go on—”
“I was going to tell you but—” Poppy began, but Hailey had already risen.
“I just remembered somewhere I need to be.” Hailey’s smile appeared strained. “I’m happy for both of you.”
“Hailey,” Poppy called out, but the girl disappeared out the front door.
“Looks like she still has a thing for you, Ben.” Mitzi took a dainty bite of her egg salad sandwich.
“You’re mistaken,” Ben said, but a niggle of doubt remained. Though he and Hailey had dated a few times, it hadn’t been anything serious. At least, not on his part.
Hailey was a nice woman. They’d laughed and talked and done a little kissing, but that was it. Since Valentine’s Day, he’d only seen her once. That was only because he’d run into her downtown and they’d gone to a movie they’d both wanted to see.
He hadn’t been lying when he’d told his parents that since last fall the only woman he’d been interested in pursuing had been Poppy.
Poppy sat back down but it was apparent his arrival with Mitzi had ruined her lunch. And he had the feeling that whatever ruined her lunch was going to ruin his, as well.
“So you two are an item.” Mitzi’s blue eyes sparkled as her gaze shifted from Ben to Poppy. “Spill.”
“I’d love to chat but unfortunately I need to get back to work.” Poppy flashed a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Enjoy your lunch.”
She was quick. Ben would give her that. Poppy was out the door in five seconds flat.
He pushed back his chair with a clatter, keeping his eyes firmly focused on Poppy’s bright red jacket.
“I’ll see you at the clinic,” he said to Mitzi without waiting for a response. He sprinted and reached Poppy as she turned the corner.
“What’s the rush?”
“Don’t you want to get back to your ex-girlfriend? Or—” Poppy paused “—is she back to current girlfriend status?”
Ben blew out a harsh breath. There were a dozen words he could have said to her, but the hurt underlying the anger in her eyes had him swallowing them whole. When he spoke his tone was matter-of-fact.
“Mitzi is my associate,” he said, falling into step beside her. “Nothing more. Whatever we once had is over. It’s been over for a long time. We decided to catch some lunch after a CME lecture at the hospital. I didn’t mean to interrupt your lunch with Hailey or make you or her uncomfortable.”
“You and Hailey dated.” Poppy’s fingers twisted the handle on her purse. They were headed in the direction of her office but the sedate pace told him she still had time on her lunch hour.
“We did.”
“She likes you.”
“I like her, too,” he said, then quickly added, “as a friend. There was never anything more between us.”
The skeptical look on her face almost made him smile. With great restraint, he controlled the urge.
“I never slept with her,” he said, though she hadn’t asked. “Tripp was on target when he said Hailey was too young for me. We’re in different places in our lives. But she’s a beautiful, intelligent woman and I enjoyed the time I spent with her.”
“I don’t think she’d have been quite so upset if you’d made it clear we’re not sleeping together, that living together is only a way for us to get to know—”
“That’s too much information,” Ben interrupted, his tone firm and unyielding. “And no one’s business but our own.”
“But isn’t that lying by omission?”
“What goes on in anyone’s bedroom is their business. If they want to assume we’re having sex, let them.”
“And that’s what they’ll assume when they find out about the baby.” She stopped walking. “I need to speak with Hailey. Though I’m not sure how much to say. What are you going to tell your friends?”
Ben didn’t hesitate. He’d given this matter a lot of thought. “That from the first moment I saw you, I couldn’t get you out of my mind. That you’re pregnant and we’re living together now because we really want to give this relationship a shot. For the sake of the baby and for us.”
Poppy brought a finger to her lips. “That sounds good. And remarkably sincere.”
Ben nodded, his eyes steady on hers. “I figure it’s always best to go with the truth.”
* * *
Poppy told Lexi “the truth” that afternoon.
Her friend’s hazel eyes searched hers. “I know about your infertility struggles during your marriage. Discovering you were pregnant had to be both a shock and a great joy.”
Poppy glanced at the closed door. The office she and Lexi shared was small, and with the door shut, completely private.
“I wanted a child, but I’d given up on that dream.” Poppy remembered the terror—and yes, the unmitigated joy—when she’d gazed down at that thin blue line. “It’s a miracle.”
“How does Ben see it?” Lexi asked in a tone that seemed a little too casual.
“Are you asking if he blames me or somehow thinks this is my fault?”
“Does he?”
“No,” Poppy said, and realized it was true. “It wasn’t his fault and it wasn’t mine. It’s almost as if...”
“As if,” Lexi prompted when Poppy didn’t continue.
“As if this child was meant to be. I find myself lying there at night, thinking there’s a child growing inside me and I’m so happy. Then I feel guilty for feeling so much joy.”
“Why? Because this baby was unplanned? Because you and Ben aren’t married and are just starting a relationship?” Lexi gave Poppy’s hands a squeeze. “You want this baby. You’ll be a wonderful mother. That’s what matters.”
Heat rose up Poppy’s neck. “It just seems ironic that we counsel our clients on having safe, responsible sex and I turned up unmarried and pregnant.”
“Your personal life isn’t their business,” Lexi asserted. “And having an unplanned pregnancy, despite taking all the precautions, will make you more empathetic to those who find themselves in similar situations. I know raising a child as a single parent helps me to understand better what that’s like for our clients.”
“Single parent?” Poppy had met Lexi’s husband and their two daughters.
“Addie’s father and I never married.” Lexi gave a little laugh. “I got pregnant in graduate school. My boyfriend and I had been planning to get married so I thought we’d just reschedule the wedding day.”
“I take it that didn’t happen.”
“Drew wasn’t ready to be a father. He wanted us to travel, enjoy a child-free life before getting tied down. The timing just wasn’t right for him.”
A sick feeling filled the pit of Poppy’s stomach. “What happened?”
“He made it clear if I didn’t terminate the pregnancy we were done.” Lexi lifted one shoulder. “He didn’t even acknowledge Addie existed for the first ten years of her life. No child support. No visitation.”
“Jerk.”
Lexi just smiled. “Then I met Nick. When we married he became Addie’s dad. Drew eventually came around and n
ow Addie has two fathers.”
“Why didn’t you tell him to take a flying leap when he came around after all that time?”
“The thought crossed my mind.” Lexi toyed with a pencil in need of a good sharpening. “But Nick reminded me it was about what was best for the child. Having Addie get to know Drew and forgive him was what was best for her.”
Poppy pondered Lexi’s words on her way home. What was best for the child.
That was the reason she’d let Ben move in with her. She expelled a breath. All the second-guessing she’d done over her decision disappeared.
She needed to put more effort into developing a relationship with Ben, one that would allow them to effectively parent their child.
Ultimately that’s what was important.
Chapter Thirteen
Ben arrived home, or rather to the small five rooms he now called home, shortly before six. The moment he opened the door his senses were assailed by the scent of spiced meat. He found Poppy at the stove stirring what looked to be a pot of vegetables.
“Something smells good,” he said, collapsing into a chair in the living room.
“Beef stew.” Poppy turned to him. “Please tell me you’re not opposed to red meat.”
He grinned. “Eat it every chance I get.”
She looked so pretty standing at the stove with the red glasses perched on her nose, dressed in a pair of jeans and a bright blue long-sleeved cotton shirt. He had to resist the urge to sneak up and press a kiss on the back of her neck.
“I’ll set the table.” He glanced dubiously at the surface the size of a postage stamp.
“Thanks.” She gestured to a cabinet to her left. “There are soup bowls in there and plates. I’ve got biscuits in the oven.”
As he took the bowls from the cupboard, his stomach growled. “You didn’t have to expend all this effort. If you’d called, I could have picked up some takeout.”
Poppy’s smile remained pleasant. “I like to cook. After working all day, I enjoy puttering around the kitchen.”
“What else can I do?” he asked, dropping napkins next to the dishes.
“I cook. You clean.”
“Deal.”
Once the food was on the table and Ben had taken his first bite, he realized if he could eat like this every night, he’d never want to go out.
“This is amazing,” he said and was rewarded with a bright smile.
“I told Lexi I’m pregnant,” Poppy said in an offhand tone and nibbled on a biscuit.
He paused, the spoonful of stew paused in front of his mouth. “What did she say?”
“She...understood.” Poppy paused as if deciding how much to confide. “She told me she’d gotten pregnant during grad school and her longtime boyfriend wanted her to have an abortion. She refused.”
Ben chased the stew with milk. “Did she keep the baby?”
“It’s Addie,” Poppy told him. “You’ve seen her. She’s a young teen now and the spitting image of Lexi.”
When he lifted a biscuit and took a bite, Poppy took a breath and pressed ahead. “Be honest. When I told you I was pregnant, did you ever consider suggesting an abortion?”
“Not for one second.” Ben had been more concerned she might entertain the idea.
“Okay.” She expelled a breath and resumed eating. “I’ve been doing some thinking.”
“Thinking is usually good.”
She surprised him with a quick smile.
“I really want us to get to know each other,” she said. “Start over.”
Ben thought that was the reason he’d moved in. “Start over how?”
“By not only getting to know each other but focus on becoming friends.”
She looked so intense, so serious, he had to smile.
“I’d like that.” He extended his hand, and when she placed hers in his, he realized now they had a deal.
* * *
Becoming better friends was what Ben had in mind when he asked Poppy to attend a formal hospital function at the Spring Gulch Country Club the following weekend. The fact she’d immediately accepted his invitation had pleased him.
After a hectic week, the night arrived. Ben wandered into the living room, buttoning the cuffs of his shirt. His pants and jacket lay over the top of the sofa. He supposed he could have dressed in his bedroom, but the area was so small, it made him feel as if he was dressing in a closet. He dumped his shoes on the floor.
“I’m sorry.”
He turned to find Poppy looking oddly flustered. “I didn’t know you were getting dressed in here.”
“Nothing here you haven’t seen before,” he reminded her, flashing a smile.
For tonight’s festivities, she wore a silky looking dress in an eye-popping red and shiny black heels that added three inches to her height. He liked her in red, he decided, recalling the suit she’d worn earlier in the week.
“Very pretty,” he said after giving her a thorough appraisal. “You’ll definitely be the most beautiful woman in the ballroom this evening.”
She blushed again.
“I have to do something with my hair.” Even as a hand rose to her dark, silky strands, her gaze lingered where his shirt tails ended and his boxers began.
Heat surged through his body but he forced himself to ignore it. He studied her hair, which hung loose to her shoulders in soft curls. “Why do anything with it?”
“It’s too plain.” She pulled her brows together then brightened. “I have a glittery red headband that might add some pizzazz.”
He could honestly argue she didn’t need any adornment, but in the past week he’d learned that Poppy didn’t go out of the house unless she looked, well, perfect.
“Get it.” He reached for his trousers. “I’ll give you my opinion.”
By the time she returned he was pulling on the jacket of his black tux.
Thin as a pencil width, the “headband” sparkled prettily against her dark hair.
He tilted his head back. “You’re right. I like the effect.”
She smiled, then sobered. “I’m excited about the party but in some ways I wish we could stay home, have pizza and watch a movie.”
Ben almost reminded her that’s what they’d done last night, when he caught the tension on her face. “You’re nervous. Why?”
She took a deep breath, let it out slowly. “You told Tripp about the baby.”
“You told Lexi.”
“I know.” She brushed at her hair with her hand and the brightly colored stones on her bracelet shimmered in the light. “I guess I’m still embarrassed.”
He straightened the sleeves of his jacket and waited.
“You know, like back in high school, when you got a hickey on your neck and you worried everyone would see it and know what you’d been doing.”
A hickey? It took everything Ben had not to smile. “I have no doubt every one of our friends who’ll be at the party tonight had sex before they were married. And hopefully they enjoyed it as much as we did.”
A ghost of a smile flickered on her glossy red lips.
“In fact, many of them were on the road to having a family before they were married.” When his hand cupped her cheek, she didn’t pull away. “No one will judge us, Poppy. If they do, they aren’t friends.”
With the sultry scent of her perfume teasing his nostrils, Ben gave in to impulse and pressed his lips against hers in a gentle kiss. He leaned forward, resting his cheek against her hair. “Decide to have a good time tonight, and you will.”
“You asked what was on my mind. That’s the only reason I told you.” Her head jerked up. “I’m not a whiner. Or a killjoy.”
It was an odd response, he thought, filing it away for future dissection when there was more time.
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“You’re not, no.” He stroked her hair, pleased she didn’t pull away. “I want you to always be honest with me.”
“I appreciate you taking the time to listen,” she murmured against his shirtfront.
“That’s what friendship is all about. And I have a feeling we’re going to become good friends, Poppy. Really good friends.”
* * *
Poppy rested her head against Ben’s chest while the band played a romantic dance number from the 1940s. As he whirled her across the dance floor Poppy did her best to ignore the desires his closeness ignited by focusing on the flowers.
The ballroom of the Spring Gulch Country Club had been turned into a wonderland of wildflowers. Large urns overflowed with spikes of red and smatterings of yellow, orange and purples, which filled the room not only with color, but with a sweet, enticing fragrance. Women in brightly colored dresses added their own touch to the ambience.
Poppy spotted Hailey in a short electric blue dress, laughing with Tripp and Anna. Since her brother was the hospital CEO and her father had served several terms on the board of trustees, it was only natural the pretty blonde would be in attendance.
Though Poppy had left a number of messages for Hailey and had even stopped at Wally’s Place one afternoon, they’d yet to connect. A crowded ballroom with people surrounding them hardly seemed the time or place to clear the air.
Besides, Poppy was determined to have a good time tonight. So far, so good. Ben had been an attentive “date,” getting her a glass of club soda, including her in conversations when various colleagues paused to chat. Yes, she was having fun.
There was still dinner to navigate. Because it was assigned seating, she had no idea who’d be at her table. Of course, it couldn’t be any worse than when Lyle Stockwood, one of her husband’s associates, had sat beside her and slid his hand up her thigh. When she’d told Bill, he’d had the audacity to laugh and tell her to loosen up.
Dread filled her stomach when Tripp announced it was time for everyone to take their seats. She and Ben located their name cards on a large round linen-clad table near the front.
Poppy immediately checked out the other names. Ryan and Betsy Harcourt. Cole and Meg Lassiter. Tripp and Anna Randall.