Brought Together by Baby

by Carolyne Aarsen

  She was momentarily mollified. Then without another word, she turned and left.

  “I’ve got to run,” Kelly said, looking at the others. “But please, don’t say anything to anyone about this.”

  “Of course not,” Pilar said.

  “Good. Then we’ll see you tomorrow,” Kelly said.

  But as she hurried off to her next appointment, she wondered again what was in those files and why they had been hidden.

  “I’m sure it’s a very good charity, but we haven’t done a background check on it,” Rachel said, keeping her smile in place.

  “Reuben seemed quite excited about it.” LaReese fingered a swath of platinum-blond hair behind her ear. “And truthfully, I haven’t found anything that you have brought me that matches his excitement.”

  Rachel didn’t like the idea that Reuben was winging it on his own.

  “What matters more is that you are excited about the charity,” Rachel said quietly. “And to tell you the truth, right now we know very little about this one. Your money is yours to do with as you please, but I am sure that you want to know that it is being handled wisely, as well.”

  “Reuben wanted to bring this charity under the Foundation’s umbrella,” LaReese added. “You could keep an eye on it then.”

  “Could you do one thing for me?” Rachel asked, leaning forward. “Could you wait until we can do some proper background checks and I’m satisfied it is a good match for you?”

  LaReese sighed, fingering the sapphire necklace that hung in the hollow of her throat. “I could, though I would like to get involved with something as soon as possible.” She gave Rachel a surprisingly vulnerable smile. “Dale entrusted me with this money, and the sooner I do it the sooner I can feel I fulfilled his dying wishes.”

  “I understand,” Rachel said. “But the best way to keep faith is to give it to a charity that will use his money in the most stewardly way.”

  LaReese gave her a smile. “You sound like your father,” she said. “He has always been an example of God’s love working in everyday life.”

  Rachel felt a twist of bittersweet pain. She had not spent much time with God in the past few years. LaReese’s words brought her back to a time when she prayed more, read her Bible more. When Church and faith were as much a part of her as breathing.

  She wondered what it would take for her to recover her faith and trust in God. And if she really wanted it back.

  She smiled at LaReese and glanced discreetly at her watch. It was time to leave.

  “Like I said, please give us a little more time to do this right,” Rachel said, as LaReese escorted her down the wide stairs to the massive front door of her mansion. “Your husband would not want you to rush on this, I am sure.”

  But LaReese’s vague nod did not inspire much confidence.

  Later a very frustrated and tired Rachel parked her car in the underground parking lot and resisted the urge to bang her head against the steering wheel. She had used two hours of rare and valuable time on LaReese but still had nothing to show for it.

  Pushing down a sigh, she walked through the parking garage, her steps echoing in the half dark. She hit the button for the elevator and got in. It stopped at the main floor. The doors swept open.

  And Eli Cavanaugh stepped inside.

  He was casually dressed, wearing a leather jacket. His motorcycle helmet was tucked under his arm.

  “Hi. What are you doing here?” she asked, her breath caught somewhere between her throat and her chest as she took a step back, disliking the school-girl crush feeling he had created in her.

  She blamed her defensiveness on Pilar and her heavy hints a few hours previous.

  His slow-release smile did nothing to ease that breathless feeling. “Just thought I would stop by and see how you are making out with Gracie.” He frowned as he noticed her briefcase. “Were you out?”

  “Yes, I had an important meeting.” She felt impolite and suddenly a bit foolish. Though she could just as easily have stayed home for all the good it had done.

  “As are all your meetings,” he said, his smile turning into something less welcoming.

  She felt her spine stiffen at the faint note of condemnation in his voice. “My friend is a very capable babysitter,” she said, lifting her chin in the air.

  “I’m sure she is.” He stood back when the elevator stopped.

  As Rachel stepped onto her floor, she heard the muffled sound of a child crying. It came from her condo.

  She opened the door in time to see Pilar carrying a screaming Gracie across the room, the child’s arms pushing at Pilar’s chest.

  Rachel dropped her briefcase and ran to her friend’s side. Gracie saw Rachel and swung around in Pilar’s arms, reaching out to her. Tears flowed down her flushed cheeks and her curls were damp with sweat.

  “It’s okay, baby,” Rachel said, taking her in her arms, stroking her back. Guilt swept through her as she felt how warm Gracie was. “What’s wrong with her?”

  “She woke up crying half an hour ago. I gave her some medication, but it doesn’t seem to be working.”

  Then Gracie slumped against her and Rachel panicked. “What is she doing? Is she okay? I can’t see her.”

  Eli had his hand on Gracie’s back, steadying her. He touched the toddler’s temple, suddenly all business. “How much did you give her?” he asked Pilar.

  She told him and he nodded, his hand covering the child’s head. “We need to take her temperature.”

  “I’ve got an electronic thermometer,” Rachel said, leading the way to the bathroom.

  Behind them a cell phone trilled, and Rachel and Eli glanced back. Pilar held her phone up with an apologetic look.

  Eli inserted the thermometer into Gracie’s ear. When he checked it, he bit his lip. “The medication should have kicked in by now. We need to cool her down quickly. If we don’t, she might have a seizure.” Eli knelt down by the bathtub. “I’ll run the water, you undress her.” He turned on the taps, stripped off his coat and held his hand under the water to check the temperature.

  Rachel cleared off a small bench beside the bathtub and sat down. She pulled Gracie’s unresisting arms from her sleeper, peeled her diaper off. It was still dry. She was burning up, and Rachel wondered how such a small body could generate so much heat.

  Rachel slipped her own blazer off and heedlessly let it fall to the tiled bathroom floor. She tried to roll her sleeves up, but couldn’t manage.

  Eli looked over his shoulder and saw her dilemma. Kneeling down in front of her, he unbuttoned the cuffs of her silk blouse and gently rolled the sleeves up. It was a strangely tender gesture, and Rachel felt a quiver in her midsection as his fingers brushed her arms.

  “Okay, very slowly lower her into the water,” Eli said.

  Rachel knelt beside him and did as he told her. As soon as Gracie’s body touched the water, she sucked in a quick breath and then started to scream in earnest, bucking stiffly in Rachel’s arms.

  “It’s too cold,” Rachel said, pulling her back again.

  “She feels like she’s having a seizure.”

  “She’s just having a temper tantrum.” Eli caught Rachel’s arm and stopped her. “It feels cold to her because she’s so hot.”

  Rachel turned her head and met his eyes. His smile made tiny crinkles at the corners of his eyes and showed the hint of a dimple in one cheek. “She’ll be okay. Trust me,” he said quietly.

  And to her surprise, Rachel did.

  Gracie screamed again, but this time Rachel felt more relaxed. Eli had said it was okay. So then it was.

  Gracie shivered and flailed in the water, but Rachel kept her there.

  “Dribble a bit of water on her forehead,” Eli said, still crouched beside her. “Not too much or it will be too much of a shock.”

  “Are you going to need me any more?” Pilar asked, standing in the doorway of the bathroom, cell phone in hand. “I just got an emergency call I can’t pass on.”

  Rachel s
hook her head and turned her attention back to Gracie. “I think we’ll be okay.” She glanced at Eli who knelt beside her. “Won’t we?”

  “We will,” he said quietly.

  “You sure?” Pilar asked.

  “I’m sure,” Rachel said with conviction.

  “Okay. I’m out of here.” Pilar left, and suddenly Rachel and Eli were alone.

  By the time they were done, Gracie was shivering and her lips were changing from bright red to pale pink. Rachel pulled her dripping body out of the bathtub and wrapped her in the large fluffy towel Eli had pulled off the towel rack.

  “Do you have some children’s Tylenol?” he asked, pushing himself to his feet and wiping his own hands.

  “I bought a bunch of stuff shortly after I saw you,” Rachel said, rubbing the now shivering little girl dry. “It’s on the counter behind you.”

  “I’m surprised she spiked a temp,” Eli said as he pulled out the bottle. “She was fine when I saw her this afternoon.”

  “And when I left this evening.” Rachel finished drying Gracie off and bent over to pick up the sleeper she had discarded on the floor.

  Eli reached for it at the same time, and for a moment their fingers brushed. Rachel kept her grip on the sleeper and her emotions this time. She blamed her earlier reaction to him on her fear for Gracie.

  But as she got up to bring Gracie to the bedroom, she couldn’t stop herself from glancing at Eli, surprised to find him looking at her. He held out the bottle of Tylenol.

  “Just give her the recommended dosage,” he said as she took the bottle.

  She nodded, and this time she left without looking back.

  By the time she got Gracie changed, medicated and settled into bed, she felt a little more in control. Gracie lay down this time without a fuss, and Rachel stood beside her crib, waiting for her to settle down. Her thick lashes fluttered a moment, and Rachel saw her eyes go glassy. Then the child blinked and her eyelids slowly drooped shut. Rachel waited a moment, just to make sure.

  The light from the hallway darkened, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Eli silhouetted in doorway, looking for all the world like a concerned father.

  “How is she doing?” he whispered.

  “I think she’s asleep.” Rachel waited another moment, just to make sure. Then she tiptoed out of the room and closed the door.

  “You might want to leave it open just a crack,” Eli said quietly. “She’s used to light during the night.”

  Rachel frowned her puzzlement at him. “How do you know?”

  “She spent a lot of time in the hospital.”

  “Gracie was that ill as a baby?”

  Eli’s laugh was without humor. “Whenever her mother wanted to get rid of her for the weekend, she’d manufacture some excuse to bring her to the hospital.”

  Fragments of conversation Rachel remembered fell into place. “My parents never said a lot about Gracie’s mother.”

  “They never met her. By the time the hospital social worker was aware of the case, Gracie had been in the hospital for a while, waiting for her mother to pick her up. She never came.” Eli slipped on his jacket and retrieved his helmet from the floor where he had dropped it moments before.

  Rachel felt a sudden surge of compassion for the child now laying in her crib. “No wonder she gets so upset when people leave her.”

  “And that could be why she spiked the temperature.”

  They were standing by the front door now, their voices echoing in the wide expanse of Rachel’s loft condo.

  “I’m glad you were around to help.”

  “I’m sure Pilar would have known what to do. She’s a very capable person.” Eli turned the helmet over in his hands, his mouth curved up in a lazy smile.

  And why should that innocuous commendation of her friend cause a nip of jealousy?

  “She’s also a good friend. I can’t think of too many people who would be willing to baby-sit at a moment’s notice.”

  “You are lucky in your friends.”

  Rachel just smiled, not sure what to say next. Chit-chat with men was something she realized she was woefully out of practice at. Not a good indicator of her social life, she realized.

  Eli didn’t seem in a hurry to leave as he looked around her condo. “Nice place you got here,” he said.

  Rachel followed his gaze. “It’s a bit big for me, but I like it.”

  Lights from downtown Chestnut Grove sparkled back through the floor-to-ceiling windows, adding to the warm glow of the sconce lights embedded in the rough-hewn walls.

  “It is nice,” he agreed.

  The conversation was obviously winding down to either a goodbye or an invitation for coffee. Rachel bit her lip, wondering if she should ask him to stay awhile. It had been a long, long time since she’d had male company. When she moved to New York after Keith’s death she had tried dating, but every man had fallen short of her ideal.

  Even now, though the memories of him had faded, the potential of pain was like a hidden bruise in her life. Only painful when touched.

  She did not want to open herself to that again.

  “Thanks for stopping by,” she said quietly, making the wisest choice. Eli was Gracie’s doctor. He should never be anything more.

  He tossed his motorcycle helmet from one hand to the other and Rachel’s resolve to steer clear of him hardened.

  “Well, if anything changes, let me know.” He tossed her another smile, then left.

  As the door clicked closed behind her, Rachel took a deep breath to slow her heart down. She had made the best decision. Her life was too complicated and too busy right now for anything else.

  So why did she feel suddenly so very alone? Why did her once funky and inviting condo now seem so large and empty?

  She pushed the melancholy feelings aside and walked back to Gracie’s room to check on her one more time before she settled into her office to catch up on some work.

  Chapter Six

  When the alarm clock went off the next morning Rachel dragged herself out of confused dreams. Then she heard Gracie fussing, and any remnants of sleep that still clung to her fuzzy mind were dashed away.

  She stumbled out of bed and down the hallway to Gracie’s crib. It was a secondhand unit she had borrowed from Meg.

  Gracie sat in the corner, crying, but seemed okay. She settled a bit when Rachel pulled her out. However, as Rachel worked through an entirely unfamiliar routine of feeding and washing and changing a toddler, Gracie was fractious, alternately clinging to Rachel, then pushing her away and looking around the condo as if trying to find something familiar aside from her older sister.

  Every time Rachel tried to put her down, she cried, which made getting ready for work challenging. Finally Rachel simply had no choice but to ignore her and get her hair done and makeup on with the noise of her cries piercing her ears.

  Rachel was grateful when the nanny promised by Pilar arrived half an hour early. She was an older woman, very efficient. Very capable. Even her name instilled a feeling of confidence, Frances Simpson.

  As Rachel showed her around the condo, though, she saw it through the caregiver’s eyes. It was a great place to live, but somehow the high ceilings and large open living spaces that had created the appeal Rachel was paying for, now seemed cold and sterile. Not like a home at all.

  The nanny was all diplomacy and tact, and Rachel hoped Pilar had explained the circumstances to her—because as she put on her suit coat and picked up her briefcase, she suddenly felt like a neglectful mother.

  Which was emphasized when Gracie started crying again.

  Had Gracie screamed and carried on, Rachel might have had an easier time leaving. But the child only looked at her with a woebegone expression as fat tears slid silently down her cheeks. Her quiet misery plucked at Rachel’s heart and made her think of Gracie being left behind in the hospital while her mother headed out.

  She couldn’t get the picture out of her head as she drove to work, as she waded throu
gh the many messages that had piled up in the hour she had been waylaid while she got Gracie settled in.

  Shortly after she got to the office she had the phone tucked under her ear as she scribbled her name on a couple of letters that Lorna had put in front of her. She covered the phone with one hand as she looked up at the woman.

  “Lorna, can you get Daniel from the fund-raising division to come up here? I’ve got a few questions on the last statement he gave me.”

  “I’ll get him right away. Oh, and Reuben dropped off the information on that charity for Mrs. Binet. Reuben asked me to set up a meeting with her here for Monday next week.”

  Rachel frowned. “I usually meet LaReese at her home.”

  “I know, but Reuben told me to make the meeting here.”

  “May I remind you that I’m in charge here, not Reuben.”

  Lorna fiddled nervously with the papers she held. “I’m sorry if I made a mistake. It was just that Reuben insisted, and I didn’t dare…”

  Rachel held her hand up in a soothing motion. “Don’t worry. Reuben can come on strong. I’ll take care of him. In the meantime, I want you to cancel the meeting. LaReese is very uncomfortable going out into public places.” A fact which had made dealing with her doubly difficult. “What I do want you to do is set up a meeting with the chairman of that new group, the one for autistic children. The early intervention group.” Rachel tapped her pen on the desk as she tried to dredge the name out of her mind. Usually the information was right there. But she was feeling punchy this morning and out of sorts. As she worked she could not get the picture of Gracie out of her mind.

  “I know which one you mean. I’ll set it up right away.”

  As Lorna left, Rachel wondered if she shouldn’t do as her friends had always suggested. Let her assistants do more of the work. That was why they were called assist-ants.

  Though they were both willing, she was also sensing a growing tension between the two. Lorna had been dropping vague comments about Reuben for the past few weeks and Reuben’s behavior lately did not instill much confidence. If Reuben was giving Lorna conflicting information, this created one more situation Rachel had no time to deal with.