“She can sleep in tomorrow, can’t she?” Mark interjected.
Mallory nodded. “Since you missed your class party, Grandpapa and I decided to stretch your bedtime tonight.”
“Goody! Mommy, when’s Connor coming to see me again?” Liddy Bea rearranged her frog band around her plate for the hundredth time. The glass figurines had never been out of her sight since she’d left the hospital.
Caught off guard, Mallory swept a glance around those seated at the table. She immediately noticed Alec’s disapproval. Hurriedly, she transferred her attention to Liddy Bea. “Did Mr. O’Rourke say he’d see you again, baby?”
“I can’t ’member. I wish he’d come to dinner tonight. I want him to see how much I love the frogs he gave me. They can’t really play music,” she announced to the table at large. “But I pretend they’re playing bring back, bring back, bring back my daddy to me…ee…ee!” Her voice warbled.
Alec Robinson snorted inelegantly. “Where on earth did you hear that old Scottish ballad? The correct words are bring back my bonnie to me. Not to be pedantic, but it refers to Bonnie Prince Charlie, of course.”
Mark Forrest touched his napkin to his lips and flashed a dark look at his sister and then her boss.
“Nurse MacDougal taught me the right words. She said it’s okay if I make up my own verses.” Liddy Bea pouted prettily.
Mallory squeezed the child’s hand as Bradford and Dr. Dahl exchanged interested smiles. “Liddy, hon,” Mallory said softly, “you can sing with your frogs in your bedroom. It’s not polite to sing at the dinner table.” She might have said more, but Marta’s arrival with a four-layered strawberry shortcake diverted everyone.
Even Liddy Bea said she couldn’t pass up eating a few bites of her favorite dessert. She promptly gobbled it up, then asked to be excused. Her mother nodded absently. The little girl kissed her mother, her grandfather and Uncle Mark. She collected her frogs and went to play in her own room.
The adults settled down to enjoy their dessert, coffee and conversation. “When do you expect the results of Connor’s blood work?” Mark asked. “I’m sorry I missed seeing him. He and I have a lot of old times to talk over. I wonder if we weren’t in Hawaii around the same time one year. If I’d known for sure, I’d have looked him up.”
Fredric Dahl polished off his last bite. “Well, it’s time for me to get home to the family. Before I forget to tell you, David Hinze, our best radiologist, is on vacation this week and next. But reading O’Rourke’s IVP is at the top of his list as soon as he’s back. I expect the cross match and tissue tests will be in by then, too. So by the Monday after, we should know how clean a match O’Rourke is. I’ll shoot for that target date to reschedule his next visit.”
“So soon?” Mallory set her fork aside. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous,” she said to no one in particular. “You said Liddy won’t be ready to have the surgery for several weeks.”
“Are you worried Connor will change his mind?” Mark asked.
Mallory shook her head.
“I know I said we’d need to wait.” This from Dahl. “However, Liddy’s healing very nicely. Depending on how her antibodies build or subside, we may not have to wait.”
“Really?” Tears swarmed in Mallory’s eyes, forcing her to blot them away with her napkin. “Sorry, but that’s the best news I’ve had in months. Now, if Connor can take off work to come here for the transplant on such short notice, I’ll be the happiest woman alive.”
“Does he need to come here?” Alec asked sharply. “Why can’t he donate at the transplant center in Miami and have them fly the organ to us? It’s handled that way through the national donor program.”
Fredric shook his head. “In the case of live donors, it’s preferable to have the patients in adjacent surgical rooms. And Miami’s so close.”
Bradford pulled a cigar out of his breast pocket, placed it between his lips, then lit it. After he puffed a few times, he smiled like the Cheshire cat, wreathed in smoke. “Proximity may not be an issue. The powers that be in FSU’s meteorology graduate program are salivating over the possibility of adding Dr. O’Rourke to their staff. All that’s needed to make him a firm offer is deciding on an amount. And what do you think of this? I’m funding a special section of baroclinic instability studies myself. Out of the Beatrice Forrest Foundation.”
Mark choked on his last swig of coffee. Mallory gasped. “Is there a foundation set up in Mother’s name?”
“Took the words out of my mouth,” Mark murmured.
“Not yet.” Bradford puffed some more. “I’m talking to Joel Ferris about establishing one. It’s fitting, don’t y’all think? To honor the work your mother did with hurricane-relief volunteers? It came to me after we talked last night, Mallory.”
“If the foundation’s providing Connor with funds to work here in Tallahassee, Mom would turn over in her grave,” Mark blurted.
Mallory shot him a dirty look.
“Come on,” he said. “She sent him to the middle of nowhere. Or rather she got the volunteer board to front Connor’s grant. They might’ve thought she did it to further the cause of hurricane detection, but I knew it was to make him disappear from your life, Mallory.”
She reached across the corner of the table and slammed her fist into Mark’s arm. “That’s for not telling me. Did you imagine I wanted to be a single mom?”
Mark rubbed his arm. “Jeez. I didn’t know you were p.g. when I left for the naval academy. At Mom’s funeral, you never mentioned Connor. I think when I said how much Liddy Bea looked like him, you told me to shut my mouth.”
Liddy Bea came skipping back into the dining room. “Who do I look like, Uncle Mark?”
“Yourself, baby,” Mallory said, glaring murderously at Mark. “Goodness, it’s time for your nightly exchange, Liddy Bea.” Pushing back from the table, Mallory grabbed her daughter’s hand. The others rose with a scrape of their chairs.
“I should be going, unless you need my help,” Dr. Dahl said.
“I, uh, me, too,” Alec mumbled. “Unless…well, you aren’t planning to do her exchange right here, are you, Mallory? If not, I’ll stay and chat with your dad.”
“We can do them anywhere, but Liddy likes her privacy. You could come up and talk to me for the half hour or so it takes,” Mallory said peevishly, finally understanding why she kept Alec at arm’s length. Ever since Liddy Bea was diagnosed with renal failure, Alec—who had a private practice before he became Forrest Memorial’s chief administrator—had held himself aloof from Liddy’s illness.
“No, thanks. I shouldn’t stay, anyway. I’ve got a busy schedule in the morning. Will you be in tomorrow, Mallory? I know you said you had some things to square away.”
“Mark’s only in town for a few days. I’d like him to help me find a place to live. Mostly, though, I prefer not to leave Liddy Bea alone with Marta quite yet. Not until I know how she’s going to react to home dialysis.”
Mark watched his dad prepare to walk Fredric and Alec to the door. “You want to sublet my apartment, Mallory? The navy thinks it’s time for me to pull another two-year tour overseas. I’d planned to list the place with a leasing agency tomorrow.”
“You’re a big help, son,” Bradford complained from the hall. “I’ve got this huge house. I don’t know why either one of you needs a separate apartment.”
Mallory opened her mouth, but Mark answered first. “We’re not kids anymore, Dad. It’s damned awkward sneaking someone in here to spend the night, you know.” He sent his sister a surreptitious wink.
Bradford puffed furiously on his cigar. “At your age you both ought to find permanent partners. Quit having flings.”
Alec sought Mallory’s eyes from across the room.
“Mark isn’t speaking for me.” She lowered her lashes, as she quickly led Liddy Bea up the winding stairs.
“I wish you’d reconsider facilitating O’Rourke’s move to Tallahassee,” Alec said quietly to Bradford.
“Why?�
�� Brad leveled a frown at the speaker.
“Do you honestly think O’Rourke won’t start making demands on Mallory if he’s living in town?”
“What I think is now that he’s had a look at Liddy Bea, his conscience will nag him to spend more time with her. Mallory won’t want Lydia flying off to Miami for regular visits. Nor do I. To be blunt, Alec, what business is it of yours?”
Alec paled under his tan. “Apparently you’ve forgotten how badly he treated Mallory. Why give him a second opportunity?”
“He’s engaged to be married, Alec. Connor postponed his wedding to be tested as a kidney donor. You’re worrying for nothing.”
“Am I? We’ll see. Mark my words, you’ll live to regret aiding and abetting that man, Bradford.” Alec hurried after Fredric Dahl.
CONNOR DID AS HE’D ALWAYS done during times of personal crisis—he threw himself into his sensors and graphs. He also vowed to get his relationship back on track. But he and Claire played phone tag for the remainder of the week. Late the next Wednesday, he finally connected with her. “Hi, stranger. I heard Jay has you teaching a class in operational computer support out at Key Biscayne.”
“Do you have the results of your tests yet?”
“Nope. I phoned the clinic this morning. Rhonda said their radiologist is on vacation. He’ll be back next week, I guess.”
“There’s really no point in our talking until then, Connor.”
“We’re engaged, Claire. I thought you might like to have dinner and catch a movie this weekend.”
“Are you ready to consider my objections to your donating a kidney?”
The wire crackled. “If I’m a match, Claire, I’m giving Liddy Bea a kidney. Period.”
“Then call me when you know.”
“What difference does it make? It’s my body.”
“Because, Connor, I’m really not sure I’m prepared to marry half a man.”
“Half a—” The connection broke off in Connor’s ear. He stared at the receiver for several minutes before slamming it down. He paced his apartment for an hour. Angry, hurt and lonely, he grabbed the phone again. He wanted…needed to speak with Mallory. Until now, he’d resisted phoning to see how Liddy Bea was getting on. The main reason for that was his fear that he’d be taking something away from Claire. Now he was too furious with her to give a damn. Liddy Bea was his daughter!
Bradford, not Mallory answered. “Hi. It’s Connor. Sorry to bother you so late in the evening, but I’ve been putting in some grueling hours at the center. I’m curious as to how Liddy Bea’s doing after her release.”
“Fine. She’s feeling so well, we held a celebration dinner Monday. Mark even flew up from Pensacola.”
“Good. That’s great.”
“Maybe yes. Maybe no. The fool boy put his furniture in storage and sublet his apartment to Mallory. She and Liddy Bea have moved. I’m rattling around this damned mausoleum by myself.”
“No. You have Marta and Davis.”
“It’s not the same. Now I’ll have to phone ahead to see my grandchild. Damn, I miss her already.”
“Funny, I don’t know her anywhere nearly as well as you do, but I miss her, too.”
“Say, I may have a partial solution for the fix you’re in.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. Beatrice came to our marriage with considerable family money. She used to dip into it now and again to surprise me or the kids with special gifts. When she died, I was shocked to discover her trust had grown considerably. She’d set some aside for charities, plus small trusts for Mark and Mallory. The bulk sits there gaining interest.”
“Forgive me, Senator, if I can’t see how your wife’s money pertains to me.”
“That’s just it. She…did you wrong, in a way. You’ll never get back the years you lost with…uh…Lydia. At any rate, I’ve set up a foundation up with Bea’s money. I’m prepared to fund your research project. As well, FSU will offer you a full professorship in their meteorology program. You can live closer to Liddy Bea, and keep tabs on her without disrupting her life, or yours.”
“I’m stunned, Senator.” Connor let a few seconds tick by. “And this proviso meets with Mallory’s approval?”
“Haven’t exactly run the whole deal by her. She knows about the foundation funding your research. And she’s aware the university wants you on staff. Claire will like living in the capital city, won’t she? She struck me as a woman who’d enjoy the culture here.”
“Claire loves it in Miami. She has a lot of friends and a good job.”
“Tell her I’m not without contacts in high places, Connor. I’m positive we can improve her salary.”
“I will.” Connor wasn’t sure whether or not more money figured into Claire’s future plans. Truthfully, he felt pressured from both sides and needed to pull back.
“I’ll courier the transfer forms to you tomorrow, Connor. If everything meets with your approval, we can firm this up when you fly over for your test results. Leave your flight number on my voice mail and I’ll have Davis meet you. Oh, and Fredric’s pretty sure all your test results will be in by next week. This way, you can sit down with him and go over them in person. See them, rather than have to digest stuff over the phone.”
“I guess. Sure. Send me the forms. This is all so sudden, I’d like some time to study everything. I’ll make a decision as soon as possible, though.”
The men had little more to say to each other. After he’d hung up, Connor’s heart raced in anticipation of spending more time around Mal—no, Liddy Bea.
Whoa! Connor stared off into space, attempting to corral thoughts run amok. This job transfer was definitely a matter he had to talk over with Claire. Preferably today.
Unfortunately, his attempts to reach her again failed. He left messages on her home voice mail and at work, saying they needed to get together. He’d been purposely vague about why. By Friday night, he’d grown really irritated. “Claire, I have a great job offer from the university in Tallahassee. I’m flying over there on Monday to get the results of my tests. Help me out here. We need to discuss this before I go. I can’t very well accept or reject a possible transfer without your input.”
There was a message when he came in from his mid-morning run on Saturday. Dang, he’d put off going until late, thinking Claire would sleep in. He’d decided she must have spent the night with Lauren or Janine.
It was Claire, but she was no help. “Relocate to Tallahassee? Are you crazy? I’m in the Keys with friends, scuba diving. I won’t be back until Monday morning. Phone me at work after your lab results have been deciphered.”
Connor yanked the sweaty towel from around his neck, knocking the phone off the hall credenza. It didn’t give him the satisfaction he sought. And he’d broken it, which meant he had to go shopping for another one.
A job he tackled immediately after showering. A good move as it turned out. Minutes after he returned and plugged in his new phone, Dr. Dahl called. “Brad tells me your flight gets in at nine, and that Davis is picking you up. He’ll take you straight to a breakfast with department heads from FSU. I’ve spoken with Dr. Hinze, the radiologist who’ll read your X rays. He’s promised to read them here, so he and I can go over them together before you arrive. I’ve arranged my schedule to fit you in at eleven. Let’s hope that by lunch, we all can go out and celebrate.”
Connor agreed to all the arrangements, feeling somewhat dazed as he hung up. Perhaps he could string the group at FSU along. He’d just tell them Claire was out of town. It was the truth.
MONDAY, HE DRESSED IN his best suit. And he considered it a good omen that his flight landed early and Davis was waiting. His luggage this trip consisted only of the briefcase Mallory had shipped back. The leather still carried the faint scent of her perfume—or so he fancied.
“Good morning, sir.” Smiling, Davis fell into step beside him. “You may want to remove your suit jacket before we go out to the car. It’s muggy. You’d think it was August instead of June.”
They both laughed, but Connor shrugged out of his coat and loosened his tie. They passed old familiar sights as they left the airport. Connor was struck by a sense of coming home. Dumb. Most likely he wouldn’t accept the offer. Claire had certainly made her feelings clear.
Not wanting to think about that right now, he opened his case and removed the proposal. A sweet deal if there ever was one. Possibly a once-in-a-lifetime offer containing everything he could possibly need in the way of testing his detection system.
Gazing out the window, he thought he should have tracked Claire down in the Keys and made her listen. He knew better than to get her out of bed this morning before his flight left. She was not a morning person under the best of circumstances.
“Davis,” Connor said on the spur of the moment. “Do I have time to see Liddy Bea before I need to be at that breakfast with the college staff?”
“She and Miss Mallory moved into Mr. Mark’s apartment.” He shook his head. “Mr. Bradford’s been a mopey dog all week.”
“So is that a no? I suppose Mallory’s back at work. Whoever she has watching Liddy Bea would probably call the cops, right?” he said glumly. “I just thought—there’s so much at stake today…it’d be nice to… Well, never mind.”
Davis squinted in the side mirror and changed lanes. “Miss Mallory’s taken a temporary leave, except for cleaning up a few things at work. She and Miss Lydia will certainly be up. Their apartment’s on our route to the university.”
“Really? Thanks, Davis. I’ll only take a minute to say hi.”
Luck seemed to accompany Connor today. Two cars pulled away from the curb in front of Mallory’s complex, leaving a space big enough to park the limo. “We’ve got fifteen minutes to spare,” Davis informed Connor. “Twenty max.”
Wearing a huge grin, Connor leaped from the car. He’d gone barely two steps when he was back, rapping on the window. “Which apartment?” he asked sheepishly.
The Seven Year Secret Page 15