She withdrew her thumb just enough to be able to say, “Daddy does that, too.”
Tess froze. She had a sudden memory of lying in a bed herself, someone bending over and stroking her brow. Had that been Richard? Or was her memory playing tricks on her?
Molly fidgeted some more, then Tess resumed the stroking until the girl was fast asleep.
“I’M STUFFED,” announced Molly, plunking her fork onto the plate of half-eaten pasta. She leaned forward to ask, in a dramatic whisper, “Do they do doggie bags here?”
Tess laughed, catching Alec’s startled expression out of the corner of her eye. She wanted to make some gibe about having a sense of humor after all, but sensed it might spoil the neutral ambience of the evening so far.
Dinner at the funky Italian restaurant she and Mavis had discovered years ago had been a success. Her first of the day, she thought, and was surprised how that pleased her. Even Nick had shown—though not verbally—obvious enjoyment of the noisy restaurant as waitstaff and cooks hollered orders back and forth. The eclectic array of items decorating the walls, along with the clotheslines strung from wall to wall and festooned with photographs of various celebrities who’d dined there, had been the subject of most of the dinner talk.
“They do doggie bags,” Tess replied. “Believe me. I’ve taken many home from here.”
When the bill arrived she and Alec had a brief debate over who was paying. He insisted that his expense account would cover it, but Tess was skeptical.
Nick and Molly were busily examining some of the decor on their way to the door when the waitress returned with change.
“You have a nice family,” she remarked.
Tess felt her face redden but Alec acted as though he hadn’t heard. As they walked out behind the kids, she had the odd sensation of being part of a group. Although the feeling didn’t take long to evaporate.
Out on the sidewalk, Molly and Nick were already bickering. Tess grit her teeth. She didn’t have the faintest idea how to get them to stop and suspected her impulse to scream would be deemed totally inappropriate.
“It’s been a long day for them,” Alec said in her right ear.
“Hasn’t it for all of us?”
“Yes, but they’re only kids. This is how they deal with stress.” He paused a beat before asking, “What do you do about it?”
She shot him a questioning look.
“Stress,” he repeated.
“Sometimes I go for a run—if the weather’s good.”
“Never felt inclined to snap at people?”
She stiffened at the indulgent smile in his face.
“No. Why should I? Sometimes the orders I give out are a bit more…brusque.”
“Ah, well. I suppose when you’re at the top of the heap, there’s no objection to…orders.”
Tess found his grin irritating. Why was he always trying to bait her? What had she ever done to him? Self-pity surged through her. She knew what it felt like to be abandoned.
“What time will you be picking up the children tomorrow?”
The grin vanished. “I…uh…I thought maybe I’d come round early. Bring breakfast with me.”
“If you like,” she said and, turning her back to walk up the steps to the condo, heard him say good-night to Nick and Molly.
“I’ll see you two at breakfast, okay?”
“Aren’t you staying here, too, Alec? We were supposed to watch videos.”
For a tense second Tess froze on the steps, afraid one of the children would ask if he could, but fortunately Alec quickly said, “No, I’ve got a hotel room near the airport. And I think everyone’s far too tired for videos tonight, Molly.”
Relieved, Tess continued on inside, holding the door open while the children waved to Alec as he climbed into a taxi. Then they turned and walked, slump-shouldered with disappointment, toward Tess.
Once upstairs, Nick sullenly set to making up his bed on the couch. Molly didn’t ask to be tucked in, but lay silently staring up at Tess, her unblinking eyes tracking her every move until Tess switched off the light. She made for the bathroom and a hot shower, happy to have the day come to an end at last. She just wished she felt better about their leaving the next day.
CHAPTER FOUR
SOBS TORE INTO the quiet night, wrenching Tess from sleep. She sat up, disoriented, searching the darkness for a familiar landmark. She found one almost at once—the pale marine glow from her laptop monitor on the table beside her.
She’d fallen asleep in the easy chair opposite the couch. The draft of a report lay strewn on the floor at her feet and the shape now rising from the dark space occupied by the couch must be Nick.
They both hit the bedroom door at the same time. Tess had left one of the bedside lamps on when she’d said good-night to Molly and was glad she had. Otherwise, she and Nick could have crashed into the bed, frightening even more an already distraught Molly.
“I want my mommy and daddy,” she cried. She was sitting huddled in the center of the bed, wiping at her eyes with both fists.
Tess reached Molly’s side first and bent over to wrap an arm around her shoulders. But Molly pushed her arm away with a strength belying her delicate frame. “I want Nick,” she wailed, her voice pitching to near hysteria.
Nick crawled up the bed from the end where he’d been standing and pulled Molly against him. Tess stood back, watching brother and sister in a scene that must have occurred many times since their parents’ death.
“Shhh! It’s okay Molly. Just another bad dream. I’m here.”
“Don’t leave me, Nick. Promise you won’t leave me,” she sobbed, tucking her head into the crook of his shoulder.
He lowered his face to the top of her head and murmured, “I won’t leave you, I promise.”
He was still comforting her, repeating those words over and over, when Tess left the room, softly closing the door behind them. She returned to the chair and sagged into it, covering her face with her hands. Thinking. Remembering again the day her father walked out, leaving her behind. Did she seriously think she could do the same?
AS SOON as he walked in the door, Alec sensed that a change had taken place. He couldn’t put his finger on it, because everyone seemed just as subdued as they’d been when he’d left last night. Molly didn’t rush to greet him and Nick was blasé about the box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts Alec was holding, along with two large coffees and a bottle of orange juice.
Tess was tidying up things at the kitchen counter and, in spite of dark circles beneath her eyes, gave him what could have passed for a friendly greeting in the real world. A spark of indignation fired deep inside Alec as he wondered if her improved mood had anything to do with the fact that they’d all be out of her life in a few short hours. Or maybe he was ticked off because the greeting wasn’t quite as friendly as he’d have liked it. He dismissed the notion at once. Wanting to establish a warmer relationship with the woman was natural, given his objective of bringing her around to taking the kids. It was just that a small part of him—a part he was unable to ignore the more he was in Tess’s presence—wanted her to like him.
“Hi,” she said. “We had cereal, but it was first thing this morning.”
Alec set the purchases down on the counter and looked across the room at the two kids, huddled together on the couch. Molly was sucking her thumb and Nick looked as though he’d been up most of the night. He glanced back at Tess. Matter of fact, they all did.
“What’s happening here? You all look like zombies.”
Tess managed a wan smile. “We didn’t get much sleep.”
He frowned, but waited for her to continue.
“Molly had a nightmare and Nick spent a long time getting her back to sleep.”
Alec wondered what Molly would do when Nick wasn’t around. Resisting the thought, he shoved it aside at once. Part of him wanted to blame Tess, who stood there, calm and detached. As if she didn’t hold the solution to all their problems. But he knew that was unfair. She’d ma
de a successful life for herself and, even though it wasn’t one he envied in any way, he couldn’t fault her for being reluctant to change it. Still…
“These look good,” Tess said, opening the box of doughnuts.
Alec bet she’d never tasted one. He watched her plop one on a plate, lick her fingers and pick up one of the coffees.
“Thanks for the treats,” she said and wandered to the easy chair. “Better get one before I eat them all,” she warned the kids. They stared at her with the same openmouthed surprise that Alec had. “I don’t always eat granola,” she said by way of explanation.
Molly was the first to bounce up and run to the counter. Alec second-guessed her request for juice and poured a glass. Nick was a bit slower rising to the bait, suspecting what the treats were all about, but eventually sauntered to the counter and deposited two doughnuts on his plate.
“Hey!” Molly gave a weak protest, not really minding.
“Growing boy,” Alec said and winked at Nick, provoking a semblance of a smile. He retrieved his own coffee and perched on a bar stool with it.
“No doughnut?” Tess commented.
“Have to watch my waistline,” he said, suppressing a grin at her chagrined expression. So, she’d taken one to be a good sport. Great show of unanimity, he thought, even if it was completely meaningless.
He sipped slowly on his coffee, trying not to be too obvious about his study of her. She was a ringer for Molly, but her skin coloring was paler. Molly had inherited her Italian mother’s olive tones while Nick, with his father’s paler skin and mother’s chestnut hair, was a different blend. He wondered if Tess’s iron will and fierce determination was from her father or her mother. Whatever, he just hoped she could be bent.
When everyone had finished eating, Alec got off the stool and said, “How would you two like to go down to the lakeshore, check out the park?”
“We went there yesterday,” Nick said. The look in his face defied a suggestion to return.
Alec shrugged. “Okay. What about a movie?”
“At ten in the morning?”
Alec figured the kid was doing his best to rein in his attitude. He had guessed where Alec was going with this and wanted none of it. No amount of entertainment and junk food could make up for the hard fact that he and Molly were heading back home—mission unaccomplished.
“What time does your flight leave?”
Startled, Alec turned sharply toward Tess. Jeez. Did she have to be so blunt about it? No subtle whisper to him when they were alone?
All eyes in the room were riveted on her face. At least, Alec noticed, she had the grace to seem embarrassed.
“Because I—I’ve been thinking maybe I should go back with you. Just, you know, to make sure the kids are settled and check out this Jed Walker. Make sure he’s doing right by the kids.” Flushing, she stared down into her coffee cup.
Alec was speechless. He tried to process what she’d said. Not a commitment to anything, that was for certain. He wondered what had made her change her mind. Whatever it had been, luck was now on his side. The door had opened a crack and she’d stuck her foot through. And he’d do his damnedest to make sure the door was wide-open very soon.
Molly was thrilled, unaware of the nuances of what Tess had said. “I can show you my room and my pet hamster.”
Nick was more doubtful. “How do you know you can get a flight?’ he asked.
“I can try.” She looked over at Alec.
“I’ll call the airline right away,” he said before she could change her mind. Fifteen minutes later, thanks to a last-minute cancellation, she was confirmed. “We should be at the airport by two, at the latest,” he said.
She rose from her chair. “Then I’d better get busy with the phone calls I need to make.”
But she stood there, as if the reality of what she’d promised had just hit home. Alec quickly filled in the gap. “Guys, how about if we go for a walk while Tess makes her phone calls and gets ready?”
Molly skipped around the room while Nick, feigning indifference, shuffled toward the door.
Alec couldn’t blame him for being skeptical about the whole thing, but the kid didn’t realize what an opportunity Tess had given them. All they had to do now was to persuade her—somehow—to stay in Boulder. Not an impossible task, Alec decided. But, surveying the upscale loft that represented her success as he joined Molly and Nick at the door, definitely a challenging one.
AS SOON AS the door closed behind them, Tess sank back into the chair and trembled all over. The emotional drain of last night had ceded, and she couldn’t help thinking that she could just as easily have made a different decision. She could have simply accompanied them to the airport and waved a goodbye with promises to visit soon. In time, she knew that squirm of guilt inside would have disappeared and she could resume her normal life again with a vow to keep in touch.
She’d made her move—no turning back now. She decided that she’d make it clear from the start that her trip to Colorado was only a visit, to ensure the children were dealt with fairly by the lawyer and the authorities. And surely there must be one family in all of Boulder willing to foster two children!
She got up and headed for her computer to e-mail Carrie, but realized a phone call would be necessary after all so that Carrie could reschedule an early Monday meeting. She started the conversation off with an apology for calling on a Sunday afternoon, then explained what she’d decided to do.
“No kidding,” Carrie kept saying until Tess’s teeth ached from clenching.
When Tess had eventually finished what she’d chosen as her official story—estranged father dead, leaving behind two children who were her half siblings—Carrie had jumped to the ending. “So instead of going on a cruise next week, you’re heading for Denver?”
“Something like that, assuming my vacation leave is still valid.”
“It is unless you canceled it when you canceled the cruise.”
She hadn’t. Was that an intentional oversight on her part? An unconscious desire to get away, if not with Doug Reed, then by herself?
After Tess relayed the rest of her requests, Carrie asked, “Will you be in Colorado the whole two weeks of your vacation?”
“Heavens, no. I hope to finish what I have to do in less than a week.”
There was a slight pause before Carrie asked, “And will you be bringing the kids back here to Chicago?”
Tess closed her eyes. She hadn’t come up with an official story for this part. “I really don’t know how it’s going to play out at this stage,” she said.
“Yeah?” Carrie’s voice was full of disbelief. “But obviously you’re their next of kin so…”
“It’s not that simple, Carrie,” Tess snapped back. “Look, I’ve got to go now. You can get hold of me on my cell phone if you need to.”
“Sure, Tess. Say hi to the kids for me and have a good trip.”
Tess hung up, drained from the questions that she knew were merely a beginning. She decided not to phone Mavis until her answers were more practiced. Mavis would be a tougher interrogator. Instead, she finished other calls, leaving messages to cancel a dental appointment and reschedule a massage, which she figured she’d need once she returned from Colorado. Then she tidied up and did a load of laundry. When the buzzer rang she was finally on the phone with Mavis, who had just returned from her visit to Sophie.
“Hold on, Mavis. They’re back—I’ll just buzz them in.” Tess muttered on her way to the intercom. She’d hoped to have the call with Mavis finished. When she returned to the phone, she said, “Look, can I call you when I get there? I’ll know more by then what’s going on.”
“But, Tess love, what’s going to happen to the wee ones?”
A vision of Nick came to mind. “They’re not so wee, Mavis. At least, Nick isn’t. He’s just turned thirteen and looks as though he’ll be tall.”
“Like your father.”
“Yes, I suppose. At any rate, I’ll see if they can be fo
stered out to the same family. This Alec Malone said—”
“Tess! What’s this talk about fostering? You’re the next of kin. I don’t understand why you’re blathering on about settling them in and so on. You should be going there to pack them all up and bring them back to Chicago.”
“To stay where?”
A slight hesitation. “If not with you, then—”
“Mavis, please. Be realistic. There’s no way you could manage. Not that I don’t appreciate your offer but—”
“Well, I was going to say you could all move in with me. Sell off that pricey condo and live mortgage free. You’ll be inheriting my house, anyway.”
Tess closed her eyes. God, this was getting complicated. “Mavis, I don’t want a commute every day. You know my hours. That’s why I decided to live close to downtown in the first place. And this place isn’t appropriate for children.”
There was a heavy sigh from the other end. “Sounds to me like you’re trying to convince yourself you’re doing the right thing here, Tess.”
“I am doing the right thing.”
Another sigh. “Not by a long shot, my girl. But hopefully you’ll work that out once you get to Colorado.”
Tess recognized an impasse when she saw one. There was no way that Mavis would see her side of it. She was too old-fashioned and had never understood the importance of a career to Tess. “As I said, I’ll call you when I get there—let you know where I’m staying.”
“You do that, love. And Tess?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t be so quick to write those kiddies out of your life. They may be just what you’ve been looking for.”
“What I’ve been looking for? Two children? Hardly.”
“Not just two children. Your brother and sister.” She paused. “A family.”
Tess set the receiver down as the others walked through the door. Mavis’s parting words were still screaming in her head. Perhaps she had wanted a family years ago, when she could have still benefited from one. But not anymore.
The Second Family Page 6