by Judith Keim
“You gave her up. Remember?”
“Yeah, well I couldn’t be traveling around the country lugging a baby with me. But now I’m free, and I want my baby back.”
“Chloe’s happy where she is,” said Sukie. “Besides, you told Cam you’re not into the mothering thing, that you want to be paid in return for keeping out of our lives. Isn’t that right, Sheri?”
“Yeah, well you can’t have it both ways. The baby and your money. That wouldn’t be fair.”
Al spoke softly. “So, you were just going to take the child and hope to be paid for her?”
Sheri’s eyes narrowed. “I was here to see my daughter. That’s all.”
“Then what is this?”
Al held up a piece of paper he’d taken from Sheri’s jacket pocket. He glanced from the note to Sheri. “Looks like a ransom note to me.”
He nudged her toward a dark-blue sedan. “Enough. You’re coming with me.”
He turned back to Sukie.
“I’ll take it from here. We’ll be in touch.” He nodded toward the end of the block. “Your little girl is waiting for you.”
Sukie took off running.
Seeing her, Chloe jogged toward her, crying, “Mommy! Mommy!”
Sukie’s feet pounded the pavement. She wiped her wet cheeks, straining to keep an eye on the little girl she loved so much.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CAROL ANN
Carol Ann returned to the office from the luncheon frustrated by the need to keep quiet about one of the happiest times of her life. Thank goodness, she could at least be honest with her best friends and experience their joy for her. And for Ed, of course.
Glancing into his office, she frowned. Lee was sitting on his office couch with him, and they were laughing together like old friends. Carol Ann lifted a hand to her cheek. Seeing them like this felt like a slap in the face.
She picked up the note she saw lying on her desk and read: “Sorry we can’t get together tonight. Lee has called a special meeting for the execs. Something she calls a round-table pep talk. I’ll call you tomorrow.” He hadn’t even signed it with his normal signature, which usually included a smile.
Feeling sick to her stomach, Carol Ann sank down into her chair and glanced at the ring on her left hand. Maybe this ring and its meaning had lost its appeal. Nausea rose in waves. She got up and dashed awkwardly into the bathroom.
When she returned to her desk, Lee had left Ed’s office, and so had he. Uncertainty became suspicion. Carol Ann wanted to go home, but she didn’t dare leave. Personal time wasn’t as easy to take anymore. Questions were asked, answered, and documented.
Sighing heavily, Carol Ann sank into her desk chair. Glum, she went over her list of projects for Ed.
###
Saturday morning, Carol Ann woke with a new sense of determination to enjoy the day. She reminded herself she had a lot to be thankful for—her health, her apartment, her job, and most of all, her fiancé—a kind, good man.
She lay in bed and patted her baby bump. “What are you, little one? A sweet little girl or a feisty little boy?” As long as the baby was healthy, she didn’t care. Not until she thought about all the adorable clothes Tiffany had promised to bestow on a baby girl. But then, Ed had mentioned it would be fun to have a son.
Thinking of Ed, she wondered if she should give him a call. She decided, instead, to surprise him at his condo with a container of his favorite coffee. Smiling at the idea, she hurried out of bed.
After showering, she dried herself off, and feeling a little bit naughty, she put on her new, pink, lacy panties and matching bra. The surprise she was planning was for more than a cup of coffee.
On the way to Ed’s condo, Carol Ann stopped at her favorite local coffee shop and ordered two coffees to go and two of the iced cinnamon rolls Ed loved.
Humming softly to herself, she drove into the condo complex and was about to head for Ed’s condo when she saw Lee get out of a sleek, Lexus sports car and head up Ed’s front walk.
Carol Ann slammed on the brakes and pulled over to the curb. In disbelief, she watched Ed open his front door and wave Lee inside.
Nausea curled Carol Ann’s insides. Had the so-called exec round-table really been a party for two? It certainly looked that way.
Tears blinded Carol Ann’s vision as she turned the car around and headed back home. As if her day couldn’t get any worse, her cell phone rang. It was her mother. She was crying too hard to pick up the call.
CHAPTER FORTY
TIFFANY
Tiffany heard Vanna’s cries and sleepily rolled onto her side. “A few more minutes, baby,” she muttered. “Just give me a few more minutes.”
It soon became apparent that Vanna hadn’t gotten her message. Her cries were even louder. She stirred and realized Kevin was lying next to her, stark naked.
Tiffany sat up with a guilty start. She lowered her face into her hands. The thought of Beau’s parents finding out she’d fallen for someone else so quickly sent shivers of fear through her.
Kevin propped himself up on his elbow and gave her a quizzical look. “Are you okay, Tiff?”
“I’ve got to go to Vanna,” she said, avoiding an honest answer.
When she moved to get out of bed, Kevin held onto her arm. “Look. I know you’re upset about something. We’ll talk about this after Vanna settles down.”
Tiffany nodded and smiled back at him. Kevin was the most perfect man she’d ever known—kind, understanding, and sexy as hell. Making love with him was unlike anything she’d ever known with Beau, who at times had been too rough with her. She wrapped a soft terry robe around her and went to rescue her daughter.
As she walked into Vanna’s room, Tiffany’s heart squeezed with love for her. “Hush,” she murmured, picking up the baby and hugging her close. “Mommy’s here. You’re okay.”
Tiffany changed Vanna’s diaper. Hildie, her nanny, would take care of the rest when she arrived for work.
Downstairs, Tiffany placed Vanna in her high chair and sprinkled some cereal on the plastic tray. Vanna squealed with pleasure and began to pop little, crisp circles of cereal into her mouth, one after the other.
As Tiffany was fixing herself a cup of coffee, Kevin walked into the kitchen. He gave her a bear hug. “Last night was nice.”
“Hmmm, very nice,” she said. “But ...”
He frowned. “But?”
“But maybe we’re rushing things.” She held up a hand to stop his protest. “Don’t get me wrong. I love you, Kevin, and I want to live together, but I need to settle a few things in my mind about Beau. And more importantly, his parents.”
Kevin leaned back against the counter and let out a long, low whistle. “Are you telling me to move out?”
She shook her head. “No, but I can’t have the business here while you’re living here with me. Something about it doesn’t seem right to me. It’s almost as if Beau is watching us.”
Kevin’s look of surprise was telling. “Is that really what you think?”
“Yeah. Weird, huh?” She hated to hurt Kevin, but she’d learned it was best to be honest if any relationship was going to last. And she really wanted this one to survive.
Kevin’s lips tightened. “I’ll move out today.”
“No, wait! I don’t want you to do that. Let’s move the office to your apartment. That way, our personal and business lives will be separate. Now that Hildie is here to care for Vanna, I feel I can leave her. And we’d only be about ten minutes away should I be needed.”
Kevin stared out the window thoughtfully and turned back to her. “Yeah ... you’re right. If we move the office to the apartment, it will be a more professional place for us to meet with certain business people.”
Tiffany noted the worry lines that had formed on his brow and lifted a hand to wipe them away.
Kevin caught her hand and gave her a steady look. “You understand that Beau knew I loved you, and he was okay with it, right?”
“Yes, but ...”
/> “We were close enough friends that I told him how I felt about you and Vanna.” He shook his head. “Watching you give birth to Vanna and then seeing how you handled her afterward ... I’ll never forget it. I fell in love with you that day.” He wrapped his arms around her.
Tiffany leaned against his strong, hard body, wishing she didn’t have to worry about Beau’s parents. Regard was eager to find any excuse to try to take over the charity. And both Regard and Muffy were so unhappy with her decision not to move to Charleston that she worried they’d find some excuse to call her an unfit mother.
She couldn’t let that happen.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
GRACE
Grace all but forgot her pleasure at attending the Fat Fridays luncheon as Saturday afternoon passed without the promised phone call from Misty. Fighting the worry that gripped her like the angry fingers she remembered all too well, she moved around her apartment restlessly. The phone calls had become more and more infrequent.
She punched in Misty’s cell number and was immediately sent to voice mail. Hearing her daughter’s cheerful voice, Grace felt her eyes water. She checked her watch to make sure she’d have enough time to make the five o’clock meeting of her support group.
Quickly, she put on her coat, hugged her purse, which contained her cell phone, and left her apartment.
###
Sitting in a circle in the basement of the Presbyterian church, the members of the Abuse Survivors group listened politely as Grace announced her name. She studied the people around her. Though she had scars and healed broken bones, others bore more obvious marks of abuse. And though they might have been considered weak at one time, these people were survivors.
When it came her time to speak, Grace started out with a strong voice. But as she expressed her worries, her voice quavered. “I’m afraid Misty is being pulled back into the group of people who want to keep her there. My agreement with Kate and Josh and Misty was to let her stay there only with the understanding that she’d keep in touch with me. But it’s been several days now, and I can’t reach her.”
“Maybe Kate has died,” someone suggested.
Grace nodded, but she felt in her bones that it was much more than that. The last time she’d talked to Misty, her daughter was back to calling her Grace, not Mom.
Several other people offered helpful comments, even suggesting she should fly out to Ohio. Grace listened but knew she couldn’t afford it. She was saving her money for a flight to Kate’s funeral.
Following the meeting, Grace was surprised when Bert Collins, the owner of the hardware store in town, approached her. His story, like the others, was shocking and sad. His wife, attempting to get hold of his sizeable estate, had hired someone to beat him up and leave him for dead. The humiliation of having the gory details of that encounter splashed across the entire country had left him wounded in a different way from most of the others in the group.
“Grace?” he said, “if you need someone to accompany you to Ohio, I’ll go with you. I would hate for you to lose your daughter all over again. Misty and I have had several talks at these gatherings, and I know what you’ve both gone through.”
“Thank you, Bert. That means a lot. But you know me, I have to do things for myself.” Grace would never count on a man to help her. Not after what she’d been through.
“I just wanted you to know I’d do that for you.” He turned to go.
“Wait,” said Grace. “I didn’t mean to sound so ungrateful.” Of average height, Bert was a middle-aged man with attractive, craggy features and dark hair edged at the temples with a distinguished gray. An exceptionally kind man, Bert was everyone’s favorite.
“I don’t get to the hardware store very often,” she said, “but I liked what you told the group. I think it’s a good idea that you’ve hired someone to run it for you.”
He smiled. “Yes, I’ve hired a young man to manage the front of the store while I handle the business end in the office. It’s been a couple of years since the incident, but I’m more comfortable working behind the scene. At least for the time being.”
“Hopefully, you’ll be back to a more normal routine soon,” she said, aware that what was normal for some people was not the same for others.
He nodded and handed her a business card. “Here’s my number. If you need me, give me a call.” He walked away before she could thank him.
Soon after, she left the meeting room and went back to her apartment. As she fixed a light supper for herself, she thought of her support group and was grateful to them for their help. Between them and her Fat Fridays friends, she was becoming stronger, better able to accept that she deserved to have nice things happen to her.
Later, as she was preparing for bed, her cell phone rang. She snatched it up. “Misty?”
“No, it’s Josh. Kate died this afternoon. The funeral will be on Tuesday, but you needn’t bother to come. Misty has decided to stay here.”
Nausea swept through Grace. The room spun around her. She sank down onto the bed. “May I speak to her?”
“Not now. She’s too upset to talk.”
“Josh, I need to speak to her,” said Grace, mustering all the strength she could to defy him.
“’Bye, Grace.” The click of the phone ended the call.
Grace gazed around the room, clutching her hands helplessly. Was her daughter all right?
Sobbing, Grace fell to her knees.
When she was finally able to rise, her body burned with a deep anger. No one was going to keep her from her daughter. No one!
She searched for Bert’s business card in her purse and punched in his cell number.
He answered right away. “Grace?”
“Yes,” she said, trying not to cry. “I need your help.”
“You’ve got it. What do you want me to do?”
Grace explained the situation in Ohio. “I need to make the trip tomorrow and, Bert, I’m afraid to go alone. Josh doesn’t take me seriously, and he’s determined to keep Misty there. He hated that she decided to stay with me in Georgia.”
“Do you want me to go with you?” Bert sounded pleased with the idea.
“Yes, I’d ask some of my women friends, but to someone like Josh, it wouldn’t have the same impact as my arriving there with someone who can talk to him man-to-man. He’s very dismissive of me.”
“Okay. Let me call the airlines and make the arrangements. I’ll charge it to my card, and you can pay me back. I know things are tight for you right now.”
A twinge of nervousness shot through her. “Well, I wouldn’t want anyone to think we’re ... like together ... or anything. Know what I mean?”
“Yes,” Bert said calmly. “I realize an idea like that could be alarming to you. I’m just offering to pay for the ticket until you can pay me back. Understand?”
Heat rose to Grace’s cheeks. She wasn’t used to accepting help. “Sure,” she managed to say, telling herself not to be such an old lady. She wasn’t much older than Sukie.
###
Grace waited anxiously beside the apartment complex’s parking lot for Bert to pick her up. Though their flight wasn’t until late morning, the drive through Atlanta would take time, as would check-in and security screening at the busiest airport in the world.
Even now, seeing his SUV approach her, Grace was amazed she’d had the nerve to call and ask for his help.
He pulled the car up to the curb beside her and got out.
“Give me your bag, and I’ll stow it in the back.”
She handed him her small, carry-on bag. She had no intention of staying in Ohio any longer than she had to. In addition to making arrangements for their flight, Bert had reserved two rooms at the Holiday Inn. Though they weren’t staying together, Grace was appalled by the idea that Misty might think she and Bert were a couple. That would involve too many complications at a time when she was simply trying to get reacquainted with her daughter.
The trip to the airport was mostly silent. Grac
e’s maternal juices flowed with worry for her daughter. She stared out the window at the passing scenery, reminding herself to keep calm. Bert was nice enough to back off when she’d made it clear she didn’t want to talk about her feelings.
At the airport, she welcomed his company. It felt good to have him walk beside her, help her maneuver through the crowds, and direct her to the Plane Train out to the concourses.
On the plane, they sat next to one another. Bert’s quiet presence was a calming influence on her. More and more comfortable with him, Grace leaned back against her seat and closed her eyes. She hadn’t slept much during the night. Dimly aware of what was going on around her as passengers got settled, Grace remained with her eyes closed until sleep finally overtook her.
“Better wake up, Grace,” a voice said to her in her dream. She felt a nudge against her shoulder and, jarred from sleep, cracked open her eyes.
Bert gave her a gentle smile. “We’re almost ready to land.”
She sat up and tried to shake the fogginess from her brain. She’d had the strangest dreams about Misty as a baby. She’d been such a sweet little girl.
Grace drew a deep breath as the reality of her situation hit home. What if Misty refused to return to Georgia? Her fingers tightened on the armrests of her chair.
Bert noticed and patted her hand. “It’ll be all right.”
Grace managed a weak smile. How could things be all right when her daughter wouldn’t even speak to her?
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
CAROL ANN
Carol Ann thought of the day ahead of her and groaned. Ed hadn’t called on Saturday as he’d promised. She had the awful feeling that this Secret Sunday was going to end what she’d hoped would be the beginning of her “happily ever after.”
She fluffed her pillow and rolled onto her side. Recalling the moment when she’d discovered Lee entering Ed’s house, her insides twisted. She placed a hand on her stomach and felt the baby inside her kick as if it knew how upsetting the situation was to her. She was in the middle of a mess, no doubt about it.