The Pregnancy Surprise

Chapter Nine

“Oh, look at these hats!” Sara grabbed the biggest, gaudiest one of the display, a blue velvet number with an enormous ostrich plume, and plopped it on her head, then searched for a mirror so she could see herself. She swiveled and found one right behind her. “What do you think? Is it me?”

Reece couldn’t help but laugh. She looked like a nineteenth-century strumpet. “Very fetching, Eliza Doolittle, but we have work to do.” He snatched the hat off her head and placed it back on the mannequin’s head. “Let’s find the dishes.”

“I just love antique stores. I never buy anything because, well, I don’t have anywhere to put stuff, and the Sunsetter has all the antiques it needs. But I love to look. Oh, I see some dishes.”

They were white. They had pink roses. But they weren’t the right pattern.

Unfortunately, the first store they’d entered was not well organized. Victorian picture frames were displayed right next to a 1930s radio; vintage Mexican pottery sat on a French walnut table. Dishes were strewn all over the store.

“I see some china over there.”

Sara didn’t answer, so Reece turned around and found she had darted off to another part of the store, where she examined some rather ordinary-looking sheets.

He joined her. “What are you doing?”

“These are hundred-percent cotton sheets and they’re a steal,” she whispered. “I have to get them.”

“We need to focus.”

She sighed. “All right. But aimless roaming is much more fun.”

They asked the store’s owner if she had any of the prized dishes, but the woman had no idea. So they hunted. Twenty minutes later, they had finished with their first store and left empty-handed.

“Let’s try that one over there,” Sara said, darting across the street and nearly getting run over by a bicycle. She seemed unfazed by the near-collision and headed resolutely toward the store she’d spotted. Reece saw a perfectly good antiques store right next door to the one they’d just exited, and it seemed reasonable to check it first. But Sara was already gone.

They probably should split up. They could cover more territory. But then he would miss watching Sara’s delight as she discovered some useless froufrou-a single eggcup shaped like a chicken, for example. Her uninhibited joy reminded him of a kitten that sees every object in the room as a toy to pounce on.

What must it be like, he wondered, to see the world as an endless array of delightful possibilities? He couldn’t even imagine it. He’d never been like that, not even as a child. In fact, as a little kid on Christmas morning he would open one present, thoroughly study it, read the instructions if there were any, and play with it until someone reminded him he had more gifts to unwrap.

“I have to look at the books,” she said in their third store, distracted once again. “Look at this one! It’s an illustrated Huckleberry Finn from the 1930s. I know someone who would love to add this to his library.”

His library? A guy she knew well enough to buy a personal, meaningful gift? He supposed he shouldn’t feel jealous. Sara obviously made friends wherever she went. In fact, she selected a few more purchases as they went along, all of them gifts for friends, some she intended to hoard until a birthday came along months down the line.

He didn’t even know his friends’ birthdays. For that matter, he didn’t have that many friends. Except for Cooper and Max, who dragged him out for a beer or a hamburger every so often, he didn’t socialize that much for the reasons he’d mentioned the night before-crowds, noise and meeting new people weren’t on his list of favorite things.

Reece figured they had time for one more shop before they had to head for the hospital in Corpus. It was a dusty, cramped cubbyhole of a store, the merchandise piled so haphazardly he didn’t hold high hopes.

Until he saw them, stacked in a box in a corner.

“Yes!” Sara, who had also spied the prize, dropped to her knees beside the box. “Look at them all. And they’re in good condition!”

Reece was awash in relief. He’d been dreading confessing the dishwasher mishap to Miss Greer, of seeing the hurt and disappointment in the normally formidable woman’s eyes.

He pulled the list from the back pocket of his jeans, joining Sara on the floor so they could sort through them.

“Even the teacups are in good shape,” Sara said, examining a cup she had just unwrapped from a nest of tissue paper. “I can’t believe we’re so lucky.”

The proprietress, a sixtyish woman with hair an improbable shade of red styled into a bird’s nest, saw their interest and came over. “Hello, Sara. Aren’t those lovely? I just got them in. Extremely rare, you know.”

Reece thought the box had probably been sitting there for months, since it was covered with the same dust that coated everything else around it. But he wasn’t going to argue.

“How much are they?” Reece asked. “I need three dinner plates, five-”

“I can’t break up the set,” the woman said. “The whole box will cost you four hundred.”

Sara looked up, horrified. “Fiona. Four hundred?”

“I’ve got to make a profit, dear heart,” the woman named Fiona said, sounding almost ashamed.

Reece was considered a skillful negotiator. When it came to shaving a few thousand dollars off the price of company assets or an office building, he usually prevailed. Even Max had been impressed with the way he’d negotiated for his car. He wasn’t going to be taken in by one crafty old lady.

“I’m willing to go two hundred,” Reece said.

“I can’t let them go for less than three,” Fiona said apologetically.

Reece pretended to consider. “I could do two twenty-five.”

“Two fifty,” Fiona said, looking pained.

“Deal. If you’ll wrap the dishes securely, I’ll pick them up tomorrow.” He picked up the box and carried it to the front desk.

Fiona gleefully snatched Reece’s platinum Visa from his hand.

Sara stood next to him, looking as if she wanted to explode as he completed the transaction. Only when they were outside did she speak again.

“I can’t believe you were so cheap,” she said.

“Listen, I’d let Miss Greer verbally flail me for weeks before I’d pay four hundred dollars for a box of old dishes. Fiona knew we were desperate. She must have heard us talking.”

“But you heard her. She has to make a living.”

“She probably paid twenty dollars for those, if that. The way she came down on the price so quickly means she had lots of wiggle room. Dealers expect you to counteroffer, especially the ones who quote you prices out of thin air.”

“It hardly seems fair.”

Reece had noticed that Sara didn’t dicker over prices at all. The dealers around there probably rejoiced when they saw her walk through their front door.

Another fundamental difference between himself and Sara, and another reason anything long-term with her was out of the question.

She let go of their argument quickly, though, and he appreciated that about her. She could never stay in a bad mood for long.

When they arrived at Miss Greer’s room, they found she already had a visitor-a woman in her thirties with long blond hair in a ponytail. She was sitting in a chair next to the elderly woman’s bed, holding her hand.

She had the look of money about her-designer clothes, expertly cut and highlighted hair, sedate gold jewelry.

Miss Greer looked up when they entered, surprise and something else-something furtive-registering on her face. “I didn’t think you were coming today.”

“I know it’s later than usual,” Sara said apologetically as she approached the bed and kissed Miss Greer on her wrinkly cheek. She gave the other woman a curious look.

The blond woman stood. “Hi, I’m Valerie.”

Sara held out her hand. “I’m Sara. I work at Miss Greer’s bed-and-breakfast.”

Valerie smiled. “She mentioned you, how helpful you’ve been.” But Valerie didn’t offer any further clues to her identity. She exchanged a look with Miss Greer that Reece couldn’t interpret. “I think I’ll, um, stretch my legs,” Valerie said, “and give you all a chance to visit.”

When she was gone, Sara took the chair Valerie had abandoned. Reece said hello, then pulled up another chair. An awkward silence descended, punctuated only by hisses of Miss Greer’s roommate’s oxygen.

“How do you know Valerie?” Sara asked casually. “I don’t believe I’ve met her.”

“She’s not from around here,” Miss Greer said uneasily. “She’s from Michigan. She’s, um, well, she’s my granddaughter.”

Sara gaped like a landed fish, and Reece was shocked himself. He thought Miss Greer had never married.

“I had a child when I was twenty,” she explained. “Nowadays it’s no big deal, but back then it was scandalous to be pregnant without a husband. I went to a home, and I gave the child up for adoption. A few months ago she located me. She said she’d been searching for years.”

“Oh, my goodness,” Sara said.

“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to meet her,” Miss Greer said. “It was a painful chapter in my life, one I had put well behind me. But when I broke my hip, it occurred to me that I might not have that much time left. So I called Doreen-that’s the name her adopted parents gave her-and told her I wanted to meet her, meet my grandchildren.”

“That’s wonderful.” Sara’s eyes swam with tears. “A whole family you never even knew about.”

“I thought she would resent the fact I gave her away, but she apparently doesn’t. She’s coming for a visit with her whole family next month, but Valerie wanted to come right away. She’s a physical therapist, you see, and she’s between jobs, so it works out perfectly. She’s going to stay at the B and B with me and get me back up to full speed.”

“Wow. That’s wonderful,” Sara said again. “Is she nice? Do you like her?”

“Of course I like her!” Miss Greer said. “She’s my granddaughter. Don’t be impertinent. She’s already talked to the doctor about my therapy, and we’re all set. In fact, they’re releasing me tomorrow since I’ll have a qualified medical-type person to take care of me. I thought Valerie could stay in the Lilac Room. Can you make sure it’s ready for her?”

“All the rooms are clean, Miss Greer,” Sara said primly.

They talked about neutral subjects for a few minutes until Valerie returned bearing a fluffy blue fleece throw. “I saw this in the gift shop,” she said cheerily. “You were complaining about your toes being cold, and I thought this was the perfect thing to wrap them in.”

“How thoughtful!” Miss Greer said, greedy eyes on her granddaughter.

Reece and Sara stayed only a few more minutes. Valerie seemed a nice, friendly person, but Sara was less than her usual, effusive self. She was polite, but not overly much.

Finally she made up an excuse, and she and Reece left with Valerie’s promise that she would bring her grandmother home tomorrow.

“Wow, what a story,” Reece said as they waited for the elevator.

“Mmm-hmm.”

“I never suspected Miss Greer as the type to have had an illicit affair in her youth. I wonder what happened to the baby’s father, and why they didn’t marry.”

“Who knows? Already married, maybe. Or he might have just taken off. Men do that.”

“Women do it, too.” He thought about the possibility of Sara taking off for her California movie job. Or a job on a cruise ship.

“Yeah, guess you’re right,” she said, sounding disturbingly glum. He wasn’t used to that from her, and was further bothered when she didn’t shake off her mood right away. She seemed unusually pensive, and he struggled to come up with a way to cheer her up.

His phone rang. He checked the caller ID and inwardly groaned. His father again, probably wanting to remind him for the tenth time about some meeting. He let the call roll over to voice mail.

“Don’t you need to answer that?” Sara asked.

“Nah. Want to grab dinner?” Though they’d eaten a late lunch, he was hungry. “I’ll take you out. I’ll even let you pick the restaurant-anywhere you want.” God help his stomach.

“I’m not really that hungry.”

Okay, now he knew something was really wrong. “Sara,” he said, carefully, after they’d settled in his car, “I don’t want to pry, but you seem a little upset by Miss Greer’s news. Aren’t you happy for her?”

“Well, of course I’m happy for her. How lovely to reunite with someone you thought lost to you forever, especially for someone like Miss Greer, who believed she had no family at all.” She looked at Reece, blinking a little sheepishly. “It’s just that I was looking forward to playing nurse for Miss Greer.”

“You feel Valerie is taking your place?”

She put a hand to her forehead. “It’s silly, I know.”

He didn’t think it was silly. She’d been the most important person in her employer’s life for a lot of years. Having someone else burst onto the scene and shove you aside-not that Valerie had any idea that was what she was doing-must have left Sara feeling adrift.

“She probably can’t cook like you,” Reece pointed out. “You’ll still need to help run the bed-and-breakfast.”

“And what about you?” she said.

A very good question. Once Miss Greer was at home she could probably handle reservations and money just fine. Now that she’d cut down on the pain meds, she wasn’t suffering from any cognitive difficulties. Furthermore, Allie and Cooper had their business finances completely under control. Everything was on computer; Allie understood the bookkeeping program and had no problems with it. Loans had been paid off; taxes were up-to-date.

Then there was his real job. He still had tons of vacation time left, but that didn’t mean he could extend his leave of absence indefinitely. He had responsibilities back home, people depending on him. His father’s and brother’s daily phone calls had become much more uncomfortable during the past week as they pressured him to return home.

Reece had no good reason to remain in Port Clara. Except for the one sitting in his passenger seat, waiting for him to answer. And he had no idea how long she’d even be here.

“I can’t stay,” he said, carefully watching her face.

She flinched. She actually recoiled from his statement. But she quickly recovered. “I know. But what about the wedding?”

He’d nearly forgotten. Cooper would never forgive him if he missed that-he was the best man. “That’s not for two weeks. Don’t worry, I’ll be there. But I have to attend a key meeting next week. In fact, I have to fly home tomorrow to prepare for it.” If he made a serious effort to soothe ruffled feathers and put out fires once he got home, his father would be placated.

He hoped.

Contrary to what Sara thought, his father would fire him if he believed Reece was shirking responsibilities or acting in a way that didn’t serve Remington Industries’ best interests.

“Tomorrow. You’re leaving tomorrow?” Sara looked distressed at the thought.

“I wish I didn’t have to.” He reached over and stroked her bare arm.

“You don’t have to,” she said. “You’re an adult with a free will. You can do anything you want with your life.”

“Sara, I can’t leave my job. The company was founded by my great-grandfather. I’ve worked there my whole adult life. I have family there, a home.”

“But do you like your job? Do you enjoy it?”

“I know you find this hard to believe, but I do. Yes, it’s stressful, having responsibility for all that money, the long hours, the deadlines. But I love it.”

Then why, just now as he’d thought about it, did his stomach give him that painful twinge? His ulcer, which was supposed to be cured, had bothered him very little since he’d been down here, he realized.

The twinge was followed by a sharp pain in his chest. What the hell was that? But after a few moments the pain eased, and he dismissed it.

“How will you get your car home?” she asked.

He’d been thinking about that. “Maybe I’ll sell it.”

“Oh, no. It’s such a nice car. Well, it was before I wrecked it.” She ran one hand along the burled-wood dashboard, then briefly touched the gearshift knob. “Besides, you look sexy behind the wheel.”

“Hmm.” Reason enough to keep the car. “I’ll think about it.”

“I could drive it to New York for you.”

Only if he lost his mind. “Mmm-hmm,” he said noncommittally.

“I’ll drive slow as my grandmother.”

“I know.” But he could just imagine what kind of trouble Sara would get into driving across the country by herself. She couldn’t even read a map!

“I probably couldn’t do it anyway.” She heaved a resigned sigh. “I can’t leave Miss Greer in the lurch. Valerie can’t do it all.”

Which brought them back to their original discussion. “So, see, she does need you, and you can stop looking so glum.”

Sara smiled, and this time it seemed sincere. “I can pick any restaurant, huh?”

“That’s what I said, all right.”

“I know of this Lithuanian place-” She cut herself off, laughing. “You should see the look on your face. Just kidding. How about Italian?”

Italian seemed a reasonable compromise between her yearning for something exotic and his desire for the familiar. He doubted, though, that any compromise could bridge their other differences. The gap between them was as big as the Grand Canyon.