The Nanny's Secret Child. Lorraine Beatty

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       Chapter Three

      Julie pulled into the Montgomerys’ driveway Wednesday morning and stopped beside Gil’s Tahoe. She’d arrived early today, a result of her sleepless night. Her dreams had been filled with an assortment of odd images. Light, dark, happy, sad, all underscored with a deep sense of frustration. Her assignment wasn’t going as she’d envisioned. Seeing her baby girl again was what she’d ached for since the moment they’d taken her away. She’d been eager to spend time with her child, but Abby was more inclined to retreat to her room with her backpack. She’d tried everything over the past two days to draw her out, with little success. All she’d managed to discover was that she liked hot chocolate, sugar cookies and chicken nuggets. They’d watched her favorite movie, Cinderella, but she refused to talk about school, or her mother or much of anything. She retreated to her room until supper, then went right back. The only thing she’d ask about was when she was going to get her puppy.

      Julie ached for her. If she could get her to talk, to open up a little, she might be able to find the path to help Gil and his daughter connect. It was clear they needed each other, and she had only a few days to accomplish that goal.

      Gil answered the door when she knocked, a deep frown on his face. He was usually so together when she arrived. But today he clearly wasn’t ready. His hair was damp and uncombed. His face was slightly red from shaving, and the strong scent of his freshly applied aftershave wafted through her senses. The disheveled look worked for him. Abby’s father was a very attractive man, with high cheekbones and a jawline cut from granite. But he was a man with a burden.

      “Good. You’re here. We’re running late. I could use your help with Abby.”

      She followed him down the hall to the kitchen, keenly aware of his masculine appeal. Julie shut down that train of thought the moment she stepped into the kitchen. Abby was huddled over her cereal bowl. “Good morning, Abby.” The little girl muttered a soft reply and waved her fingers.

      Gil disappeared into the family room, returning a few moments later, looking more like the man she usually saw in the morning; his cotton button-up shirt now neatly tucked into the dark twill slacks, and his hair tamed.

      “I have a conference call this morning. If you could help Abby get ready for school...”

      “Of course.”

      He said goodbye to his daughter, placed a kiss on the top of her head then shrugged into his corduroy sport coat. Julie walked with him to the back door. “Have a good day.” She smiled, her eyes locking with his. He stared back at her in surprise, as if no one had ever said those words to him before. Odd. Didn’t everyone say that?

      “You, too.”

      Moving to the counter, she poured a cup of coffee, studying her charge across the rim. She was such a lovely child. This morning her brown, sleep-tangled hair fell around her soft cheeks. When she finished her cereal, Julie placed the empty bowl on the counter. “Would you like me to fix your hair today? We could pull some of it over to one side so it wouldn’t be falling in your eyes all the time.” Abby nodded.

      Julie followed her upstairs to the bathroom and picked up the brush, gently pulling it through the soft strands, then gathering the top section in a clump and fastening it with a small rubber band. Resting her hands on Abby’s shoulders, she looked at their reflection in the mirror. “How do you like that?”

      Abby nodded, a small smile on her lips, then she met Julie’s gaze in the mirror and Julie’s heart stopped. Her lungs seized. Abby looked exactly like her. The texture of her hair, her cheeks, her wide brown eyes and her narrow chin. Abby was a miniature version of her. It was so obvious Julie wondered why Gil Montgomery hadn’t realized immediately who she was. What would she do now? Her throat squeezed shut. How could she stay here when it would be obvious to everyone that she was Abby’s mother?

      She sucked in a breath, causing Abby to turn and look at her. “We’d better get a move on. Don’t want to be late for school.”

      Julie focused all her attention the rest of the day on her online students and the upcoming move to France. A long talk with DiDi had convinced her that she was overthinking the situation. Lots of people had brown hair and brown eyes. Besides, if Gil hadn’t noticed yet, then he probably wouldn’t. She would see him for only a few minutes in the morning and evening. She’d make a point to leave quickly when he came home. It was only for a few more days, and she wasn’t ready to give up this time with Abby. Selfish but there it was.

      By the time she picked Abby up from school, she was feeling confident again. Enough to attempt a small outing. Maybe putting her into a new environment, where she couldn’t hide in her room, would encourage her to open up. “It’s really chilly today. I thought we might go to that coffee shop downtown and get some hot chocolate. How does that sound?” Abby shrugged. “They serve cookies, too.”

      The Square Cup coffee shop on the town square was more charming than the pictures on its website. Tucked into a corner where two buildings intersected, the shop sported a red-and-white-striped awning over a sheltered outdoor eating area. Planters filled with pansies welcomed customers. Julie regretted she wouldn’t be around in the warm weather to enjoy the spot.

      A rush of warm air welcomed them in from the cold, wrapping them in the aroma of coffee and pastries. After placing their order at the counter, Julie steered Abby toward a table in the corner with a measure of privacy. Abby clutched her backpack on her lap, her gaze directed out the window. Julie couldn’t blame her. Dover was a picturesque nineteenth-century town, with the courthouse as the centerpiece, surrounded by a park and ringed with charming brick stores on all sides. She longed to wander past the shops and explore the merchandise, but there wouldn’t be time enough for that.

      When their order arrived, Abby immediately started scooping out the marshmallows, eating them one at a time as she studied Julie’s bag.

      “Why do you have such a big purse?”

      Julie smiled. Conversation at last. “My friend gave me this for my birthday, so it’s special and I have a lot of important things I keep with me.” She pointed to the backpack in Abby’s lap. “Why do you carry that with you everywhere?”

      Abby rubbed the top of the canvas bag. “It has my treasures in it. Mommy got it for me before she got sick.”

      She СКАЧАТЬ