Another Woman's Baby. Joanna Wayne

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СКАЧАТЬ jangling of the phone broke into her thoughts. She picked up the extension by the sink, wondering who’d be calling her so soon after she’d arrived. “Hello.”

      “I see you made it.”

      “John. I should have known it would be you. Don’t tell me there’s already an emergency. I was in the office this morning.”

      “Rumblings in the merger deal. Boynton wants us to guarantee to keep seventy percent of their management-level people.”

      “Stick to the fifty percent we offered them. If they weren’t so top heavy, they wouldn’t have to merge in the first place. Too many chiefs do not make for a good bottom line.”

      “And if they won’t go along with that?”

      “They will. Cullecci will make a fuss, but he has his orders. He’ll work with you. Play hardball with the retirement plan, too. What we have at Lannier is far more reasonable and fair then what they’ve provided. And, John, in case you’ve forgotten, I’m on leave.”

      “How could I forget? Could this pregnancy come at a more inconvenient time?”

      “I hope you’re not asking me that question.”

      “Sorry. I know this is harder on you than on anyone else. Did you contact the adoption agency?”

      “Not yet.”

      “Don’t you think it’s time?”

      “I’ll call them.”

      “Good. I don’t want you to waste any more time on this than is absolutely necessary. We have too much on our plate. You keep doing the job you’ve been doing, and you’ll be the youngest vice president Lannier’s ever had.”

      “Do you guarantee that?”

      “No, but I can tell you that the new CEO is extremely impressed with you. I had dinner with him last night at Commander’s Palace, and he was singing your praises about the way you’re handling this acquisition.”

      “Don’t worry. I’ll be back to work in January and the baby will be in her new home.”

      “Then we’re on the same page. Now take care of yourself,” he said sincerely. “By the way, Lufkin called from the London office. He want’s to know if the meeting is still on for January 12.”

      “It’s on. I already have my plane reservations.”

      “Then just call me if you need anything.”

      “Notice I am not offering you that same option.”

      When she finally hung up, stabbing little pains had started building around her temples. She loved her job, but it was demanding and hectic and all-consuming. And working so closely with a man she’d practically left at the altar added an extra layer of tension to the job. She needed this break, needed time to think and to relax and to grieve for the mother of the baby she was carrying.

      In all honesty, she’d had her doubts when her best friend had come to her and asked her to carry her child. But how could she say no when Jackie and Ben wanted the baby so desperately? Nine months of inconvenience for her, a lifetime of happiness and dreams come true for them.

      Only now there was no Jackie. No Ben. No parents for the baby that kicked and slept and curled into a tiny ball just below her heart.

      Her hands shook as she took the carton of eggs from the paper bag and placed them in the refrigerator. Cheese, crackers, canned soup, fruit juices, cereal. She put them away, sliding the canned goods into empty cupboards that would have been filled to overflowing if her grandmother were still alive.

      The old house seemed to close in around her as she worked. As soon as she put the last item away, she opened one of the doors to the balcony and took a deep breath. The smell of saltwater filled her nostrils, and all of a sudden she couldn’t wait to walk down to the water’s edge and let the incoming surf wash over her feet and pull the shifting sand from beneath her toes.

      It was almost dark, but if she hurried, she could watch the final plunge of the sun as it sank into the Gulf. At least that’s what it appeared to do, and when Megan was a child, her grandmother had had a difficult time convincing her otherwise. Pulling on a light jacket, she hurried down the front stairs in bare feet, moving faster than she had in days.

      THE SUN SET in minutes, but Megan was not nearly ready to go back inside. Bending over, she rolled up the legs of her black pants so that she could walk at the water’s edge.

      The beach seemed to belong to her tonight. She could see lights from some of the high-rise condos in the distance and the flickering beam of a fishing boat a mile or so out from the coast, but there was not another soul in sight.

      That’s why she loved December at the beach. The sandy shores were isolated except for the few determined souls like her grandmother who lived here year-round and a few tourists who dribbled in.

      Isolated. The word echoed in her mind, and for a second that same unsetting shudder she’d felt this afternoon in the souvenir shop rolled over her. She forced it away. This wasn’t the city, and she’d walked this beach alone day or night for as long as she could remember. Her grandmother did the same right up until her heart had given out at the age of eighty-eight.

      The events of the past month played in her mind. A horrible accident. A deadly explosion. Jackie and her husband both killed instantly. She’d never forget where she was and what she’d been doing when she got the news. Never forget the shock and, finally, the cold hard realization that she would never see her friend again. The knowledge that the baby growing inside belonged to no one.

      She turned back to the house, suddenly chilled and tired and ready to curl up with a cup of hot soup in hand. But she wasn’t alone anymore. A lone man was jogging along the beach in her direction, kicking up water and sand as he ran. He was only a few yards away now, and his body took shape. Lean, strong legs, short hair. Familiar. He slowed and her heart raced as she realized he was the man who’d come into the shop while she and Penny were talking.

      “Nice night for the beach,” he said, stopping a few feet in front of her.

      “Yes.” Her mouth was dry, but she was being ridiculous. The man had every bit as much right to be here as she did. It was the overactive hormones of pregnancy. “It’s warm for December.”

      “I wondered about that. It’s my first time in this area.” His gaze traveled to her bulging stomach. “I noticed you in one of the shops this afternoon.”

      She rested her hands on her stomach. “It would be hard not to notice me.”

      “Is the baby due soon?”

      “The end of the month.”

      “Do you live here, or are you visiting, too?”

      “I’m visiting.” That was about as vague as she could manage, short of telling him it was none of his business.

      “I jogged by several private homes, but most of them looked dark. I guess a lot of people close up and go home for the winter. It seems a shame, if the winters are always this mild.”

      “It СКАЧАТЬ