Baby Business. Brenda Novak

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      Captivated by the food in spite of herself, Macy came up behind him to see what he had cooking on the stove. She found a pan on every burner: fried potatoes, pancakes, eggs and, of course, bacon. She hadn’t been grocery shopping in weeks. He must have brought the food with him.

      “Have you invited friends?” she asked as he flipped a large golden pancake. “Who do you think is going to eat all of this?”

      “A pregnant woman is supposed to have four servings of—”

      Macy held up a hand. “Stop! Don’t say it. I’m not pregnant yet.”

      “It’s important that you build up your strength. You’ve been running on empty too long.” His gaze drifted down over her nightgown, all the way to her bare toes. “Don’t you think you should get dressed?”

      She gave him a saucy toss of her head. “You’re the one who broke into my house. What did you expect? That I’d be showered and ready for the day at 6:00 a.m.? Or does seeing a woman in her nightgown make you uncomfortable?”

      “Only when it’s as alluring as the one you’ve got on now,” he said, but he couldn’t keep a straight face, and Macy had to laugh with him.

      “Okay, so they’re not going to ask me to be on the cover of the next Victoria’s Secret catalog.”

      “I was making fun of the nightgown, not what’s underneath.”

      Macy wondered if that meant he liked her figure. Then she told herself it didn’t matter, anyway. The few curves she had left would soon be distorted by the pregnancy. In nine months, Thad would have his baby, and she’d be left with the physical and emotional wreckage.

      “I need to ask you something,” he said, reaching into her cupboard for two plates.

      “The blood work came back. Everything’s fine,” she told him.

      He threw her a glance over his shoulder. “That’s great. But what I want to know is a little more personal.”

      Macy responded with a snort and took a seat at the table, where a glass of orange juice was waiting for her. “What could that fifty-pound questionnaire of yours have missed?”

      “I’d like to get a better understanding of your love life,” he said, sliding a plate of food in front of her.

      “Love life? Doesn’t my nightgown say it all?”

      He grinned. “A man wouldn’t need much of an imagination to picture what you’ve got under that schoolmarm nightgown. A few more pounds and you’d have a knockout figure.”

      Macy’s cheeks grew hot. Fortunately, Thad seemed as embarrassed by what he’d said as she was. He turned his back on her and prepared his own plate, then kept his gaze on his food as he sat down across from her to eat.

      She sampled her scrambled eggs and found them unusually good. “All right. Ask me anything. You already know about that guy from Studio 9. How much worse can it get?”

      He took a swallow of his orange juice. “Are you interested in anyone in particular? Is there a boyfriend, or someone else, who might object to what we plan to do?”

      “No.”

      “You’re not carrying a torch for someone?”

      “Do you mean Richard? Are you asking if I still have feelings for him?”

      “From what I’ve gathered, he was popular, well liked in college. There had to be some reason you fell in love with him.”

      “I fell in love with his boyish charm and his easy smile and his optimism. Unfortunately, once we were married, I realized that wasn’t enough. I wanted someone with a little more depth of character and grew disenchanted before he ever left. I’m not holding a torch for him.”

      “And there’s no one else? I won’t be stepping on any toes in the next few months or messing up a relationship that’s important to you?”

      “I’m not in love, and I don’t see myself getting involved with anyone in the foreseeable future.”

      “Because of what your ex did?”

      “Isn’t that reason enough?” To her complete surprise, Macy finished the last of the food on her plate and sat back, feeling better than she had in weeks, despite Thad’s probing.

      “You don’t seem like the type to judge all men by Richard’s actions.”

      “I’m not. I just have my hands full right now. I mean, where would I meet someone? In the oncology department at the hospital? All of Haley’s doctors are married, or they’re a good twenty or thirty years older than me, and they’re the only ones I really talk to.”

      “You could meet someone on campus. Wouldn’t your life be easier if you had a partner to come home to?”

      She finished the last of her juice. “Not if I was pregnant with your child. That kind of thing could get a bit awkward, don’t you think? Especially if you plan on breaking into my house on a regular basis. What would I tell my boyfriend? ‘Oh, don’t mind him. He just stopped by to make sure I’m eating the recommended daily allowance.’”

      Macy glanced at the clock over the stove. “I’ve got to get in the shower,” she said. “I know we haven’t covered everything, but we’ll have to talk later. I have lab today, and I want to stop by the hospital. If you’ll just pile the dishes in the sink, I’ll do them when I get home as my contribution to this little party. Then I’ll call you.”

      “Wait.” Thad caught her by the wrist. “I’m actually going somewhere with all this.” He let her go, looking distinctly uncomfortable as he glanced out the window, then back up at her face. “I want to give you the money, up front, for Haley…”

      “That’s the only way I’ll go through with the insemination,” she said, still holding her plate.

      “I know, but it’s foolish of me to take that risk. The money is my only security. What if…” He ran a hand through his hair. “Well, let’s just say there are a lot of things that could go wrong.”

      “You don’t think I’ll come through if Haley dies,” she said, unable to hide her pain. That he thought Haley might die made it all the more possible, for some reason. He was just one more person who had no faith, while she was counting on a miracle.

      “There are other things that could go wrong, too.” His voice was gentle, and so was the look in his eyes, but his words scared Macy. She had to have the money, and she had to have it soon.

      “What if I give you my word?”

      “In a perfect world, that would be good enough, but I’m afraid…”

      “I know. We’re virtually strangers. Considering that, you’d be unwise to trust me. So—” she took a deep breath “—what do you suggest?”

      “Another business arrangement, one that would give me a small degree of protection.”

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