The Baby Plan. Kate Little

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      Julia sighed. She swept her long hair to one side, back over her shoulder. Again, she found him watching her, his eyes following the movement.

      “My mother’s been married…several times. Does your father know that?” she said finally, perhaps a bit sharper than she intended.

      “He mentioned it. It doesn’t seem to bother him.”

      “He’d be number five,” Julia persisted, whispering as she glanced over her shoulder again.

      He finally showed some reaction. His eyes widened. “That’s quite a record. I’m not sure if he’s done the math.”

      Now it was Julia’s turn to sound defensive. “There have been good reasons why her relationships didn’t work out. I mean, she was widowed twice. That certainly wasn’t her fault.”

      “Of course not,” he agreed, yet still looked wary.

      Before Julia could say anything more in Lucy’s defense, she heard the cooing twosome fluttering back into the room.

      “So…you work in the restaurant business. Are you a cook or something?” she asked Sam in a loud, polite tone.

      He looked straight into her eyes, signaling he was in sync with her cover-up. “Yes, I’m a chef. I’ve just left a position at a big restaurant so I could open my own place with a partner.”

      The independent type. Julia thought she should have guessed that. He looked like someone who didn’t have the patience to take orders from a boss. From anyone, for that matter.

      “That’s sounds exciting,” she said sincerely.

      “It can be. Not always in a good way. My partner knows nothing about the business…except that he likes to eat out a lot. But I guess that’s the reason a lot of rich people want to invest in a restaurant.”

      Sam smiled briefly, causing that curious buzz in her brain again. Julia valiantly shook it off.

      She wondered how long he’d be in town visiting his father. But she didn’t want to ask and sound too…interested.

      What did it matter to her? She just had to get through the evening.

      As if on cue, the older couple returned. Her mother set down the dish of cheese and crackers on the coffee table. Lester followed with the bowl of dip. Then they stepped back and stood side by side, as if performing a rehearsed dance step.

      Lester glanced shyly at Lucy and took her hand. Lucy blushed and looked down at the floor.

      Julia sat forward in her seat, her tingling intuition lighting up like a pinball machine.

      “Kids…we have something to tell you,” Lester began.

      Julia cast a desperate look at her mother but couldn’t catch her eye. Her gaze darted over to Sam, but he was staring at his father.

      “We were going to wait. But since we have both of you here with us tonight, Lucy and I decided…”

      Lester swallowed a big lump in his throat, his old eyes misting over. Julia nearly jumped out of her seat and shook him.

      “Say it already!” she wanted to scream.

      Then he did. Julia held her breath and felt an urge to cover her eyes with her hands, as if she were watching a horror movie.

      “This lovely lady at my side has agreed to be my wife.”

      He turned to Lucy and planted a huge, wet, noisy kiss on her cheek. Lucy grinned, looking a bit tearful, too. She briefly hugged him. “Oh…Lester.”

      Then she met Julia’s eye. Looking apologetic? More like a little kid who’d been caught doing something they shouldn’t, but didn’t want the teacher to be mad at them.

      “Oh, Mom…you didn’t…” Julia sighed.

      Lucy may have answered. Julia wasn’t sure. The image of her mother grew blurry…along with the rest of the room. She suddenly felt the room spinning and lifted her hand to her forehead, afraid she might faint.

      She struggled to remain upright in her chair but felt herself losing control. Pitching forward.

      Everyone in the room shouted at once. Though she couldn’t make out a word of it.

      The last thing she remembered was her mother’s carefully polished coffee table, coming closer. And closer…

      Then a strange but wonderful sensation as—instead of a crash-landing into solid oak—she felt her limp body being caught and cushioned in the strong embrace of Sam Baxter.

      Chapter Two

      “Julia? Sweetheart? Are you okay?”

      Floating back up to consciousness, Julia heard her mother’s voice. But saw only Sam’s gorgeous face, his concerned expression, hovering above.

      She seemed to be lying flat out on the living-room floor. On her mother’s scratchy area rug. Sam was crouched on one side, her mother on the other.

      “I’m all right,” she insisted.

      She tried to sound normal, but her voice came out shaky. She started to sit up, but Sam rested one big hand firmly on her shoulder. “Not so fast. What’s the rush?”

      She felt…mortified to have fainted dead away like that. She wished she could just crawl off into some convenient hole.

      “I’d like to sit up now,” she insisted.

      Finally, Sam leaned back and let her go. Julia stared down at herself, then hurried to straighten out her clothing. During her flight, the wrap-style sweater had gotten unwrapped, exposing most of her lace-trimmed bra, and her skirt had hiked up to midthigh. She hurriedly covered herself, glancing sideways at Sam as she fussed. A twitch in his stoic expression revealed that he hadn’t missed much.

      What else is going to happen tonight? Maybe my hair will catch on fire.

      “How about a glass of water?” Lester appeared behind Lucy and handed Julia some water. She took a long swallow, grateful for something to do while they all stared at her.

      “I’m okay. Really. Probably just hungry. I skipped lunch,” Julia explained, concocting a quick excuse.

      Her mother still looked concerned. “Are you sure that’s all it is, sweetheart? Does it hurt anywhere?”

      Lucy lovingly felt Julia’s forehead, the same way she had done all through her childhood. Julia felt a pang of love. How could she admit the real reason she’d fainted?

      “I’m fine, Mom. Really.”

      “She works too hard,” Lucy told the others. “Seven days a week. A regular workaholic—”

      “Why don’t we all just sit down and start dinner?” Julia interrupted, feeling even more mortified by her mother’s diagnosis.

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