A Baby In The House

Again his thoughts returned to the beautiful, impulsive hairdresser. He wondered if she ever thought about their night together, or had she simply written it off as a night she wanted to forget. Judging by the way she’d avoided him whenever he’d stopped in at 14 Valentine Place lately, he guessed it was the latter. He knew he should do the same. Forget about her, forget about that night.

Only he couldn’t. He’d messed with a fantasy and his life would never be the same.

“I’M SO GLAD YOU WERE OFF today and you could help me move,” Samantha told Garret as she filled a shelf with books.

Because she’d hired professional movers, there was little to do except help her unpack boxes. To someone as organized and as efficient as Samantha, it was a task that didn’t take long to accomplish.

“I believe that’s the last of it and just in time,” she told him as she dusted her hands off on her blue jeans. “I’m ready for lunch. Where do you recommend, since this is familiar territory to you?”

“Dixie’s is good and it’s close.”

“Great, I’ll just make a couple of phone calls and we’ll go.” She leaned over to grab her phone from her desk.

“I’ll wait for you downstairs. It’ll give me a few minutes to talk to my mom,” he told her, then headed down to the first floor.

He found his mother in the kitchen seated at the large round oak table. She wasn’t alone. Krystal sat across from her, a pair of scissors in her hands. Her expression was one of concentration as she cut clippings from a magazine.

Dressed in a T-shirt and jeans with her hair pulled back from her face and held in place by a barrette, she looked like an innocent and very different from the woman who’d seduced him the night of the hospital ball. She’d been all glitter and glamour and his body tightened as he remembered what had happened after they left the party.

“All finished?” his mother asked when she noticed him.

“Yes.” He didn’t miss the way Krystal kept her eyes lowered and focused on her task. Usually she greeted him with a grin and started a conversation, but not today. He’d expected that after the way they’d parted the next morning, things would be awkward between them, but not this awkward.

As he moved closer to her he saw what had her attention. Spread out on the table were what looked to be paper dolls, only they were all men wearing swimsuits and none of them had heads.

“What’s up with that?” he asked, gesturing to the clippings. “Are you venting your frustration with the opposite sex?”

“We’re working on a game for Dena’s wedding shower,” his mother answered.

“What kind of game has headless male swimsuit models?” he asked.

“A fun one,” Krystal answered, cutting around a pair of men’s legs.

His mother used her scissors to point to a small stack of paper heads. “The object is to match the celebrity’s head with the body. Each match is worth a point. The person with the most points wins. It’s as simple as that.”

“But Quinn is five points,” Krystal corrected.

“Quinn? You have his body in here?”

“Of course. He is a celebrity,” his mother reminded him. “Although it wasn’t easy finding him in a swimsuit. He’s usually photographed in his hockey gear.”

Garret peered more closely at the headless paper men on the table. “Which one is he?”

“You can’t tell?” his mother asked.

He chuckled. “No, Quinn has clothes on when I’m with him.” That comment caused Krystal to smile, but she didn’t look up at him. “Won’t this give Dena an unfair advantage? She’s probably the only one who’s seen that much of Quinn’s skin.”

“That’s part of the fun…seeing if she can identify her own fiancé without his clothes,” Krystal answered.

She glanced up at him then and, from the look in her eyes, he knew she was remembering what he looked like without his clothes. If his swimsuit-clad body was in the game, he wondered if she would be able to identify it.

She looked away and he knew that what had happened the night of the hospital party had definitely changed how she felt toward him. The old Krystal would have flirted with him and made a comment regarding the two of them sharing a secret. The new Krystal looked as if she wished he wasn’t in the same room with her.

Just then Samantha appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. In her usual take-charge manner, she strode in and greeted his mother.

“I’m glad you’re all settled,” Leonie said. “Have you met Krystal?”

“Yes, at the hospital ball,” Samantha extended a hand, but Garret could see her smile was forced. “It’s nice to see you again.”

Krystal stiffened and for a moment Garret thought she might bolt right out of her chair, but to his surprise, she smiled brightly, shook Samantha’s hand and said, “You’re right. You had on the dress with all the ruffles.”

The two women made small talk about the food and music at the party. Garret tried to remember Samantha’s ruffled dress, but all he could recall was the slinky dress that Krystal had worn. It had been a bright blue and cut to a vee in the front revealing a generous cleavage that had drawn the eyes of every man in the place. Then there had been the slit up the side that had spread whenever she walked, revealing a thigh that was ever so…

“Garret, I asked if that’s all right with you?” Samantha sounded a bit impatient and he realized he’d missed what she’d been saying.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“Your mother offered to show me how to use the laundry facilities. You don’t mind waiting a few minutes longer, do you?”

She didn’t wait for his response but headed out of the kitchen.

Leonie followed her out and suddenly he found himself alone with Krystal for the first time since the party. She didn’t look at him but continued cutting out the paper dolls. Before today it would have been unusual for there to be quietness between them. But then it would have been unusual for anyone who was in Krystal’s company. She could talk enough for two people and often did.

Only she wasn’t talking now. She wasn’t even looking at him. And he knew why. They’d had a one-nighter and nothing would ever be the same between them again.

“I’m glad we have a few minutes alone,” he finally said, breaking the awkward silence. “I wanted to talk to you about Samantha living here.”

“If you’re worried I’m going to slip up and let the cat out of the bag that I wasn’t a real date that night of the ball, you can relax. I’m not going to say anything,” she told him, her concentration on the trimming of a brawny chest. She must have made a mistake because she crinkled the paper and tossed it aside.

“It was a real date, Krystal…or have you forgotten?” He deliberately made his tone seductive, wanting to get a response from her and he did. Her cheeks turned a light pink. “Besides, the cat’s already out of the bag,” he added.

That brought her head up with a jerk. “You told her the truth?”

“Is there a reason why I shouldn’t have?”

“Yes! What happened between us was private,” she said, her eyes sparkling with emotion. “I didn’t think you’d tell anyone.”

“I meant I told her the truth about why you went with me to the ball. She doesn’t know what happened after we left and I don’t plan to tell her. Or anyone else for that matter.”

She looked relieved. “Then she thinks we’re just friends.”

“We are friends, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, sure.”

He wasn’t so sure she wasn’t simply agreeing with him because she didn’t want to get into a discussion about what had happened between them. “Is it going to be awkward for you having her living upstairs?” he asked.

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to lose any sleep over it, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“You have no idea what I’m thinking.”

She looked directly into his eyes and said, “Then why don’t you tell me?”

He couldn’t because, if he did and his mother and Samantha were to walk back into the room, they’d hear that he’d made love to her. Because that’s what was running through his mind right now—the memory of that night they’d spent together. How incredibly good sex had been with her. How he hadn’t been able to forget that it had happened—or that the only reason it had happened had been because she was trying to ease the pain of Roy Stanton’s betrayal.

But he couldn’t tell her any of those things so he said, “You know Mom likes to think that everyone who lives here is one big happy family.”

She set down her scissors and stared at him. “So that’s it. You’re not worried about things being awkward for me. You want to make sure I’m nice to her.”

“That’s not what I meant at all,” he denied firmly.

“Isn’t it?” She jumped up from the table. “I’ve got to go. I have things to do.”

“Krystal, wait,” he called out to her as she hurried out of the room.

She kept walking, saying, “You don’t need to worry, Garret. I’m not going to be mean to your girlfriend.”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” he said, but she was already gone.

KRYSTAL AWOKE TO the feeling of something not being quite right in her world. It didn’t take her long to remember exactly what it was. Before even lifting her head from the pillow, she reached for the soda crackers on her nightstand. After several bites, she gingerly rolled out of bed, relieved that the home remedy for nausea worked for her.

As she did every morning, she showered then examined her naked body in the mirror, looking to see if it had changed enough that other people would notice she was pregnant. So far it hadn’t. Except for the slight thickening of her waist, which wasn’t any different from the bloating that usually accompanied her PMS, she looked the same as she had ten weeks ago. She wondered how much longer that would be true.

She hoped to keep her pregnancy secret until after Dena and Quinn were married. Weddings were supposed to be happy occasions and with so many Donovans involved in this one, the news that she was expecting Garret’s baby could make things uncomfortable for people she cared about, including Dena. She wasn’t going to take that risk. A pregnancy lasted forty weeks. Whether she told Garret now or in four weeks wouldn’t change that. Postponing the news would, however, make Dena’s wedding a more joyful celebration.

Which was why, after dressing in a pink polka-dot chiffon skirt and a white tailored blouse, she went straight to her car instead of stopping for breakfast in the kitchen. She felt confident that she could keep her secret from Leonie, but Samantha was a doctor, trained to diagnose such things as pregnancy. She didn’t want to be around her any more than was necessary.

On her way to the mall, she stopped at a convenience store for a bottle of orange juice and a container of blueberry yogurt, which she ate in her car. Next she tackled the shops with her usual zest for shopping.

When she’d purchased everything on her list, she glanced at her watch and saw that it was past noon. Her stomach growled in hunger, reminding her that, although she was plagued by morning sickness, there was nothing wrong with her appetite during the middle of the day.

She drove home expecting she’d have the kitchen to herself. Only as she pulled into the alley, she saw not only Samantha’s car but Garret’s, as well.

“Is it going to be awkward for you to have her living upstairs?” Garret’s question echoed in her mind.

She couldn’t believe he’d even ask such a thing. Of course it was awkward. She’d slept with the woman’s boyfriend. The only thing that made her even more uncomfortable was seeing him, which was why she didn’t want to go inside when she knew he and Samantha could very well be having lunch together in Leonie’s kitchen.

For the first time since she’d moved to 14 Valentine Place, the boardinghouse did not feel like home. And after everything that had happened the past few weeks, if there was one thing she needed, it was the comfort of home.

As she sat staring at the big old Victorian house, she realized this wasn’t the only place she called home. Lately she hadn’t been back to Fergus Falls, but ever since she’d moved to St. Paul she’d gone back to her hometown when she needed to be with people who loved her unconditionally.

Today she felt that need. Carly already knew about her pregnancy, but she’d been avoiding telling her mother about the baby for fear of what she’d say. Maybe the time had come for her to trust in that unconditional love and ease the burden of her secret a little.

So instead of parking her car next to Garret’s and going inside for lunch, she drove right on through the alley and out on to the city street. Within a few minutes she was on the interstate and heading west. She made one stop on the way—to pick up a chocolate milk shake at the drive-through window of a fast-food restaurant.

When she reached the city limits of Fergus Falls, it was the middle of the afternoon. As always when she returned to her hometown, she felt a rush of nostalgia. Nothing had changed since the last time she’d been back, except lawns that had been green were now brown from the extended hot spell.

The mobile-home park where her mother lived was on the north end of town. It, too, looked the same. A row of long metal boxes parked close together. Her mother was outside her pink-and-gray box home sunning herself on the small patio next to it. A woman Krystal recognized as her neighbor, Edie Fellstrom, was in the reclining lawn chair next to hers. Both wore two-piece swimsuits that were tinier than any Krystal had ever owned. White cotton balls covered their eyes.

They looked oblivious to everything going on around them. Country Western music played loud enough to drown out the sound of her tires crunching on the gravel. It wasn’t until Krystal slammed her car door that her mother removed the cotton balls and lifted her head.

“Well, look what the cat dragged in.”

Krystal was used to her mother’s sense of humor and didn’t take offense to the greeting.

“Hi, Mom.”

“What’s wrong?” she demanded to know.

“You make it sound as if I never come to visit you unless something is wrong.”

Her mother swung her legs to one side of the reclining lawn chair and sat up. “Why aren’t you at work?” she asked suspiciously.

“When I work Saturdays I get a weekday off. This week it’s Tuesday.” She watched her mother spritz arms already a deep bronze with cold water. “You should watch how much you sit in the sun, Mom. Too much isn’t good for you. It can cause cancer.”

“Everything causes cancer. Smoking, drinking, eating, breathing…” She shook her head. “I might as well just crawl into a box and wait to die.”

Krystal knew it was useless to argue with her, so she didn’t.

Edie said, “You don’t have to worry about your momma, Krystal. She takes good care of herself,” she assured her. “She uses sunscreen. We both do.” She held up a bottle for Krystal’s inspection.

Krystal forced a weak smile to her lips.

Her mother said, “Are you hungry? There’s chicken salad in the refrigerator.”

Only a few hours ago she would have jumped at the chance to eat. Now her appetite had deserted her again, replaced by an indifference to any food. She was learning that when it came to eating, as a pregnant woman she had a short window of opportunity.

“It’s too hot to eat,” she told her mother.

“It’s cool inside.”

Still Krystal shook her head.

Her mother rattled off several more food options before finally giving up. “Suit yourself. I hope you have more of an appetite by dinnertime. There’s a new Mexican place just up the road I’d like to try. Are you going to stay the night?”

She hadn’t thought that far ahead. She shrugged and said, “I suppose I can. I don’t have to be at work until noon tomorrow, but I didn’t bring any clothes.”

Her mother’s brow wrinkled. “You didn’t call to tell me you were on your way, you didn’t bring a change of clothes…what’s up with you? There is something wrong, isn’t there?”

Edie saw the questions as a sign for her to leave. She reached for a terry-cloth beach wrap draped over the back of her chair. “I gotta get going.”

“You don’t have to leave because of me,” Krystal told her.

“I’m not leaving because of you, sweetie. I’m leaving because I’m getting toasted.” She pushed the strap on her bra aside briefly and said, “See?” Then she downed the remainder of her beer, picked up her sunscreen lotion and slipped her feet into a pair of flip-flops. Posed to go, she asked Krystal’s mother, “Are you planning to go to the candle party at Jilly’s tonight?”

“Not with Krystal here I’m not. Tell her to bring the booklet to work and I’ll order something there.”

“You don’t have to miss it because of me, Mom,” Krystal insisted.

Her mother flapped her hand in midair. “It doesn’t matter. I didn’t really want to go.”

“Me, either. I was just going to see Jilly’s new place.”

Krystal turned to her mother. “I think you should go, Mom. I’ll visit Carly while you’re gone.”

“If you’re sure you don’t mind…it would be kinda fun…” She trailed off.

“Then it’s settled. You’re going,” Krystal stated firmly.

Edie waved goodbye and called out as she left, “I’ll pick you up at seven-fifteen.”

As soon as Edie was gone, her mother turned to Krystal and said, “Okay, so what’s wrong?”

Despite the fact that Krystal knew it was impossible to lie to her mother and get away with it, she said, “Nothing. Really.”

Her mother gave her a look Krystal had seen often. It said, I’ll let you think you’re fooling me, but we both know you’re not. She motioned for her to come inside the mobile home. “I want to show you what I’ve done to the place.”

Because her mother had told her she’d made some changes, Krystal expected to find new curtains on both the kitchen and living room windows. To her surprise, however, the entire inside had been paneled in white, replacing the dark walnut walls.

She did a three-sixty and spread her hands in wonder. “You did all this yourself?”

Her mother nodded. “Edie and I went to a couple of those classes they have at the home store in Alex. It’s not the most professional-looking job, but it’s good enough for this place.”

“It looks nice, Mom,” she told her, noticing she’d made a new slipcover for the sofa. Instead of the blue-and-green-plaid fabric that she and Carly had soiled on many an occasion, there was a polished cotton floral print. “I like what you did to the sofa. It adds a lot of color to the room.”

“And look. I finally got air-conditioning.” She pointed to a window unit humming quietly as it blasted cold air into the small home. “I had to. This summer is a killer. If you want it colder, just turn the knob.”

“No, it’s fine,” Krystal said, still looking around in amazement.

“Sit down. I’ll put on some clothes and then we’ll catch up.”

Krystal knew it wasn’t going to be easy to tell her about her pregnancy, not considering their history when it came to talking about sex. She hoped that, because her mother had been a single mom, she’d understand that what she needed most of all was a mom who was there for her.

“Even if you’re not hungry you must be thirsty. There’s beer and soda in the fridge. Help yourself,” her mother said as she moved through the tiny kitchen area.

“I’ll just have some water, thanks.”

“I don’t buy that bottled stuff. What I have comes straight out of the tap,” she warned before going into her bedroom and closing the door.

Krystal pulled a tumbler from the cupboard and filled it with water. Before sitting down at the table, she went over to the wall to look at the pictures hanging there. Most of them were of her and Carly when they were kids. She wondered why her mother didn’t have pictures of them as adults. She’d gone to all the trouble of replacing the paneling in the mobile home, yet she’d hung the same old pictures on the wall.

She looked to the far end of the living room and, as she expected, there hung the watercolor of the Eiffel Tower—a gift from one of her mother’s friends who’d been to France. It had to be close to twenty years old and had survived several moves in which many of her mother’s possessions had been carted away to the dump. Linda still hadn’t given up on her dream of someday visiting Paris.

When her mother returned, she had on a pair of capri pants and a scoop-neck top that made her look much younger than her forty-five years. “You look good, Mom.”

The compliment brought a smile. “Why thank you, dear.”

Again Krystal looked around. “I really like what you’ve done with the house.”

“It looks good, doesn’t it? I should have spruced up the place years ago, but there were always other things that needed my money.”

“Yeah, me and Carly.”

She chuckled. “One of you was always needing something.” She grabbed a bottle of beer from the refrigerator, twisted off the cap and took a sip. “Are you sure you don’t want a beer?”

Krystal shook her head. “No, I’m fine.”

Her mother sat down across from her. “So why are you here on a hot summer day when you should be at the beach on one of those beautiful lakes they have down there in the cities?”

Krystal looked at her glass and shrugged. “You know I’m not a beach person.”

“No, but you’re a city person. You didn’t have any trouble making that transition, did you?”

“I like the fact that there are so many people. There’s an energy there…always something going on, always something in motion.”

“You don’t miss your hometown?”

“I miss you and Carly.”

She could feel her mother’s eyes on her. “Everything going okay at work?”

She nodded. “Yeah, work’s going good.”

“You must be putting in long hours. You look tired.”

She was tired, but not because of extra hours at work. “I’ve been busy and then it’s been so hot. You know the heat always drains me.” Even with the new window air conditioner, she felt warm and swiped at her brow with a napkin.

“Maybe you want to take a nap before dinner,” her mother suggested.

She nodded. “I would, but first I need to talk to you about something.”

Her mother’s brow furrowed. “So you didn’t just come because you wanted to see me. I should have known.”

“Mom, that’s not fair. I come up here all the time and very seldom do I ever ask for anything.”

Her mother reached for her hands and gave them a squeeze. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Oh, before I forget.” She jumped up and went over to the tiny bookshelf in the corner. “I have a new book for you.”

Krystal read the title aloud. “How to Marry Your Soul Mate in One Year Or Less.”

“I heard the author talking about it on TV,” her mother said, her voice full of excitement. “She knows her stuff, Kryssie. Take it home with you and read it.”

She nodded and murmured a thanks, knowing perfectly well that she’d take it home and add it to the pile of self-help books her mother had given her over the years—most of them about how to find a mate for life. She knew it was important to her mother that Krystal find her soul mate. Really important. Which made it all the more difficult for Krystal to tell her she was pregnant, yet it had to be done.

She set the book aside. “Mom, I need to talk to you.”

Her mother frowned. “Something’s bugging you. What is it? Are you having money problems? Is that it? If you need to borrow some, I have a little put away,” she told her.

Krystal pushed a stray red strand of hair back from her face. “I don’t need money, Mom.”

“But you need something. I can see it in your face.”

Krystal took a deep breath and clenched her fingers, aware that the moment she’d been dreading had arrived and there was no turning back. “I do need something, Mom. I need your understanding.”

“About what?” she asked slowly.

Krystal tried to get the words out, but they stuck in her throat. She swallowed with difficulty, trying to stop the emotion that threatened to make this even more difficult than it already was. When moisture pooled in her eyes, she knew she’d lost the battle.