Angel Baby

by Leslie Kelly

  The man’s hands fell away from her. She glanced over her shoulder to see a familiar face.

  “Andrew, how nice to see you,” she said with genuine pleasure. “I haven’t seen you since the day we graduated from high school.”

  Andrew Worthington smiled widely, his infectious grin every bit as engaging as it had been when they’d been Biology lab partners. His boyish blonde good looks had remained, too. He grabbed her hand, squeezing it with exuberance.

  “Right. I can't look at a dead frog without thinking of you."

  "Ha ha," she said with a chuckle.

  "Say, I heard about Joe. I’m really sorry about that.”

  “Thank you, Andrew," Claudia replied softly. "So, what brings you here?”

  “My father's retired, and I'm running the company now. Paxton has done some sub-contracting for us in the past, so I got an invite. What about you?"

  "I work for Chase."

  "You're kidding," he said with a frown.

  Claudia noticed Andrew's lack of enthusiasm, but assumed it was due to competition between his company and Chase's.

  "Nope. I started about a month ago."

  After she explained a little about what she was working on for Chase's company, Andrew said, "I wish you'd come to me first. We could use you in my office."

  Assuming he was just being kind, Claudia laughed and lightly replied, "Sorry, I'm spoken for."

  Andrew leaned closer, his eyes narrowing as he studied her in appreciation.

  "I hope you're only spoken for professionally...."

  Suddenly uncomfortable, Claudia took a step back. She nearly tripped on the stroller and leaned around to check on Sarah.

  “Oh, you have a rugrat, huh? She’s a cutie," Andrew said as he leaned down to tickle Sarah's cheek. "Say, why don't we go sit down to eat and talk over old times?"

  The moment of discomfort passed quickly. Not wanting to miss out on a chance to talk about old times and friends, Claudia said, "Okay. But no frog remarks while I'm eating."

  Chase watched Andrew Worthington approach Claudia, seeing the little exchange when the other man placed his hands over her eyes. The sight of Andrew touching Claudia brought him perilously close to fury. Especially because all he’d been able to think about all afternoon was how much he wanted to touch her.

  And she’d wanted that, too.

  Claudia really needed to learn how to hide what she was thinking. She had the most amazingly expressive face, and Chase had seldom had trouble seeing what was on her mind. Unfortunately, seeing her studying him, watching the tiny tip of her red tongue creep out to lick the corner of her lips, had nearly undone him earlier. If Ryan hadn’t interrupted them, he might very well have given her the kiss she so obviously wanted.

  But then where would they be? Right back to where they’d been the last two times he’d kissed her against his better judgment...frustrated as hell.

  “Get a grip,” he muttered to himself.

  “On what?” someone asked.

  Chase jerked his gaze to the person who’d spoken. Claudia’s friend Melanie stood only about chest high next to him, staring up at him with a friendly expression that was both questioning and knowing.

  “Just mumbling,” Chase replied, willing the woman to go away.

  Melanie nodded thoughtfully and said, “Claudia looks great today, doesn’t she?”

  Chase didn’t reply. Clenching his jaw, he purposely cast a disinterested glance in Claudia’s direction just in time to see Andrew playfully draping a paper napkin across her lap.

  “Andrew used to bug her all the time to go out with him in high school," Melanie continued.

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah. But she wasn’t interested.”

  Curiosity won out over Chase’s determination to remain noncommittal and he asked, “Why? Because of her husband?”

  Melanie shrugged, “I don’t think so. Claudia had a lot of guy friends but she never dated much in high school. She and Joe didn’t get together until college.”

  “Really? I had the impression they’d been childhood sweethearts.”

  “Not exactly," she explained. "They were childhood buddies. The three of us used to call ourselves the Three Musketeers. Claudia lived with Joe and his mom during her senior year, and then, after they both started college, his mom died. They were both alone. They just turned to each other and created a little family for themselves. It surprised a lot of people when they married, me included.”

  Really interested now, Chase turned toward her and asked, “Why? I mean, from the few times we’ve talked about him, I get the impression she really loved him.”

  “She did,” Melanie answered carefully. “But she loved him the same way at twenty as she did at ten. He was her closest friend, someone she could rely on. They truly loved each other. But not in the way people usually love each other when they get married.”

  Given the fact that she’d borne his child, obviously Claudia had developed romantic feelings for her late husband. But had they been the kind of wild, passionate ones he suspected he and Claudia could share?

  His eyes shifted, seeking her out, his gaze devouring her laughing mouth, her thick hair, that shapely body. Melanie’s words cast a completely different light on Claudia’s marriage. For the first time, Chase allowed himself to see her not as the woman mourning the loss of the love of her life, but as a woman who’d never really experienced deep, hungry passion.

  And the picture was a little too exciting for his own peace of mind.

  CHAPTER TEN

  By eight o’clock that evening, most of the party-goers had finally headed home. A few remained, grabbing a last chicken leg from a scurrying caterer, or trying to pry a pleading child from the moon bouncer. Claudia, Melanie and a few others had moved into the house to try to tidy up a bit, while Chase, Ryan, and some other men helped the workers take down the canopy tents and tables.

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” Dorien asked as she entered the kitchen.

  Claudia smiled over her shoulder at the older woman as she finished drying a huge salad bowl. Chase’s grandmother had avoided the party during the hottest part of the day, but had strolled over early in the evening to say hello. She’d spent most of the time in the shade near the house, seeming to enjoy watching the children.

  “No, we’re just about finished here,” Claudia replied as she brushed a few loose strands of hair away from her face with a slightly wet hand. “But, maybe you wouldn’t mind keeping an eye on Sarah while Melanie and I finish up?”

  “Mind? Of course I wouldn’t mind.”

  Claudia and Melanie exchanged smiles as Dorien delightedly picked Sarah up from the stroller where she’d been happily gnawing on a teething biscuit.

  “Be careful, she’s messy.”

  “That’s quite all right, dear,” Dorien said. “A little baby spit never hurt anyone.”

  As Dorien carried the baby out of the room, Claudia caught the slightly wistful expression on Melanie’s face and asked, “Is everything all right?”

  Melanie quickly nodded, turning her attention back to spooning leftovers into plastic containers for everyone to take home. “Of course,” she responded, sounding a little too nonchalant.

  “Come on, Mel, what is it?”

  “I was just thinking,” Melanie slowly replied. “Dorien is just like a grandmother to Sarah. All Ryan’s mother ever talks about is how much she can’t wait until we make her a grandmother.”

  Claudia nodded slightly, hearing the slight catch in her friend’s voice. She glanced down toward a clean dish so Melanie could privately wipe the sheen of tears from the corner of her eyes.

  “You will,” Claudia replied firmly.

  Grabbing two clean goblets, Claudia didn’t even ask before pouring each of them a glass of white wine from an open bottle someone had left on the counter.

  "Cheers," she said with a smile. Melanie responded in a silent toast.

  “I don’t know, Claude,” Melanie continued after t
hey’d each taken a sip. “It just doesn’t seem to be happening. To tell you the truth, I’ve been trying to talk to Ryan about the possibility of adopting, but he constantly changes the subject.”

  Startled, Claudia turned and stared at Melanie. “You’re serious? But you conceived once. What makes you think you won’t get pregnant again?”

  Melanie sighed deeply and leaned her hip against the counter as she replied, “You know Ryan and I tried for over a year to get pregnant the first time. And we’ve been trying for a year since the miscarriage. I am just very much afraid that it’s not meant to be. As much as I want a baby of my own, Claudia, I know I could love a child who I didn’t carry in my body. I mean, I already love Sarah like she’s my own.”

  “I know you do. Of course, you’re right, Melanie. You and Ryan will be wonderful parents, to a child you choose, or to one you create.”

  Fresh tears rose to Melanie’s eyes, and she rose a shaky hand to wipe them away. Her mouth crumpled a little, and Claudia suddenly remembered her friend as an eight year old who’d cried on her shoulder when some older boys had chosen to debunk many childhood fantasies. Melanie looked just the same, hurt, dejected, wanting to believe in something she feared was impossible.

  “You’re wrong," Melanie insisted. "I know why he’s avoiding the subject. Ryan wants a child of his own. If he agreed to an adoption, I know it would be to make me happy. I can’t put him in the position of resenting me, and a baby, for forcing this on him.”

  Claudia dropped the towel and moved next to her friend. Sliding one arm around Melanie’s shoulder, she pulled her close and hugged her tightly, rocking her back and forth like she was a child. Melanie cried on her shoulder for several moments.

  “I know, I know,” she murmured, “believe me, I understand.”

  “Oh, Claudia, I’m sorry. Of course you understand,” Melanie said as she pulled away and raised a horrified hand to her mouth.

  “It’s all right, Mel. Not everyone is like Dave, my stepfather, and Ryan is absolutely nothing like him. Besides, the situation is completely different. It wasn’t so much that he wasn’t my biological father that bothered Dave as who was my father, and what he had been to my mother.”

  Melanie nodded quickly, then glanced around the kitchen for something to do to cover her obvious embarrassment. Claudia cupped her friend’s chin and stared down into her face as she earnestly said, “Look, you and Ryan are the best couple I know. You'll get through this.”

  “I just needed somebody to talk to, I guess,” Melanie said with a brave smile as she squared her shoulders and took another sip of her wine. “Thank you. I’m so glad you’re back.”

  “Me too. But I do wish you'd grown six inches or so...I'd love to borrow that outfit you're wearing.”

  Claudia hid her smile as her friend finally laughed. As they finished cleaning the counters, a group of men entered through the kitchen door, carrying with them a few more dirty serving bowls discovered on the back porch. Melanie and Claudia rolled their eyes at one another, then chuckled and filled the sink full of soapy water once again.

  “You really didn’t have to do this,” Chase insisted. “Anything that belongs to the caterer he’ll take care of, and I could have done the rest.”

  “The problem is all the containers for the pot luck that everyone so kindly brought then neglected to take with them when they left,” Claudia said, not even turning around from the sink.

  “Besides, if we hadn’t done it, you’d be working all day tomorrow,” Melanie said as she blew a handful of soap bubbles at her husband. He laughed, ducked out of the way, then captured a few bubbles from the sink and touched them to the tip of his wife’s nose.

  Claudia watched them, smiling at their love play. She so wished they could have a baby. She had never seen a more loving couple.

  Feeling as if someone was staring at her, she glanced over her shoulder, and saw Chase just a few feet away. Her smile faltered as she remembered their tense parting earlier in the day, but he offered her a quick, sexy grin. Claudia knew she must look a mess, with her hair curling in the humidity, her makeup smeared and her arms elbow deep in dirty dishes. But somehow, that intimate grin he gave her hit her hard in the middle and she couldn't help responding to it.

  "You have soap in your hair," he said softly.

  Claudia didn't reply as Chase slowly moved toward her. He lifted his hand and slid it through the curls at her temple. His touch left her trembling so much that she had to lean back against the sink. Uncertain, especially since Melanie and Ryan were standing nearby, she didn't say a word.

  The back door opened and Andrew Worthington walked into the kitchen carrying a box of empty cans. Claudia watched as Chase studied the other man intently. He still stood close, and she saw his mouth tighten as his forehead tensed in a frown.

  "The guys from the band said they could use some help taking down the stage," Andrew said. Chase and Ryan followed him out, leaving Claudia and Melanie alone once again.

  After another half an hour, the kitchen was clean and everything put away. The eight or nine people left in Chase’s house were either on the porch, in the kitchen, or in the living room. Claudia dried her hands on a kitchen towel. Glancing at the clock, she frowned at the late hour, then saw Dorien walking down the hall. Hurrying out of the kitchen, she called, “Dorien, is everything all right?”

  “Oh, just fine, dear,” the older woman replied. “I had to excuse myself for a moment. Annie is watching the baby.”

  Claudia nodded and followed Dorien to the living room, where a few lingering party guests sat chatting. Annie was down on her hands and knees scrubbing at a plate-sized brown stain on the carpet, muttering about other people’s carelessness.

  “What happened?” Dorien asked as she hurried to cross the room and help.

  “Someone spilled a drink all over the white carpet," Annie replied, sounding indignant. "I just noticed it.”

  Claudia frowned at the stain, then glanced around the room. She didn’t see Sarah.

  “Annie...where’s the baby?” she asked, trying very hard to remain nonchalant.

  Annie dropped the rag and straightened. Looking contrite, she glanced all around and said, “She was right here. Sarah? Sarah!”

  Claudia looked around the room, peeking under the coffee table, and behind chairs, while Annie and Dorien asked the other occupants in the room where Sarah was. No one had even noticed her.

  “Okay, let’s not panic,” Claudia said, trying to sound more calm than she felt. “She can’t have gone far. Sarah! Are you playing peek-a-boo with Mommy?”

  Claudia heard the slight note of fear in her own voice. She hurried from the living room to the front of the house. Sarah was not in the hall, not hiding beneath chairs nor reaching for the phone cord in the foyer. Dorien and Annie rushed to search other rooms as Claudia made sure the front door was securely closed and Sarah could not have gotten outside.

  Claudia heard Chase come around the corner from the kitchen saying, “Dorien says Sarah’s missing?”

  Turning toward him, she nodded helplessly. “This is such a big house, she could be anywhere.”

  “We’ll find her, don’t worry, Claude. Everyone’s looking already.”

  Claudia nodded, reassured by his calm tone. Suddenly a familiar noise sounded from somewhere above her. A slight rattle was followed by a sharp thunk. Claudia watched as Chase's eyes, which had been staring into her own, looked past her, over her right shoulder, and widened in shock.

  Feeling as though she was moving in slow motion, she turned to look behind her at the massive curved staircase. Sliding her gaze up slowly, she saw Sarah's baby rattle strike step after step as it bounced down toward them. The bright red plastic contrasted sharply with the dark brown wood of the stairs. She couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from the toy as it hit each hard step, rolled a little, then clunked down to the next one with a sharp crack

  Almost afraid to look, Claudia finally forced herself to lift her eyes until s
he saw Sarah.

  "Oh, God," she moaned.

  Her baby stood on the top step of the steep staircase, her little pink socks sliding easily on the smoothly polished wood. Sarah was looking down over her shoulder at her lost rattle, pouting ferociously. She almost seemed to be considering reaching out into the empty space to try to get her toy back.

  “No!” Terror gripped her as her heart leapt out of her chest and up into her throat. She began to move, tried to run, though shock and fear made her limbs feel leaden. She threw an arm up in the air as she went, holding her hand palm out as if Sarah would stand still just by seeing her gesture.

  Chase blew past her before she’d even realized he, too, was racing to the rescue.

  Claudia had never seen a person move so quickly in her life. One instant he was standing behind her staring up at the baby, and the next he was moving past her, taking the stairs three at a time. She saw Sarah’s sturdy little legs, so tired from the long day’s activities, start to wobble. Her bottom lip puckered out as she prepared to cry for help.

  Again as if in slow motion, Claudia watched as Sarah's feet slipped off the step and she fell backward. Chase dove toward the child, landing hard on his knees a few steps below her as he reached his hands out frantically. She saw him catch Sarah by one arm and one leg, then pull her close and cradle her against his chest.

  Another second and her child would have tumbled backwards down more than a dozen hard wooden steps to the foyer floor below. Claudia could still hear the awful clunking of the rattle and thanked heaven she didn't have to know what her child would have sounded like coming down those stairs.

  “Thank God,” she muttered as she ran up to where Chase sat holding the baby.

  “My baby, my angel...,” she chanted as she pulled Sarah out of Chase's arms and pressed frantic kisses all over her soft curls. Sitting on a step, she rocked back and forth, thinking how close she'd come to losing another loved one. Claudia had learned as a little girl who had lost her father to never take life for granted. Her husband's death had hammered that truth home with vicious severity. Losing someone once was no inoculation against future tragedies. There was no doubt in her mind that her child could have been killed.