by Rita Herron
"That's sad, Seth. No wonder you're all work and no play."
He shrugged. "My dad said I'd been blessed with intelligence, and I should utilize my brain to its fullest. He sent me to the best schools to obtain an education, not to have fun. He was determined I make a success out of my life."
Mimi thumbed a strand of hair from his forehead. His eyes followed the tender movement, his body aching for more of her touch. "Success means a lot, but so does having friends and fun and … and just laughing."
"I know," he said softly, sincerely. "You make me laugh, Mimi. You make me feel alive."
Mimi wet her lips with her tongue, the ice cream forgotten as they stared into each other's eyes. He gently reached out and pulled her head toward him, flicking his tongue to taste the chocolate ice cream on her lips, the cold flaring into heat as their mouths merged for a slow kiss.
He felt the drip of cold liquid seconds later, then a cold plop. When they finally broke the kiss, he saw the rest of his cone lying in the most precarious spot!
* * *
Four days later, Mimi placed the new low-fat chocolate dessert she'd concocted on the warming tray and scrubbed the counter, grinning as she thought about the past few days. Four days of unpredictability with Seth. First, the Putt-Putt place. Then the zoo, where they'd fed the animals—Seth had even volunteered to be the guinea pig who fed the elephants and had ended up soaked in water and elephant drool. Tuesday he'd taken her to a local storytelling festival, which had proved entertaining and educational. Then last night he'd abducted her from work, waving Dixie Chicks tickets in his hand. She couldn't imagine Seth listening to the female group, but somehow he'd discovered they were her favorite and had finagled two tickets in the second row. She had danced herself into exhaustion, fallen asleep on the way home and he'd carried her inside.
When she'd seen him standing over her bed like some knight in shining armor, she'd almost begged him to make love to her. Almost.
But fear still niggled at her. What if she completely gave her heart to him and he was only pursuing her because of the baby? Would he be able to tolerate living with her less-than-organized manner of housekeeping and her animals? Or would they start to pick at each other until they eventually ended up hating each other?
What if she fell in love with him and the baby got attached to him, then he grew tired of them and left? Would she survive a broken heart? Would their little one be able to bear living without him?
The hell jingled and she glanced at the clock. The lunch rush had just ended, and Penny had left for an afternoon class. Seth entered the café, bringing a burst of sunshine. She couldn't resist a smile, but his parents trailed in behind him, and instantly her nerves went on edge. These people were her baby's grandparents, she reminded herself. Did they even know about their grandchild?
Judging from the frowns on their faces, Seth might have told them. Of course, they frowned all the time anyway.
"Hi." Seth approached the counter with the sexy grin that turned her inside out. A little voice of fear waved a red flag, and she wondered if it wasn't too late, if she'd already given her heart to Seth and now was just waiting for him to trample it.
"Did you come by to eat?"
Seth leaned on the counter so they could talk more privately while his parents stood back, studying the menu on the chalkboard above them. "We've had lunch. We just stopped by for coffee. My dad wanted to discuss the funding for the support-group sessions. I've brought a ton of research data on divorced couples and single-parent homes to show them."
Mimi winced at the thought of single-parent homes, wondering if she would be added to his statistics next year. "Are your parents going to be there tonight?"
"Yes. Is everything set for the session?"
"Yep. I think the kids will have fun decorating the cookies. And just watch—the parents will enjoy it, too."
"Except for them." Seth gestured toward his own folks. They wore such intense scowls Mimi suspected they were dissecting every item on the menu.
"Do they ever relax and have fun?" Mimi asked.
"Only when they're counting the dividends from their stocks."
Mimi laughed, earning a glare from Seth's mother. Just then the truck driving the billboard advertisement her father had orchestrated drove by. Seth's mother shuddered.
"Seth, can you get that waitress to help us or not?"
Seth raised to his full height. "Her name is Mimi, mother, and we're having a conversation."
"Well, we're ready. We have important matters to discuss." His mother stepped to the counter and ordered a slice of key lime pie. His father ordered black coffee in a haughty tone.
"I'll get a fresh pie from the kitchen," Mimi said. She quickly disappeared into the back.
Seth turned to his mother "Mother, you don't need to be rude."
Seth's father gave him a stern look. "Don't speak to your mother like that. Need I remind you that we're here to discuss funding for your project?"
"I haven't forgotten," Seth said, hating the fact that he had to get their approval. Maybe he should switch to a hospital where his parents didn't have so much influence.
"I can't believe you're friendly with that Hartwell girl. Her father is an embarrassment to the entire town. And look what her sister did to you. Have you lost your mind?"
Seth's hands clenched into fists at his sides. A sharp gasp sounded behind him and he closed his eyes, afraid to look, but already knowing that Mimi had come up behind them and that she'd overheard every word.
* * *
Mimi's heart sank. Whether or not the Broadhursts knew about their grandchild or not, they clearly didn't approve of her. She had a feeling nothing would ever change their minds. "Mr. and Mrs. Broadhurst, I realize you were upset about Hannah breaking off with Seth, but my sister didn't mean to hurt him."
"We've been over this before," Seth said in a low voice, aiming a warning look at his folks.
"My father may be flamboyant and a little outrageous with his publicity stunts," Mimi continued, "but he's my father and I love him. I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk about him as if he were a piece of slime you found on your shoe."
"Young lady, I'll not have you speak to Mrs. Broadhurst so harshly," Mr. Broadhurst said. "You are the hired help here."
"Well, I never." Mrs. Broadhurst fanned her face as if the heat in the room had just been turned up. "I certainly hope you don't decide to follow in your family's footsteps and embarrass our son like your sister did."
Mimi clamped her mouth shut, her throat closing as she imagined what their response would be to the news of her pregnant state—her unwed pregnant state.
Seth stepped forward. "Mother—"
Mimi shook her head at him. "Don't bother, Seth. The pie's on the house. I hope you enjoy it." With a nonchalant shrug, she turned in a flourish of anger, stomped toward the refrigerated section and began to rearrange the already neatly arranged shelves.
Seth came up behind her. "Mimi, I'm sorry. I'm so embarrassed. My parents were callous and rude."
She shrugged. "It's not your fault, Seth. Now go talk to them about the support group. You need that money."
"I won't ask them now," he said. "I don't want their money or approval."
Mimi searched Seth's eyes and found concern and regret and some other emotion she thought might be affection … no, love. Suddenly nothing his parents said mattered. "Go on. I know you don't want to ask for their approval, but your project's worthwhile, Seth. You've worked so hard to help these people and you're making a difference. I see it every time you meet with them. You have to fight for the group or your parents win."
A slow, tender smile spread over his face. "You really believe in me and my work?"
"Of course I do." She squeezed his hand. "Those people need you. Those kids need you. You can't let them down."
"I'm not going to let my parents win," he said in a thick voice. Then he reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and blew her a kiss that nobody s
aw but her. And Mimi realized his comment about not letting his parents win referred to something more than the support-group project. She heaved a sigh of relief and forgot all about her earlier outburst. She'd just been given a sign.
But even if he fought for her, for them, was he simply trying to make things work for their baby's sake, or did he really love her?
* * *
Chapter 16
« ^ »
Seth winced as the children squealed and chased the kittens. He'd better get used to noise, his own baby would do its share of squealing and crying. And laughing, as long as Mimi was around.
"Shh, let's remember they're just babies," Mimi coaxed softly. "We'll frighten them if we're too loud."
He smiled. Even when Mimi corrected the children, she did it in such a gentle and positive way the kids responded beautifully, avoiding all the power struggles he witnessed in so many disciplinary situations. She gathered the children in a circle on the floor, enclosing the kittens within the group. "Sit very still and let them come to you. Then you can gently pet the kitty's fur. Like this." She demonstrated how to hold out a tentative hand, how to gently rub the kitten's back, stroke between his ears. The children sat, mesmerized, their faces filled with rapture as the kittens found their way into their laps.
Mimi would have homes for the animals before the night was over. Seth frowned, chiding himself for not considering pet therapy before. Just because he'd never been comfortable with four-legged creatures didn't mean he hadn't read about the value of pets with children. Even with adults, he amended, as he watched Georgie's father, Ralph, nestle a tiny calico on his brawny chest. Georgie moved into the crook of his father's arm and hugged his waist.
Twenty minutes later Mimi helped the children settle the kittens in the big cardboard box he'd carried in earlier, instructed them to wash their hands, then directed the parents and kids to the tables where she'd organized the evening's cooking activity. Icing, sprinkles and assorted candies sat in small containers on the table for easy access. Although he hadn't planned on the support group becoming quite so interactive, he hoped Mimi's suggestion worked, especially since his parents had arrived earlier and were looking down their patrician noses.
Ralph appeared no more anxious to participate than his parents, but Nina Simmons, Anita's mother, began singing as she and Anita turned plain sugar cookies into faces that supposedly resembled their own.
"See, I can use the blue icing to make blue eyes like mine," Mrs. Simmons said.
"And I can use the brown candies to make my brown eyes." Anita snatched a handful of the candies and popped two brown ones onto her cookie. "Guess I'll have to eat the blue and orange ones," Anita said with a giggle.
The effects of sugar, Seth thought morosely. He should have warned Mimi the kids would be swinging from the rafters if they kept nibbling on the decorations, but Mimi and the children were having too much fun to point out the potential problems. He'd never seen some of the kids talk so much.
"Look, you can hook them together with icing to make balloons." She drew a line with the pink icing to connect each circle.
"I wanna make a train," Georgie said. "Or a car."
His burly father grunted. "A round car."
"It could be a space car," Georgie said.
"Oh, yeah, I guess it could." Ralph picked up a tube of chocolate icing and drew circles for wheels beneath the cookie.
Georgie squealed. "That's cool, Dad!"
Tough Ralph actually beamed a proud smile and ruffled Georgie's hair.
"I'm making an alien," four-year-old Toby Tucker bellowed. "Like X-Files."
"Mine's going to be a snow baby." Laurel picked up a spoonful of vanilla icing and smeared it on her cookies, then added raisin eyes and a carrot slice for a nose.
Seth smiled to himself as the other parents planned their creations. Mimi passed from one child to another, laughing and offering suggestions, encouraging everyone to use their imagination. Finally she saw him watching her and walked over. "What do you think?"
"You've certainly made me rethink my approach. I should be trying more innovative techniques."
Mimi blushed. "You're giving me too much credit. You started this program."
"But you got everyone talking and communicating. You're brilliant, Mimi."
She seemed stunned. "I wouldn't go that far."
"I would." He gently stroked her arm with his fingertips. "I can learn a lot from you about families."
Her eyes glistened with emotion. "Seth, I wish that were true. But I don't even have a degree. And my family was broken, remember."
"It doesn't matter. You're a natural with kids, Mimi. And their parents." He waved a hand around the room. "When I see these moms and dads taking time with their kids, I realize how important the little moments are that build and make a relationship. You may have grown up in a single-parent home, but your dad and sisters obviously had a close loving relationship. Sometimes kids in two-parent homes don't have that closeness."
Mimi leaned against the wooden desk and turned her gaze toward the group. "You're talking about your own family now, aren't you?"
Seth shrugged. "They raised me the way they thought was best. They're just not the touchy-feely type."
She bit down on her lip. "Like my mother. She came to see me the other day."
"Really?" He could see the pain in her eyes.
"She's moving back here, setting up a law office in town."
"How do you feel about that, Mimi?"
Mimi shrugged and picked a sprinkle from her blouse. "It's strange. She's been gone so long I don't feel as if I even know her. And…" She hesitated.
"And what?"
"And she acts like she wants to be friends." Mimi turned those big baby-blue eyes toward him. "But what if we let her back in and she disappears again?"
Seth sucked in a harsh breath at the raw emotion in her eyes. For the first time he felt as if he truly understood Mimi. She was afraid, afraid of being hurt, of being deserted again. Maybe even afraid of love and commitment for the same reason. "There are no guarantees. I guess you just have to trust your instincts."
"My instincts get me in a mess sometimes. Look at what happened with Joey, and then…
"Then me?"
She shook her head, regret clouding her features. "I didn't mean it like that, Seth."
"It's okay. I understand, Mimi." He covered her hand with his. "And I won't hurt you. Maybe your instincts are improving. Maybe you learned something from Joey."
She dropped her gaze from his, biting her lip. "She wanted to talk about … the pregnancy. Dad told her. Can you believe it?"
Seth thought about his conversation with Wiley. "How did it go?"
Mimi shrugged, her shoulder brushing his arm. He savored the simple contact, knowing he couldn't touch her in front of all his patients, but he was proud of her, and he desperately wanted everyone to know she belonged with him. A surge of protective feelings swelled inside him.
"She told me not to let her mistakes or her and Dad's divorce keep me from doing what I want."
His heart pounded. "And what is that?"
Mimi's gaze met his and locked. Tension mounted between them.
"I don't know, Seth. I want to be a good mother."
"You will be, Mimi. Look how wonderful you are with these kids."
"This stuff just comes naturally."
"I told you you have natural mothering instincts. You obviously take after your grandmother."
"Yeah. Speaking of Grammy, I wonder if she might be a little bit psychic."
Ah, the baby blanket and rattle. Seth glanced up and saw his mother frowning in horror at Anita, who had icing smeared from her nose to her toes. Georgie and his dad had their heads bent close, discussing the next phase of their car. Little Laurel suddenly turned with icing-covered hands and darted toward the bathroom, waving her hands in front of her like a white monster. Seth's mother shrieked and backed a good ten feet away as if she was afraid the child might atta
ck her with frosting.
"I hope your grandmother will spend some time with our baby. My mother certainly isn't the grandmotherly type."
Mimi threaded her fingers through his, their hands almost hidden beneath her colorful long skirt. She'd obviously recognized the disappointment in his voice. The intimacy stirred a longing in Seth that was a physical ache. He didn't want to turn out like his parents. Somehow he had to convince Mimi to marry him and save him from the life his parents had planned for him. The life he'd once wanted with all his heart. The life he'd walk away from in a skinny minute if he could have Mimi by his side forever.
* * *
The next day, Mimi's stomach quivered as she entered the studio where the new soap Scandalous was being filmed. All her life she had dreamed about becoming a star, someone her family would be proud of. Her conversation with Seth the day before replayed in her mind, along with the closeness they'd shared. He'd sounded proud of her ability to work with the kids, as if her lack of a sophisticated job or degree didn't matter. But how could he feel that way when he worked with women like Hannah and that new ER physician, career women who had looks and respect and intelligence? And how would her baby feel about having a waitress for a mother? A nobody, according to Seth's mother.
But would she be a nobody to her child if she loved it and spent time with it? Sure, Seth's parents had prestige and intelligence and respect and careers, but they'd left an emotional void with their own son that no amount of education or money or prestige could fill.
Confusion twisted her nerves and she took a deep breath, reminding herself that this part was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a chance to be recognized, a chance to make it big. She stepped into the auditorium, excitement and anxiety tightening her throat when she spotted the stage and the roomful of other actresses vying for parts on the new show.
A tall female who resembled a Scandinavian goddess and a short man who reminded her of Danny DeVito occupied front-row seats facing the stage. Another group, five to be exact, holding clipboards and pencils sat beside them—obviously judges. A petite woman dressed in a sharp red suit seemed to be in charge, pointing and telling the various wannabes where to wait.
