Whose Baby?

by Janice Kay Johnson

Shelly climbed onto her mother’s back. “Why’d he call her Daisy? That’s not her name. Her name is Rose.”

  “Her daddy is just teasing,” Lynn explained. “It’s like me calling you Belly when I tickle you.”

  “Oh.” She booted her heels into her mom’s hips. “Giddap, horsie!”

  Halfway up the beach, Adam stopped. “Okay, Shelly Belly, your turn.”

  “Daddy!” Rose whined.

  “Nope. Fair’s fair. Besides, you want to try out the other horse, don’t you?”

  Rose being Rose, she didn’t say any more when he lowered her to the sand, but she clutched his leg, the afternoon’s acquaintance not enough to let her go to this lady. Shelly, on the other hand, had already taken a handful of his shirt and was demanding, “Up! You’re my horsie, now.”

  Lynn’s smile never wavered as she said, “Do you think we can beat them to the stairs, Rose?”

  But, damn, she had to hurt, looking at her own daughter none too eager to trust her. Never mind that Rose had no idea. He knew how Lynn must feel, because something in him had soared at Shelly’s eagerness to climb onto his shoulders.

  “I’ll tell you what,” he said. “Let me lift you up, Rosebud.”

  He set her on Lynn’s back, where she had no choice but to wrap her arms around Lynn’s neck. In the breeze both had lost tendrils of hair from their ponytails, and the two auburn heads looked so much alike, his heart squeezed. They looked up, reminding him of an advertisement for a skin-care product, maybe, their complexions both creamy with the delicate scattering of freckles, the shape of their mouths so much alike, even their eyes, although Lynn’s were green and Rose’s blue. Mother and daughter.

  For an instant, he couldn’t breathe.

  “Up!” Shelly demanded again.

  And a hint of mischief sparkled in Lynn’s eyes.

  “Race you to the steps!” she announced, and took off.

  “Hey!” Adam protested. “No fair!”

  She had a good ten-yard head start by the time he’d swung his daughter—his heart cramped again—onto his shoulders and grabbed Rose’s bucket and shovel that he’d earlier set down.

  “Go! Go!” Shelly screamed in delight.

  She was so light, as fine of bone as her mother, a wiry little bundle of energy. She twined her fingers in his hair and bounced, urging him on the whole way, her shrieks happy and uninhibited.

  Shelly wasn’t his Rosebud, but she was his, too.

  He almost caught them, but not quite. Rose was quietly pleased by the victory, Lynn’s face was alight with laughter, and Shelly giggled as he swung her onto the boardwalk.

  “Mommy’s fast, huh?”

  “Yep,” he agreed. “You’ve trained her well.”

  Shelly thought that was hysterically funny.

  Adam had a flash of memory. Jennifer in jeans and a white T-shirt, lying back on their bed with her arms flung above her head, laughing uncontrollably until tears came in her eyes. He didn’t remember what was so funny. Only that he had followed her down onto the bed and kissed her until…

  He almost groaned. To hold Jenny again. To touch her like that. To see her laugh. He hadn’t recalled her so vividly in a long time.

  He had needed her daughter—their daughter—to bring his Jennifer back to him.

  Any thoughts of maintaining his distance after today were gone. He hoped Lynn saw it the same way. He didn’t want to hurt her; damn it, he saw a reflection of his own chaotic emotions in her eyes. Worse yet, he saw Rose in her.

  But he couldn’t let Shelly go, any more than he could let Rosebud go.

  He was going to be Daddy to both girls, whatever it took.

  “How about if we go get that hot dog you were promised?” he said easily, and, with only a small pang, took Rose’s small hand and let Shelly go to her mother.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  HOW LONG HAD IT BEEN since she had sat beside the phone waiting for a man to call? Years. Eons, Lynn thought wryly.

  And this was more like being a teenager, when she’d desperately wanted to pick up the phone and hear his voice, and yet was terrified every time it rang that he might be on the other end of the line. She’d never felt at ease socially, never known the right thing to say. If the boy she had a crush on called, she’d blow it, Lynn had been certain during those difficult years. Her mother had said comfortably that she’d learn.

  Lynn scowled at the silent telephone on the wall. Yeah, Mom? she demanded. Then how come I haven’t?

  This was different, of course. She wasn’t interested in him. It was Rose, sweet, shy Rose, whose voice Lynn hankered to hear. But she couldn’t see Rose without going through her daddy, which Lynn fiercely resented even as she felt as protective about Shelly.

  Seeing her natural daughter once had seemed as if it might be enough, back when they planned the one-day visit. Just knowing that she was healthy and loved…

  She made a sound in her throat and prowled the kitchen. Silence from the bedroom, where Shelly napped.

  Enough? Sure. Like that first piece of chocolate would be enough. Like you could eat three potato chips and then put the bag away.

  A taste was worse than never having.

  Feeling Rose’s chubby arms around her neck and hearing her throaty giggle in Lynn’s ears had been heaven. Rose and Shelly had taken to each other immediately, and yet they were so different. Lynn had applauded but never understood Shelly’s boldness and flamboyance. In Rose she saw herself, not because of the freckles or the hair, but because Rose hung back when a braver soul forged forward, because Rose’s hand clung to Daddy’s instead of letting go, because Rose wanted oh so desperately to be sure she would be safe before she leaped.

  Lynn understood all of that. She had been—was—afraid. Her own mother had had to boot her gently out of the nest. When the time came, Shelly would fly without hesitation. Rose would wobble, come back, flap her wings and try again.

  Lynn wanted to be there to coax and urge and comfort, just as her mother had been for her.

  It wasn’t as if Rose had another mother, she thought defensively. Then she might have made herself let go, though it would have hurt terribly. But Rose needed her. She was certain of that.

  Oh, why didn’t the man call?

  When he hadn’t on Sunday, she had figured he wanted to wait until Rose wasn’t around. Or perhaps he needed to think. But now it was Monday, and there wasn’t a reason in the world that he couldn’t phone from his office. Why wait? Why not settle this now?

  Perhaps she should call him. The anxiety that immediately swelled at the very thought annoyed her terribly. There she was, frightened of doing something straightforward. She wanted to talk to him. Why not call?

  She didn’t reach for the phone. After buckling Rose into her car seat and circling the car to where Lynn and Shelly stood, Adam Landry had said, “I’ll call.” His eyes had met Lynn’s; she had nodded. Of course they had to talk. More than ever, they had to talk.

  I’ll call.

  Why should the ball be in his court? She had rights equal to his.

  But, oh, she didn’t want to pick up the phone. She didn’t want to catch him at a bad moment, hear that brusque, impatient note in his voice. She wanted him to be the one calling, because he was eager. She imagined him conciliatory, agreeable.

  Was he ever, except with his daughter?

  Lynn sighed and considered making blueberry muffins as a surprise for Shelly when she woke from her nap. It would give her something to do.

  The telephone rang.

  Lynn stared at it, a lump clogging her throat. On the fourth ring, she snatched it up before her answering machine could do so.

  “Hello?”

  “Lynn, this is Adam.”

  “Oh.” Brilliant. “Yes. Um, hello.”

  No “how are you?” Or “we had a great day, didn’t we?”

  Instead, he said straight out, “I want to see Shelly again. I’d like to keep seeing her.”

  Relief washed over her even as worry began
its familiar niggle. To see Rose, she needed him to want to visit Shelly. But how far would he go? What if he went to court for custody, claimed he would be the best parent for both girls?

  She’d borrow the money from her parents and fight him, of course. Tooth and nail.

  “I’d like to keep seeing Rose, too,” she said.

  A pause ensued. She wondered if he had the same mixed feelings. Or was he so confident of his ability to win that he didn’t consider her a threat?

  “It was awkward, all of us together,” he said at last. “Maintaining a pretense.”

  “Yes,” she agreed, but with a thrum of hurt she chose not to examine. “Do you have another suggestion?”

  “That’s why I called. What if we were to take turns dropping one of the girls off for the day? Maybe work our way up to weekends? For now, surely you could spend a Saturday shopping or seeing a movie or something in Portland?” The last was thrown out carelessly; why should he care what she did? “When I drop Rose off, I could take a drive up the coast, have lunch in Cannon Beach, maybe. Just to give you time with her.”

  “Won’t they think it odd, after we said we were friends?”

  “We’ll make excuses.” A hint of impatience sounded in his voice. Obstacles weren’t to be considered.

  “Yes. All right,” Lynn said. “We might have to make the visits short at first. Shelly has never played at a friend’s house for more than a couple of hours at a time.”

  “Rose is used to day care.”

  He spoke arrogantly, and yet she heard something. Uncertainty? Did he remember Rose’s clinging hand? Her reluctance to climb onto the strange lady’s back, even after several hours spent building a sand castle together?

  “Does it have to be a weekend?” Lynn asked.

  “Does it have to be?” The surprise in Adam’s voice cleared. “I suppose leaving the bookstore is difficult on weekends.”

  “Saturday and Sunday are my busiest days. And I have to pay someone else to be there when I’m gone. The store is closed anyway on Monday and Tuesday. Later in the winter, on Wednesday, too.”

  “I suppose I could take some Mondays off,” he said thoughtfully. “Sure, why not? Rose would be thrilled to stay home from day care.”

  Aha. So Rose might be “used” to day care, but was not necessarily enthusiastic.

  “Shall we say next Monday?” he continued. “Can you bring Shelly here?”

  “Certainly.” They might have been arranging a transfer of funds or the repair of an appliance. She reached for a notepad. “Tell me how to find your place.”

  A moment later, she hung up, the plans firmed, a map drawn. She would take Shelly to play at Rose’s house. Go shopping herself for a few hours. It would give her a chance to see Rose briefly, and in return Adam would bring Rose here the next Monday.

  It sounded simple enough, but a gnawing hole in her stomach told her simple didn’t mean easy. She was going to hate leaving Shelly with her father. Not being there to see what he said and did.

  What if, after a few visits, Shelly wasn’t happy to see her mom after the day spent with Daddy? What if she wanted to stay, and he encouraged her? What if Shelly always had to go there, because Rose was too shy to be left here?

  Lynn squeezed her eyes shut on a burning sensation and thought, what if I die of loneliness, on one of those Mondays?

  “ARE WE ALMOST THERE?” Shelly’s neck stretched as she tried to peer ahead.

  “I think so.” Lynn glanced again at the directions and address that lay on the seat beside her. The neighborhood was reinforcing her worst fears. Adam Landry had money. Plenty of money.

  What chance would she have if he took her on?

  “There,” she said, spotting the numbers on the mailbox. A paved driveway led onto wooded grounds. Rhododendrons grew under mature cedars and hemlocks and firs. She caught a glimpse of a tumbling stream and an arched stone bridge.

  Money.

  Ahead, the house seemed to grow out of the hillside and the forested land, the cedar siding and shake roof blending in, the several levels and the rock work around the foundation somehow disguising the sheer size of the structure. Lynn suddenly imagined Rose wandering in the middle of the night, lost and scared, trying to find her daddy’s bedroom.

  Don’t be silly, she told herself sharply. Rose seemed loved and secure. Her bedroom would be near his. Surely.

  Lynn admired the flower beds filled with shade-loving plants like hostas and Solomon’s seal that flowed into the natural landscape as if God himself was the gardener. She couldn’t quite see Adam Landry on his knees in the dirt pulling weeds. Even if he had built a sand castle with gusto. No, he’d have a gardener, as well as a housekeeper.

  The car rolled to a stop. “Well,” she said, trying to sound hearty. “We’re here.”

  “Oh.” Shelly’s enthusiasm seemed to have dwindled. She stared at the house, her voice small. “I don’t see Rose.”

  “She doesn’t know we’re here yet.” Lynn attempted a cheerful smile. “Did you see the bridge? I’ll bet Rose will show you around her woods.”

  “Like I showed her my beach.”

  “Right.” Except, these woods really were Rose’s.

  Shelly unbuckled her own car seat and inched forward. “Can we go see Rose?”

  “You betcha.”

  They didn’t reach the front door before Adam came out with Rose holding his hand. Today he wore crisp khaki slacks and a polo shirt with a tiny—and probably expensive—emblem on the pocket. What he looked was handsome, unapproachable and not quite real: the wealthy professional pretending to relax.

  Lynn had felt more comfortable with him when he wore jeans and a T-shirt.

  The two girls murmured, “Hi,” and hung their heads.

  Adam’s dark gaze met hers. “Come on in.”

  She wondered if he would have invited her at all if their daughters had gone racing right off to play.

  Inside the carved-wood door, a slate entry led to a large living room with a wall of windows, pale nubby carpet and warm, comfortable leather furniture. A few antiques lent character to a room that might have been too colorless and modern for Lynn’s tastes. She loved the wool tapestry that hung on one wall, a dark African mask on another.

  The elegance of the room made her confidence plummet another inch.

  “What a beautiful room.”

  “Thank you.” He barely glanced at her. “How are you, Shelly?”

  “Fine,” she whispered.

  “Rose has been excited about having you come.”

  Shelly peeked at her friend but said nothing. Rose hid behind Daddy’s leg.

  He tried again. “Would you like Rose to show you her room?”

  Shelly didn’t let go of Lynn’s hand. In her piercing voice, she asked, “Mommy, are you gonna go?”

  “That’s the plan.” She sounded as bright and fake as a dinner-plate dahlia, Lynn thought ruefully. “Remember? We talked about it. I’m going to do some mom things. Shop, and call a friend. I’ll bet you won’t miss me for a second.”

  “Yes, I will,” Shelly said clearly.

  “Not once you start to play—”

  “I like to shop, too.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Lynn saw Rose’s face start to crumple. A crease deepened between Adam’s brows.

  “Honey,” she said gently, “I know you’ll have fun with Rose. We don’t want to disappoint her.”

  Shelly held her hand in a death grip. This time she whispered, “Can’t you stay, Mommy?”

  God help her, she was pleased that Shelly hadn’t dashed off without caring whether her mother left. How petty could you get? These visits had to work! Darn it. She was an adult. She owed it to both children to be selfless.

  Crouching, Lynn looked her daughter in the eye. “Honey,” she began.

  Adam interrupted, “Maybe I can talk your mom into staying for a while. Rose and I planned a nice lunch. You’ll join us, won’t you, Lynn?”

  Oh, right, she th
ought. Now be cordial. Pretend this “dumping her daughter for the day” thing was her idea. His easy, “of course you’re welcome” voice made her the villain.

  Torn between her daughter’s pleading brown eyes and her own flash of anger, she couldn’t speak for a moment. Just as well, because the pause gave her time to realize that he was right: they had to pretend. And, by God, she could do it as well as he could!

  “I’d love to,” she said, smiling. “Maybe first Rose would show me her bedroom.”

  Her gaze met his briefly, with a chill on both sides that neither of their voices revealed. You don’t want me in your house, her eyes said, but she’s my child. I’ll sit on her bed and admire her toys and coax her into friendship, whether you like it or not.

  Sure you can, his said in return. Today. Because the girls have left me no choice. But don’t get your hopes up, lady. We’re not setting a precedent here.

  “Good idea,” he said with the same charm he’d show a new client. “Rosebud, I’ll bet Lynn will enjoy seeing your dolls.”

  The floors were hardwood beyond the living room, the halls spacious. She caught glimpses into other rooms: one that held a dark big-screen television and a bank of stereo equipment, a formal dining room, an office with a huge leather chair and a state-of-the-art computer and a fax machine that hummed as it rolled out pages. Rose led the way, Shelly gaining enough confidence to peer through doorways and finally let go of her mom’s hand when Rose said, “My bedroom is that one.”

  All the way, Lynn felt Adam behind her with a prickling, disquieting awareness. In the presence of mine enemy.

  What she hated most was the knowledge that her reaction was partly sexual. Adam Landry would have been the kind of boy she’d watched from afar in middle school and high school and college. With that build, he must have been an athlete. With his confidence, he was probably the student body president. Petite, sparkly blondes would have hung on his arm, not quiet, shy girls with difficult hair.

  This man was that boy all grown up, and she was no more capable of exchanging snappy repartee or sultry looks than she’d been then.

  Worst of all, the man he’d grown into was obviously capable of kindness and restraint and intense love. Then, she had told herself the popular boys were shallow. Her mother had agreed, hugged her and told her to look for a late-bloomer, they were the best kind.