“Is Lindsey all right?” Michael’s gaze flicked to the Foursquare.
“She’s a big girl. She can take care of herself.”
He didn’t mean for the words to come out so harshly. He just needed to be alone and try to work through what had just happened.
“Nick, I don’t want to overstep, but anyone could tell there’s some history between the two of you.”
He looked at the house. Lindsey was still in the kitchen. She sat at the small table, head bent over, staring at the ultrasound photos.
“That’s all it is. Just history.”
She wasn’t his problem. She wasn't his concern.
He hated himself for thinking that. But that was who he was. Thanks to his father, the capacity for cruelty was woven into his DNA. For one reckless, fleeting moment, lost in her touch and sweet scent, he thought they could be together. He hadn’t lied. He loved her. He always would. But when he saw that ultrasound photograph, the realization ripped through him like a jagged knife. They couldn’t be together. Not now. Not ever.
“Life’s not always black and white,” Michael said.
Nick was glad of the darkness. It hid the angry blush heating his skin. “Unfortunately, it is for me.”
“Here’s the list of prenatal vitamins Dr. Al-Amin recommends.”
Lindsey glanced up and finished zipping her boots as Dr. Al-Amin’s nurse cracked open the exam room door. It had been a week since she’d seen the doctor in the ER. She had taken her advice and made a regular prenatal appointment with her office. They had gone over all the things most pregnant women did during the first trimester, and Dr. Al-Amin assured her the baby was doing fine.
The nurse gave her a warm smile. “We’ve got a bunch of samples I could send home with you today. When you’re finished in here, I’ll meet you at the scheduling desk. We can get your next appointment on the books, and I’ll have those goodies ready for you to take home.” She closed the door, and the clap of her footsteps disappeared down the hall.
Lindsey fastened the last button of her blouse but paused before leaving the room. Pictures of Dr. Al-Amin smiling next to women in hospital beds holding tiny bundles lined the walls. She studied each picture. Mothers and fathers beamed at her from the past. She tried to find a picture with just a mother. There were a few, but even those women seemed to have someone with them.
“We can do this,” she whispered to the tiny human, barely the size of a small banana, living in her belly. She’d laughed earlier when the doctor made the comparison, but now, Lindsey blinked back tears. There was no reason to cry. She wasn’t going to be alone. Rosemary would insist on staying by her side during the delivery. Again, she thanked the universe for her godmother’s kindness.
She had her hand on the doorknob when one of the pictures caught her eye. She stared at the family. The husband, blond and smiling. The mother, petite with dark hair almost the same shade as hers. Lindsey closed her eyes and imagined Nick, leaning in, his arm wrapped around her shoulders as he gazed down at their baby.
But it wasn’t their baby. It would never be their baby.
The look on his face when he saw the ultrasound photo told her everything she needed to know.
She patted her belly. “It’s just you and me, little banana.”
She wasn’t quite showing, not even at nearly eighteen weeks. A slight sway to her stomach was the only visible evidence of her pregnancy.
She met the nurse at the scheduling desk. The woman’s hands were filled with pamphlets and sample packets. “I’ve got all your appointments here,” she said, handing Lindsey a printout. “We make the appointments up through forty weeks. If you deliver sooner, the hospital will let us know, and we’ll take care of canceling them.”
Lindsey nodded, a bit bleary-eyed. It was a lot to take in. Exam room doors opened and closed behind her. The chatter of nurses fielding calls and the click of their typing buzzed through the office.
The nurse retrieved a small reusable tote from under the desk and filled it with more papers and pamphlets. “Here’s some information on birthing classes and diet and nutrition. I’ll put all the vitamin samples in here for you as well.” She paused when another nurse handed her a piece of paper. “Looks like your iron is still a little low, but the doctor hopes with the prenatal vitamins that will improve. Don’t you worry, we’ll keep an eye on it, and if anything comes up, don’t hesitate to call.”
“Thank you.”
She handed Lindsey the tote then hurried down the hall. “We’ll see you soon, Ms. Davies.”
“Lindsey, is that you?”
The voice sounded familiar. Lindsey turned and found herself face-to-face with her neighbors, Em and Michael.
What now?
“I had no idea,” Em said, taking a step closer and glancing at Lindsey’s belly.
“I hadn’t…” Lindsey began. “I didn’t…”
Michael patted her arm. “Why don’t you join us for an early dinner. It’s always easier to talk over a meal. Did you drive here?”
Lindsey nodded.
“Let’s drop our cars off at home, and you can ride with us to Park Tavern,” Em added.
“Okay,” Lindsey said, still a little off-kilter.
She made the walk to her car and drove home on autopilot. Her body did all the right things, but her mind was elsewhere. There was no way to completely hide a pregnancy unless she lived in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. She had known people would take notice, but she wasn’t prepared for what to say, or how to explain the lack of a husband or father.
They found a table near the back of the restaurant. At four o’clock, it wasn’t busy. Park Tavern’s long Cherrywood bar gleamed red-gold in the late afternoon light. Bottles of spirits lined the shelves, giving the place a golden glow. Lindsey’s eye caught three bottles of Teeling’s Irish whiskey, sunlight dancing and glinting off the amber liquid, and framed the shot in her head.
“I know that look,” Michael said with a knowing grin.
“Sorry,” Lindsey answered, turning her attention to Michael and Em. “This place has such character. I can see a hundred ways to photograph it.”
Michael shared a glance with Em. “Em’s a musician. I’d know that ‘artist at work’ look anywhere.”
They chuckled politely, but after a beat, Em leaned in, brows knit together. “How far along are you, Lindsey? I hope you don’t mind me asking. Feel free to tell me to shut up and mind my own business.”
Something inside her loosened. A tenseness she had lived with since falling under Brett’s control relaxed a fraction. “I’m almost eighteen weeks. How about you?”
Em threaded her arm with Michael’s. “Almost twenty. My mom was supposed to come into town for the big gender reveal today, but she had to present at a conference. She’s an educational researcher in Australia. So we did the whole thing over video chat.”
“You know what you’re having?” Lindsey asked.
Em’s blue eyes shined with emotion. “A little boy.”
“A ginger boy, right?” came a booming voice.
“They weren’t able to confirm hair color on the ultrasound,” Michael said, standing to shake Sam Sinclair’s hand. “But Dr. Al-Amin assures us there’s a high probability.”
Sam bent down and kissed Em on the cheek. “Congratulations, sweetheart! Zoe’s already forwarded all the pictures you sent her from the ultrasound. In another fifteen minutes, the entire Kansas City metro area will know you’re having a boy.”
A woman with a wide grin and sparkling gray eyes approached their table carrying a massive monstrosity of a cake. “I’m just excited for my best friend. What’s wrong with that?”
“What are you doing here, Zoe? And what the heck is that?” Em asked, looking down at the blue lumps of cake interspersed with lopsided clumps of icing.
“This is what happens when I try to bake,” Zoe answered with a playful glint in her eye. “I’ve got a pink one, too. I left it at my parents’ house. I could go get it?”
“No!” Michael, Em, and Sam said in unison.
Lindsey watched the exchange with a grin. She could see why Nick had chosen to live in Langley Park.
Zoe feigned offense but only held the expression for a few seconds before breaking into laughter. “I know it’s awful, but I promised your mom we’d have a little surprise celebration. So, when Sam texted me that you guys were here, I threw the cake in my car and headed over.”
“That would certainly explain the shape,” Michael said, swiping some icing onto his finger then grimacing as he tasted it.
Zoe set the cake on the table and extended her hand. “You must be Lindsey. I’m Zoe Stein.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Lindsey replied. “Are you from Langley Park, too?”
“I am. I have a place up in Lawrence near my work at Kansas Public Radio, but I’ve got so many friends and family in town, I’m either crashing at my parents’ place or Sam’s bungalow more often than not.”
Lindsey nodded. In thirty seconds, she already felt like part of the gang. After all that time of being isolated by Brett, it was almost intoxicating to be surrounded by such life and vitality.
Zoe narrowed her gaze. “You’re Mrs. G’s goddaughter, the photographer for the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce living in Em’s old house, right?”
This girl didn’t beat around the bush.
“That’s me,” Lindsey answered as a sliver of panic wove its way through her chest.
Zoe sat down. “Mrs. G is the office manager for my brother’s architecture firm. She mentioned you’re working on the publicity campaign for the city.”
Lindsey’s anxiety dialed down a notch. She knew her godmother would be careful with the things she shared with others. Of course, people would be curious about the new girl in town.
Zoe picked up a morsel of cake and popped it into her mouth, grimaced the same way Michael did, then swallowed hard. “My mom and sister-in-law want to meet you. They’ve got a couple of projects going that the Chamber’s agreed to highlight.”
“Yes,” Lindsey answered, grateful the conversation had veered to work. “I think I might know what you’re talking about. Brenda Chen emailed me this morning regarding the Rose Brooks Women’s Shelter fundraiser and a series of free women’s self-defense courses being offered at different yoga studios around the area.”
“Yep, those are the projects. My mother and sister-in-law are very civic minded.”
“I’ll be shooting a self-defense class at the yoga studio in the Langley Park town center tomorrow morning.”
Zoe’s expression brightened. “I’ll be there. That’s my mom’s studio. It’s right up the street from here, off Mulberry Drive just past the coffee shop.” She leaned in. “There are a few things you need to know about my mother and sister-in-law. My mom, Kathy, has a crazy, unhealthy obsession with Buddha statues. And my sister-in-law, Jenna, you’ll initially want to hate her because she looks like a better version of Barbie, but then she’ll open her damn mouth, and you won’t be able to help but love her.”
Em nodded, fashioning her thick auburn hair into a bun. “That’s a pretty spot-on description.”
“And it might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said about me, Zoe,” a lovely woman who did look like a better version of Barbie, said with an amused expression. “Hi there, I’m Jenna Fisher.”
“Lindsey Davies,” she replied and shook the woman’s hand.
“I’m Kathy Stein, Zoe’s mother. It’s nice to meet you, Lindsey,” said the petite woman with salt and pepper hair standing next to Jenna. “And I’m not hoarding Buddha statues.”
Jenna, Em, and Zoe shared an amused look.
“Mom,” Zoe lamented, “last I checked, there were like thirty-eight of them. And don’t think I didn’t see the two you’ve got hidden underneath the couch in the living room.” She threw the group a conspiratorial glance. “You know it’s bad when she’s resorted to hiding them at the house.”
“All right, folks,” Sam said, cutting in. “How about I get some appetizers out. I’ll send a waitress over to bring everyone some water and take drink orders. The good news is…we’ve got plenty of food, and we don’t have to eat Zoe’s cake.”
Everyone let out a whoop of delight as Jenna and Kathy sat down, one on each side of Lindsey.
Jenna gave her a warm smile. “I’m so glad to get some time to chat with you. You’re the new photographer with the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce?”
“I am,” Lindsey answered.
Jenna leaned in. “Has anyone mentioned anything to you about the Rose Brooks Women’s Shelter fundraiser?”
Lindsey took a breath. It wasn’t that long ago when she’d relied on the lifesaving services of the Houston Women’s Shelter. But this was no time to let her past interfere or cloud her judgment. This was work. This was her career. Behind the camera, she called the shots.
“Yes,” Lindsey said, slipping into professional mode. “Em mentioned it to me last week, and just today, I received an email from Brenda Chen that the Chamber of Commerce is onboard. I’m happy to help in whatever capacity suits your needs.”
“Oh, I’m glad you’re able to help,” Jenna replied with a relieved sigh, “because there’s not much time. The fundraiser is right around the corner, and I was hoping to get something pulled together in the next few weeks.” Her expression darkened. “I’ve volunteered to oversee this project, but I don’t know quite where to start.”
Lindsey drummed her fingers on the table. What she loved about photography was the way it allowed her to capture and alter perspectives and to tell a story from a unique point of view. “What do you think about getting some of the shelter’s staff and maybe even some past or current residents behind the camera? I can teach them the basics of photography, and this approach would allow the people who know Rose Brooks best to capture its essence.”
Jenna nodded. “I like that idea. And I’m sure the local camera shop would be happy to lend us some cameras. The owner has been a longtime supporter of the shelter.”
“Are you two done talking shop?” Zoe asked. The waitress delivered several plates of appetizers, and Zoe popped a stuffed mushroom into her mouth then turned her gaze toward the entrance and shared a look with Em and Jenna. “Ben, Kate, Clay, and Nick just got here. Jenna, you’re in charge of squashing any Star Wars debate. Tonight is all about my shitty cake and Em’s sweet baby boy.”
Em added a dollop of strawberry jam to a mozzarella stick. “You were the one who mentioned Jar Jar whatever last time we were here, Z.”
Jenna stood. “Let’s make some time to chat about the fundraiser. Will you be at the self-defense class tomorrow at the yoga studio? I’ve heard the Chamber’s involved in that project, too.”
“Yes, I’ll be there taking photos for the campaign.”
“Wonderful! We’ll talk more then.”
Jenna patted her shoulder and made her way through the restaurant. When she stopped next to a tall man with dark hair, Lindsey’s breath caught in her throat.
That’s not Brett. Brett doesn’t know anything about Langley Park. He can’t find you.
Lindsey silently repeated the mantra.
“So,” Zoe said, drumming her hands on the table and pulling Lindsey out of her panicked state. “Are you ready for the rundown?”
“Rundown?” Lindsey asked.
“Oh, Zoe,” Em sighed. “Lindsey has barely been here a week. Don’t go freaking her out with all our crazy.”
“Everybody’s got some crazy, don’t they?” Zoe asked and met Lindsey’s gaze.
Lindsey nodded, noticing Zoe’s expression had lost that wicked sparkle.
Zoe rebounded. “The sweet little monster is my niece, Kate. She’s seven going on seventeen.”
Kate smiled up at Jenna who was tucking wild strands of the little girl’s wavy locks behind her ears.
“They’re a crazy adorable family—think, Mayberry-perfect, version 2.0. Moving on,” Zoe continued, “the guy with the buzz cut who looks
like he could be cast into any cop movie as a cop is a Langley cop. That’s Detective Clay Stevens.”
Lindsey nodded and tried to keep all the names straight.
Zoe lowered her voice. “Now those three,” Zoe said and pointed to Jenna, Nick, and Jenna’s husband. “That’s my brother, Ben. Your godmother is the office manager of his architecture firm.”
“Right,” Lindsey said, remembering that tidbit.
“Here’s the juicy part. Captain Nick and Jenna used to date, but that all ended when she came back to Langley Park and reconnected with my brother. She and my brother met in high school and had some instant love connection that never faded.”
“Nick dated Jenna?” Lindsey bit down hard on the inside of her mouth.
“Yeah, but it wasn’t any real kind of relationship. My brother is a giant hardass and could win a gold medal in holding grudges. If he can be friends with Nick, anything is possible. Plus, a blind man could see the way Jenna looks at my brother. They’re all friends now. It is super-mature adult of them. Plus, Ben and Nick are both Star Wars geeks. That seems to supersede any issue of who dated who. And don’t get them started on anything Star Wars. The discussion will go on for hours.”
Lindsey gave a tight nod. She knew she couldn’t have Nick. He made that crystal clear. But a wave of relief washed over her as she watched Jenna Fisher gaze lovingly at her husband.
“Zoe Christine Stein,” Kathy said with a mother’s warning tone.
Zoe shrugged her shoulders. “Fine, mother. I’ll lay off the Langley Park 411.”
Lindsey looked at Nick. He was laughing at something Ben was saying but must have sensed her watching and turned her way.
“Now, there’s a look I’ve never seen from Captain Nick,” Zoe said, eyes dancing.
Lindsey tried to muster a smile. “I’ve had a long day. It’s been wonderful meeting everyone, but I think I’m going to head home.”
“Would you like me to drive you?” Michael asked, starting to stand.
Lindsey waved him back. “No, I think a little walk and some fresh air would be good.”
“Are you sure?” Em asked. Concern clouded her eyes. “You know, you can count on Michael and me. We’re always here to help.”
The Complete Langley Park Series (Books 1-5) Page 65
