SEAL the Deal(75)

Stretching her legs out in front of her, Lacey rolled her eyes. “Well, I took them to five houses, and every one wasn’t perfect enough. They’re very high maintenance.”

“Where are they moving from?”

“DC. Chevy Chase area.”

“Well, that explains the high maintenance part. Those homes there are gorgeous.”

“Yeah. They got my name from Edith, actually. He’s a doctor who just started working at the hospital.”

“Nice,” Bess said, scrunching her face as she touched her belly.

“You okay?”

“Just something I ate. Maeve tried making French toast for breakfast.”

“Ah, no wonder Mick didn’t linger when he was done shoveling.”

“Yeah. She’s a hell of a designer, but not the best cook.” Bess struggled out of her chair. “I think I’ll lie down until the effect wears off.”

Lacey watched Bess head out of the kitchen, and a sudden panic tore through her, knocking her nearly breathless when she saw blood on Bess’s pants. “Oh, God.” She rose quickly to Bess’s side. “Oh, God, Bess, honey, let’s get your coat. You’re bleeding. I’ll drive you to the hospital.”

***

Maeve knew she couldn’t cook to save her life. Today’s breakfast certainly confirmed that.

But as she stood in front of the butcher’s department at the grocery store, she could at least take pride in knowing one cut of meat from another. Grabbing the best-looking shoulder roast from the pile, she felt gratified to take part in tonight’s dinner preparation in some small measure.

Glancing down at the list Bess had given her, she headed to the spices and frowned, remembering her odd reaction to those damn toys this morning. She hoped no one had noticed. Well, certainly Jack didn’t. A bulldozer could come careening through her dining room wall and he wouldn’t notice.

But why had she reacted like that? Was it jealousy? Most likely. She’d been doing a pretty impressive job of concealing her own yearning for a child as she watched Bess walk the waist-expanding path to motherhood.

Every time Bess took Maeve’s hand to share a kick, one half of Maeve’s heart leapt and the other half shattered to bits.

But today, seeing those toys that Jack brought, something snapped. Was it because it was Jack showering gifts on Bess?

Was there some part of her that wished Jack would do the same for her, for the baby she would never have?

The baby they would never have, she dared to take the thought one step further. Maeve had to admit having a fantasy or two from time to time about settling down with Jack, sharing in marriage the same contented relationship they shared as friends.

Add to that, the hot sex she still remembered vividly, even though it had been nearly a decade since they went down that road. The guy was a freaking gymnast in bed.

Maeve frowned at the array of spices. Absurd idea. Marrying Jack.

She couldn’t deny the attraction. It was there, just as it was seven years ago. But this morning she had been reminded why she was determined to steer clear of him. Some men were meant to have kids. Broods of kids. Jack was one of them. She only had to look at the mountain of toys he had bought for Bess’s child to see it.

One eyebrow raised. And really, she thought, why couldn’t it be with Bess? She was young and obviously fertile as a rabbit. He had a big enough heart to care deeply for the child Bess already had. Maeve knew that for a fact. The guy’s heart was the size of Montana.

So was the size of his…

Maeve gave herself a shake. Mustn’t let her mind wander in that direction. No, Jack wasn’t for her. But Bess? It would be nice to know that Bess’s baby had a father Maeve approved of. Someone strong enough to kick the ass of that ex-boyfriend if he ever reared his ugly head in this town.

It might be an idea worth pursuing—if, that is, she could stand to watch Jack settle down with someone other than herself.

Which she’d have to do eventually anyway.

She shook her head ruefully. God, it was hell being her these days.

She plucked her ringing cell from her purse. “Hey, Lacey. How’d the showings go?”

“Maeve, I’m at the hospital with Bess. She started bleeding.”

Maeve froze in the middle of the produce aisle. “What?”

“They’ve already admitted her, and the doctor wants to do lots of tests. So far, the baby looks fine.”

By the time Lacey made it through the sentence, Maeve had abandoned her grocery basket in the middle of the aisle and was halfway out the door. “How is Bess?”

“Really upset, as you can imagine. Scared. But I think she’s doing better now that we’ve heard the baby’s heart beat.”