Unlike his late wife.
“I don’t think that would’ve been possible. Not unless she could’ve played a role in Jennie’s ear infection—and I think you’ll agree that’s impossible.”
“But she would’ve recognized Jennie’s name when we came into the emergency room that night.”
Nick nodded. “Granted.”
“And she didn’t hesitate to take advantage.”
He didn’t want to defend Candace, but he couldn’t stop himself from saying, “Perhaps she was curious.”
Alison considered him. “I imagine you’re right. What woman wouldn’t be? Her baby… A mother would want to know that she was okay. And I made it simple for her. The boys were giving me such a hard time that afternoon…”
She sucked in her cheeks, making her look even more harried. “She was so easy to talk to, so interested in the boys…and Jennie. I told her all about Margaret leaving us high and dry. That’s when she said she wouldn’t be averse to working as a nanny for a while because she didn’t have a full-time job. I’m so sorry, Nick.”
When he didn’t respond, she dropped her head into her hands. “I don’t seem to be able to stop screwing up at the moment, do I?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Awkwardly he patted her shoulder. Staring over his sister’s head into the courtyard outside, he asked with studied casualness, “Did you mention that I was overseas?”
Her head came up. “I probably did.”
That would’ve sealed Candace’s conviction that Jennie needed her. But there was no point in telling his sister the problem she had unwittingly caused.
“So what have you decided to do?” Alison asked.
Trust her to get to the crux of his problem. “I don’t know.” Yet.
It wasn’t like him to be indecisive. Vacillation went against his character. But he had Jennie to think about—what he wanted had to be best for Jennie, too.
“It could’ve been worse,” Alison was saying.
“Worse?” What did his sister mean? As far as Nick was concerned, it had gotten as bad as it could.
“Jilly could’ve picked a real loser, like the kinds of friends she picked. Candace is cool—as my sons would say.” Alison rose to her feet and gathered up her bag. “I might pop in on the way home to see how she’s coping with all this. Thanks for listening to my woes, Nicky—I’m feeling a lot better already.”
What his sister meant was that she was going to try to build a bridge with the woman who might prove to be necessary to Jennie. Nick knew he should be thinking like that, too.
But he was still struggling with the idea of Candace as Jennie’s mother. All he could think of was Candace as a woman—the one he’d held in his arms, the one he’d kissed…the one he was dying to seduce.
A sexy angel he couldn’t wait to see again.
Work be damned.
“You know what?” He forced a half smile. “I don’t seem to be able to concentrate today. I might come with you—blow the cobwebs from my brain.”
Nick ignored the shock on his sister’s face. First Pauline, now Alison. He hadn’t become that much of a workaholic, had he?
Her mother was already back from the hospital, relaxing in her room at Apple Orchards Rest Home when Candace and Jennie arrived. She looked pale and tired.
“How are you feeling, Mom?”
“I’ve had better days.” Catherine Morrison’s mouth twitched into a smile and Candace wanted to applaud her mother’s bravery.
“I’ve brought someone to meet you,” she said instead. She bent over the stroller and unclipped the straps. “This is Jennie.”
Catherine turned her head on the lace-edged pillow that matched the handmade quilt Candace had bought as a housewarming gift after her mother had moved into Apple Orchards five months ago. The room was cozily furnished. Candace had bought a compact love seat covered in pretty fabric where Catherine could sit in the sun by the window on days when she felt a little stronger. The dressing table where her mother’s favorite perfumes and toiletries were stored and the bed’s headboard were her mother’s own. So were the collection of knickknacks and photos on the bookshelf in the corner. The homey touches had transformed the institutionalized space.
“Hello, Jennie,” her mother said to the granddaughter she didn’t know existed.
A lump thickened at the back of Candace’s throat. “I’m looking after her.”
“But what about your work at the hospital, darling? I thought you were going back to a full-time post once you had me settled.”