Close to Her Heart (9 page)

“It’s a great idea,” Callan said. “I’ll run it by Dad. But since he approves of Dawson it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“When did he start approving of Dawson?” Last Dani had heard, he’d given Dawson a hard time during the fall round-up.

“On his days off, Dawson often comes out to give us a hand. This spring he’s training a new colt dad thinks has some potential. Dad doesn’t want to admit it, but he’s too old to do that kind of work now. Doesn’t stop him from shouting pointers from the sidelines, of course.”

Dani could imagine. One of the reasons she’d hated helping with the cattle and horses when she was younger was because of her father’s gruff ways and his quick temper when you did something wrong.

Which in her case had seemed to be very often.

“We don’t want to have a big wedding party,” Sage said. “But I do need a maid of honor. You know I love all of you, so I was thinking of just putting your names in a hat and choosing that way? Sound fair?”

“I appreciate the offer honey, but don’t put my name in,” Mattie said. “I’ve been married, raised two daughters and now I’m getting divorced…I’m so happy for you, really I am. But I don’t feel like standing up for a wedding at this point in my life.”

“I get it.” Sage tore two pieces off the end of a sheet of blank paper. “So I’ll just put in Dani and Callan’s names.”

Her baby would be only about a month old by the wedding date. Dani wasn’t even sure she’d be able to attend. “Oh, let Callan be the one. She’s the baby of the family. Plus, you can shop for dresses together.”

“That’s a good point. Callan, what do you say?”

“Well, sure. I’d be honored. But—do I really have to wear a dress?”

*

Dani lost all track of time at the lab that Monday. She and Jenna were starting a new clinical trial in their quest to determine at what age young children developed a sense of fairness. In this test they would be focusing on whether babies preferred to play with caregivers who distributed toys fairly among a group of children, unfairly in a way that disadvantaged them, or fairly in a way that advantaged them.

The tests took place in little rooms outfitted with a sofa and three chairs. The three mothers sat behind their babies, with instructions not to interfere unless their child needed comforting. Meanwhile two assistants would offer the babies toys according to a prescribed protocol. From behind one-way glass, Dani and Jenna alternated watching and recording the results at each step of the process.

The work was meticulous and somewhat tedious, but Dani found it fascinating to see the results. It was especially gratifying when they turned out to be similar to what she and Jenna had predicted.

At three o’clock, when the experimenting ended for the day—many of the participating families had to pick up their older children from school at this time—Dani rose from the desk and stretched out her arms. She was awfully tight in her back and shoulders. Maybe tonight she should try to catch a yoga class. She should call Miriam and see if she wanted to come, too. Things had been awkward between them since she and Eliot had that fight.

She still wasn’t speaking with him, though her anger had dissipated somewhat. She was almost ready to forgive him now. But the stubborn ass still hadn’t asked her to.

“Dani, do you have a minute?” Jenna was at the door, hair pulled back in a tight ponytail and her dark-framed glasses giving her a serious, academic look.

“Sure.” Dani saved her spreadsheet, then closed down the laptop.

Jenna waved her into her office, down the hall. For the first thirty minutes they discussed that day’s results and whether any modifications to the test would be needed.

It was a positive discussion, but at the end of it, Jenna asked if she could stay a few more minutes. “I’m just wondering what sort of commitment you’re going to have to this research after you have the baby?”

Dani was relieved to finally have the subject raised. She valued her work her very much and it was important that Jenna continued to want to work with her. “I intend to keep working until the second week in August.”

Jenna nodded, pushing her glasses higher up the bridge of her nose and frowning slightly. “And then?”

“I’d like to take three months off to adjust to the new routine after the birth. And then I was hoping to gradually ease back into all my responsibilities.”

“So—part-time at first?”

“If that’s okay with you.” Jenna’s serious demeanor was making her nervous. Legally she couldn’t be fired because she was having a baby. But she could be reassigned to less compelling work. And that was something that would be extremely disappointing.

Fortunately, however, that wasn’t what Jenna had in mind.

“I think we can make this work. As long as I know your eventual plan is to return full time.”

“Within a year, yes.”

Jenna nodded. “Good.” Bending her head back over her papers, she made it clear that the conversation was over.

Dani left the office feeling only a little relieved. Her job here in the lab with Jenna seemed to be secure. But she couldn’t help feeling the senior researcher was disappointed in her decision to have this baby. Jenna was one of those intense, focused people who lived for their work and couldn’t understand why other people didn’t share the same passion and drive. Once Dani had thought she was that sort of person, too.

But finding out she was pregnant had changed her priorities. She was as surprised as anyone else by how much she wanted this baby. From the moment she’d seen the results of her pregnancy test—at home in the bathroom, worried about her late period—her values and priorities had undergone a massive restructuring.

And there was no going back to the woman she had once been.

*

It took about three weeks for Lizbeth Greenway to convince her husband to come in to see Eliot. Nick finally agreed on the condition that he meet with Eliot alone. On the Wednesday he was due to come in, for the last appointment of the day at five o’clock, Eliot took his assistant Paige aside and explained what he needed.

“I want this guy feeling comfortable and unthreatened. So set us up in the Sequoia Room, okay?” The Sequoia Room was more like a large living room area than a conference room. They generally used it for relaxed partner meetings and celebrations. Only rarely for the clients.

“Have a selection of beer there, as well as soft drinks. Maybe even a bowl of potato chips. It’s the end of the day, he may feel like unwinding, which is good. Might help me figure out what’s going on in his head.”

“You’re trying to fix the marriage again, aren’t you?” Paige was in a lemon-colored dress today, paired with red shoes and a necklace made from what looked like giant, flattened red rocks. Outrageous and sweet all at the same time.

“The wife is pregnant,” he shrugged. “I want them to be sure they’re taking the right step here.”

Paige looked up from her notebook, clearly fighting a smile. “You want to know why I love working for you?”

“Glad to hear that you do.”

“Absolutely. For one thing, you never hit on me.”

He felt appalled. “You’re, like, ten years younger than I am.”

“So sweet that you think that way. I’ve had passes from bosses thirty years older than I am.”

In all honesty, he wasn’t surprised. He heard things.

“But mostly I love the way you care about people. It’s kind of rare in this world.”

Again he had to shrug. “I never set out to be a divorce attorney.” It had just sort of happened. He’d been given a few cases to handle and they’d gone well, so recommendations had been made, and soon the clients were coming at him like raindrops in a Seattle winter. “Divorce is such a brutal step. I figure if I can keep a few couples out of the fighting ring, that’s a good thing.”

Paige smiled. “And that’s why I love working for you. Leave everything to me. I’ll make sure the Sequoia Room is perfect for your meeting.”

And it was. At five o’clock when he invited Nick Greenway into the generously proportioned, but still cozy room, he found cushions plumped on the sofa and loveseats. A bowl of potato chips on one side table, some peanuts on another. In the fridge, he found the required beverages, and then some.

“Care for a drink?” he asked his client, rattling off some choices.

Nick looked surprised. In a good way. “I’d love a Pike.”

Eliot opened two, then carried them to the window where Nick was standing, looking out at the view. The other man stood at about five nine. He wasn’t heavy but you could tell from his body shape that he spent a lot of time at a desk. With his even features, thin brown hair and wire-framed glasses, he’d never stand out in a crowd in either a positive or negative way.

But Nick hadn’t needed good looks to get ahead in the world.

He’d used his brain. And teamwork. And the combination had netted him a multi-million dollar company.

Eliot wondered which Nick valued more. The company, or Lizbeth?

After they’d taken their first swallows of the beverage, Eliot went straight to business.

“I’m glad you came, Nick. I hear you’re going through a stressful time.”

“To be honest, Lizbeth badgered me into coming. Don’t see the point, myself. If we’re getting divorced, might as well try to make it as quick and painless as possible.”

“I’m not sure that’s possible. A jointly-owned, multi-million dollar company, makes splitting the assets tricky. Add to that the fact that you’ll soon be parents. Well. That’s pretty complicated, Nick.”

“Not the way I see things.” Nick stepped away from the window and gravitated to the sofa closest to the bowl of potato chips. “Mind if I make myself comfortable?”

“Go ahead.” That was the idea. Eliot sat in a chair at a ninety-degree angle from Nick, waiting as the other man sampled the chips, then took another drink of beer.

“Lizbeth and I each have completely different roles in the company. We can split the shares fifty-fifty and keep working as usual. Most days we hardly see one another.”

“Does she want to keep working full-time after the baby is born?”

Nick glanced away. Eliot guessed he hadn’t thought that far ahead.

“As for the baby,” Nick finally continued. “Since I’m not the father, it doesn’t really matter.”

“You sound awfully sure about that.”

“Because I am.” Nick met his gaze with full on confidence.

When Nick met his gaze with full-on confidence, Eliot felt his control over the situation slipping.

“Your wife sounded pretty sure that you were when I spoke with her.”

“Yeah. Funny thing that. She’s quite the poker player, my wife. Unfortunately she has no idea that I had myself snipped five years ago.” Nick took another drink. “So take your pick. Immaculate conception or an affair. Which do you think my wife has managed to pull off?”

*

At Dani’s mid-May check-up with her OB, Dr. Wong seemed pleased. The doctor didn’t mention the ultrasound results again, or Dani’s failure to call her office and request the amniocentesis, though she did ask, “Should I assume you choose to forego any further diagnostic testing?”

Dani hesitated for a second before nodding.