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Slowly Bill released Rebecca’s hand. “I’ll see you later, Rebecca,” he promised before he turned and followed Jeff into his office.
“Close the door,” Jeff snapped.
Bill did so, but his expression showed concern.
“What’s wrong? Did I commit a faux pas?”
“I just wanted to warn you about flirting with Rebecca.” Jeff sat down behind his desk. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to mix business and personal interests.”
“So she means nothing to you? Personally, I mean.”
Jeff glared at him. “She’s the mother of my son.”
“Your son? I didn’t know you had a son.” Bill stared at him.
“I didn’t know, either, until yesterday,” Jeff admitted. “Rebecca and I had a—a relationship five years ago. I left rather suddenly and moved to Texas to be with my aunt and uncle. Because my aunt was dying of cancer, I didn’t call Rebecca as soon as I’d wanted. By the time I tried to get hold of her, I couldn’t find her.”
“And she didn’t contact you at all?”
“No.”
“Must’ve been a real shock. How did Chelsea take it?”
“As well as could be expected. It will take Chelsea time to adjust to the change.” He wasn’t sure Bill would believe him since he’d met Chelsea several times when they were talking about being partners.
“Yeah, I can imagine. Chelsea’s used to getting her own way. You’ve spoiled her rotten.”
“I have? Her family has certainly spoiled her, but I don’t think I’m guilty of it,” Jeff unhappily asserted.
“Well, Chelsea is the kind of lady you have to take a hard line with, to counterbalance her behavior.”
“When I want your advice on how to handle my fiancée, I’ll ask for it, Bill. Until then, mind your own business and keep away from Rebecca.”
“Wait a minute! You’ve got Chelsea. Where does Rebecca fit in?”
“I told you. She’s the mother of my son.”
“So she has to take a vow of chastity?”
“I don’t think she’d be interested right now.”
“But if she indicates that she is, then there’s no reason I can’t get to know her better?”
“I told you I don’t like mixing our personal lives with our business.” Jeff frowned at his partner to emphasize his point.
“Jeff, she’s a part-time worker, not another lawyer, or even my secretary. I’ll be careful.” With a triumphant smile, he left the office.
Jeff sat there, staring at a painting on the wall without even seeing it. He hated to admit it, but Bill was right. He didn’t have the right to warn Bill away from Rebecca. Not when he was engaged to Chelsea.
And he was committed to Chelsea, of course. But when faced with Rebecca, living and breathing right there in front of him when he’d thought she was gone from him forever, he was growing more and more confused by the minute. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling.
Still, Jeff tried to put aside his emotions and get to work. But he made sure Rebecca was kept busy. Too busy to be available for any flirting with Bill.
EVERYTHING WAS GOING SMOOTHLY. Rebecca was working diligently at the sudden increase of duties she’d received since Jeff returned to work.
He’d offered to take them to the zoo on Saturday. Again Rebecca had tried to convince her son that her presence wasn’t necessary, but Joey had disagreed with her and so had Jeff.
Rebecca worried that she wasn’t fighting hard enough. She knew she wanted to be with Jeff, but she had to realize he was engaged to Chelsea. Her son had a role in Jeff’s life, but Rebecca didn’t, and she tried to remind herself of that fact at every turn.
Then Thursday afternoon came and all hell broke loose….
“Rebecca, you have a call…and the woman sounds upset,” Harriet warned as she held out the phone for Rebecca.
“Hello?”
“Hi, it’s Betty. Peter was playing ball with Joey and—and it was an accident, but the ball hit him in the mouth. Oh, Rebecca, it knocked his tooth out! We didn’t know what to do. I wrapped the tooth in a cold wet cloth, but who do we take him to?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll be right there,” she promised, and hung up the phone. “Sorry, Harriet, but Joey’s been hurt. I have to leave.”
“Jeff will drive you.”
“No, that’s not necessary,” she protested, grabbing her purse and hurrying to the door.
Jeff came out of his office. “Did you call me, Harriet? Where’s Rebecca going?”
“Joey’s been hurt. She’s going home.”
“Does she have her car here?”
“No, she walked, as usual. I said you would drive her but she said it wasn’t necessary.”
“Take care of things,” Jeff ordered over his shoulder as he hurried after Rebecca.
AN HOUR LATER, CHELSEA arrived at the office. Jeff had said he would take her to the French restaurant they’d skipped Monday evening.
She was not happy to discover that her fiancé had left with Rebecca because Joey had gotten hurt. When she expressed her displeasure, Harriet asked, “Shall I call Rebecca’s house and see if they can tell me when Jeff will return?”
“Of course I want you to do that!” Chelsea snapped. She paced the office as Harriet made the call.
“I see,” Harriet said into the phone. “Will you have him call the office as soon as you hear from him? Yes, thank you.”
Chelsea stared at her. “Well?”
“He and Rebecca took Joey to Jeff’s dentist, but they have to wait until he’s dealt with his other patients. They’re not sure when he’ll be back.”
“And I’m supposed to hang around waiting for him?”
Bill stepped out of his office. “What’s wrong?”
Harriet explained the problem while Chelsea frowned at him.
“That’s too bad. How about I take you to the coffee shop until Jeff can get back? Give your cell phone number to Harriet and she’ll call as soon as she gets some news. Isn’t that right, Harriet?”
“Yes, of course,” Harriet agreed readily.
“Good. Come along, Chelsea, my girl. We could both use a cup of coffee today.”
And with that, Chelsea found herself swept out the door, much to Harriet’s relief.
JEFF AND REBECCA SAT with Joey between them. He leaned against his mother most of the time, but Jeff kept a hand on his shoulder. “Are you hanging in there, Joey?” he asked.
As Betty had said, Joey’s tooth was wrapped in ice, and Joey held a bag of ice on his mouth, too. He lowered the ice. “Sure. It doesn’t hurt much.”
“Keep the ice on your mouth, sweetie,” Rebecca said, squeezing Joey’s hand. “It shouldn’t be much longer.”
“No, it shouldn’t since Dr. John’s last patient went in half an hour ago. Then we’ll find out what can be done for your tooth, Joey.”
“I’m sure it was a baby tooth,” Rebecca said again, as she had several times earlier. “His adult teeth won’t come in for a couple of years.”
“We’ll wait and let Dr. John decide that.” Jeff stretched out his legs, trying to ease the tension he felt. He’d found it more difficult to withstand Joey’s pain than anything he’d ever suffered himself, including a broken bone when he was playing football in high school.
The nurse returned to the waiting room to call Joey in. Both Rebecca and Jeff got up and accompanied him to the door.
“Hello, Jeff,” the man in a white coat said in greeting. “Why don’t you introduce us?”
“Sure. This is my son, Joey, and his mother, Rebecca Barlow.”
“Hello. I’m Dr. John Ballard. Now, let’s see what happened, Joey. Can you smile for me?”
Joey took down the ice pack and bravely tried to smile.
The dentist patted Joey’s back. “Good try. Now I’m going to lift your lip, okay?”
Joey nodded.
The doctor looked at Joey’s gums. Then he asked if the tooth had been saved.
Rebecca handed him the tooth wrapped in a clean cloth and buried in a bag of ice.
Dr. Ballard set the bag of ice down on a nearby table, withdrew the cloth and unwrapped the tooth. “This is a baby tooth. There doesn’t appear to be any damage to his gums or any future teeth. His replacement tooth might not come as soon as we’d like, but it will come in.”
“Is there anything we should do?” Rebecca asked anxiously.
“You might give him some children’s Tylenol to ease the pain, and use ice until the swelling of his lips goes down. If he continues to have pain, call me.”
“Thank you for seeing us today,” Rebecca said with a genuine smile.
“Yeah, John, we appreciate it,” Jeff added.
“You might want to get his teeth cleaned in six months or so. Give my nurse a call.”
After they left the dentist’s office, Rebecca said, “I like him. I may start going to see him, too.”
“He’s married.” Jeff was trying to eliminate the dentist from any potential flirting with Rebecca, just as he had Bill.
Rebecca gasped. “Should that make a difference?”
“I just wanted you to know,” he said, shrugging his shoulders, hoping she wouldn’t guess his reasoning.
“All right.”
They got into Jeff’s car and rode silently back to Vivian’s home. Jeff got out of the car with them and came in. As soon as everyone knew they were back, they crowded around Joey as if he were returning from war.
Betty offered Joey a bowl of ice cream. Peter offered to do anything Joey wanted. Vivian was sure he needed to go to bed at once. Will promised to teach him how to avoid such pain in the future, and Vanessa was giving him kisses.
“I feel totally useless,” Jeff muttered.
“You weren’t useless at the doctor’s office,” Rebecca told him. “That’s the first time I’ve had someone to rely on when we had an emergency. I appreciate it.”
“Have you had a lot of emergencies?”
“Once, when he was eighteen months, he swallowed a penny. Another night, he ran a very high fever, and I had to take him to the emergency room because I was afraid he had some horrible disease. The waiting is painful when you’re the only adult, and you’re not sure if you’re doing the right thing.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there with you.”
“Well, we both know that’s my fault.” She moved away to stop the conversation. “I think Joey needs to go to bed, and I’ll bring him up a tray of food. Maybe a grilled cheese sandwich and some tomato soup, Betty, if that’s possible?”
“’Course it is. I’ll have it ready in fifteen minutes.”
“Thank you so much. Tell everyone good-night, sweetie.”
“But, Mommy, I think I should get to watch television,” Joey informed her.
Rebecca didn’t get angry. She just smiled and said, “And I think you should do as I said. Up the stairs and into your jammies.”
He gave in easily, which showed her how tired he really was. Trauma always wears out a person.
“May I help you put on your pajamas and get ready for bed?” Jeff asked.
“Hey, yeah, ’cause we’re both boys,” Joey agreed, intrigued with that idea. “Mommy, can he help me?”
“Of course. That would be nice. I’ll go find your pajamas while you wash your face and hands.”
The three of them left the family and climbed the stairs. “I can see why Joey might be spoiled a little. They’re very loving,” Jeff said.
“I don’t think you can have too much loving. When we lived in Arkansas, there was only me and Joey, and Mrs. Button, who baby-sat him. We’ve really enjoyed having family here.”
“I know what you mean. I haven’t had any family since my uncle died. At least none that I knew of.”
Rebecca refused to say anything else about their situation. Joey and his dad took a long time in the bathroom. Rebecca handed in the clean pajamas. Then she told them she was going down to get Joey’s dinner.
When she came back up with the tray, Joey was in bed and Jeff was reading him one of his favorite books. She waited until Jeff finished the book. Then she asked him to pile up the pillows so Joey could eat. They both teased him into eating most of his dinner.
Rebecca gave him two children’s Tylenol tablets and watched his eyelids grow heavy. She kissed him good-night and encouraged him to hug his daddy’s neck. Then she told him she would leave the light on in the bathroom and he should call her if he needed her.
“Maybe I should stay. I could sleep in the other bed in his room so he won’t bother you.”
“He won’t bother me. I said that so he’d know he wasn’t alone, but he’s going to sleep well tonight.”
“I feel like I’m not being very helpful.”
“I told you I appreciated your going with us to the dentist. That helped a lot.”
As they came down the stairs, Betty came running down the hall. “Mr. Jacobs! I forgot to tell you to call your office when you got back. Your fiancée was there waiting for you.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Jeff. You shouldn’t have gone with us. I didn’t know you had a date with Chelsea.” Rebecca felt terribly guilty.
“Damn! May I use your phone?” he asked Betty.
“Of course you can. And Miz Vivian said to ask you to stay for dinner. It will be ready in five minutes.”
“Let me see how things stand with Chelsea. Then I’ll let you know.”
Rebecca was going to excuse herself, but Jeff caught her hand and stopped her from leaving the library. “Chelsea? I hope Harriet told you about the emergency.” He stood listening for several minutes. Rebecca looked away. “I see. Well, then, I’ll see you Saturday morning. I’ll pick you up at nine, okay?”
After a brief moment, he hung up the phone. “That’s interesting,” he said.
That remark got her attention. “What was interesting?”
“It appears Bill took Chelsea out to dinner and then took her home. Her only complaint is that he refused to kiss her good-night.”
Chapter Four
“Doesn’t that upset you?” Rebecca asked with concern.
“No.” He grinned. “That’s Chelsea trying to pay me back for not keeping our date.”
“Oh.”
“Am I still invited to dinner?” he asked when she said nothing else.
“Oh! Yes, of course. Let’s go find the others.”
Rebecca thought it would be best for her to see Jeff only in the company of others. She was too drawn to him, remembering the past, wanting a future that could never be.
Will stood up as they came into the library, and shook Jeff’s hand. Vivian made him feel welcome.
“How are things going between you and Joey? He’s such a sweet boy!”
“Fine, Vivian. It will just take a little time to make up for four years.” He looked at Rebecca and held up a hand in apology, like tennis players do when the ball hits the net and goes over to the other player’s side, giving his opponent a point.
“Rebecca has done a good job of raising him,” Jeff added.
“Yes, she has. And he’s so smart. Smart children are more difficult to raise. Vanessa could always think of a good excuse to do what she wanted,” Vivian said with a laugh.
“I can imagine,” Jeff agreed as Vanessa protested.
“Dinner’s ready,” Betty announced as she entered the room.
They all went in to dinner. Jeff took the seat beside Rebecca.
She was a nervous wreck, finding it difficult to eat with Jeff sitting beside her, making conversation with Will. It seemed Jeff had a client who could use Will’s services.
When dinner was over, Jeff asked Rebecca if they could check on Joey one more time, to be sure he’d gotten to sleep.
They went up the stairs and opened Joey’s door quietly. The little boy was curled up under the covers, clutching his favorite teddy bear, sound asleep.
“Does he always sleep with his teddy bear?” Jeff asked after they’d closed the door.
“Yes. He sometimes gets scared in the dark. The teddy bear makes him feel better.” She thought maybe he was disappointed that his son wasn’t brave. “When he gets older, he won’t need the teddy bear, I’m sure.”
“It doesn’t matter. I just wish I’d been there those times he got scared.”
She turned her back to him. “It always comes down to my mistake, doesn’t it?”
“I’m sorry. But it hurts that you didn’t think I’d care.”
“Jeff—I was in shock when I first found out. My parents’ reaction made it worse. It seemed like no one cared and it was just me and the baby, on our own. Afterward, after Joey was born, I was afraid to let go, to bring someone else in to our close-knit world. It was wrong, I know, but I told you as soon as I found you.”
“You didn’t exactly look for me.”
“I know. What do you want me to do to make up for my negligence?”
Suddenly, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. The kiss went on and on. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn’t pull away. She’d been longing for him to touch her for five years.
When he finally released her, she stared at him in shock.
“I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.” He backed away from her, his hands in the air in surrender. “You’re just so damned tempting!”
“So this is my fault, too?”
He gave her a rueful grin. “No, honey, it’s my fault because I have no resistance. I never did have when it came to you. That’s why we have a son upstairs.” He took another step back. “I’m going now. I’ll see you tomorrow at work.”
He left at once, as if he was afraid someone would chase him away. Rebecca leaned against the closed door, savoring the kiss she’d dreamed of so many times. She smiled—reality was even better.
IT WAS IRONIC, JEFF THOUGHT. Chelsea tried to threaten him with a kiss, and he’d taken that thought and made his own mistake. And it had been a mistake. Now, every time he saw Rebecca, he would remember that kiss and yearn for more.
He finally had to face the fact that his feelings for Chelsea were nothing compared to what he had felt for Rebecca years ago and still felt for her now.
But he had committed himself to Chelsea.
If he were a drinking man, tonight would be the perfect time to drink himself senseless. Unfortunately, he wasn’t. He would have to deal with the situation in another way.
And the first thing he had to do was call Chelsea and apologize.
REBECCA TRIED TO TELL Jeff she and Joey would meet them at the zoo Saturday morning. Jeff wouldn’t agree to that. “No, we’ll pick you up at nine o’clock. Well, actually about ten after. I’m picking Chelsea up at nine.”
“All right. Did she forgive you for last night?”
“Yes, sort of. And I thanked Bill for entertaining her.”
“Did I hear my name mentioned?” Bill Wallace asked as he came to the door of his office.
“I was just telling Rebecca that I thanked you for taking Chelsea to dinner last night.”
“But I told you you didn’t have to thank me. Chelsea was a lot of fun.”
“And you like French food?” Jeff asked.
“Oh, we didn’t go to that restaurant. I took her to a good steak place.”
“Chelsea refuses to eat at a steak house,” Jeff said, frowning.
“Well, I really didn’t give her a choice. I had no intention of eating strange food while some snooty maître d’ stared down his nose at me. It would give me heartburn.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed your meal,” Jeff said, still frowning.
Rebecca turned back to her work. She didn’t want to know if Chelsea threw a temper tantrum.
Jeff stood there, his hands on his hips.
“She didn’t complain?” he asked Bill.
“Sure she did. But I teased her out of her bad mood.”
“I guess I never tried that.” Jeff shrugged his shoulders.
“No, because it’s easier to give in. You’ve got to think about how things will be after you marry Chelsea, Jeff. Are you sure you’re doing the right thing?”
Jeff ran his fingers through his dark hair. “Bill, I can’t discuss my marriage with you.”
“Okay. Well, you don’t owe me thanks for last night. I enjoyed myself.”
JEFF PICKED CHELSEA UP at nine o’clock, as promised. Or, at least, he arrived at that time. She wasn’t quite ready, and he was invited in to have a cup of coffee with Chelsea’s father.
“You know, Jeff, I’m so glad to have Chelsea’s future settled. She’s not one of these career types. She’s like her mother. She’ll run your life for you, which will do wonders for your career.”
Jeff suppressed the urge to tell Mr. Wexham that he didn’t want Chelsea running his life. Just then, Chelsea bounced into the room, a huge smile on her face. “Sorry I’m late, Jeff.”
She looked about sixteen, dressed in overall shorts and a T-shirt. In fact, Jeff had never seen her look so casual. Or so happy.
Once they were in the car, he observed, “I should take you to the zoo once a month if it makes you this happy.”
“Silly, it’s not the zoo. We, Mom and I, went shopping for my wedding gown yesterday and I fell in love with one. Mom said I could have it. Dad almost swallowed his teeth, but it’s worth every penny. After all, it’s a Vera Wang.”
“Um, is the groom allowed to ask how much it cost?”
“Probably not, but I don’t mind telling. We got a bargain. It was just under twenty!”
“Twenty dollars?”
Chelsea stared at him. “You’re joking, right?”
“The only other thing that fits is thousand and that would mean—you spent twenty thousand on the wedding dress!”
“Well, it is the most important part of the wedding. The wedding cake is second, of course, and we put our order in as soon as we got engaged.”
“Six months ago?”
“Oh, yes. There’s only one decorator who makes the best cakes. Mine will have blossoms that spill down the five layers. It’ll be the most beautiful thing, almost too pretty to eat.”
“And it’s going to cost, what, a couple of hundred?”
“No. The main cake itself is seventy-five hundred, but we’ll need additional cakes to serve all our guests, so it’ll be about ten thousand.”
“And I don’t suppose you considered cutting the guest list?”
“Actually, I did. The caterers were outrageous!”
“I thought we were serving cake?”
“Well, of course, but you have to have real food, too. Nowadays, you have stations. A roast beef station, a shrimp station, a roast-of-lamb station. Some weddings divide their stations by carrying different ethnic foods. Greek, Mexican, French, American, but I don’t think that’s as elegant. And of course, at each station, you have a mix of vegetables and finger foods.”
Jeff wasn’t quite grasping what Chelsea was saying. He was too preoccupied with arriving at Rebecca’s home. “We’re here. Do you want to come in or wait in the car?” Jeff was glad to change the subject. The thought of the cost and planning of the wedding was making him sick.
“Oh, I’ll come in. I had no idea they lived so well.”
“This is Vivian Greenfield’s house, Chelsea, not Rebecca’s.”
“I should’ve known.”
Jeff raised his eyebrows. He didn’t hold out much hope for the day ahead of him. When he rang the doorbell, Betty answered, but Joey was right behind her.
“Hi! We’re ready. We’re going to see lions, Betty!”
“I know, Joey. You’ve been growling at me all morning. Come on in, Mr. Jacobs, you and your friend.”
“Betty, this is my fiancée, Chelsea Wexham.”
In response, Betty smiled and offered a hand in welcome. Chelsea stared first at Jeff and then at Betty’s hand, as if she didn’t know what to do about it. Finally, at the very last minute, she barely shook Betty’s hand.
“Have you had breakfast, ’cause I can fix something real quick. It’s best to start out with a full stomach,” Betty offered as she led them to the library.
“We’ve eaten, Betty, thank you. How about you, Joey? Have you eaten?” Jeff smiled at the little boy who was dancing around in excitement.
“I ate twice. First, when Betty fixed my breakfast. Then I helped Mommy eat her breakfast.”
“That was mighty good of you. Did Mommy say thank you?”
“Yes. But she said I mustn’t eat too much or they might want to eat me up!”
“Who might want to?”
“The lions and tigers, a’course!”
“Good thing Mommy warned you,” Jeff said, grinning at the nonsense.
Chelsea, however, wasn’t charmed. “Don’t be ridiculous. They don’t feed children to the lions and tigers!” she snapped.
Before Jeff could think of a subtle reprimand, his son spoke.