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"I will not. Wait for me in the living room--"
"Not this time. This will do just fine. I don't want any rehearsed speeches you might
throw at me. I just want to sit and talk sensibly."
"Sensibly, at this hour?" Her voice rose, her eyes burned into him. She must have
realized he wasn't going to leave because she weakened almost instantly. "I'll need
some coffee."
"Dorothy is already making some." Nick chuckled.
"Would you at least hand me my robe?" She gestured for her closet.
"No. You don't need one. Relax. I've seen you in less, remember?"
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She turned scarlet and he laughed aloud.
"So what's on your mind?" She frowned at him.
"A lot. I've been doing some pretty heavy thinking as a matter of fact and there are
some things still bothering me. I think we need to settle them." He tried to keep his
mind on the issue, but every time her gown strap wandered, so did his mind. He tried
to keep his eyes glued to her face.
"Things? What things?" She fumbled with her gown.
"When I first approached you, you said you wanted a baby. You told me about your
marriage, your divorce, and your losing Ralph's baby. But, it occurred to me that we
haven't discussed a few things."
"Such as?"
"Your qualifications."
"My qual--"
"Yes, your qualifications--as a mother." He smiled, enjoying the way her face turned
such a bright red. She was instantly angry, as though he'd pushed some kind of
button in her brain. Good. Angry people didn't always think straight, he was counting
on that.
"What's to qualify? I'm a woman, aren't I?"
"That's not enough. Being a woman doesn't automatically make you good mother
material. Especially these days, when a woman assumes the role of a man in
business. I can count on my hand a number of bad mothers in my old neighborhood.
They were women too. I don't want that for my kid."
"Nick--you're out of your mind. You can't possibly compare me to--to them." She sat
up on her knees and looked at him.
"Am I? And can't I? Actually, I think I'm thinking very clearly. You were an only child,
rich, spoiled, those papers told me that much, even if I hadn't gotten to know you a
little. You've always gotten your way about things, one way or another, as you have
this time, too. Your parents weren't around much. You said so yourself. Bad
examples. It's not your fault. You haven't had much family life. How could you
possibly know how to handle a baby by yourself? So, I've got some questions for
you."
She unfolded her feet now and let them dangle on the edge of the bed as she eyed
him carefully. "What kind of questions?"
"You want a job being a mother, don't you?"
She nodded numbly.
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"Okay, so have you ever babysat?"
"Well, no, but ..."
He shook his head. "Not good. Have you ever carried that kind of responsibility
around with you? Do you know what colic is, and how to treat it? Do you know how to
change a diaper, when to burp the baby, lull her to sleep? The burping can be a real
experience with a newborn. Mrs. Polasky's baby took nearly an hour sometimes and
would cry all that time."
He watched Kelsey's brow go up skeptically.
"So, you think you know when to take it to the doctor, and when to simply rock it to
sleep. Do you know the measles from the mumps? There's a lot to learn about kids,
Kelsey."
Kelsey's face turned white, then red. "Now see here. Who do you think you are? I'll
learn all those things. Every new mother has to learn things. I'll adapt."
"How? Who's going to teach you? How you gonna have time to adapt and work, too? I
bet you don't even know a lullaby."
"I most certainly do!" she shouted, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at him.
"And if I find it necessary, I'll take a class or something. But I'm sure I can manage
just fine, thank you."
"That's not good enough for my kid." He saw her roll her eyes and her pert little nose
go up an inch. He smiled with satisfaction. "Up 'til now, everything has been your
way, hasn't it? You want a baby, so you hire a guy. A real dope of a guy. Because
none of your high and mighty friends would be stupid enough to do something like
this. Would they? No. But the truth is, you don't know one thing about being a
mother, do you?"
Turning her hands together in her lap, she hesitated. "Well--no, but, no one does 'til
they experience it. I can read up on it. In fact, I've already bought a couple of books
on the subject. I just haven't gotten around to studying them yet."
"That's not good enough." He shook his head. "You told me the baby would be your
first priority. Remember? That remains to be seen. Haven't read 'em yet, huh. You
haven't gotten around to a lot of things. I'm afraid it isn't good enough, Kelsey."
Dorothy arrived in time to serve them both coffee and leave with a strange look of
compliance on her ruggedly pleasant face.
Kelsey welcomed the reprieve.
Nick winked at Dorothy.
Kelsey seemed to recognize the fact that Nick had already won over her housekeeper.
"Now look, Nick, I appreciate the fact that you're concerned about the baby. Really,
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it's touching. It's commendable of you. But don't you think you're going a little
overboard?"
"Nope!" He took a sip of coffee and smiled. "Not in the least. I'm here to tell you to
your face, that I'm going to teach you how to take care of the baby."
"Well, thanks loads, but I don't need your help. Besides, what makes you think you're
such an expert?"
"Nevertheless, you're gettin' it. And maybe I'm not an expert, but I've taken care of
Tony, and babysat quite a few in my neighborhood. I've been through colic, teething,
and earaches. Have you?"
She shook her head.
"It's no picnic. You don't get much sleep the first few months. Your nerves are on
edge."
"I'm sure it isn't but--"
"You don't sound too happy about all of this, Kelsey. Is something wrong? I thought
I'd find you on cloud nine. This is what you wanted, isn't it?"
"No. I mean, yes, of course it is," Kelsey responded with a heavy sigh. "But you have
a habit of storming me. Of catching me unaware. I'm just a little tired. I've had a lot
of morning sickness lately."
Nick chuckled to himself. She wanted sympathy, and in truth, he did feel sorry for
her. He could tell by the circles under her eyes she'd been miserable, but he couldn't
give in.
"I'm sorry. Maybe working is too much for you. Maybe you should take some time off.
You need to conserve your energy more."
"Not just yet. The doctor said I'm healthy as a horse and should have no
complications. Besides, working keeps my mind off feeling bad."
"So you've gone to the doctor? I mean you have a confirmation."
"Yes, I went today after I spoke with you on the phone. According to him, I'm two
months pregnant. I'm healthy, the baby is fine and I'm taking vitamins."
Taking vitamins? Why? Was she lacking something? Why did she have to take
anything? Two months! Two months, not six weeks. He hadn't realized it had been
that long since he'd touched her, smelled the lilacs, and tasted her creamy skin. And
he was hungry for more of her right now, but this time he was going to be strong and
resist her.
The baby would be due in February, if that calculation were right. Seven more months
of waiting. Of agony.
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"I came here tonight to tell you, I'm not giving this kid up, yet."
"You what?" Kelsey gasped.
"That's right. Maybe never. I don't know. But I'm not butting out 'til I know you are
capable of taking care of her."
"But we had an agreement!"
"Agreements are meant to be broken."
Kelsey sat up straight, obviously realizing Nick was serious.
"I can sue you for breach of promise."
"Go ahead. At this point I don't care if I lose the garage or not. This is more
important. I've thought this through, Kelsey, and I'm not butting out. Not yet [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]