Corrie nodded. “But not his name.”
“So you think this might be about relationship troubles?”
“Well, isn’t it always?” she challenged.
That seemed to be the end of the conversation.
Roy spread the Cedar Cove Chronicle out on the kitchen table and opened it to the crossword puzzle.
Suddenly Corrie exclaimed, “It’s that doctor!”
Roy glanced up.
“What doctor?”
“The one Linnette was so keen on. At the clinic. I remember that he seemed more interested in Gloria, and that really bothered Linnette.”
Roy managed to conjure up a hazy memory of this. Linnette had liked some doctor but then given up on him and fallen for that horseman, instead. Cal Washburn, his name was.
Roy returned to his crossword as his wife washed fresh herbs and rolled them in a paper towel to store in a refrigerator bag. He had one corner of the puzzle completed when Corrie interrupted him again.
“Todd,” she announced triumphantly. “No, not Todd. Tim.”
“Tim?”
“Timmons,” she said with a snap of her fingers. “Chad Timmons. Dr. Chad Timmons.”
He looked up and saw her watching him intently. Apparently something else was required of him, although he couldn’t figure out what. “You think Gloria’s seeing this doctor and having problems with him?”
Corrie nodded. “I’m afraid she’s having major problems.”
“But Gloria doesn’t want to talk about it.”
Abruptly Corrie turned away, then plucked a tissue from the nearby box and held it to her eyes. Corrie was crying? He got up from the table and stood behind her, clasping her shoulders.
“It hurts that our daughter can’t talk to us, doesn’t it?” he said quietly.
She sniffled, then turned and slid her arms around his middle, burying her face in his chest.
“Everything will work out,” Roy murmured, hoping he sounded reassuring. Corrie’s feelings had been hurt, and while he wanted to comfort his wife, it was understandable that Gloria would choose not to share her emotions with them. If she’d had a falling-out with Dr. Timmons, then either the two of them would resolve the issue or they’d go their separate ways.
He would’ve commented on this if not for the fact that Corrie started to weep in earnest. Huge sobs racked her shoulders. Then, shocking him completely, she broke away and ran down the hallway.
For an instant Roy was too stunned to react. He found her standing on the tips of her toes in front of the hall closet, reaching for a new box of tissues.
“What’s going on?”
“She wouldn’t tell me. I was right there. I saw it, Roy. I saw it and she could barely look me in the eye. I tried to talk to her and she…” The rest was muffled as Corrie tore open the box and pressed a large wad of tissues to her face.
“What did you see?” Roy asked gently. He was growing concerned. This behavior of hers wasn’t like any he’d seen in more than thirty years of marriage.
Corrie lowered her hand, crumpling the tissues. “I didn’t tell you earlier, but I saw what was in Gloria’s cart,” she whispered.
Roy couldn’t imagine what their daughter might have purchased to cause this kind of reaction. Had Gloria taken to eating weird food? Like what? Or—
“Roy,” Corrie said, grabbing his sleeve. “Gloria had a pregnancy test kit in her cart.”
“She’s pregnant?”
Corrie started weeping again. “I think she must be.”
Twenty-Six
Christie patted little Christopher’s back in the hopes of coaxing a burp from the squirming infant. Teri sat across from her holding Robbie. Thankfully Jimmy was sound asleep in the nursery. Bobby was busy elsewhere, doing whatever it was Bobby did.
Although Christie continued to come over on Wednesdays to help her sister with the babies, she hadn’t seen James yet. Their disagreement had gone on far longer than she’d ever expected. He hadn’t budged, nor had she. Christie hated to think their relationship was over, but maybe it was, since obviously neither one was willing to make the first move.
“I haven’t seen James around lately,” she told her sister cautiously. Christie didn’t want to ask and didn’t want to put up with an inquisition from Teri, but curiosity had gotten the better of her. Always before, James had sought her out. Not this time. She had the distinct impression he was away—traveling or perhaps simply gone.
Or…another possibility. Maybe he was keeping out of sight, waiting for her to apologize. Perhaps she should; she didn’t know anymore. Pride and stubbornness had carried her this far, but they’d worn thin.
“James has been doing a lot of traveling lately,” Teri said.
“Oh.” Christie remembered one occasion, back in May, when Bobby and James had gone on some kind of business trip. Other than that, Bobby hadn’t been gone much; when he did travel, James accompanied him. He was more than Bobby’s driver, he was his confidant, best friend and—although no one had ever said as much—his bodyguard.
“‘Oh’?” Teri echoed. “Is that all you have to say?”
Christie considered the question. “All right, if you must know, James and I had a falling-out.”
Her sister laughed, startling Christopher. “You think I don’t know this? You’ve been in a bad mood for weeks.”
“That is a gross exaggeration.” Christie had done her utmost to be bright and cheerful whenever she spent time with Teri, pretending nothing was amiss. To all outward appearances, she was doing just fine, busy with work and school.
Given that she was at the house every Wednesday, James could easily have spoken to her, if he had any interest. However, he hadn’t taken advantage of the opportunity, and now she was wondering if he planned to end the relationship. That possibility was a painful one, but she had to admit it was what she’d started to believe.
Christie stared down her sister. “I have made every effort to be as congenial as possible.” Apparently Teri had little appreciation of how difficult that had been.
Her sister rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right.”
“I have so.”
Teri released an exaggerated sigh. “It’s taken you long enough, but thank goodness you’re coming to your senses.”
“What do you mean?” Christie asked, defensive now but still curious.
“You finally got up the nerve to ask about James,” Teri said, smiling down at the baby as she spoke.
“Has he asked about me?”
Teri nodded.
“Tell me,” Christie urged, and edged slightly forward, eager for the tiniest bit of information.
“This might come as a surprise but James can be stubborn, too,” Teri said.
No kidding.
A hundred questions flashed into her head. Did James miss her half as much as she missed him? Did he love her? She desperately wanted to believe he did. But if so, why hadn’t he made the slightest attempt to patch up their differences? For that matter, why hadn’t she? Why did she always sabotage herself like this?
Instead of approaching James with the goal of reconciliation, she’d plowed ahead with her studies, getting A’s on several tests, working long hours and doing everything she could not to think about him. She’d even cleaned her oven, which gave her a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of righteousness.
“What did he ask about me?” Christie inquired, unwilling to pretend disinterest for another minute.
“Oh, nothing much. He wanted to know how you were—that sort of thing.”
“Oh.” Disappointment fell heavily on her shoulders.
“He’s been traveling a lot,” Teri reiterated, placing emphasis on the he.
“Traveling with Bobby?” Her sister was trying to tell her something important, although Christie had never been much good at reading between the lines.
“Traveling with and without Bobby,” Teri clarified.
Christie frowned. “Whatever you want to say, would you just say it?”
“I would’ve told you a whole lot sooner if you’d asked,” Teri said, and pressed her lips primly together.
“Okay, fine. I’m asking now.”
Teri’s face lit up and she grew excited. “James invented an online game that he and Bobby have been working on day and night for weeks.”
“Online game?” Christie repeated. “A chess game?”
“Sort of,” her sister explained. “It starts out with a chessboard and two players.”
That didn’t seem to warrant the enthusiasm Teri displayed. “Okay, but what’s the big deal? I’m sure there are plenty of those.”
“This one’s different. When a player makes a particular move on the chessboard, he or she enters a parallel universe, which is set in medieval times. The player is confronted with knights and beasts and can end up in the same world or in different worlds at different times. It’s complicated. The game’s been compared to World of Warcraft. There are sixty levels and James has been asked to create more.”
“Is Bobby involved?”
“Yes, but minimally. This has been great for Bobby and James. The idea came from James and he did most of the work. It sold, Christie, and it sold big.”
“Big?”
“Really big.”
“Oh.” James hadn’t shared any of this success with her. No wonder he hadn’t been in touch. He had lots of things on his mind—and they didn’t include her.
“Is that all you have to say?” Teri looked dumbfounded by her lack of reaction.
“I’m…happy for him.”
“You don’t act very happy.”
She made a genuine attempt to smile. A moment later she noticed that Teri was staring at the entrance to the kitchen; Christie glanced up to see James standing there, looking healthy and vital and just so…good.
Her sister immediately stood. “I’m putting Robbie in his crib,” she whispered, blatantly an excuse to leave Christie and James alone.
Christie waited until her sister had left. “I…I understand congratulations are in order.”
“Thank you.” He moved slowly into the family room, hands buried in his pockets. “It’s nice to see you.”
“You, too,” she returned cheerfully, wondering if the intense effort that required was as obvious as it felt.
“I’ve missed you.” So he was the first to admit it….
Gazing down at the baby, she whispered, “I’ve missed you, too.”
“I guess Teri told you about Polgar World?”
“That’s the name?” she asked, looking up.
James took the seat across from her that Teri had vacated. “Bobby was kind enough to lend his name. We got word of the sale yesterday….”
“Just yesterday?”
James leaned back. “My agent’s been in negotiations with two companies.”
“You have an agent?” That made her question how many other secrets he’d kept from her.
He didn’t respond. “I’ve been waiting, Christie.”
She looked up, struggling to hide how hurt she was. “Waiting?”
“You said you’d come to me when you were ready to forgive and forget.”
“Didn’t I say the same thing to you? It doesn’t do any good for me to forgive and forget if you can’t, does it?”
“No, I don’t suppose it does.”
He didn’t say anything else for another lengthy moment. Christie almost wished Christopher would wake up and wail to distract her from this anguish—and to give voice to her own discontent.
“Where do we stand, then?” he finally asked.
“I…don’t know. I…I’d give anything to be able to wipe the slate clean and be the woman you deserve.” Her mouth was so dry she could hardly speak. “I can’t do that, but I can’t live with the threat of you throwing it in my face every time we disagree, either.”
“And I can’t live with you constantly bringing up the fact that I let you down when I…left.”
“I…”
“Yes?” James urged when she hesitated.
“Why didn’t you tell me about Polgar World?” she blurted out.
The question seemed to hang in the air. Before he answered, James exhaled deeply. “I feel that I’ve failed at almost everything I’ve tried to do in my life. The idea for the game came to me two years ago. I’ve been developing it for the past year and a half. I didn’t even tell Bobby until six months ago. I could live with failing, but I couldn’t live with disappointing you.”
“Oh.” An inadequate response, but the best she could manage.
“I figured if and when it was a success, I’d come to you.”
“You didn’t, though.”
“I’m here now. I didn’t just happen to stop by the house. I saw your car outside and I couldn’t stay away.”
Christie stared up at him, eyes wide.
“The thing is, I thought I’d be the happiest man alive when this game sold.”
“Aren’t you?” He had every reason to celebrate.
“Not if I can’t share it with you.” A tentative smile came and went.
She smiled back.
“I love you, Christie. I’m tired of being alone, tired of my pride.”
“Pride doesn’t really keep you warm at night, does it?” She was speaking for herself as well as him.
He stood then and moved toward her with his usual long strides, taking the seat beside her. “I want us to get married.”
“Okay.” Not the most elegant answer, perhaps, but it got the point across.
“It’s not like we’re kids who don’t know what they want.”
“I want you,” she said, her voice cracking.
“Bobby and Teri were married in Vegas….”
“We could make it a family tradition,” she suggested.
James grinned. “I couldn’t agree with you more. Hey, are you doing anything this weekend?” he asked.
“Yeah, I am,” she said, then sent him a huge smile. “I’m getting married.”
“Good, because so am I.”
He reached for her and she went willingly into his arms, almost forgetting Christopher.
Between kisses James murmured, “No more arguments.”
“Well, that’s unlikely, but at least we know we can get past them.” Her lips lingered on his. “Oh, James, I’m so happy for you.”
He gave her a loving kiss. “I’m marrying you and that makes me happier than anything.”
“Should we tell Teri and Bobby?” she asked.
“We heard,” Bobby said from the kitchen.
James straightened and looked over at them. “I’m going to need a best man.”
“He’ll be there and so will I,” Teri said, standing next to her husband. Bobby had his arm around Teri’s shoulders. “I’ll be the matron of honor,” Teri added.
Christie wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Twenty-Seven
Gloria needed to tell Chad that their night together had consequences. She was pregnant. He had a right to know. It’d been more than a month since he’d moved away. When she’d called his old phone number, she was given a number with a Tacoma area code. So she’d guessed correctly. Chad had taken the job with Tacoma General to work in their E.R.
What surprised Gloria was how much she missed him since he’d left. That wasn’t even logical. They weren’t a couple; in fact, she’d refused to see him again. The only thing to which she could attribute this sense of loss was the comfort she’d found in knowing he was close at hand. If she’d wished to, she could’ve sought him out. She hadn’t, though. Instead, she’d made every effort to banish him from her thoughts. But nothing had worked.
And now…now she was pregnant with his child. This baby was the result of their irresponsible behavior, yes, but…she’d never been happier. While this new life was about to turn her own upside down, she felt the most incredible sensation of joy. She wanted Chad’s baby, and she was sure that when she told him, Chad would be happy, too.
Beca
use of the baby, she had no choice but to confront her fears about her relationship with Chad. He’d knocked down all the protective barriers she’d so carefully set up. Because of the baby she couldn’t rebuild them. The baby made her vulnerable. She had to admit she did love Chad. She needed him.
Her parents’ deaths had forever shaped her future. When she’d found her birth family, Gloria had expected these strangers to fill the empty places in her heart. That was unreasonable; she saw that now.
It was while she was struggling to reinvent her life, to find a new family, that Gloria had met Chad. A few weeks ago, when she suspected she might be carrying his child, she’d nearly panicked. This couldn’t be happening. But despite her fears, she’d gradually come to accept that this baby was her new family. Hers and Chad’s. Once she saw the pregnancy in this light, she began to feel a sense of peace.
After she’d done the home pregnancy test, she made a doctor’s appointment. The next step was to tell Chad. She realized the news would come as a shock; it had to her. She assumed his reaction would be similar. She’d give him time to adjust, and then they could make their decisions about the future. Decisions and plans…
She knew it would be a future together. Chad loved her. He’d said so. And while she’d been hesitant to admit it, she loved him, too.
The drive into Tacoma took thirty minutes. Gloria used that time to rehearse how she planned to break the news to Chad. She had his new address, which was close to the hospital. The reverse telephone directory had even included his apartment number.
She didn’t see his car in the parking area, but she rang his doorbell and waited. As she’d feared, he wasn’t home. She should probably have phoned ahead, but she hadn’t, primarily because she was afraid she’d blurt out everything then and there. And that would’ve been unfair. No, a face-to-face meeting was better.
Her other option was to go to the hospital. She’d see him, however briefly, and they could arrange a time to talk. As luck would have it, she arrived just as the shift changed, so she decided to wait. Her news would be shocking enough without adding to the drama by asking to speak to him privately while he was on duty.