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Nothing Chloe had told me about her former boyfriend seemed to match that description. All right, possibly he’d felt betrayed when she broke up with him, as though his life was out of control, and yet I had the nagging sense somewhere deep inside that I wasn’t reading this set of cards correctly.
Which meant that the best thing for me to do was to leave them lying on my altar for now, so I might go back from time to time and revisit them to try to get a better sense of what they were attempting to tell me. Standing here and frowning down at them wasn’t going to change anything.
Besides, my feet hurt.
I left my office and went back to the living room so I could elevate my legs for a while. Calvin and Chloe and her parents had only been gone for about a half hour, so I knew I still had some time alone. The hike he’d taken them on wasn’t particularly strenuous — none of them had been dressed for anything more challenging than a glorified walk — but it would still keep them occupied for a good chunk of the afternoon. Then we could have an early dinner, and the Fairfields could go back to their hotel…which I had to hope wasn’t being surveilled by the Speroses.
Sadie had followed me out of my office and then jumped on the couch so she could snuggle next to me. My belly was far too big for her to sit in my lap anymore, but she still seemed to be content to just be close like this. I stroked her tiny, silky head and fondled her oversized ears, and she leaned into me, glad of the extra attention.
Then my stomach seemed to clench, and I pulled in a sharp breath.
Was that a contraction?
I sat there, dead still, my hand lying on Sadie’s back. For a moment or two, I didn’t dare breathe.
What would happen if I went into labor now, with no one around to help me?
You’re not going into labor, I told myself. Dr. Carlisle said you might get a twinge here and there, but it’s perfectly normal.
True…but what if that really had been a contraction?
Then you’ll call Calvin and you’ll call your doctor. He has his phone, and it’s not like you’re stranded in the middle of the Gobi Desert or something.
As the seconds passed, I realized that the sudden ache in my belly hadn’t been anything more than the twinge my doctor had mentioned. All right, “twinge” was sort of downplaying the sensation, but since no others appeared ready to follow, I knew everything was fine.
For now.
I dismissed that thought as best I could. All the same, the unsettling sensation had served as a harsh reminder that this baby was coming soon, and if I didn’t do some hard work between now and then, I might not be able to help Chloe clear her name.
Problem was, I didn’t even know what form that hard work should take.
Chapter 10
SAGE ADVICE
Dinner was quiet and passed mostly without incident, although Chloe announced that she wanted to go back to her Airbnb after this evening.
“I don’t want to keep imposing on you,” she told me. “I know you have a lot going on, and I can handle staying there by myself.”
Her parents didn’t look too pleased by the prospect. “What about the Speroses?” Heather asked. “After the way they acted today, I wouldn’t put it past them to pounce on you the second you’re alone.”
While I didn’t want to entertain thoughts of such an unsettling scenario, I had to agree inwardly that Chloe’s mother had a point. If nothing else, the Speroses didn’t seem to have a very good notion of how to respect other people’s boundaries.
However, Chloe only lifted her chin and said, “I don’t think they’d do that. They were upset at the hotel, but now they know they were out of line, and I think they’ll stay away.”
Jordan tapped his fingers against the side of his plate. Being out in the sun and the wind seemed to have done him some good; his face had picked up a little color, and he’d eaten the very basic meal of spaghetti with meat sauce, salad, and garlic bread with a good appetite. However, he couldn’t help frowning as he said, “I wish we could petition the judge to let you come back to California. I’d feel a lot better with you there.”
But Calvin shook his head, saying, “It’s better not to rock the boat. Chloe will be safe here.”
“Doubly safe,” I put in, “because I’ll go with her to the Airbnb tomorrow morning and help her cleanse the place and surround it with some protection energy. No one should bother her after that.”
Heather’s expression was dubious, to put it mildly. “Do you really think that will work?”
“Mom,” Chloe returned, wearing the kind of look that only a daughter thoroughly exasperated with her mother could manage, “Selena knows what she’s doing.”
She stopped there, but I could practically hear her adding mentally, Stop embarrassing me!
Somehow, I managed to keep myself from smiling.
