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“How’s she feeling?” Flo asked as she rose to her feet and came after Heather. “Is she still crying?”
“Most of the time,” Heather admitted. “She slept through the night, but I think that was just to gather strength for her second assault. I thought about setting up the playpen in the office. Is that all right with you?”
“You know she’s the light of my life. Let’s put it by my desk so I’ll have an excuse not to work. I can just play with my little princess.” She stroked Diane’s cheek. “How are you, baby girl? You want to play with your auntie Flo?”
Diane smiled at the familiar face and raised her hands as if indicating she wanted Flo to hold her.
“Do you mind?” Flo asked.
“Be my guest.”
Heather set the diaper bag on the floor, then went to get the playpen from the lunchroom. It had been designed for mobility and she had it set up in less than five minutes. After collecting a couple of Diane’s favorite toys, she snapped a colorful animal mobile in place, then wound up the attached music box.
“Look at what your mommy did for you,” Flo said as she cuddled Diane. “All those toys and a nice, soft place to play. Aren’t you a lucky girl?”
In her tight, sleeveless purple blouse and matching capri pants, Flo looked more like a cocktail waitress than a mom, but to Heather, she was all things maternal. Despite the big hair and bigger makeup, she had a warm and loving heart. Heather’s chest tightened with sadness and sympathy. Flo accepted her childless state gracefully, but Heather thought it was a tragedy. Flo would have been a terrific mother. She would have loved with her whole being and what child could want more than that?
“I’ll be right here,” Flo said as she set Diane in the playpen. “Right beside you. Yes, that’s right.” Then she straightened, looked at Heather and raised her eyebrows. “How was the wild thing?”
Heather blinked in stunned surprise. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. I was asking about your evening. I know that you and Jim were together. And I mean that in the most intimate sense. So how was it?”
Color heated Heather’s cheeks. She pressed her hands to her face and groaned softly. “How did you know? Is it that obvious? Am I wearing a sign or something?”
Flo leaned against her desk. “You’re glowing, honey, and it’s not because of any new makeup or the fact that you got a good night’s sleep. I’d say you didn’t get much sleep at all. But if it makes you feel any better, I had a real big hint from Jim this morning. He’s so happy, I would swear he’d seen the second coming, if you’ll excuse the pun. I thought the man was going to break out in song.”
Heather couldn’t prevent a smile from stealing across her face. So Jim really had enjoyed their time together. Of course, she knew that he had, but it was nice to know he was still floating, too.
Heather walked over to her desk and sat down.
“I won’t press you for details,” Flo went on, “even though I want to. For one thing, I doubt you’ll tell me much. For another, he’s my boss and there are some things an employee just shouldn’t know.”
“I’m an employee.”
“That’s right, honey, and you’ll have to work that one out all on your own.”
Heather knew what her friend was talking about. “I agree. We both talked about it. We can’t make it anything more than it was. Yes, we had a lovely time together and it was very special, but we decided that our friendship, not to mention our working relationship, was more important.”
Flo studied her. “Did you now?”
“Yes. We’re both adults. We can handle this.” Heather felt herself getting a little defensive and she wasn’t sure why.
“Whose idea was that?”
“Both of ours. It’s what I want. I’m not looking for a man in my life. At least not romantically. I like that Jim and I are friends. If we can keep things at that level, they won’t get complicated.”
Flo folded her arms under her impressive bosom. “Life has a way of complicating things whether we want it to or not. But it’s your call. You two have to do what’s right.”
“You don’t approve?”
“It’s not my place to approve or disapprove. I think you’re whistling in the dark. Most women I know can’t spend the night making love with a wonderful man and then walk away without a second thought.”
Heather knew she was right. “It’s not going to be easy, but it can be done.”
“I’m sure it can.” Flo glanced down at Diane. “She’s a sweet thing and you’re a great mom. But life is better when there’s someone to share the load. Jim has a good heart and he needs someone to see that and to love him back.”
“I do care about Jim,” Heather admitted.
