Larkspur (10 page)

Jacob nodded and drained his beer.

“
Employee-owners come up
with solutions,” Jacob’s head moved in a small nod. “It never
occurred to me that they would have great ideas and, because
they’re owners, be ready to make the sale.”

“
Top-down management means
top down sales?” Jill asked.

“
That’s exactly right,”
Jacob said. “I figured I’d be bidding on jobs and finding work for
the albatross for the rest of my life, but today, the
employee-owners found their own work. They’re really excited too,
like getting jobs was a kind of game. Our estimation team went from
certain extinction last night, to working a fourteen hour day
today.”

He set the bottle down.

“
Would you like another
one?” Jill asked.

“
No,” Jacob said. “Can you
make me one of your special peanut butter sandwiches?”

“
Sure.” Jill went to get
the supplies from the refrigerator.

“
Any word on Experiri
Genetics?” Jacob asked.

“
None,” Jill said. She set
out two slices of soft wheat bread. “I’m going to see the old
doctor tomorrow morning.”

“
Would you like me to go
with you?”

“
No.” Jill shook her
head.

“
They’re my boys
too.”

“
Because you’re likely to
kill him,” Jill said. “I won’t bring our children to visit you in
Canon City.”

Jacob scowled. Jill grinned and put peanut
butter on one side of the bread. She went to the refrigerator to
get the strawberry jelly.

“
I feel awful,” Jacob
said.

“
Me too,” Jill looked up
at the ceiling. “There. Did you hear that?”

“
What?” Jacob
asked.

“
Cat crying,” Jill
said.

“
No,” Jacob
said.

“
Well, at least we’re not
forlorn cats.” Jill finished making the sandwich and cut it in
half. “No one sees us; no one notices us.”

“
I wish you were a little
less visible,” Jacob said.

Jill nodded and put the sandwich on a plate.
She filled a glass of water for him.

“
What’s going to keep Dr.
Anna from…?” Jacob asked.

“
Nothing,” Jill said. “Not
one thing. Because of my capacity to heal, I’m
valuable.”

“
Your cuddles.” Jacob
picked up a side of the sandwich. “And your peanut butter
sandwiches.”

Jill smiled. He devoured the sandwich and
drank the water.

“
Bed?” Jill asked. “We
both have big days tomorrow.”

“
And cuddles?” Jacob
smiled.

“
Of course,” she
said.

“
Sounds perfect.” He
followed her to the bedroom.

Chapter Two
Hundred and Fifty-four

Cats

Friday morning — 5:12 a.m.

“
Hey,” Jacob said as he
entered the kitchen.

“
Hey yourself.” Delphie
held out her arms and they hugged. “How are you, Jacob?”

“
Good,” Jacob nodded and
yawned. “Tired.”

“
It’s been quite a week,”
Delphie turned back to the counter where she was slicing
vegetables. “I was going to make a
casserole . . .”

Jacob scowled behind her back.

“ 
. . . but
Sandy already started some soup,” Delphie said. Jacob looked
relieved. She glanced back and he smiled. “She asked me to slice up
some zucchini and we’re all set. Gosh, it’s great to have so much
help. Remember when it was just you and me? We almost
starved.”

“
We may have more guests
than we realized,” Jacob said.

“
How so?” Delphie
asked.

“
Jill keeps seeing cats,”
Jacob said.

“
Cats?” Delphie
asked.

“
Black cats,” Jacob said.
“She said she was with you in your apartment and Cleo arched her
back and hissed.”

“
She did?” Delphie looked
puzzled. “Cleo? I don’t remember that. But my memory is less than
perfect after the stroke. Who are you?”

Jacob laughed and Delphie turned her focus
to her zucchini.

“
I have a group tonight
and this weekend,” Delphie said.

“
Sounds fun,” Jacob
said.

“
Want to come in and give
a demonstration?” Delphie asked.

“
Yes, Delphie, I’d love to
be a freak in your side show,” Jacob said.

Laughing, Delphie shook her head at
Jacob.

“
Should I call animal
control?” Jacob asked.

“
No,” Delphie said. “I
can’t see the harm in having a few cats around.”

“
I don’t like that they’re
bugging Jill,” Jacob said.

Delphie nodded and kept chopping.

“
Any ideas?” Jacob
asked.

“
None,” Delphie said. “Are
you working tomorrow?”

“
No,” Jacob said. “We’re
off on the weekends.”

“
Why don’t you check out
the cats this weekend?” Delphie asked. “You’ll have
time.”

“
Good thinking.” Jacob
kissed her cheek. “Thanks.”

Delphie nodded. When she looked up again, he
was gone. She carried the cutting board to the crockpot and dumped
in the zucchini. She was in the middle of giving the soup a good
stir when a memory fluttered through her mind.

When Celia was close to delivering Jacob,
she’d seen something. Delphie looked off into the distance to try
to remember what Celia had seen. Nothing came to mind and Celia was
off somewhere, probably with Valerie and Jackie. Delphie stopped
stirring, made sure the top was on the crockpot, and got her phone.
She texted Valerie:

“
Check w Celia. See
something black when pregnant?”

Delphie smiled at her ability to use this
technology. She stuck her phone in her pocket and went upstairs to
start her day.

~~~~~~~~

Friday morning — 6:42 a.m. PST (7:42 a.m.
MST)
Malibu, California

“
You have a text,” Seth’s
oldest daughter Lizzy said, as she walked through the kitchen of
the Malibu house. “Came in a couple hours ago.”

Valerie was sitting at the counter
breastfeeding Jackie.

“
I do?” Valerie asked.
“Would you mind reading it to me?”

Lizzie picked up Valerie’s phone from the
counter where it was charging.

“
Check with Celia. See
something black when pregnant,” Lizzie read. “Mean anything to
you?”

“
Not a thing,” Valerie
smiled at Lizzie. “How are you feeling?”

“
Really good,” Lizzie
smiled. “This whole ‘hang out at Dad’s rental on the beach’ thing
is pretty awesome.”

Nodding, Valerie smiled.

“
Can I ask you something?”
Lizzie looked away in case Valerie said no.

“
Sure.”

“
How did you know that
Mike was . . . you know, the one?” Lizzie
asked.

Valerie smiled.

“
Ok,” Lizzie said. “I’m
supposed to personalize my statements. How will I know if Schmidty
is the one? For me, I mean.”

“
I know exactly what you
mean,” Valerie said. “Because you’ve had bad experiences, you don’t
want something so good to become bad.”

“
So it’s better to keep
looking,” Lizzie nodded.

“
Better? Seems a little
psycho,” Valerie said.

Lizzie nodded.

“
I think in the end you
have to trust yourself,” Valerie said. “If things get bad with
Schmidty, you can always leave. You’re not alone anymore. Your
sister and dad are in your life again.”

“
But things were good
with . . . you know, my mom’s husband.” Lizzie
looked heartbroken.

“
There weren’t really,
were they?”

Lizzie’s eyes filled with tears, and she
shook her head.

“
I’m not going to do that
again.” Lizzie balled up her hand and hit her leg. “Never
again.”

Lizzie pounded the side of her thigh.

“
It doesn’t really seem
like you had a chance to choose . . .”

“
That’s what everyone
says,” Lizzie said. “It wasn’t really your fault. It was his fault.
He was the grownup . . . but I did it! I chose to be
with him! I . . .”

“
Why would you do it
again?” Valerie’s voice was mild and low. Lizzie was so surprised
by her words that she jumped.

“
I wouldn’t,” Lizzie
said.

“
There’s your answer,”
Valerie said.

Lizzie scowled. Remembering the phone in her
hand, she said, “Do you want me to text her back?”

“
Can you read it
again?”

Lizzie read Delphie’s cryptic message.

“
I’ll call her,” Valerie
said.

Lizzie set the phone down on the counter.
She was about to leave when she spun in place.

“
Thanks,” Lizzie
said.

Valerie smiled. Lizzie nodded.

“
Tell him to make it
really big and sparkly,” Valerie said. “He can afford
it.”

Lizzie laughed and went out to the beach.
Valerie looked down to see that Jackie was sound asleep. She
carried her to their bedroom and changed her diaper. She was
changing her into a cute onesie when Mike came in from the
shower.

“
What’s up with Lizzie?”
Mike asked.

“
She’s getting serious
with Schmidty,” Valerie smiled.

“
Mmm,” Mike
nodded.

“
Delphie sent me this
weird text about Mom seeing something,” Valerie said. “The only
thing I could think was that it related to Jill and the boys. You
know how she’s obsessed. Any ideas?”

“
Jill thinks some feral
black cats are living at the Castle.” Mike shrugged and went back
into the bathroom.

“
Black cats,” Valerie said
under her breath.

She carried Jackie to her bassinette.
Valerie fussed for a minute before setting her precious baby
down.

“
Black cats,” Valerie said
again. “Mom . . . pregnant . . .
cats.”

She gasped.

“
What?” Mike ran in from
the bathroom. “What is it?”

“
Those aren’t
cats
,” Valerie
said.

~~~~~~~~

Friday morning — 10:02 a.m. MST

Denver, CO

Jill braced herself and opened the door to
the doctor’s office. The quiet waiting room was filled with
pregnant women. Children played quietly in the corner, attended by
their imported nannies. Jill instinctively looked down to see if
she’d worn her nice shoes.

She couldn’t see them over the mound that
was now her belly. The door to the suite opened and Sandy came
in.

“
Did you check in?” Sandy
asked.

“
Just stepped inside,”
Jill said.

They went to the empty counter. They could
see the receptionist’s back as she talked to someone down the hall.
They waited.

“
Can you tell
me . . .” Jill leaned into Sandy.
“ . . .am I wearing my nice shoes?”

Sandy looked at Jill’s shoes and then at
Jill’s face. Sandy shook her head. Jill scowled. When Jill looked
back at Sandy, her friend was laughing. Jill nudged her.

“
Nervous?” Sandy asked in
a low tone.

Jill nodded.

“
Jill Marlowe?” A nurse
appeared from the back. She grabbed the clipboard to read her name.
“Um . . . Maybe you should just come
back.”

The nurse gestured toward the end of a long
hallway. Jill stepped forward and Sandy followed close behind. Out
of the corner of her eye, Jill saw people stop to look at her. When
she turned to look at them, they started talking again like nothing
had happened. Jill swallowed hard. Hearing a noise to her right,
she saw people in blue suits going through a room full of filing
cabinets. She heard shouting from the office where she’d originally
talked to the doctor. Jill could almost feel Sandy’s heightened
awareness as she became more on guard. Leena, from Alex’s team,
stepped into the hallway from an exam room on her right. Before the
door closed, Jill thought she saw the medical practice manager
lying facedown on the floor with some big guy’s foot on his
back.

“
Oh, hey, Jill,” Leena
said. She smiled as if nothing was going on and moved past them.
“Love my hair, Sandy.”

Jill felt movement behind her. Samantha
Hargreaves trotted up the hallway.

“
Do you come here too?” It
was the only thing Jill could think to say.

“
Sure,” Samantha smiled.
“You know Val; I’d have to go where she was going.”

“
Are you almost due too?”
Jill asked.

“
Ha,” Samantha laughed. “I
wish. No, I just got huge right away. We have seven months to go.
You got big fast, didn’t you Sandy?”

“
Not that fast,” Sandy
laughed.

“
I know.” Samantha patted
her belly. “My mom said she was this big. She was
huge
with Colin, but
you’ve seen Colin right?”

As if on cue, Colin Hargreaves turned the
corner and blocked the hallway with his six foot five inch frame.
The nurse opened an exam room, and much to Jill’s surprise Colin
and Samantha followed them inside. Samantha gave the nurse a
blistering look. The nurse swallowed hard, turned in place, and
trotted out of the room.