The Question (7 page)

Truthfully, she hadn’t but looking in to his earnest face, she couldn’t tell him that so she made herself really think about it now. “In addition to going with me to my doctor appointments, short of living with you guys, what is the minimal amount of contact that you can accept?”

“I will accept whatever amount of contact with us that you are comfortable in giving.”

“Well, how about this for starters? Dr. Hagan wants me to get daily exercise. You have a pool.  Why don’t I come over in the evenings to swim and let Carmelita feed me? That way you could see for yourself how I’m doing, and I won’t feel like I’m intruding on your and Crystal’s privacy.”

“And later on, as your time draws near?”

“Let’s just get through this. We’ll re-evaluate things when that time comes, okay?”

“This is an acceptable compromise.”

“Okay, now you need to go make nice with your wife.” Gail gave him serious eyes so that he knew she meant business.

“What do you mean?” From the look on his face, the man didn’t have a clue.

“I mean, it was rather insensitive of you to refer to me as the mother of your children when your wife has been trying to give you some for years,” Gail told him sternly.

“Are you not the mother of these children? Is it not your eggs and your body that is giving them life?”

“That’s not the point. Yes, if you want to be literal about it, I am the mother of your children, but…emotionally and in every way that counts, Crystal will be their mother.” And he’d better not forget it.

“You tell me nothing that I don’t already know.”

“You may know it but your words said otherwise. You really hurt Crystal. You need to go and make it right. Yes, I’m making it possible for you to have children but none of this would be happening if Crystal hadn’t come up with the idea and approached me with it. Maybe some of that appreciation you’ve been showering on me should be directed to your wife.”

He appeared startled, as though the idea had never crossed his mind. “You are right. I owe my wife a huge debt of gratitude. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.”

“You’re welcome. Now, please excuse me. Your credit card is burning a hole in my wallet, just begging to be used,” Gail said with an impish grin.

Rashid didn’t return her grin, instead stated seriously, “I meant what I said. Charge all of your expenses today to me. You deserve the treat.”

“Hey, it’s your dime. If that’s what you want, I’ll be more than happy to comply.” She gave him a two-finger salute and motioned for him to move back so that she could close the door. With one hand, she started the motor while with the other, she closed the door. With a quick wave, she backed out of the parking space and left Rashid standing there.

* * * *

Later that evening, Gail entered her apartment loaded down with shopping bags, ready to drop. She’d had a blast today and was sorry to see it ending. Because she hadn’t had the foresight to call ahead, she had to skip her trip to the spa. The day was much too precious to waste time sitting in their waiting room, hoping for an opening.

She’s left and gone to the mall and shopped to her heart’s content, buying things she could wear now and later as her pregnancy advanced. She indulged in body sprays and scented lotion sets from her favorite store, Bath and Body Works.

And, oh, the shoes! She loved shoes. With Marcus, her feet had grown a half size. This time, she was prepared. She purchased several pairs of shoes, a half size larger than she normally wore, to go with the outfits she purchased.

She’d rounded of the day of shopping with dinner and a movie. All in all, it had been a great day. And the night looked even better. Tonight, she’d get to sleep in her own bed. How wonderful.

Remembering her promise, she called Crystal.

“Hello?”

“Hey, why are you whispering?” Gail automatically lowered her voice. In the background, she could hear the low murmur of Rashid’s voice, then a quickly stifled moan from Crystal.

“Can’t talk now. Got to go,” Crystal said breathlessly.

“I understand,” Gail replied with a laugh, but Crystal was already gone.  Looks like Rashid took Gail’s advice and made amends. Good for him.

Gail spent the rest of the evening catching up on mail, returning calls, and generally just reacquainting herself with her space.

Dang, it was good to be home.

* * * *

The next morning, the phone rang early. “Hello?”

“Good morning. I’m so excited. Guess what Rashid did?”

Gail sat up in bed and smiled. “If it’s X-rated, I don’t want to know.”

“Umm, he did that too, but that’s not what I’m talking about. Now guess.”

“I don’t know.  Tell me.” Gail knew Crystal was about to burst with her news.

“He bought me flowers and took me out for dinner. Best of all, he wants us to go away for the weekend on a mini-vacation. He said once the babies arrive, we wouldn’t have as much time for just the two of us. Isn’t that sweet?”

“Yes, it is. A good idea too.  He’s right. Once you’re a mommy, there will be a large demand on your time.” Gail was speaking from memory.

“I know. We’ve talked about hiring a full-time nanny to help out, especially now that we know there are two, but I’m not sure that’s what I want. I think I want to stay home and be a full-time mom, at least while the babies are young. I can always go back to work once they are in school.”

Gail remembered having the same conversation with Jason when she was pregnant with Marcus. “True. So, are you happy about the twins? I mean, I know it had to be a shock. I certainly was surprised.”

“It hasn’t sunk in yet. Probably won’t until I’m holding them in my arms. What about you, Godmommy-to-be? Are you ready to have two godchildren?” Gail could hear the laughter in Crystal’s voice.

“Sure. My job’s easy. I show up for the Christening, buy presents, babysit every now and then, and listen to them gripe about what a bad mother you are and ‘why can’t mom be cool like you’ when they’re teenagers,” Gail finished with a laugh.

“You have to go with me when I start shopping for baby furniture. I can’t wait to get started.  I’m thinking about buying white, that way it will match no matter what color scheme I use.” Gail could tell Crystal’s decorator genes were humming.

“Well, decorating is your specialty.  I’m sure your kids will have the best designed room around.”

“You know it. I’ve got to go but when we get together, you’ve got to tell me how your day went yesterday.”

“Will do. Bye,” Gail said as she rolled over to put the phone back into the cradle.

“Bye, yourself. See you later.”

Chapter Five

Monday morning, Gail returned to work, happy to be there. So glad in fact, that she came in with an assortment of muffins and donuts for the whole office.

Greg Richmont, one of the firm’s top divorce lawyers, came and sat on the edge of her desk.  “Hey, Beautiful.  It’s about time you returned to work. I missed you.”

Gail rolled her eyes. “Sure you did,” she said with a smile.

“Oh, you wound me,” he said, clutching his heart dramatically. “When are you going to put me out of my misery and go out with me?”

“Greg, if I ever said yes, you’d run in the other direction. I’ll save both of us the trauma and keep saying no.” Gail shook her head and laughed a little at the thought of his reaction were she to finally say yes, after his year of asking.

Greg was suddenly as serious as she had ever seen him. “Don’t let the act fool you. If you ever said yes to me about anything, I’d do my damndest to make sure you never regret it.”

Gail sat back in her seat in stunned surprise. In all the years that she’d known him, she’d considered him to be a flirt, the original ladies’ man. This was a side of him she’d never seen. “What did you have in mind?”

“Don’t toy with me, Gail. You have the ability to do some serious damage to my heart.”

Gail would have scoffed but he was utterly serious. “I’m not toying with you. I’m not saying that I’m ready for something serious, but I recently decided that it was time for me to start dating.”

“Let me see your hands,” he demanded.

“What?”

“Your hands. Hold them out. Now.”

Confused, she did as he commanded. He took hold of her right hand, on which her wedding band now resided. “You’re serious.”  He toyed with the ring. “It’s not off yet, but this is an improvement.”

“What do you mean?” Gail fidgeted in her chair, uncomfortable with the attention he was paying to her hand.

“I mean, I’ve been waiting for a long time for a sign that you were ready to move on. I don’t know what brought about this change, but whatever it was, I’m grateful as hell. What are you doing tonight?” His gaze speared her where she sat, demanding a response.

“Tonight?”

“Yes, tonight. I’m not giving you a chance to change your mind.”

“Nothing, really.” Gail wondered exactly what it was she had just set into motion.

“You are now. I’ll pick you up at seven. Wear something nice,” he tossed over his shoulder as he walked off, not giving her a chance to answer.

Gail spent the rest of the day feeling like she had fallen into an alternate reality. The harmless flirt that she thought would be safe to test her rusty dating skills on was turning out to be a bit more dangerous than she imagined. In all the years that he’d been flirting with her, she’d never imagined once that he might be serious.

She knew Greg was sharp. He had to be to be as successful as he was, but he did a good job of hiding his commanding nature behind a flirty, playboy attitude. Tonight should be interesting.

Later that evening, when she was dressed and waiting for her date to arrive, she realized just how isolated she’d allowed herself to become.  Never an outgoing person, after the death of Jason and Marcus two years ago, her circle of friends had slowly dwindled down to one, Crystal.

She severely felt the lack tonight, when nerves had her wanting to call someone for support. She couldn’t call Crystal. She and Rashid were still away on their mini-vacation. She would just have to sweat it out, but she made herself a promise. She was going to renew what friendships she could and be more open to new acquaintances.

Before her nerves could get wound too tight, the doorman buzzed.  “Ms. Henderson, Mr. Richmont is here.”

“Send him up, Paul.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Gail wiped her sweaty palms on her dress, trying to calm her shaky nerves. She went to the mirror hanging in the entry foyer for one last check of her appearance. She had on one of her favorite dresses, an old standby, the classic black dress. Only hers had an empire waistline with a deep v-neck and flowing bell-shaped sleeves that were very feminine. The dress stopped just above her knees, showcasing her long, shapely legs.

A knock sounded at the door, causing her to jump. Oh boy, she really needed to calm down.  Smoothing her hands down her sides again, she took a deep breath and opened the door.

“Wow!”  The word just slipped out. Her heart beat an uneven rhythm, and she was suddenly nervous for an entirely different set of reasons. Greg looked a little too good standing there, framed in the doorway. The man looked like he’d just stepped off of the front page of GQ Magazine.

“Wow, yourself.” His grin was devilishly sinful. She felt her face flush as his gaze traveled from her hair, gathered casually at the nape of her neck, down to her feet shod in her favorite, strappy high-heeled sandals.  “Somehow, I always figured you to be a red toenail kind of girl.” 

The comment made Gail itch to hide her feet, the toenails of which were polished a deep burgundy. She wondered exactly what he meant by that comment, but was too chicken to ask.  “Let me grab my purse, and I’ll be ready to go.”

“Take your time. The view is so lovely that I find I’m in no rush to deprive myself of it, even temporarily.”

Gail looked at him uncertainly.

“I’m making you nervous, aren’t I?” Greg shifted subtly, betraying a hint of his own uneasiness.

She blinked and wondered how to respond. Finally, she decided that honesty would be best.  “A little. I haven’t been on a date in nine years.”

“So am I.”

“Why are you nervous?”

“I’ve waited a long time for this opportunity. I don’t want to blow it. It might be the only chance I get,” he said solemnly.

Gail looked into his earnest face and read his sincerity. Her nervousness shifted into concern—for him. She took his hand and pulled him inside, suddenly feeling much more in control.  “I think, before we go anywhere, we need to talk.”

“Damn, I haven’t even got you out of the apartment and already I’ve messed up,” he teased.

Gail laughed; glad to be back on a more comfortable footing with him. “Come in, silly.”

Greg let her lead him over to the couch and pull him down beside her. He sprawled there, sexy in a pair of loose pleated black slacks and olive green collarless shirt that showed off his broad chest and deep tan. He placed an arm on the back of the couch and turned to face her, closing the gap between them.