Vanessa's Match (11 page)

The day he was expected back in the States, she found herself on edge. When the phone rang that afternoon she jumped. She grabbed the receiver at once. “Hello?”

“Hi, Vanessa. It’s Rick. How are you?”

The sound of his voice warmed her. She resisted the urge to sigh and instead adopted a neutral tone. “Fine. Are you in D.C.?”

“Yeah. We got in about an hour ago. It looks like
I’ll have to stay here for a couple more days, but I wanted to be sure you and Lindy were fine.”

“We’re both doing well.”

“Did you miss me?” he asked, his voice dropping to a personal level that sent shivers through her body.

“Lindy talked about you constantly.”

“That wasn’t my question. Did
you
miss me?”

No way would she answer that. “Rick, I think you need to talk to Jeff.”

After a moment of silence, he asked, “Why?”

“Something has come up. Something personal.”

“And it’s made you back off, right?”

She feigned innocence. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You don’t remember kissing me goodbye?”

Vanessa said hastily, “
You
kissed
me!
”

She could hear the grin in his answer.

“Good. You do remember. Now, what’s the problem?”

Vanessa let out a sigh. She hadn’t wanted to be the one to tell him. But he’d pushed her into a corner and she had nowhere to escape. “Sharon came to see me.”

“Why?” he asked.

“She needed to find you. She—” How else could she say it? There was only one way. “She said she was pregnant.”

More silence. Then Rick asked, “What does that have to do with me?”

“She said it’s yours.”

“No!”

Vanessa didn’t say anything.

“You believed her?”

“I don’t know, Rick! Did you—Were you intimate with her?”

He huffed into the phone. “A time or two, yeah. But I always used protection.”

“Accidents happen. That’s why I contacted Jeff.”

“You should’ve thrown her out on her ear!”

“I felt like doing that. But what if she is carrying your child?”

Rick said, “I’ll call Jeff.”

“Okay. I’ll tell Lindy you’re back and that you called.”

“Yeah, thanks.” And he hung up the phone.

Vanessa sat there, staring at the wall, a tear drifting down her cheek. When she realized she was crying, she silently gave herself a stern lecture. She had nothing to cry about. She would have her doctorate in six months. She had Lindy in her life. She had her wonderful family. She had more than most people.

But something that had only been a shimmering idea in the air, not yet real, but possible, had died.

“I
CAN’T BE THE FATHER
of her baby!” Rick was nearly shouting into the phone at his attorney. “I had sex with her twice but I used a condom both times. This has to be bogus.”

“Rick, calm down.” Jeff Jacobs spoke evenly, his
voice reassuring, making Rick stop pacing inside his D.C. hotel room. “I’m glad to hear that you used protection. I’m sure Will’s firm will turn up something. In the meantime, you must refuse to pay for anything until after the birth of the child, when you and the baby can be tested.” He paused, then said, “Unless you want to marry the woman, of course.”

Rick felt his blood pressure spike. “No!”

“Then I’ll proceed with what I’ve set in motion.”

“Good.”

“You don’t know anything that will help me, do you? Can you tell me the names of anyone else she’s dated?”

“No.”

“How did the two of you meet?”

“We met at a party given by the S.M.U. alumni association.” He sat down at the foot of the bed. “Come to think of it, I wonder why Vanessa didn’t attend.”

“I don’t know. Did someone introduce you?”

“Obviously you’ve never met Sharon. My guess would be someone pointed me out to her. She waltzed up and introduced herself. Before she left, she stuck her phone number in my pocket.”

“What made you call her?”

“I hadn’t spent a lot of time on my social life and I needed a date for a function I had to attend. So two weeks later, I called her. She accepted and she looked great. She was a little clingy, but not too bad. I didn’t even think about her for about a month, until I needed
a date for a business dinner. I called her and she accepted at once. There was no complaint about me not having called her for so long. That charmed me. We had sex that night.” He hated to admit it.

“And what was the date?”

“I’ll have to look in my calendar.” From his briefcase he pulled out a small date book that he always carried with him. “Here it is. The dinner was three months ago on June third.”

“I don’t think she would’ve waited so long to claim a pregnancy. When was the next time?”

“About six weeks ago. She started calling me. That should’ve been a sign to me, but I didn’t pay attention. She went to a dinner with me and begged me to make love to her again. I did so reluctantly. But it was my fault.”

“Okay, that would be the date. And you’re sure you used protection?”

“A condom. Definitely.”

“All right, we’ll work something out. When you talk to her, give her my name and number and tell her to come talk to me. Don’t discuss anything with her yourself.”

“Gladly. I don’t want to talk to her. I don’t want to see her.”

“I can’t guarantee you won’t have to see or talk to her, but we’ll get you through this, Rick, I promise.”

“Thanks.”

“When will you get back here?”

“They told us they’d need at least two days. I’m hoping to fly in Wednesday evening, but it may be Thursday.”

“Well, give me a call after you give my information to Sharon.”

“You’re sure you want me to have her call you?”

“Isn’t that what you hired me for?”

“Yeah, it is. But my last lawyer wasn’t so eager to be helpful.”

“I believe in earning my money,” Jeff said with a laugh.

“Thanks. I appreciate that.”

“All right, I’ll talk to you in a couple of days.”

They said goodbye and hung up.

That was one good thing: Jeff was a great lawyer who did his job well. Lindy was another good thing. And best of all was Vanessa.

But the hope he’d had of a future with her had to be put on hold until he cleared up past mistakes.

He just hoped that would happen soon.

Rick got back to Dallas on Thursday afternoon, and went to his office first. His secretary had a big stack of messages, five of which were from Sharon.

With a sigh, he grabbed the phone and dialed her number, knowing she wouldn’t be home from work. When the answering machine picked up, he left her a message telling her to contact his lawyer and giving her the necessary information.

While he hoped that meant he wouldn’t have to talk to her, he knew better. She’d be calling him this evening, as soon as she got that message.

But she’d have to wait. He had other plans for tonight.

He called the Greenfields and spoke to Vivian. “I’m back from China and wondered if this evening would be convenient for me to visit with Lindy.”

“I’m sure it would,” Vivian said. “Why don’t you come for dinner? We’ll eat at seven. We’d all love to hear about your adventures.”

“Thank you, Vivian. I’d love to.”

He hung up the phone, a smile on his face. He should feel bad. He had known Vivian would invite him. But he wanted—needed—to see Lindy and Vanessa.

After he went home and unpacked and gave a gift to Mrs. Abby, he hurried to the Greenfields’. When Peter opened the door, he gave him a present for him and Betty, too, much to Peter’s surprise.

When he reached the morning room where Will and Vivian were playing with Danny, he set a big box on the coffee table.

“What’s that?” Vivian asked.

“A present I brought back for you and Will.”

“Oh my!” Vivian exclaimed, eagerly reaching for it.

“Be careful! It’s very easily broken,” Rick warned.

Vivian sat up even straighter. “Don’t tell me it’s eggshell porcelain? Oh, Rick, how wonderful! I’ve always wanted one of those.”

“What is it?” Will asked.

“Eggshell porcelain is so thin, you can almost see through it.”

“So it’s white and thin?” Will asked, clearly not getting the appeal.

“Not white. They’re hand-painted in beautiful colors.”

“Honey, if you wanted one, why didn’t you go buy one?”

“Because they stopped shipping them. They would break in transit because they’re so fragile.”

Will slowly opened the box, which was packed in foam. He lifted off the top piece of foam and found other packing, then tissue paper. In all, it took several minutes to uncover a richly painted porcelain bowl.

Vivian drew a deep breath and released it with an “Ah!”

“Man, it’s impressive,” Will said. “Can I take it out of the box?”

Vivian carefully cleared off the coffee table where he could set the bowl. “Rick, it’s gorgeous. Thank you.”

“I’m glad you like it. I wanted to show my gratitude for keeping Lindy.”

“We hardly know she’s here. She’s so well behaved. And she loves playing with Danny. He’s used to having time with her.”

“I’m glad she’s doing so well here.”

“Are you talking about me?” Lindy asked as she entered the room and ran toward her brother.

“Yeah, but we’re only saying good things,” Rick promised, giving his sister a bear hug.

“Oh, that’s pretty,” Lindy said, her attention going to the bowl.

“Isn’t it?” Vivian said with a big smile. “Your brother brought it back from China for us.”

“To thank them for putting up with you,” Rick teased.

Lindy grinned to show she knew he was joking. “So what did you bring me?” she asked.

“You? I was supposed to bring
you
something?”

“Rick!” Lindy protested.

He smiled and handed her a box. “Go put this on and come show us.”

She hurriedly opened it and found a beautiful Chinese dress in lavender silk. “Oh, that’s wonderful. Do you think it will fit me?”

“It should, unless you’ve been eating too much lately.”

She grinned. “I’ll be right back!”

She raced out of the room, and Rick turned to the other two. “She’s beginning to sound like a real teenager.”

Will said, “Thank goodness she has her own cell phone, because she’s on it a lot. But not until she’s finished her homework each afternoon.”

“I’m glad to hear it—”

Suddenly, he knew Vanessa had entered the room, though she hadn’t made any noise. It was her light floral fragrance that alerted him. He turned slowly around.

“Hello, Vanessa.”

“Hello, Rick. How was China?”

“It was interesting.”

Vanessa must have caught sight of the bowl on her mother’s coffee table. “Mom, what’s that?”

“It’s an eggshell porcelain bowl from China. Isn’t it marvelous?”

“Yes, it is. Did you bring that back for Lindy?” she asked Rick.

“No, that’s for your mom and dad to thank them for taking care of Lindy.”

“I thought I was the one taking care of Lindy,” Vanessa asked, raising her eyebrows.

Rick smiled, but he said, “I need to speak to you in the library. Would now be a good time?”

“I—I guess so,” she said. With a quick look at Will and Vivian, she turned and walked out of the room, Rick following her.

Once they were in the library, the door closed behind them, Rick moved in close to Vanessa. She took a step back.

“Rick, I don’t think we should—”

“So you believe Sharon?”

“I don’t, really, but I think things should be cleared up before—before we go any further.”

Rick wanted to use every bad word he’d heard in his life. He’d been waiting to hold Vanessa again. To kiss her. To tell her he couldn’t live without her…

He ground his teeth together, being careful not to move an inch, because if he did, he might lose control.

Finally, he reached into his inside coat pocket and pulled out a long, slender box. “I did bring you a gift from China.”

His words seemed to break the tension. She smiled a little nervously and said, “You didn’t need to do that.”

“I think I did. Here, open it.”

He’d chosen her gift carefully. A rare jade set in a platinum bracelet.

Vanessa stared at it. “You shouldn’t have, Rick! Charcoal jade is horribly expensive.”

“I thought it would look beautiful on you, especially with that black cocktail dress you wore when we went to NaNa’s together.”

“You’re right, it will look beautiful with that dress.”

“Here, let me put it on your wrist…to see if it fits.” It would also give him a chance to touch her.

She took the bracelet from the box and handed it to him. He took it in one hand and caught her wrist in the other, feeling the shivers that coursed through her. He wanted to forget the bracelet, pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless. “Vanessa—”

“No! Just—just fasten the bracelet for me, Rick. That’s all.”

“Fine!” he said curtly. She must be made of iron, he thought with a grimace, but he knew better than that.

He fastened the bracelet around her wrist, her skin warm under his touch. Then, before she could pull it away, he bent over and kissed her wrist.

V
ANESSA PULLED HER WRIST
back as she stepped away from Rick’s reach. “Was the bracelet the reason we came to the library? Because you could’ve—”

“No. I promised my housekeeper I’d talk to you about letting Lindy come to live at my house. Mrs.
Abby wants to take care of Lindy. She’d be there when I went out of town, and I thought that might work out.”

“You promised me a year, Rick. Lindy has made wonderful progress, but she still has a long way to go. Please don’t even think of taking her away from me yet.”

“Okay, okay, honey. If you think she needs to stay here longer, I’ll leave her here. You’ve been right about everything else you’ve said about Lindy.”

Vanessa composed herself. “Thank you, Rick. Are you ready to join the others now?”

“Yeah, if you’re not going to allow me to kiss you.”

“I don’t think—”

“Yeah, you’ve said that, but I don’t think one kiss would cause a train wreck.”

Vanessa closed her eyes. But he was still there when she opened them—and she couldn’t say no. “Okay. One kiss.”

Almost before she finished speaking, she was wrapped in Rick’s strong arms, his lips seeking hers in a kiss that was, at the same time, too long and too short. When he finally released her, they were both breathing like they’d run a marathon.

“That—that was definitely some kiss,” she said. Then she composed herself. “Let’s go join the others.” She didn’t wait for his compliance. She needed to get away from him before she forgot everything she’d decided before he got home.

T
HEY HAD JUST REJOINED
Will and Vivian when Lindy came back into the room, wearing her lavender dress.

“Chinese women certainly can’t take big steps in a dress like this,” she said.

“Oh, Lindy, you look beautiful,” Vanessa sighed.

“You do, Lindy,” Rick said. “And here’s something to go with it.” He pulled out a second long box and opened it, holding out the box so Lindy could see the dainty bracelet made of jade and gold.

Vanessa smiled at Lindy. “Rick got me a bracelet, too.”

“Let me see, dear,” Vivian said from the sofa.

Vanessa crossed over to Vivian and extended her arm to her mother.

“You have lovely taste, Rick,” Vivian said.

“Thank you. I think so—in other things too, besides jewelry.” He smiled at the two young ladies sporting his gifts.

Peter appeared at the door. “Dinner is served, Miss Vivian.”

“Thank you, Peter. Look at the eggshell porcelain bowl Rick brought us from China. It’s very fragile.”

“He brought us a jade statue of Buddha. It brings you good luck if you rub its tummy.” Peter beamed at Rick.

“I’ll be sure to rub his tummy before I take my next test,” Lindy said.

“You’d better be
studying
for those tests, young lady,” Rick said sternly.

“Oh, I do. You can ask Vanessa,” Lindy said hurriedly, clearly wanting Rick to be proud of her.

“Okay, I believe it.” He hugged Lindy again, his gaze meeting Vanessa’s over Lindy’s head.

But Vanessa abruptly turned and walked toward the dining room.

A
FTER DINNER
they all listened to Rick’s stories about his trip to China. At ten, however, Vanessa reminded Lindy it was her bedtime.

“Can’t I stay up late tonight?”

“No, sweetie, it’s a school night. You’ll see Rick again soon.”

“Okay,” Lindy agreed, but they all heard the irritation in her voice.

She kissed everyone good-night and went upstairs.

Rick looked at Vanessa. “Is she giving you trouble?”

“No, not at all.”

“She didn’t sound pleased that you sent her up to bed.”

Before Vanessa could respond, Vivian laughed. “Vanessa says that’s a good sign.”

“What do you mean? Doesn’t it mean she’d like to rebel?”

“Of course it does,” Vanessa replied. “But a child who fears for her place in the family would never dare complain. That’s how we know Lindy is progressing.”

“So she’s back to normal?”

“No, not yet. She’s just getting used to us and testing her limits a little. We have a ways to go.”

Rick nodded thoughtfully, remembering what she’d said in the library.

Will stood and pulled Vivian to her feet. “Pregnant moms need to go to bed early—they need their sleep.” He turned to Rick. “You’re lucky she didn’t fall asleep during your description of your trip to China.”

Vivian tapped her husband on his arm. “Nonsense, Rick, we enjoyed this evening very much. I hope you’ll join us again soon.”

Rick nodded. “Thank you, Vivian.” He bid them both good-night as they left the room.

Rick remained standing. Now he looked at Vanessa, still seated on the sofa. “May I join you?”

“No, Rick, I don’t think we can—I think you should go home. I’m sure you’re tired, as long a day as you’ve had.”

“Without a goodbye kiss?”

“Just go, please!”

“When will I get to see you again?”

“Probably tomorrow. I’m sure Will will want to talk to you. About Sharon.”

There it was again. The insurmountable barrier between them.

T
HE NEXT DAY
when Vanessa got home from school, she found Will and Rick in the library. They both invited her in.

“Don’t you want to talk without me? I mean, about Sharon?”

“Actually, I thought maybe you could contribute to what we know. That’s why I asked Rick to meet me here,” Will said.

Vanessa stared at Rick, and he nodded.

“Of course I’ll be glad to join you, but I don’t know how much I can add,” she said.

Once they were all seated in the library, Will asked Vanessa if she had any knowledge of Sharon dating other men.

“We’re not that close, Will. I mean, I’d see her out occasionally, but—Well, there was one guy she was with more often than anyone else. I’d forgotten about him.”

“Who was he?” Will asked.

“I remember her introducing him as Larry.”

“No last name?”

Vanessa shook her head.

“When was the last time you saw them together?”

“The end of the school year. I went to the eighth grade graduation at a local school. A patient of mine was graduating. I saw Sharon and Larry at the reception.”

“Was he there as a part of the family?”

Vanessa shook her head. “No, I think—No, he was introduced as the child’s math teacher!”

“Good girl,” Will said. “This will help Jim a lot.”

“She never mentioned this man to me,” Rick interjected.

“Of course she didn’t, Rick. That wouldn’t serve her purpose.” Vanessa gave him a superior look.

“What purpose?”

“To get as much money out of you as she can,” she said.

“How do you know that’s what she’s doing?”

“Rick, she’s been trying to get rich the old-fashioned way, by marrying a rich man, ever since I met her. You’re just one of several.”

“I should’ve known she was being too accommodating.”

Will gave him a sympathetic smile. “We men have trouble understanding women, Rick. It happens.”

“Not to me. It’s never happened to me until now.”

“With this information, I think Jim will be able to track down this Larry. If they are still dating, I think he’ll be shocked by Sharon’s behavior. And he may be able to give us some leverage for a discussion with her.”