Page 19 of The Baby-whisperer and the Brute
Knowing Mother wouldn’t answer it, I got to my feet and hurried to the front door, expecting to find a package left there by a delivery driver. Instead, I saw Cinda’s face through the door’s leaded glass windows.
I opened it quickly. “Hi. I’m surprised to see you here. Did you walk over?”
“Waddled is more like it,” Cinda said with good humor. “The doctor said walking is good for me. Running is definitely out, but I never was a big runner anyway.”
At the words “big runner,” images of Sullivan Reece snapped right back into my mind as if they’d been at the end of an elastic band, and my prayers had only stretched them temporarily out of frame instead of removing them.
“Oh. Right. Me too—I mean, me either,” I said.
Cinda smiled and lifted her hand, offering me a beautifully wrapped box. “This is for you, to thank you for all your help. I meant to give it to you yesterday, but you slipped away a little before the party ended.”
“I’m sorry about that. I really needed to get home to my mother.” The truth was I’d seen Sullivan heading my way and had fled the scene.
“Oh please. Don’t apologize,” Cinda said. “It went a lot longer than I expected. Everyone seemed to have a good time though. The games and entertainment were a huge hit, and the kids loved those little gifts you picked out for them. All the parents were very impressed… especially my neighbor, Mr. Reece.”
My pulse took off like a rocket, racing through my veins and stealing my breath. Stepping outside, I shut the door behind me and spoke quietly, though there was no chance of Mother overhearing through the solid oak.
“He mentioned me?”
“He sure did. He was amazed at how you were able to manage his daughters. Apparently the girls are quite a handful, and he’s a bit overwhelmed.”
“Oh.” I felt a sinking sensation. Which was weird. Why should I feel disappointed?
“And…” Cinda added a bit more slyly, “he mentioned how attractive he found you.”
The churning excitement returned, exponentially more powerful. “Really?”
“Why do you sound so surprised? Everyone thinks so. I don’t think you have any idea how stunning you are. It may be the first time in history a girl has had to choose between the runway at Fashion Week and becoming a nun,” she teased.
“Yeah right,” I said. Trying to keep my voice casual, I asked, “Did you tell Sullivan I might be going into religious service?”
Cinda shrugged. “It didn’t come up. I didn’t realize you hadn’t made up your mind yet. When we spoke about it before you sounded like it was a done deal.”
“Oh it is,” I said quickly. “Even if… someone was interested, I wouldn’t do anything about it.” My face flared with incriminating heat.
The reaction seemed to interest Cinda. “Have you ever been in a serious relationship?”
“You mean with a man?”
“Yes. Or a boy, back in high school or college.”
“I didn’t go away to college. I took some classes at Salve Regina while living at home. Before that, I went to all girls’ schools. I didn’t even really know any boys.”
Cinda’s small jaw dropped. “You’veneverhad a boyfriend?”
“I’ve never been on a date,” I admitted then wondered why I’d ever said such an embarrassing thing out loud.
Hastening to explain, I added, “I just figured… what was the point, you know? I knew I was going to be a nun, so why bother with dating?”
I chose not to mention my mother’s prohibition against any and all socializing with members of the male species.
Cinda looked thoughtful. “I didn’t date much myself. There were group outings in high school and a couple guys I went out with a few times after that. Then I met Alex one summer and fell head over heels in love. After that AJ came along, and there was no time for dating. You know Alex and I didn’t speak or see each other for five years, right? He didn’t know about AJ, and I had no idea how to reach him. I didn’t even know his real name.”
“What a story you two have,” I said. “It’s like a movie or something.”
“Why don’t we go out to lunch this week, and I’ll give you all the juicy details? We’ll spend most of the year in Aubernesse because of Alex’s responsibilities, but we’re here for the whole summer. I want to have the babies here in the U.S..”
From inside the house, a sharp voice cracked, “Angelina. Where are you?”
