Page 36 of A Secret Chance
“If you say so,” Charlotte said.
Lauren took a deep breath. She couldn’t wait for the case to be over, and for Baxter Caldwell to pack up and slink out of town so she could get on with her life. “You’re judging me,” she said.
Charlotte held up her mittened hands in front of her. “Never,” she replied. “I just... I mean, I saw the way he affected you. I haven’t seen you like that in years. I know you don’t believe in fate, but maybe there’s a reason he’s here, and it’s not to ruin this town with his terrible development. Maybe he’s here for you.”
“You’ve really lost it.” Lauren rolled her eyes. “There’s no happily ever after here. He’s not going to drop his project and become and insta-dad with some cleaning lady.”
“But Lauren,” Charlotte shook her head. “You’re not just some cleaning lady anymore.”
Lauren marched over to the recycling bin and made a production of removing the plastic lid from the paper cup and placing them in the appropriate bins. She returned to the fire. “I’ve had enough.”
“Fair enough,” Charlotte said. “Should we go find that daughter of yours?”
Lauren nodded. Daughter of mine, she thought. She didn’t tell her sister, but part of her was afraid to tell Baxter the truth, because well, what if he wanted to be in his daughter’s life?
“Mom,” Tabitha came running up to her, a paper plate balanced on her mittens. “Want some?” She held up the fried dough and cinnamon concoction in front of her.
“I’d love some,” she said. She tore off a corner of the beavertail and as the delicious warmth melted in her mouth, she realized that Tabitha was watching her, her crystal blue eyes wide. “Isn’t it good?” she said grinning. Those eyes, Baxter’s eyes, cut right through Lauren’s heart. What if Baxter did want to be in his daughter’s life? For the first time, she thought about the reality from her daughter’s perspective and not her own. She was worried about her daughter being taken from her, but she hadn’t thought about Tabitha. Would she want a dad in her life?
“Come on,” Let’s check out the ax-throwing contest. “They have one for kids,” Tabitha pulled on her hand.
“Of course, they do,” Lauren smiled, holding in her tears.
Chapter 16
“DO WE HAVE TO?” THOMASmoaned. He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the dining room table. “I have a lot of work to do today and the game is on.” He pointed to the big screen TV in the designated media room.
“Yes.” Baxter pointed to all three of his crew. “You all have to go, and you all have to pretend to have fun. Got it?”
Baxter didn’t want to go to the Winter Carnival either. But, if showing up at some rinky-dink small-town carnival was going to save their project, hell, he’d organize the damn thing.
“What happens at a winter carnival?” Barry asked.
“Beats me.” Baxter shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve never been to one.”
Nicole was hunched over her laptop, eating her bowl of granola and yogurt over the keyboard. She leaned into the screen. “It looks like there are ice sculptures, some kind of sawing contest, a hockey game—”
