Lauren brought back a handful of napkins from the workroom and set them on the counter between them. “Thank goodness I’m over my morning sickness,” she murmured, returning to her own neatly made roast-beef sandwich.
Jordan shoved the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth and took a drink from his can of cola. It was several more minutes before he had washed it all down and could respond. “I haven’t had one of those since I was a teenager. I don’t remember them as being quite that sticky, but it tasted pretty good.”
“Better than it looked, I hope.”
“A little too moist maybe, but good. It’s the strangest thing, but all day yesterday I was craving a peanut butter sandwich. I didn’t have any peanut butter or jelly in my pantry and had to make a special trip to the grocery store last night.”
“It sounds like you’re the one who’s pregnant,” she teased. “I haven’t had any cravings at all.”
Jordan eyed her lunch critically. It contained most of the same items as the one she had started eating in the park last week. “You mean you eat like that even when you’re not pregnant?”
“There’s nothing wrong with this food,” she retorted good-naturedly. “Each of the four basic food groups is represented. There’s bread for the cereal group, the sandwich has beef and lettuce, which take care of the meat and the vegetable groups, and the cheese puffs have cheese for the milk group.”
“Oh, no, you may pull that on someone else, but I’m a doctor, remember, and I know for a fact that cheese puffs don’t count. And what about that chocolate cupcake? Which group does it belong to?” he asked, but a crooked grin betrayed his lack of conviction.
“Oh, I didn’t really want that cupcake. It’s for the baby,” she answered, with exaggerated wide-eyed innocence.
“So you’re already spoiling that child,” he exclaimed in mock horror, enjoying Lauren’s rare show of playfulness. She wasn’t acting as stuffy and tense as usual. And even though he had noticed how attractive she was before, when she smiled and looked at him with that amused little twinkle lighting up her incredibly blue eyes, he thought she was truly beautiful. The pink glow of her cheeks could probably be attributed to her pregnancy, but the rich honey gleam of her shoulder-length hair and the smooth perfection of her skin were completely natural. He realized he was staring at her, and quickly averted his gaze.
The rush of feelings inside him left him startled and shaken. It was as if he was seeing the female in her for the first time. Until now he had always thought of her as that woman who had gotten his sperm or the mother-to-be of his child. The thought of actually becoming interested in her as a person had not occurred to him, but now that it had, it made him uneasy.
Lauren finished her lunch and tossed her trash in the wastepaper basket behind her. “Would you like an orange?” she asked, reaching under the counter for the bowl of oranges she kept on a shelf for snacking. “I really love fruit and can’t wait until the plums and peaches start getting affordable at the grocery store. I even splurged and bought myself a piece of watermelon the other day. It cost as much as a whole melon does when they’re in season, but it was worth it.” She chattered on, unaware of the emotional turmoil that was going on within him. For some reason, today he seemed so unthreatening and pleasant that her feelings of wariness toward him were slipping away.
Jordan raked his fingers through his straight dark hair, pushing it off his forehead, even though he knew as soon as he removed his hand, it would fall back. It was a gesture of confusion and restlessness. He wanted to get up and pace while he sorted out this unexpected turn of events, but he didn’t want her to suspect his change of attitude until he understood it himself.
It hadn’t happened as suddenly as it seemed. As he thought about it more, he could remember how often he had glanced over at her the previous Saturday and it hadn’t been only because of his concern for their child’s wellbeing. No, he had enjoyed having a chance to look at her while she was unaware of his scrutiny. He had come to dread the coolness and the hostility that dropped over her whenever she was talking to him, and so he had enjoyed glimpsing the other side of her personality, the one she shared so generously with everyone else—the friendly, laughing, softly feminine side of her that she had kept from him until today. For some reason, today her defenses were not so strong nor her manner so untouchable. For the first time it occurred to him that maybe there could be another answer to their problem besides a custody agreement.
His original attempts at friendship had been because of the baby, but now his interest was growing to include Lauren just for herself. But he knew that she didn’t trust him, and with good reason. If, in the beginning, he had approached this problem with a cool head, he wouldn’t have to be walking on eggshells now. He wasn’t quite sure how he should go about convincing her that his intentions were honorable and that he wasn’t trying to get to know her better so he could trick her later.
A glance at his watch reminded him that he had other responsibilities. Before, his work had always come first. But at this moment he almost resented its intrusion. He didn’t want to leave Lauren yet, but he had no justifiable reason to stay any longer. “I guess I’d better be heading back to the lab,” he said, rolling his trash into a ball and lofting it into the wastepaper basket as if he were playing basketball. “Thanks for letting me come in from the rain. This was almost as good as a picnic, and without the ants.” Taking the orange from her, he dropped it into his pocket and added, “I’ll eat this when I take a break later.”
His grin was contagious and Lauren felt herself smiling at him as he left. She had actually enjoyed sharing her lunchtime with him. It had been better than eating alone. As long as they kept the conversation away from the baby, they seemed to get along pretty well. She liked his sense of humor and his intelligence. And there was no denying that he had a handsome face and well-proportioned body that most women—even Lauren—would find attractive.
A noise from the back room made her look around in time to see Rita rush through the door with water pouring off her umbrella. “It’s getting worse out there,” Rita commented after leaving the umbrella in the corner and coming into the shop. “It’s starting to rain really hard and I heard on the radio that it will be with us for a few days. I just hate weather like this. It’s so dreary outside and it takes all the curl out of my hair.”
“Uh huh,” Lauren answered automatically.
“I don’t think you’ve heard a word I said,” Rita accused. “From that smile on your face, it looks like you had a better lunch than I did. Is that peanut butter I smell?”
“Probably. Jordan dropped by and ate the yuckiest-looking sandwich I ever saw—and enjoyed it.”
“Jordan seems to be dropping by a lot lately. What do you suppose he’s trying to accomplish?”
“I really don’t know,” Lauren admitted. “He apologized for the way he acted in the cafeteria that day. He told me that he had had such a shock that he overreacted and said things he shouldn’t have. And I can understand that because I was pretty shocked, too. Since then he’s been a lot different. I still can’t decide if it’s all an act, but when he wants to, he can be a nice guy.”
“It sounds like you’re beginning to like him.”
“I wouldn’t go
that
far,” Lauren denied, a bit too quickly. “It’s just that I’m getting to where I can tolerate having him around—as long as he doesn’t mention the word custody. It’s too bad, really. Because if this is his baby, then he’s missing out on a lot of the excitement.”
“Is that a thread of doubt I hear in your voice?”
“No, I still think the odds are in my favor. But if by some chance it was his sperm, then I’d like to get to know a little more about him—for the child’s sake, of course.”
“Of course,” Rita echoed, sliding a questioning look at her boss.
“In a way it would sort of be an advantage. I would know the baby’s medical background, ancestry and how he or she will probably look when grown.”
“And if the baby looks like Jordan Daniels, it will be one lucky kid!” Rita couldn’t resist adding.
For once the weathermen were right and it was still raining the next day. A few customers called in orders, but most people seemed reluctant to go out in the mess if they didn’t absolutely have to, so the drop-ins were practically nonexistent. Lauren spent her spare time looking through order books and trying to decide which new services to add to her shop.
As noon approached Lauren and Rita got their lunches out of the cooler and spread them out on the counter. They preferred eating out here rather than in the workroom because customers could see them and know that the shop was open. Lauren found her gaze often straying to the front door and beyond, out into the misty gray rain, at the empty sidewalk.
She wouldn’t admit it, but she was mildly disappointed that Jordan hadn’t braved the elements again today and joined her for lunch. She and Rita passed the time debating the merits of mylar balloons over rubber ones, which was as dull as talking about the basic food groups, but yesterday’s conversation had kept her attention much better.
The afternoon was long and gloomy. Lauren had sent Rita home early and was about ready to close when Jordan rushed through the door.
“Whew, it’s wet out there,” he exclaimed, trying to confine his drips onto the mat in front of the door.
“No kidding,” Lauren drawled, trying to ignore the fact that she was inordinately pleased to see him.
“I got tied up at the lab and I was afraid you’d already be closed.”
“If you had been five minutes later, I would have been.”
“Then I’m glad I caught you.” He gingerly removed his raincoat and hung it on the brass rack.
Lauren couldn’t begin to guess what he would say or do next, but he had piqued her curiosity.
“I need to order some flowers for a very special woman,” he went on. “You do deliver, don’t you?”
The smile had frozen on Lauren’s face. Of all the things she had expected him to say, this had been the farthest from her mind. But of course, he would have a special woman in his life. No one who looked like him and had a successful, highly respected medical career would go through life alone. How stupid of her not to have considered this before. And how stupid of her to let it matter.
“Sure, what did you have in mind?” she asked in her best professional voice. “We’re getting a new shipment of cut flowers in tomorrow and some more potted plants.”
“Friday is her birthday, and I was hoping you could deliver them to her early that morning. And since you are aware of how little I know about flowers, I’m going to have to ask for your guidance. Something springlike and bright, especially if the weather is still like this. She’ll need something to brighten her day.”
Lauren offered him several suggestions, pointing out in pictures on her walls the flowers with which he wasn’t familiar. He finally decided on a hanging basket filled with hybrid red-and-white striped geraniums that smelled like peppermint.
“Where do you want this delivered and to whom?” Lauren returned to her stool behind the counter and pulled out her sales book.
“The address is 4021 Willowick. That’s not too far from here and someone will be there all day Friday.”
“That’s in River Oaks, isn’t it?” Lauren asked, referring to one of the most exclusive and expensive residential areas in Houston. She had no doubt that someone would be there all day. Even if the lady of the house was out, more than likely her maids, housekeeper, grounds keeper or possibly chauffeur would be around to open the door.
Jordan shrugged instead of replying to her question.
“And her name is?” Lauren prompted.
“Oh, yes, I guess you need to know that. It’s Janice Daniels.”
“Your wife?” Lauren couldn’t believe she had asked that. She had been so startled, it had somehow slipped out. Another surprise, and this was a biggie. So there was a Mrs. Jordan Daniels. Then why was he so concerned about getting custody of Lauren’s child? He and his wife could have one of their own.
Jordan cast her an assessing look. He had thought her attitude had chilled a little when he mentioned the flowers and now it was positively freezing in here. So she wasn’t as dispassionate toward him as she would like him to believe. He almost hated to tell her the truth. It would be interesting to see how she reacted when she met Mrs. Daniels. But glad as he was that he had gotten this little insight, he preferred the Lauren he had had lunch with yesterday. It was the first time she had treated him like a person rather than an ogre.
“Do you have one of those little cards that I can sign and send along with the flowers?” he asked, a mischievous twinkle highlighting his gray eyes. “Maybe one that says Happy Birthday, Mother or To Mother with all my love?”