Vanessa's Match (4 page)

“I know, but I thought it would be good for Lindy’s self-esteem, and the kids will be in bed asleep when we get home, which will be nice.”

“Okay. Do you want to talk to her?”

“I’ll call on your line, if you want, and we can pretend this conversation never happened. Okay?”

“Sure. Give me a couple of minutes to get back upstairs. And, Becca? Thanks.”

Vanessa could hear the smile in her sister’s voice. When Rebecca said, “I wasn’t around when you were little. It’s the least I can do. And it helps me, too.”

After hanging up, Vanessa hurried upstairs. Rebecca was right. Baby-sitting
would
help Lindy’s self-esteem. She composed her features so Lindy wouldn’t know what was happening until Rebecca called.

Lindy looked up. “Is everything okay?”

“Sure. Betty wanted to see if we’d be happy with what she was thinking about for dinner. But I told her we always love anything she fixes,” Vanessa said with a smile.

Before Lindy could ask what was for dinner, which Vanessa realized would have been the snag in her story, the phone rang again. “Hello?” Vanessa answered. “Oh, hi, Becca. Yes, she’s here.” She handed the phone to Lindy, who looked apprehensive.

That apprehension turned to delight as Lindy listened to Rebecca’s request. After agreeing to the offer, she hung up the phone and turned to Vanessa in excitement.

“She wants me to baby-sit! She said the kids like me and she thinks I’ll be responsible! Isn’t that amazing?”

“I think it’s perfectly normal. How much is she paying you?”

“Paying me? Oh, no, she shouldn’t pay me!”

“Why not?”

Lindy gave her a shocked look. “But I’m just—Isn’t that something you do for each other?”

“Maybe, and she knows that I’d baby-sit for her, but she wants to have the kids in bed on time in their own beds. That means someone has to be inconvenienced by coming to her house. And
that
means she’ll pay you.”

“And you think I should accept it?”

“Yes, I think you should.”

“I’ll give the money to you, of course.”

“Why would you do that?”

“To help pay for the things you’ve bought me.”

Vanessa smiled and shook her head. “Your brother is paying for everything. You can offer him the money if you want, but he won’t take it.”

Lindy seemed thrilled, and wandered off to her room with a big smile.

Now that she was alone, it was time for Vanessa to put into action her earlier plan. Lindy wanted a picture of her father, and that’s just what she would get. No matter that Vanessa had to go to Rick to get it.

When Rick answered his cell phone after he got back to his hotel, a familiar voice sounded in his ear.

“Hi, Mrs. Abby. Everything okay?”

“Of course,” his housekeeper replied. “But I have a question. Miss Shaw called earlier today. She asked if you had a spare picture of your father for Lindy. Apparently the child doesn’t have a photo of him.”

Rick couldn’t think of anything to say. While he was annoyed that Vanessa had called, a sadness niggled at the thought that Lindy didn’t have a picture of her own father. Every child should have that, he thought, and again he took responsibility for not thinking of that nine years ago. He’d just assumed Anita—He pulled up short on that thought; he should’ve known better than to expect anything from that woman.

Before he could reply, Mrs. Abby continued.

“Miss Shaw suggested I might find a photo or duplicate one so you could give it to Lindy Wednesday night. When I said I would, she said not to do it
without checking with you first, because she didn’t want to make you mad.”

Rick growled inwardly. The sadness and sympathy he had felt for Lindy were pushed out by anger and indignation, thanks to that incendiary comment. To believe that—and to say it to his housekeeper! That was all he needed, for Vanessa to make him sound like an unfeeling animal.

“She sounded very nice on the phone,” Mrs. Abby said. “Why would that make you mad?”

“It wouldn’t have. She’s a difficult female, that’s all.”

“Hmmm. Whatever you say. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

“Uh, Mrs. Abby,” he said quickly, stopping her from hanging up. “How did Miss Shaw get my number at the house?”

“She said she’d spoken to your attorney.” She paused. “That was all right, wasn’t it?”

“Fine.” No sense bringing his housekeeper into his feud with Vanessa. “I’ll be home late tomorrow night. Don’t wait up for me.” He always said that, and she always did anyway.

“Yes, sir.”

Rick shut off his cell phone before he let out a few choice words about Vanessa Shaw. She’d already disrupted his sleep since he’d met her. Now she’d managed to upset Mrs. Abby, too.

Of course he wouldn’t mind giving Lindy a picture of their dad. He hadn’t realized she didn’t
have one. Dad would’ve wanted—He wasn’t going to think about what his dad would’ve wanted. Not now. That only led to thoughts about that damn Vanessa Shaw! And his own guilty conscience.

He was tired. Tonight he wanted to get a good night’s sleep—at least one good night before he had to face Vanessa Shaw again.

V
ANESSA PICKED UP
Lindy from her baby-sitting job when she called to say Rebecca and Jeff were home. Since they only lived five minutes away, it didn’t take long. Lindy seemed happy, but when they got in the car, after saying goodbye, she almost exploded in excitement.

“Jeff paid me fifteen dollars, Vanessa! Fifteen dollars! I’ve never earned any money before. Can you believe he paid me that much?”

“Hmmm, I thought the going rate was maybe twenty dollars for the night,” Vanessa said. “I didn’t realize Jeff was cheap. I’ll have to complain.”

“Vanessa, no! You can’t complain! I—”

Vanessa laughed. “I’m teasing you, honey. I think fifteen dollars is a generous payment.”

“Oh! I can’t believe you did that to me!” Lindy shouted before she began giggling. “You had me so worried.”

“I’m glad you’re not upset. And I’m glad you have a sense of humor. You’ve been too serious way too long.”

“I know. But I didn’t have anything to laugh about.”

Vanessa reached out and caught Lindy’s hand. “But your life has changed now, and you need to do a lot more laughing.”

“Yes,” Lindy agreed with a smile.

They rode in silence the rest of the way home. But when they were walking up the stairs on their way to bed, Lindy asked, “Do you think Rick laughs much?”

Vanessa didn’t want to answer that question. But she believed in being honest if she could. So, after they reached the top of the stairs, she stopped and looked at Lindy. “No, honey, I don’t. But I don’t think that’s any of my business.”

“But, Vanessa, it’s my business, isn’t it?”

“I suppose so.”

“And I’m your business, aren’t I?”

“Yes, of course, honey, but—”

“So that makes Rick your business, too.”

Vanessa turned and continued on to Lindy’s room. Lindy followed her. When Vanessa got to the room, she sat down on the bed and patted the space beside her for Lindy.

“Sweetheart, don’t you want to be my business?”

“Yes, of course.”

“I’m glad. But Rick doesn’t want to be part of my business. And if he doesn’t want that, then there’s nothing I can do for him.”

“Maybe…maybe Wednesday night you could tell some jokes?” Lindy asked hopefully.

Vanessa chuckled. “Obviously you’ve never heard me tell a joke. I’m no good at that.”

“Really? Do you know any jokes?”

“No, Lindy, I don’t. If you laugh, maybe he’ll catch on. Maybe just being around you will help him laugh more.”

“But I don’t think I’ll see him much after Wednesday night. After all, he won’t have the excuse of showing me the house.”

“Perhaps you can invite him to dinner over here again later on. And I think we should invite Mrs. Abby to lunch before you start back to school. She’ll want to see where you live, and meet Betty. That way, she’ll know you’re being well taken care of.”

“I haven’t seen her since I was six, when Dad was alive. Do you think she’ll care?”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. She called tonight to confirm Wednesday and she wanted me to tell you how much she is looking forward to seeing you.”

“She did? You know, she and my mom didn’t get along. I thought maybe she’d think I was like Mom, too.” A worried look settled on her brow, and Vanessa couldn’t help but put an arm around her.

“I don’t think there’s even a chance she’ll think you’re like your mom, honey. There’s not a mean bone in you.”

“Mom wasn’t mean, Vanessa. I don’t want you to think that. She just—just didn’t think of anyone but herself. She told me it was because she grew up poor.”

Vanessa didn’t want to hear the woman’s excuses. It didn’t matter how she grew up. A child was a child, and she needed love and care from a parent who put her first, regardless of the mother’s upbringing. But she’d spare Lindy another lecture tonight. Instead she said, “Well, Mrs. Abby will like you just the way you are, I promise.”

Lindy smiled and nodded. “I’m so looking forward to Wednesday!”

“I know you are. But try to get some sleep between now and then or Mrs. Abby will think I’m working you to the bone!”

As Vanessa rose to leave, Lindy laughed. Vanessa bent to kiss the girl’s cheek. “Good night, honey. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night.”

Vanessa went back downstairs. She wanted some decaf coffee before bed. She needed to think.

Betty was still in the kitchen when she entered.

“Why, hello, child. I thought you’d gone up already,” Betty said.

“No, I thought I’d fix a cup of coffee.”

“I’m fixing a pot now for your parents. They’re in the library if you want to join them.”

“All right, I will. Thank you, Betty.”

She rapped on the door before she opened it. She didn’t want to take her parents by surprise. Sometimes they acted like newlyweds.

“Mind if I join you?” she asked after she opened the door.

“Of course not, dear. Come on in,” Vivian said. “What are you doing?”

“I was going to make myself a cup of coffee but Betty said to just come join you because she’s bringing you coffee.”

“We’re glad you did,” Will said. “Did you get Lindy home all right?”

“Yes. She was terribly excited, though. Jeff paid her fifteen dollars for baby-sitting.”

Will smiled. “The first money you earn is always the biggest amount.”

“Yes, and it occurred to me that I’ve never held down a job, except at school. So Lindy is ahead of me.”

“So you’re upset that I told you to study harder instead of taking a job away from someone who needed it?” Vivian asked.

“No, Mom, but—but I think I might’ve learned a lot by earning an honest paycheck.”

“You want to fill in when Carrie goes on leave?” Will suddenly asked, leaning forward. His assistant, and Vanessa’s friend, was having a baby. Vanessa would be an aunt again, since Carrie had married her brother Jim after helping to locate the missing sibling. Jim had just gotten discharged from the Marines, where he’d been a captain, and was now working at Will’s private investigation firm.

“I’d love to help out, Will, but I have classes to teach.”

“See? I think maybe your mother is pretty smart.”

Vanessa laughed. “I get paid for teaching at the university. It’s not much, but I do earn it. I meant when I was a teenager.”

“Well,” Will said, sitting back, “I can’t help you there. I wasn’t around then.”

“No, Will, but I wish you had been. And I think Mom does, too.” Vanessa looked at her mother for agreement.

“I’m not sure God would appreciate me agreeing with you, dear, but I can certainly say I’m glad he came along.” She smiled lovingly at her husband.

He lifted her hand to his lips. “Me, too, sweetheart.”

Vanessa smiled at the pair. She’d never seen her mother so happy as after she’d gotten together with Will. Not that her marriage to Herbert Shaw had been unlivable, but Will was warm, open about his feelings, demonstrative. They shared something really special.

Would Vanessa ever find that kind of happiness?

She’d dated some, had certainly had her share of boyfriends in high school and college. Lately, though, because she was involved with her doctorate and teaching, she hadn’t had much time for romantic pursuits.

Did Rick have a girlfriend?

Where had that thought come from? Wherever it came from, she sent it back. There was no point in
pursuing that line of thinking. Except for the fact that Rick Austin was Lindy’s brother, the man didn’t matter to her in any way.

Still, she asked her mother and Will, “What do you think about Rick Austin?”

Will’s gaze sharpened. “Why?”

Vanessa didn’t meet his eye. It was hard enough to admit to
herself
that she found the man interesting, much less to Will and Vivian. “I just wondered.”

The two older people exchanged looks. Then Vivian said, “I like him. He seems to be a true gentleman.”

“Of course he is to you, Mom,” Vanessa said wryly.

Will sat up. “Are you saying he hasn’t been a gentleman to you, Vanessa?” He was frowning.

“No, Will, don’t go all protective on me. I’m just saying he—he doesn’t treat me like he treats Mom.”

“I don’t blame him for that, Vanessa,” Will said on a laugh.

Just then, Betty came into the library carrying a tray with coffee and cookies.

“Yum, Betty,” Vanessa exclaimed.

“I brought cookies just because Mr. Will gets hungry late at night. But he might be willing to share.”

“Maybe,” Will said, but Vanessa saw him wink at Betty.

Betty smiled and left the room.

“Well, are you going to share, you rat?” Vanessa asked.

Vivian, reaching out for a cookie without asking,
said, “That’s her favorite word. I’ve tried to persuade her not to use it, but I haven’t had much success.”

Will grinned. “Yes, the rat will share, child. Betty brought two for each of us.”

“Ah, good.” Vanessa got her coffee and two cookies and returned to her seat. Then she brought the conversation back to the man who occupied a lot of her thoughts. “Lindy is worried that Rick doesn’t laugh much.”

“What made her think of that?” Vivian asked.

“I was teasing her earlier and she started giggling. I told her I was glad she had a sense of humor, that it was important to laugh.”

“That’s true,” Will agreed.

“So when we got home, she wanted to know if I thought Rick laughed much.” She sighed before she said, “I had to be honest. I said no.”

“He’s a very serious young man,” Vivian said.

“Yes, he is.” So much so that it made her heart ache for him. She knew he felt guilty about Lindy, which was a good thing. In fact, she was relieved to know that he had a conscience. It made him appear different from her own father, thank goodness.

“What did Lindy say then?” Will asked.

“She wanted to know if I could tell some jokes Wednesday night at dinner.”

Will burst out laughing, but Vivian sighed.

“She’s such a darling, isn’t she?” Vivian said.

“Yes, she is. Did you know she hasn’t had a
picture of her father since he died? When I found out today I called his housekeeper and asked her to find one that Lindy could bring back home with her…after Mrs. Abby gets Rick’s permission. I didn’t want to appear to be doing something behind his back.”

“Oh, I’m glad you did that, dear.”

“Yeah,” Will agreed. “Her mother has a lot to answer for, but I guess we’ll have to leave that up to God, since she’s already gone.”

“Yes, I guess so.” Vanessa stood. “Well, now that I’ve had my cookies and coffee, I’ll go up to bed. I just wanted to—to get those things off my chest.”

“We’re glad you did, sweetheart. Sleep well.”

Vanessa kissed both of them on their cheeks and headed for her bedroom. Will and her mom were always willing to listen. She didn’t know what she’d do without them.

Not that she told them everything. Her true opinion about Rick Austin had to remain a secret. It would undermine her resistance to him if she ever let anyone know about that.

R
ICK HAD TOLD
S
HARON
to be there at seven o’clock for dinner, but when the doorbell rang as the hall clock chimed the hour, he knew it wasn’t Sharon. She was notorious for being late.

Sure enough, when he opened the door, his half sister and Vanessa stood there. “Come in. You’re right on time.”

“Vanessa said it would be rude to be late,” Lindy said with a smile.

He wished Sharon showed that consideration. As he led them into the living room, he noticed Vanessa looking around, but he wasn’t worried. His mother had bought the furniture and, in spite of his stepmother’s protests, it had remained the same. To him, it was a warm, comfortable room.