The Only Solution Page 4

  She opened the door. She’d forgotten how tall Mack was and how he seemed to generate an electrical current just by standing still. Then she saw the blazing anger in his eyes, and the plastic smile melted from her face.

  “Where the hell have you been?” he stormed.

  Unwillingly, Wendy backed away from him, and he stepped across the threshold.

  “What do you mean? I’ve been right here!”

  “The neighbors said they hadn’t seen you since yesterday.”

  “Then they weren’t looking,” Wendy snapped.

  “Damn it, I told you not to go anywhere!”

  She was stunned, and then a gurgle of almost hysterical laughter escaped her. “Good heavens, you can’t have meant it literally! You actually expected Rory and me to stay inside these four walls till you showed up again? I had to go to work, you know – and by the way, you could have found me there all day.”

  “Haven’t you considered that I might have other things to do myself?”

  “So in the meantime, while you do your important things, I’m supposed to sit and wait for you? What an incredible ego you have! Or was something else bothering you instead?”

  He frowned.

  “You thought I’d run away, didn’t you?” She put her hands on her hips and stared up at him. “You said you trusted me with her,” she reminded. “What happened to that?”

  “That was before I knew you were still telling lies.”

  Wendy was honestly astonished. “What?”

  He pulled a newspaper from the pocket of his raincoat and thrust it at her. “Read this,” he ordered, “and tell me you’re not still playing games with the truth!”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Wendy hadn’t even seen a newspaper that day. Usually she managed to glance at the headlines, at least, but she couldn’t remember the last time she’d sat down and thoroughly read an entire edition. Certainly she hadn’t had time in the last few months.

  She took the paper carefully, as if it might burn her hand, and froze as she saw the story which spread across the bottom of the front page – an in-depth survey of what the bankruptcy and closing of the company she worked for would do to the local economy.

  “Oh,” she said lamely.

  “You said you were doing just fine, and that you had no need to extort money from anyone.” Mack’s voice was clipped, each word painfully distinct.

  “That was the truth. I never intended to ask for money!”

  She turned away and her toe bumped a stack of Rory’s stretchy sleepers, sending them cascading into disorder again. Automatically she sat down on the floor and started to fold them once more. It seemed very important that they be neat.

  He was standing over her, hands in the pockets of his raincoat.

  Wendy didn’t look up. “I called you after I lost my job because I intended to give Rory up – no strings attached – because I thought it would be best for her. Then when you were so almighty condescending, I changed my mind. I thought it was better for her to be loved, no matter how poor we were.”

  He said something under his breath.

  Wendy didn’t bother to listen. “Then when you showed up and said you were going to take her no matter what, my circumstances didn’t make a difference any more. So I didn’t tell you.” She looked down at the tiny playsuit in her lap. Her voice trembled just a little. “It’s none of your concern whether I have a job or not.”

  There was a long silence. Then Mack took his raincoat off and flung it over a chair. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I panicked. I thought something had happened to both of you.”

  “You mean, you thought I’d kidnapped her.”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  She simply looked at him, unbelieving.

  “May I go and peek at Rory?”

  “Don’t worry, I haven’t spirited her away and substituted a rag doll.”

  “I said I’m sorry, Wendy.” He walked quietly down the hall toward the baby’s room.

  By the time he came back, Wendy was a little calmer, but she still couldn’t look straight at him. “I only took her to see Santa Claus, Mack. If I’d had any idea it would cause all this trouble...” Her voice trailed off, but then she added firmly, “I’d have done it anyway, because it was no big deal!”

  He sat on the edge of a swivel chair. “All right, I should have called you as soon as I got into town, but I was tied up in a business conference. Can we just let go of it?”

  She was angry, but not particularly surprised that the Burgess Group’s affairs would come before Rory. What else had she expected, after all? “It’s nice to know you’re being so efficient,” she said coolly, “and combining business with... I was going to say pleasure, but Rory’s more like an obligation, isn’t she? Damn it, why didn’t I have the sense to believe Marissa and leave you out of it?” She pounded her fist on the stack of tiny sleepers.

  He waited till she was quiet once more, her hands resting on the stack of baby clothes and her head drooping. “I told my parents over the weekend. They want Rory, of course.”

  Wendy bit her lip. It was strange, but now that the blow had actually landed, it didn’t hurt as badly as she had expected. Either she’d prepared herself better than she’d thought, or she was just numb and the ache would come later. “They’re going to raise her themselves?”

  “Any better suggestions?”

  “I thought perhaps you...” She looked up. “I thought maybe you had a family.”

  He shook his head. “What made you assume that, I wonder?”

  “Does it matter?” She straightened her shoulders and tried to keep her voice level and matter-of-fact. “When are you going to take her?”

  Some of the tension seemed to go out of him, as if he was relieved she was taking it calmly after all. “My business will keep me tied up till Wednesday. I’m planning to catch a flight that afternoon.”

  “That’s the day before Christmas Eve.” If she had stopped to think about it, Wendy would have realized the Burgesses would want Rory by Christmas. But the idea hadn’t occurred to her, and the words were like a stab straight to her heart. “But it’s so close,” she whispered. “And it’s her first Christmas!”

  He nodded. “That’s what they said, too.”

  She couldn’t blame the Burgesses, of course. The first Christmas after their daughter’s death would be a difficult time at best. To suddenly find that she was not completely gone after all, that she had left a child, was a gift beyond price. Of course they wanted Rory to share the holidays with her family.

  But they would have all the Christmases of Rory’s life, Wendy thought. Was it asking too much for her to have one? Just one single memory...

  Of course, she was being unrealistic. And the calendar didn’t matter anyway. Rory didn’t know one day from another, so Wendy would simply declare tomorrow to be Christmas – if Mack would agree to let her keep the baby forty-eight more hours, till he went back to Chicago. She wet her lips. “May I have her until you leave?”

  She was supposed to work tomorrow; it was scheduled to be her last day on the job. But she’d find a way to get around that, if he would only agree. If she could have one last long, full day with Rory...

  He stared at her for a long time, as if trying to read her intentions, and finally nodded.

  Had he seen the haunted, begging look in her eyes and adjusted his plans for her sake? Or had he decided to take a chance because it was easier than arranging a couple of days of child care while he finished his business?

  She told herself not to be cynical, but it didn’t help much.

  “Thank you.” Her voice cracked a little. “It will take a while just to get her things packed up.”

  “Don’t bother with anything that isn’t portable,” he said quickly. “It’s easier to buy new than to pack everything up and move it.”

  That seemed to be the Burgess attitude about lots of things, Wendy thought, remembering the way the attorney had so lightly disposed of all Marissa�
�s personal belongings. Not that Mack wasn’t right, of course, at least where the furniture was concerned. It would probably cost more to crate and ship Rory’s crib than it was worth – especially since Wendy hadn’t been able to afford the kind she would have liked to buy.

  “In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Marissa’s own crib is still around somewhere,” he mused. “I wonder if Mother’s thought of that.”

  “I’m sure it’s much nicer than this one.” Wendy tried not to let bitterness creep into her voice, but she knew she failed.

  He put a hand out as if in sympathy, and then drew it back without touching her. Slowly, he said, “This is going to be hard on Rory, you know. Leaving everything that’s familiar, all at once.”

  Tears stung Wendy’s eyes. “You think I don’t already know that? She relies on me. I’ve been the center of her world since she was six weeks old.” She broke off, her voice choked with tears.

  “My parents have invited you to come for Christmas, to help her make the adjustment.”

  “How gracious of them. I suppose it’s something like taking along her security blanket.”

  His mouth tightened. “As a matter of fact, I think it was gracious. You’ve kept their granddaughter away from them for months. They’ve got no reason to feel fond of you.”

  Wendy felt as if she’d been slapped. “No, thank you.” She jumped up from the floor.

  He was on his feet instantly. “Wendy, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so clumsy. I know you’re sensitive about losing her.”

  “You haven’t any idea what I’m feeling, Mack Burgess! I doubt you’re even capable of understanding what it means to love somebody so much that you’d die for her!” She clenched her fists till her nails cut her skin.

  “Then surely, for Rory’s sake, you’ll come.”

  Was she so selfish that she wasn’t willing to extend her own pain if it would make things easier for Rory? She had no illusions about the reception she was likely to get; the Burgesses might maintain the polite fiction that she was a guest, but her visit was apt to be stiff and unpleasant.

  But what did that matter? Even if she had to suffer a few days of scorn, a few thinly-veiled insults, surely she could stand it if in the long run Rory would be better off. What other options did she have?

  Would going to Chicago really do any good, though, or would her presence just increase the tension and make the baby unhappier still? She sat down on the edge of a chair and shook her head a little in confusion.

  Mack took it as a refusal. “Is there somewhere else you need to be at Christmas? With your family, maybe?”

  “No.” There wasn’t any family left, but he wouldn’t be interested in that fact.

  “A boyfriend, then?” His voice was crisp, as if he was about to accuse her of immoral conduct around the baby.

  Wendy managed a half-smile. The mere thought of a romantic interest had its humorous side; since Rory came into her life, she’d almost forgotten what it was like to date. She hadn’t even had time to notice men in general, much less get interested in any one of them. Mack was the first man she’d spent any time with, in all the months since Rory had become the center of her life. Maybe that explained why she’d felt such an overwhelming sensation a few minutes ago when she opened the door and saw him.

  “Obviously,” she said, “you don’t understand how fast men vanish when there’s a baby taking priority. No, it was just going to be Rory and me.”

  “Then why not come? For her sake.” He dropped to one knee beside her chair. “You’d have a few more days with her. Maybe you’d even come to see that my parents aren’t quite the ogres Marissa described.”

  She lifted her eyebrows doubtfully.

  “Or is that what you’re afraid of? Would you rather nurse your resentments instead of trying to overcome them?” His tone was cool. “Perhaps you’re more like Marissa than I thought.”

  She glared at him. “If that’s a challenge, I accept it.”

  “Good.” He stood up. “I’ll stop by tomorrow to see the baby, and I’ll let you know then what time our flight will be.”

  *****

  Like all babies, Rory could feel stress in the air no matter how much Wendy tried to hide it, and she reacted badly. On Wednesday, as Wendy was rushing around trying to pack her own clothes, Rory started to scream. Nothing comforted her – not a bottle, not a pacifier, not a lullaby – and she kept up the noise till she was hot and red-faced and trembling.

  When Mack appeared at the door Wendy was actually glad to see him. The sensation took her by surprise for an instant; why should she be happy, when the man was wrenching her life apart?

  She dismissed the feeling and thrust the baby at him. “Here,” she said. “You deal with this. I’m busy.”

  The abrupt change of caretaker didn’t make Rory any happier. Mack followed Wendy down the hall, the baby in his arms. “What’s wrong with her?” he asked over the din.

  “She seems to have antennae specially tuned to pick up stress.”

  “Oh. Well, in a minute we can all relax. The taxi’s waiting.”

  “Maybe you can relax,” Wendy muttered. She looked from him to the hopeless tangle of clothing on her bed, next to the suitcase. Her nerves were so frazzled she couldn’t even begin to think about what she might need in Chicago. She’d put in sweaters and slacks and her new rust-colored suit, of course, but what else should she take?

  She shot a look at Mack. He was more casually dressed than she’d seen him before, in chinos and a soft sweater over an open-necked shirt. The shoulder of his sweater was already spotted by Rory’s tears, but Mack hadn’t noticed yet, so she didn’t point it out.

  Wendy slammed the suitcase closed. What she had already packed would just have to do. It wasn’t likely she’d be traveling in high society, anyway. Even if the Burgesses did, they weren’t apt to want to show her off to their friends.

  She took a lightweight trench coat out of her closet.

  “You’ll want something heavier than that,” Mack warned. “It’s winter in the Midwest.”

  “I’ve always lived in Arizona, Mack. I don’t own anything heavier.”

  “I suppose that goes for Rory, too?”

  “I looked yesterday,” Wendy said briefly. “I didn’t find a thing. Stores in Phoenix don’t sell a lot of snowsuits, you know.”

  “Well, we’ll just wrap her in a blanket, I guess. Do you have one in the carry-on?”

  Wendy nodded. The baby had quieted in the security of Mack’s arms, but she was still giving a hiccup-like sob once in a while, as if to remind everyone how very unhappy she was. But she started to cry in earnest once more when Wendy began to put her hooded sweater and mittens on.

  Mack leaned over the changing table to tickle Rory’s chin. “If you don’t like your sweater, just wait till you get to Chicago, sprout,” he warned. “You’ll find out what ‘bundled up’ really means.”

  “She normally isn’t like this,” Wendy muttered. “She’s a very good baby, really. She likes adventures and walks...”

  “You amaze me, Wendy.”

  “Why?”

  “I’d have thought you’d be telling me what a terrible child this is, so I’d have second thoughts about the trip.”

  “Would it make any difference?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Then why waste my breath?” She settled the baby securely into her safety seat and took one last look around the room. It was obviously no longer a nursery; it looked forlorn, with all of Rory’s toys and clothes and equipment packed up and ready to go. Despite what Mack had said, Wendy couldn’t bring herself to leave Rory’s belongings behind. Familiar toys and her own mobile hanging from a new crib might make a difference. Wendy hadn’t even kept a stuffed animal as a memento, for anything which held memories for her was precious to Rory, too, and she couldn’t bear to take something from the child.

  She took a deep breath and turned toward the door. One small suitcase for her; two large ones and a carry
-on for Rory. The baby’s whole life was packed up in those three pieces of luggage.

  She expected Mack to complain, but he calmly watched as the taxi driver efficiently rearranged the trunk to get everything in. “It’s a good thing I’ve only got a garment bag and a briefcase,” he said finally. “Or is it a general rule that the smaller the person, the more baggage she has?”

  She didn’t look directly at him. “I thought if she had her own toys, at least...”

  She thought she saw a gentle smile tug at the corner of his mouth, but he’d turned away to pick up a suitcase before she could be sure.

  At the airport, the boarding area was already full, and Wendy looked around in dismay. She should have known better than to hope for a near-empty plane so close to Christmas, she supposed. The idea of Rory screaming through several hours in the air wasn’t inviting under any circumstances, but if a plane full of people had to listen to her, things would be even worse.

  Don’t borrow trouble, Wendy told herself. Rory was being very good at the moment, even though she was obviously over-excited by all the noise and confusion.

  Mack had booked them into first class where things were quieter, and once the passengers were all settled, Rory seemed to relax a little too. But though she took her bottle as the flight attendant suggested while they climbed to cruising altitude, the change in air pressure seemed to bother her. She tugged at her ears and whimpered fretfully, and they were halfway to Chicago by the time Mack got her to settle down. He did it by reclining his seat as far as possible and balancing her on his chest. Wendy supposed the baby was soothed by his warmth and the steady drum of his heartbeat.

  To all appearances, Mack went to sleep too, leaving Wendy with nothing but her thoughts to occupy her. She watched the billowy clouds far below the plane for a while, thinking about what kind of reception might be waiting in Chicago. For Rory, there would be hugs and tears and confusion. For Wendy, on the other hand...