Angel Baby (4 page)

Though her friend might complain about it, Claudia was glad
Melanie and Ryan still had the old furniture from their apartment in Milltown.
She’d almost felt out of place walking up the front steps to the door of this
sweet little bungalow in the country.

“I love the house. It’s just like you described. Hansel and
Gretel meet the modern age.”

“Thanks,” Melanie said as she extricated her hair from the
soggy grip of the nine-month-old on her lap. “And remember, we’ve got three
bedrooms...plenty of room for you and my little god-daughter to crash if things
go right.”

Claudia crossed her fingers and said, “Here’s hoping. I can’t
tell you how much I appreciate you letting me know about this job.”

“What are friends for? You’d do the same for me in a
minute.”

Claudia blinked rapidly as she felt tears rise in her eyes.
She couldn’t believe how much she’d missed Melanie and Ryan in the year and a
half since she’d moved to Philadelphia. It seemed like such a simple thing,
having friends. She never knew how much she needed them until she was alone in
a big city where she knew no one.

“So, what time’s your interview?” Melanie asked as she sat
down and started bouncing the baby in her lap.

“Two-thirty. They wanted to make it this morning, but I
didn’t want to drive up last night after work. I don’t like driving after dark
with the baby.”

Melanie didn’t respond. Claudia saw the sympathy cloud her
friend's eyes.

“I’m all right,” she said, knowing what her friend was
silently asking.

“Has there been any word? Did they ever catch the driver?”

Claudia shook her head once and glanced around the room
searching for another topic of conversation. Just then, her eyes fell on the
mantle where a framed picture stood proudly in the center.

“I remember that day,” Claudia said with a smile. “Ryan and
Joe were so proud of that puny string of fish they caught.”

“And expected us to clean them,” Melanie replied with a
little laugh.

“And then you came out carrying a tray of frozen fish
sticks...I thought Ryan was going to dump it on your head.”

As the two dissolved into giggles, a comforting warmth
settled deep inside Claudia. She glanced back toward the picture, waiting for
the rush of sorrow to grip her as she looked into the smiling faces of Melanie
and Ryan, and herself...and Joe. But it didn’t come. Instead there was just a
tender glow while happy memories danced in her mind.

“So, anything special I need to do for Miss Sarah here while
Mommy’s off wowing them at her job interview?” Melanie asked as she bounced the
baby on her knee.

“Bottles are in the diaper bag, and her porta-crib is in the
car. I’ll get it out before I leave,” Claudia said. “She should sleep for you,
at least for an hour or so. She’s such an angel. Mrs. Nunez says she’s the
best-tempered baby she’s ever seen.”

“She seemed like a great babysitter. It’s lucky you found
her.”

"I know," Claudia said with a nod. "She'll be
heartbroken if we leave Philadelphia."

Melanie grinned, "But I'll be utterly thrilled."

"Me too," Claudia admitted.

“Well, you’d better get going. You have the directions to
Paxton’s office?”

Claudia nodded. “I have to thank you again....”

“Save it,” Melanie interrupted. “If you get the job, you can
thank Ryan. He’s the one who heard about it at work. He really likes working
for this company, even though he’s only been there for two months. I don’t
think he’d have told you about it otherwise. Though, of course, he wants you
and Sarah to move back here as much as I do.”

“Say a prayer for me,” Claudia said as she gave Melanie a
quick hug.

Melanie, carrying the baby, walked her to the door. Claudia
gave Sarah a kiss on one pudgy cheek, and then gently squeezed her little hand.

“You be a good girl for Aunt Melanie, okay, baby?”

“We’ll be just fine,” Melanie assured her. “Now go...knock
‘em dead.”

An hour and a half later, Claudia sat in the lobby area of a
two story office building in downtown Shelbyville. Downtown...that was a
generous word, she supposed. Shelbyville was a country village, with a Main
Street and a Market Street and not much else. There was a general store with a
post office counter, a fire house, a few small antique shops for those Sunday
"drive in the country" visitors, and a town hall. This building was
brand new, and Claudia was pleased to note it had been built in mellowed brick
to blend with the quaintness of the little town. She’d been surprised to hear
that any company would build its headquarters here, when Milltown was only
twenty minutes away, but Ryan and Melanie had told her the company did work all
over the state, and the owner wanted the headquarters near his home.

Claudia sat quietly, watching a receptionist answer phones
and sort files. Casting another surreptitious look at her watch, she noted that
it was already nearly three o’clock. She’d been kept waiting for a half-hour
past her interview time. This did not bode well.

“I’m really sorry, Mrs. Warren. Mr. Paxton is generally very
prompt...it’s just that he’s meeting with one of the city architects. We’re
having a major problem with the new Courts building we’re working on.”

“It’s all right,” Claudia assured her.

The receptionist smiled weakly then returned her attention
to her pile of correspondence. Claudia glanced at her watch again, then saw the
office door open and a flushed, harried-looking man rush out.

“Ah, the meeting must have broken up,” the receptionist
said.

The man hurried toward the door of the building, not even
glancing at the two women in the lobby. Claudia assumed he was not the owner of
Paxton Construction. A few seconds later, an intercom on the receptionist’s
desk buzzed.

“That was Mr. Paxton. You can go right in,” she said to
Claudia. “Good luck.”

Claudia smiled back at her, thankful for the other woman’s
typical small-town kindness. Standing, she smoothed the skirt of her cream
colored suit, took a deep breath and picked up her leather attaché. She glanced
at the receptionist, who gestured toward a rear office door, and then made her
way toward it. 

Claudia pushed open the door to find a small, empty office
with what appeared to be an administrative assistant’s desk. Next to the desk
was a set of heavy double oak doors with a "private" sign. Claudia
paused, unsure how to proceed. Should she wait here in the outer office until
the assistant came back? Then again, the receptionist had told her to go right
in. Still uncertain, Claudia walked to the heavy doors and knocked lightly.

 “Come in,” a voice called out from inside.

Squaring her shoulders, Claudia entered the inner office.
The only occupant of the room sat in a swivel chair behind a desk, his back to
her. He was speaking on the telephone, looking out a large arched window that
covered one wall. All she could see was his dark brown hair and broad
shoulders, clad in a crisp white dress shirt, and the one arm holding up the
receiver. His shirt sleeves were rolled to his elbow, exposing a tanned,
muscled forearm. This was no pale, MBA business owner. This man had obviously
worked on a few construction sites himself.

Claudia took a moment to glance around the office. His
massive cherry desk was immaculately clean with only a notepad, an expensive
gold pen, a rolled up blueprint and an out-of-place, junky paperweight shaped
like the Washington Monument. Large framed photographs hung on three walls,
depicting various completed buildings which she imagined had been built by
Paxton Construction. Claudia recognized two of the larger office buildings;
she’d seen them in Milltown, and knew they were major projects that had boosted
the city’s economy greatly.

“I really don’t like that word, Kincaid. You know I hate to
hear the word ‘can’t’. Now, until you can think of another word to describe
what we can do about getting that shipment in on time, don’t bother to call me
again.”

Claudia watched as Mr. Paxton shook his head in irritation,
wondering why she suddenly was struck with a strong feeling of recognition. His
voice, strong, and abrupt, tickled her memory. She placed it just as he turned
in his chair to face her.

“Galahad…,” she said as she recognized the man she’d met in
a cold and lonely graveyard nine months before. Her jaw unhinged and shock
washed over her.

“Clod,” he mumbled as he studied her from head to toe.

Chase shook his head slowly. He could not believe Claudia
was standing here, in his office. He had tried to find her, after that night
when the howling ambulance had driven her out of his driveway, but hadn’t been
able to track her down. He’d pretty much given up on finding out what ever
happened to the woman whose baby he had helped deliver.

“I can’t believe it’s you,” Claudia stammered. “I mean, I
knew you lived near here. In fact, I was hoping that if I came back I’d be able
to track you down...to thank you.”

“What the hell happened to you?” Chase asked, his tone harsh.

Claudia took a slight step back. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you disappeared off the face of the earth. I went
to the hospital to check on you and they said you’d stayed one night and then
left. And they wouldn’t tell me another damned thing. I began to think I
imagined it all. Only the mess in my bedroom convinced me it was real.”

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, “I really wanted to contact you,
but I never found out your last name. And I haven’t been back here since then.”

Chase saw her pale hands shake a bit, and realized he was
being abrasive. “I was just worried about you, that’s all,” Chase said, trying
to gentle his tone. “It’s not every day you help deliver a stranger’s baby.”

Claudia didn’t respond for a moment. Chase knew her thoughts
had returned to those frantic hours last October. He could hardly believe this
was the same woman he’d met that night.

She was tall. In his memories, he had somehow lopped a few
inches off her height, perhaps because she’d seemed so tiny to him, with her
delicate features and slim hands and arms. Her hair was the same stunning blend
of colors—brown, red, gold, all mixed together. There was no huge belly
sticking out in front of her, and her light colored suit and peach blouse
hugged her slim body. The eyes, though...there was no mistaking those deep
green eyes. Chase didn’t even want to begin to remember how her pain-filled
eyes had haunted him for so many months.

“I live in Philadelphia,” Claudia explained softly. “The
hospital in Milltown wasn’t on my insurance plan. So I checked out as soon as
the doctor said it was all right, staying with friends for a few days. They
helped me get home. I truly am sorry; I never wanted you to worry.”

Chase nodded briefly, then glanced at the resume on his
desk. “Claudia Warren,” he said with a short bark of laughter. “I should have
known.”

“I’ve been wanting to move back to this area for quite some
time, so when my friends contacted me about the programmer position I jumped at
the chance.”

“You certainly have the qualifications. You know what I’m
looking for?”

“Ryan said you want an in-house programmer and networking
expert,” Claudia replied.

“Ryan...Ryan Schumacher? You know him?”

“His wife was my college roommate,” Claudia explained. “She
and Ryan are the friends who helped me get back to Philadelphia after Sarah was
born.”

Chase had never met Shumacher’s wife, but knew the man was a
hard worker and an expert carpenter. He was the best foreman Paxton had right
now, and Chase was glad he’d hired him. Funny that he should also be the one to
bring Claudia Warren back into his life.

“Right. Well, as to the job. I’m sick of canned software
that louses up my sub-contractors 1099’s every year. I want a decent payroll
system, I want to be able to track every detail of every project: the
subcontractors, materials, everything. I want automated billing and better
accounting. Everything customized to Paxton Construction. And I also want a
network set up so I can access my work records from my home or various job
sites."

Chase frowned as he remembered the angry conversation he'd
just had with the county architect over what was apparently a miscommunication.
"We've had a lot of costly mistakes lately...bills overlooked, orders
never submitted, overpayments. After several costly errors I recently had to
replace my in-house accounting person. I can't afford any more human
error."

Chase saw Claudia sit forward in her chair, nodding with
enthusiasm as she said, "I noticed your receptionist stuffing checks into
envelopes. I can design a system that will pay all your bills electronically,
cutting your mailing and paper costs. My degree is in programming, but when I
started with the City of Philadelphia, I came in entry-level and did a lot of
networking. I ran cable, configured P.C.’s, you name it. In addition, I’ve
concentrated exclusively on programming for the last six months. So, I think I
am who you’re looking for.”

"Well, if you can create a system to be sure some
unethical contractor doesn't get paid twice for the same invoice, then 'forget'
to let us know about it even after he's cashed the additional $15,000 check,
it'll be an improvement."

"Oh, no. That is a costly error."

"Only after we threatened legal action did we get the
money back, and it still took nearly four months."

Annoyed at himself for getting off-topic, he waved a
dismissive hand and again glanced down at Claudia's resume. Her qualifications
were just what he'd had in mind. She was educated, had the right background,
but hadn't been in the workplace long enough to really build up to a high
salary.

"If you check my references, I'm sure you'll find I am
a very independent worker."

Chase studied Claudia’s eager form, noted how her face lit
up and her eyes twinkled when she talked about the work she could do. That
soul-wrenching sorrow he’d noticed when he first met her was nowhere to be
seen. He hoped to never see it again.