Angel Baby (7 page)

“
The week after
...” Chase muttered, then gritted his
teeth as he stared at Claudia. What painful memories. He could certainly relate
to them. His own early life had been one painful moment after another. But that
was different. He was a man—tragic  circumstances supposedly made men stronger.
At least, that’s what his mother used to say: ’whatever doesn’t kill you makes
you stronger.’ 

“That’s why I was so thrilled when Ryan told me about the
job here," Claudia said as she moved to her office window and looked
outside. "I’ve been wanting to come back for such a long time, but with
Sarah to worry about, I couldn’t just pick up and move. I need to provide for
her.”

“Of course you do,” Chase murmured, staring at Claudia
speculatively. He didn’t mention the fact that some of mothers didn’t feel that
driving need. Didn’t bother telling her that in his experience plenty of
mothers were loyal first to themselves, to their needs, their addictions. Their
children were a seldom-thought-of inconvenience. Somehow, he didn’t think this soft,
gentle natured woman would understand that.

“I’m sorry you went through that, Claudia,” he said, not
sure what one should say at such a moment.

She lowered her head, looking at her fingers, and he nearly
didn’t hear her reply.

“So am I. Mostly I’m sorry Joe went through it. He was the
gentlest, kindest person I’ve ever known. He deserved better than to be left in
the middle of a city street to die alone.”

This time, he heard the tears in her voice, and didn’t have
to see them sparkling on her lashes. Chase wasn’t comfortable around crying
women. He usually felt big, helpless and awkward. Something, however, made him
get out of his chair and move to stand next to her at the window. He gently put
his hand on her shoulder, awkwardly patting her, offering what little
consolation he could. Claudia took a few deep breaths, closing her eyes tightly
to try to hold back tears. After a few moments, she nodded slightly as she
pulled away to grab a tissue from her desk.

“Thank you, for being so kind...but I’m all right. Believe
it or not, I stopped crying every day several months ago. The funny thing is,
half the time I didn’t know if I was crying for Joe, the man I married, or
Joey, my best friend who I used to catch fireflies with on summer nights.”

“Maybe both?”

“Probably both,” she nodded. “Enough depressing talk, okay?
Sarah and I are fine, getting stronger every day.”

Recognizing her need to move past her painful memories,
Chase nodded abruptly. Ignoring the raw emotion still so evident in her eyes,
he said, “That’s right. And that kid looks to be a real handful.”

“You’ve no idea. I found her sitting on Melanie’s coffee
table this morning.”

Chase rolled his eyes, grinning at her. Some part of him
still felt as if Sarah, and her mother, belonged to him, at least a little bit.
He’d spent one amazing evening with them, had witnessed Sarah’s birth, and in
some way felt bound to them as he had never felt bound to anyone else in the
world. 

“So, boss, I meant to tell you, the spending allowance
you’ve given me for hardware is a little thin. But, I think, with a little
ingenuity, we should be able to get by. At least to start with.”

"You'll have to" he said abruptly. "Until
things improve with a few of the big projects we're working on, Paxton
Construction is on a very tight budget."

"You mentioned some of those problems when you
interviewed me. Is there anything more I should know about?"

Chase didn't really want to discuss all his financial
headaches with his newest employee; Claudia might decide the last place she
wanted to be working was a company with such a run of bad luck. And he was sure
that's all it was: bad luck, and a little human error. The luck was something
he couldn't do anything about, and with Claudia around to implement some
electronic checks and balances, the lack of efficiency would be taken care of.

Chase shrugged, saying, "No need to get into that now.
But I would really like to hear your ideas. Have you made lunch plans? There’s
not much in the area, but the Duck Bill Café down the street does make a decent
BLT.”

“Duck Bill Cafe?” she asked raising a skeptical brow.

“I know, I know...doesn’t sound very appetizing, does it?
But the owner thought it was a cute play on words. Apparently he was fond of
telling his old drinking buddy Bill Winter, who owns the Wash-n-Go, to duck
because his wife liked to toss plates around when the two of them stayed out
too late.”

Laughing out loud, Claudia shook her head, “No real duck,
okay. I guess the Duck Bill Café it is. But no bacon, too much fat. Maybe a
turkey on rye.”

“I don’t think you really need to worry about one or two
slices of bacon, Red,” Chase said as he cast another quick glance over her
slender figure.

“That's what you think. It took me six months to drop off
that thirty pounds after my pregnancy.”

“Thirty whole pounds, humh? I bet you lost twenty-eight of
it the night she was born.”

“Ha-ha,” Claudia replied, shooting him a dirty look. “And
don’t call me Red.”

Chase just grinned at her as he turned to leave.

“Okay, whatever you say...Clod.”

The café was as good as Chase had promised it would be,
though Claudia refused to try a famous BLT. They sat at a corner booth, in red
vinyl bench seats, at a bright Formica table. The place looked like it came
straight out of the fifties, and Claudia liked it right away. So, apparently,
did the regulars, who stared suspiciously from other tables. 

“Do I have mustard on my chin or something?” she finally
asked after the waitress studied her thoroughly for the fourth time.

Chase stared around the restaurant and the nosy patrons
quickly turned their attention to their own meals. “No, it’s just this is an
incredibly small town. Anyone new, especially a young attractive female, is
bound to grab some attention.”

“Oh. I guess I'd better get used to feeling like an animal
in a zoo." Claudia sighed, stirring her iced tea as she resisted an
impulse to make a face at a dour woman who’d been staring at her for the past
twenty minutes.

“I’m afraid,” he admitted, “that it might be more who you’re
lunching with than anything else. I’m something of a town curiosity.”

Claudia stopped stirring and raised a quizzical eyebrow at
him. “You? I thought you were the town savior, building your business here and
all.”

He shrugged before taking a big bite of his sandwich.
Claudia picked a little at hers, then gestured to the waitress for some
sweetener. 

“I wasn’t born here,” Chase finally said. “And most people
figure I’m still an outsider.”

Claudia sensed there was a great deal more to the story, but
she didn’t get a chance to question him more thoroughly. He immediately
launched into detailed plans for the company. Soon immersed in discussing
programs, networks, and software, Claudia realized Chase was fully committed to
automating his business. She felt a keen sense of anticipation at the challenge
that lay before her and could hardly wait to get to work.

“I’ll warn you right now,” she said after he’d finished
laying out his plans for Paxton Construction. “I tend to get very involved with
projects I feel strongly about. Once you set me loose on this, it might be hard
to rein me in.”

She grinned at him, but instead of smiling back, he frowned
forbiddingly. "Don't overstep your bounds, Mrs. Warren. You have a budget
and I expect you to stay within it. I am in no mood to deal with any more
overruns."

Claudia wondered at his sudden change of mood. He’d been
perfectly amiable all afternoon, especially during those tender moments when
she’d told him about Joe. Now he once again seemed abrasive and hard. “And they
say women have mood swings,” she muttered before taking a gulp of her tea.

He sighed heavily. “I’m sorry,” he muttered. “Like I said,
things have been a little tough lately.”

She nodded, immediately forgiving him for being snappish. He
and his other staff members had mentioned the issues that had been facing
Paxton Construction recently. Fortunately, though, he now had her on his side.
And Claudia was going to do everything she could to repay his faith in her.
Starting by making sure the business that was so important to him—and to so
many other people, including Ryan and Melanie—got back on track.

Determined to bring something to Melanie and Ryan's table,
Claudia made her way to Shelbyville's only grocery store after work Thursday.
The small store had food staples, as well as a tremendous amount of charm, and
was big enough for the locals to fulfill their basic weekly shopping needs. Any
"fancy" items could be obtained at one of the bigger stores in
Milltown, but for fresh produce, this little market was the best around.
Claudia sniffed appreciatively at a fresh cantaloupe, smiling as she overheard
the elderly butcher bragging about the quality of the beef.

“Excuse me, are you the young lady with the baby?”

Claudia nearly dropped the fruit as the voice intruded.
Swinging around, she nearly bumped into her shopping cart. Standing next to her
was a stylishly dressed woman who looked to be about seventy.

“Were you speaking to me?” Claudia asked the woman.

“Yes, dear. I’ve heard Chase has a new employee who needs a
place to live.

Claudia still wasn’t used to the small town gossip chain
that allowed everyone to know everyone else’s business, and nodded her head in
bemusement. “Yes...I mean, I have just gone to work for Mr. Paxton. I started a
few days ago, and I have been looking for a small house to rent.”

The woman nodded as a satisfied smile crossed her face.
Claudia couldn’t help responding with a smile of her own, for the elderly woman
looked so utterly pleased with her response.

“Perfect. I have one. When do you want to move in?"

Claudia took a step back, shocked by the woman’s
matter-of-fact statement, wondering if she had all her wits about her. The
elderly woman stared at her with intensely intelligent gray eyes. Claudia
realized she was entirely serious. “Well, I...I don’t know anything about the
house. And you know absolutely nothing about me.”

“I’ve heard all I need to know,” the woman replied
succinctly as she folded her hands neatly over her black purse. “You’re a young
widow who’s the newest employee of Paxton Construction, and you’re making a
pretty good salary. You have an adorable red-haired child, always smile for the
newspaper boy, and you're polite to that old harridan Sylvia. I think you would
be a fine tenant.”

Claudia’s mouth hung agape as she realized the stranger had
already investigated her. Catching her breath, she noted the elderly woman’s
tasteful jewelry, and the clean lines of her designer dress. She didn’t look like
a typical landlady, but she certainly appeared wealthy enough to own property. “You’re
serious? You have a house to rent?”

“I certainly do.” The stranger opened her pocketbook to dig
for a pen and paper. She jotted something down, then handed the slip to
Claudia. Glancing at it, Claudia saw it was an address.

“My husband and I built a guest cottage on the back acre of
our property, hoping that one day our daughter would choose to live there. That
never came to pass. Although it’s not been lived in for a few years, the house
is in good repair, with two bedrooms, one bath, a nice sized kitchen, and a
living room. Your nearest neighbor would be...me, which I recognize could be a
draw-back if you’re one of those new-fangled young women who can’t stand old
people.”

Claudia felt a grin spread across her lips as she noticed
the twinkle in the other woman’s eye. The lady was forthright, a little pushy,
and entirely charming. “Actually, it sounds wonderful. Can you give me an idea
what you’re asking for rent?”

Claudia felt her hopes rise as the woman quoted a very
reasonable figure. How great it would be to have her own house, and stop
intruding on Melanie and Ryan. Even though she knew they genuinely loved having
her in their home, a big part of her longed to be in her own space, surrounded
by her own things. Sarah would hardly know what to do with a separate bedroom; at
the apartment in Philadelphia she’d slept in a crib in Claudia’s room.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you’ll come out to look at the house tomorrow,” the
woman replied succinctly. “If you like it, you could move in this weekend.”

The lady quickly gave her directions and Claudia made a
mental note of them. If she left work promptly at five, she should have no
problem driving the ten minutes south of town per the woman’s directions.
Claudia began to feel a strong sense of excitement in her stomach at the
prospect of having her own home. “I’ll be there,” Claudia said, still reeling
somewhat from the unusual encounter. “But, I don’t even know your name.”

“It’s Dorien,” the woman replied as she turned to exit the
store, obviously having come in only to make her startling offer. “Dorien
Campbell.”

Bright and early Saturday morning, Claudia and Ryan set out
in Ryan’s pickup to retrieve Claudia’s belongings from the storage unit she’d
rented in Milltown. She hadn’t had much worth keeping from the Philadelphia
apartment, but there were a few pieces of furniture, as well as personal items,
dishes, photos and books. Everything fit in the back of the truck on the first
trip, and they headed toward Claudia’s new home. Melanie had kept the baby,
planning to meet them later.

“You’re sure you want to move out so soon?” Ryan asked
anxiously. “I mean, you and Sarah, you’re family.”

“You’re closer than family,” Claudia said, smiling slightly.
“My own family doesn’t even know I’ve moved back here.”

Ryan frowned, but didn’t say anything else, for which
Claudia was grateful. He’d been her friend long enough to know better than to
comment on her relationship with her mother, stepfather and younger half
siblings. Though he’d never met them, Claudia imagined he’d heard plenty from
Melanie.