His Sugar Baby (20 page)

Cathy left the aviation building and returned to the Lexus. She unlocked it and got in. She pulled the seat belt across her chest, latched it, and started the vehicle. Her hands were not quite steady. His parting words beat a rhythm in time with her heart.

“I’ll call you when I get back into town.”

Heaven help her, but she would be waiting.

Chapter Fifteen

While Michael was gone, Cathy had time to think about some things. For two whole days, she grappled with the question of what she should do about her transportation, even while she drove the Lexus and reveled in the confidence she felt that she wouldn’t have car trouble. Her choices were clear. She could continue feeling sick with worry about how to pay for her car to be repaired, a temporary fix at best if the mechanic was to be believed, or accept the use of the Lexus.

The Lexus was a mammoth symbol of Michael’s growing impact on her life, as well as her increasing dependence on him. Accepting the means of her transportation from his hands, something so basic to survival, made her feel even more vulnerable, even more exposed.

What if their arrangement should fall through? What would she do about getting to where she needed to go then? What would she do when she needed someone to make love to her and make her forget the burdens of her life for a little while? What would she do now, today, if she
didn’t
accept the use of the Lexus?

Cathy was apprehensive of the power that he already wielded in their physical relationship. She had refused to admit how much her body would miss him, but he had known it anyway and proven it to her. Then he had underscored the lesson by the way he had kissed her when she dropped him at the airport. She had responded mindlessly, passionately.

When he walked away without glancing back, he had once more driven home a harsh point. He held the power in their relationship. He had branded her as his as thoroughly as if he had used a hot iron on her backside. At that point, her reflections became tinged with some slight self-disgust.

She was afraid of what else he might guess. That defining moment, when he had demanded her admission that she would miss him, had ripped through much of her self-delusion. Michael’s words had struck like a blow against her psyche. Sudden fear had splintered her. She didn’t want him to own her. He had already taken so much of her. She didn’t want him to have ascendancy over her emotions, too. Instinctively, she had known it would be a final surrender.

She knew that she was beginning to feel something for Michael beyond their physical relationship.

She shunned what that admission might mean to her, what it might cost her. She wasn’t ready to face those deeper emotions shimmering just below the surface of her heart. It was enough to deal with the latest symbol of Michael’s power—the Lexus.

Cathy gave up the moral ground. She called the garage where she had been forced to leave her car and arranged to turn over the title so that the vehicle could be sold to a parts dealer. The mechanic was to receive whatever proceeds there might be. The man was not displeased with the deal she was offering him, and he agreed to waive the storage fees. Cathy ended the call, satisfied. The advantage to her was that she wouldn’t have to hassle with paying for repairs or trying to find a buyer for the worn-out vehicle or to locate another used car that would come with its own set of new problems.

When she took the Lexus to work, the fact that she had a new vehicle generated some buzz from a few of her coworkers because many of the details of her financial situation weren’t exactly a secret. After all, the purpose of the website dedicated to her daughter was to raise funds for over-the-top medical expenses. When asked about the Lexus, Cathy said simply that her old car had become too unreliable, which surprised no one since she had had trouble with it more than once, and that the Lexus was leased. The mild curiosity was settled, without necessitating an explanation of who had actually signed the vehicle lease. Cathy was thankful when her explanation was accepted almost without question. It could easily have become very awkward otherwise.

She discovered just how awkward when she went to lunch with her best friend, and Vicky immediately brought it up.

“So tell me about that nice new ride of yours.”

“I’ve already told you. It’s leased.” Cathy avoided her friend’s intent gaze by tucking a loose curl behind her ear.

Vicky rolled her expressive eyes. “This is me, Cathy. I know you don’t have the money or the credit to lease that Lexus. So how did you get it?”

Cathy felt a sinking in the pit of her stomach, silently berating herself for taking her friend so closely into her confidence. It was coming back to bite her. She nervously poked her fork into her Cobb salad. She couldn’t come up with anything plausible, and she tripped over a lame explanation. “A–a friend is helping me out, that’s all.”

“What friend? Not me, I know. And I would if I could, you know that.”

Cathy shrugged with elaborate casualness. “Just a friend.”

Vicky regarded her with a puzzled frown. Sudden intuition sparked. Her brown eyes rounded incredulously. “It’s a man, isn’t it?”

Cathy bit her lip. “No, of course not!” She shook her head, but she felt the telltale heat climb into her face.

“Oh my gosh. You’re seeing someone!” Vicky exclaimed in gaping astonishment. “You’re actually seeing someone!”

Cathy took a deep calming breath. She was feeling the slither of panic, her heart pounding heavy in apprehension. She couldn’t bear it if Vicky, of all people, should discover anything about the nature of her arrangement with the man who had provided the Lexus for her. “Don’t ask me anything. Please!”

Strong curiosity shone in her friend’s expression. Vicky leaned forward across the table, her eyes unblinking. “But Cathy—”

“I’m serious, Vicky! What Michael and I—Damn it!” Cathy threw down her fork. She couldn’t believe that she had been so rattled so quickly. It served her right for not thinking through her explanation.

Vicky fell back in her chair and started laughing. She shook her head when Cathy shot a fulminating glance at her. “Oh, come on! You’ve got to see how funny it is! You just
blurted
out his name! And I didn’t have to twist your arm once.”

“I can’t believe I slipped up like that,” muttered Cathy.

“Come on, tell me! You’re really dying to tell me. You know you are.”

Cathy reluctantly smiled. “Okay, so it’s funny. Kind of. But I mean it, Vicky. I don’t want to discuss him. I–I want to keep things private right now.”

“I think I get it.” Vicky turned serious, regarding her curiously. “Does…Michael know about Chloe?”

Cathy’s throat tightened. She shook her head quickly. “No. I haven’t told him. All he knows is that I’m divorced and a single mom.”

Vicky took a moment to absorb that. “Wow.” However, she slowly nodded as though Cathy’s admission didn’t surprise her. “So I’m guessing that I don’t know him and neither does anyone else who knows you and Chloe.”

“Right.” Cathy was barely able to gather a smile. She was anxious about what her friend was thinking. She and Vicky had known each other for years. They had always told each other everything. If one or the other had ever tried to suppress personal details, they were soon pried out. Now she was withholding something major. “You’re not mad at me, are you? I mean, for not telling you?”

“Why would I be mad? Don’t you think I can understand? Of course I can! I can understand how you could want to be with someone who doesn’t know how hard everything is for you.” Vicky snorted, shaking her head. “I’m your best friend. How could I be mad?”

Cathy let her breath out on a sigh. She deliberately forced her tensed shoulders to relax. Reaching across the table, she squeezed her friend’s hand. “Thanks, Vic,” she said softly.

By unvoiced agreement, they talked about other things. Vicky wanted to know how Chloe was doing since the stem cell transplantation. Cathy’s face lit up. “She’s doing really, really well. She is still getting the immunological shots, and she hates that, but when I talked to Dr. Richards yesterday, he said that he was cautiously optimistic.”

“That’s wonderful, Cathy! I’ll post an update on the website when I get home tonight.”

Cathy was actually a little surprised that Vicky had so easily given way in not having her undoubtedly rampaging curiosity satisfied. But this time, strangely enough, Vicky didn’t fish for information. Then again, perhaps not so strangely, she mused. The circumstances that made up her life were so out of the whack, her best friend must want to be spared some of the drama, even if that meant allowing her to have one very tantalizing secret.

Cathy remained on guard for several minutes. When Vicky didn’t try to pump her, she relaxed and enjoyed the remainder of their lunch together. Vicky insisted on picking up the check. As they finally were rising from the table, Vicky asked casually, “By the way, how’s the sex?”

Cathy’s face instantly flamed. Her gaze flew to Vicky’s very-interested expression. She bit her bottom lip, more than annoyed, knowing that she had thoroughly betrayed herself. She huffed on a sigh. “This is what comes of having a redhead’s skin,” she muttered. “I am not going to dignify that with an answer.”

“That good, huh?” Vicky’s grin was roguish, and her eyes twinkled.

“I should kill you now,” Cathy observed.

Vicky laughed and then hugged her. “You just have some fun. You deserve it.”

* * * *

For once, a phone call from the oncologist’s office was not bad news.

Cathy couldn’t believe it. A blaze of happiness rushed through her. She set the receiver down carefully in its cradle. She leaned back in her chair, her arms braced straight out in front, her hands flattened on top of the desk. She could feel the grin stretching her face, ear to ear. She repeated the good news to herself. The results of the hematopoietic stem cell transplantation continued to look very promising. In fact, Dr. Richards had said that Chloe had responded so well to the transplant that in a few days she would be allowed to go home.

Cathy laughed out loud in sheer euphoria.

The oncologist had been cautionary, of course, but Cathy didn’t care. Her daughter was coming home to be with her.

Cathy would naturally have to take Chloe in to the hospital for regular appointments and the ongoing monitoring would make certain that things continued to go well. Chloe’s immune system was delicate. She couldn’t be exposed to other children or public places yet. If she developed graft-versus-host disease, she would have to be given immunosuppressive drugs for a minimum of six months. Then she would have to be revaccinated for diseases like measles and polio. Cathy understood all of that. The remaining difficulties didn’t matter.
My baby is coming home!
Her mind raced happily with the possibilities.

She immediately called her sister and brother-in-law to relate the happy news, and it was a long, animated conversation before she rung off. Talking to them helped to ground the whirl of giddiness that had seized her, and Cathy straightened in her chair. Her thoughtful gaze darted around her office. The enormity of the changes in her life and her daughter’s was just beginning to sink in. She needed to be with Chloe every hour of the day. She couldn’t be at the office, yet she would need a steady income. Her lips tightened with determination. Everything would have to be reworked and changed to accommodate Chloe’s homecoming.

Cathy picked up the phone again. It was time to take advantage of the often-repeated offer of her employer to grant her a leave of absence. However, instead of requesting leave, she was going to negotiate the viability of telecommunicating. She needed to present the proposal to her direct supervisor first, not only to get his input but to enlist his support. “Paul? Have you got a few minutes? I have some wonderful news!”

After she had spoken with her boss, who immediately endorsed her proposal and promised to clear the path for her change in work location, Cathy found that she couldn’t contain herself any more. She just had to tell someone else the good news. She picked up the phone again and dialed the direct extension for the office of the network administrator. When her call was answered, she blurted out, “Vicky! Chloe is coming home!”

“What? Oh my God! The blood transplantation—”

“It looks good, really good,” Cathy said, laughing.

“Oh, girl! That’s fantastic news!” Vicky’s voice had thickened with emotion. The clearing of her throat came clearly down the line. “When will Chloe—”

“Maybe in a few days, I don’t know exactly. I’ve already talked to Paul and arranged to work from home as soon as I hear what day I can pick up Chloe.” Cathy’s thoughts were racing again. “Vicky, I’ve got so much to do! I’ve got to clean the apartment from top to bottom. I don’t want any stray germs or dust. I need to get another HEPA filter. And a car seat! I’ve got to buy a car seat the first thing! I won’t be able to bring Chloe home without it. And I want to have Chloe’s favorite things to eat and—”

“I can help you with the shopping. And I’ll get the car seat.”

“Oh, Vicky, you don’t have to do that.”

“I want to.” Vicky’s voice was firm. “It will be my gift to you and Chloe.”

“Thanks, Vic.” Cathy smiled tremulously. She wiped the unexpected tears from her eyes. “I really don’t know what I would have done without you through all of this.”