was information he didn’t need to hear, the type of thing Megan should be discussing with her mother. But he’d been standing in for Sandy so long, it probably seemed natural for his daughter to share the intimate details of her marriage with him.
“I stopped taking them when Mom got—when it became obvious we wouldn’t have her with us very much longer,” she elaborated. “I just forgot….”
“I see.”
“Now you can understand why I said this baby is Mom’s last gift to me.”
Troy patted her back. The pregnancy was exciting news, and Sandy, had she lived, would’ve been over the moon at the prospect of being a grandmother.
“What time do you want me at the house?” Troy asked.
“Seven,” Megan said, breaking away from him. “I don’t think doing it tomorrow night is a good idea with the clams and the crab.”
Troy agreed they shouldn’t delay. “I’ll call my friend.”
“Thank you, Daddy.”
Megan hadn’t called him Daddy in years. Generally it was Dad. “I’ll see you in an hour,” she said, hurrying toward the door.
“I’ll be there,” he assured her. Then, remembering his manners, he asked. “Do you want me to bring anything?”
“No … oh, Dad, please don’t let on that you know about the baby. Craig’s parents are coming, and I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” So the in-laws would be there, too. Funny Megan hadn’t thought to mention that earlier. Not that it would’ve mattered. She had no reason to think he might have made other plans, since he rarely did anything outside of work. There hadn’t been room for anyone in his life except Sandy and of course Megan—until now.
Troy watched Megan pull out of the driveway and head down the street before he walked over to the phone. Without needing to look up Faith’s number, he punched it in.
“Hello.” She answered after the first ring, her voice cheerful.
“Hi,” he said, bracing himself to tell her the unhappy news.
“Troy! Don’t tell me you’re in the neighborhood already. Not that it’s a problem. I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. I’m afraid I went overboard with dinner,” she said with a laugh. “I baked fresh rolls from a recipe that was my grandmother’s. I can’t remember the last time I used that recipe. Thanksgiving, I think.”
“Faith …” All he could do was blurt out the truth. “Listen, I—”
“Do you remember the chocolate cake I made before you left for basic training?” she asked, not letting him finish.
“You baked a cake, too?”
“Yes. I hardly ever bake these days. There doesn’t seem to be much point when it’s just me. I’d nearly forgotten how much I enjoy it.”
He felt dreadful. “Faith,” he said, unable to hide his disappointment. “I can’t come.”
The line went silent.
“I’m sorry,” he added, “sorrier than I can say.”
“Something came up?”
He wasn’t sure how much to tell her. “Yes. Something … important.”
She paused and seemed to regroup. “These things happen, Troy. So much for the best-laid plans,” she said lightly. “We’ll do it another time.”
“It’s Megan, my daughter,” he explained. “She just found out she’s pregnant. She’s invited me to dinner to celebrate.”
“Troy, that’s wonderful news!”
“Yes, yes, it is,” he said. “The invitation came at the last minute.”
“I understand,” she said. “Of course you have to join your daughter and her husband.”
“Will you give me a rain check on dinner?” he asked.
“With pleasure.”
“I appreciate how kind you’re being about this,” he told her and meant it. Faith had apparently spent the entire day cooking in anticipation of their evening together.
“Troy, have dinner with your daughter tonight. I understand completely. Don’t worry about it for a second.”
“Thank you.” His gratitude made him feel lighthearted and almost giddy. Faith was every bit as compassionate, as good, as he remembered. He looked forward to seeing her again—seeing what the future held.
“It’s fine. Really.”
“About those rolls.”
“Yes?”
“Do they freeze well?”
Her soft laugh was like balm on a wound. “They do. I’ll put them in the freezer now.”
“And the cake?”
“I’ll take it to a sick friend of mine,” she said. “Neither of us needs to be indulging in sweets, anyway.”
Troy would’ve given just about anything to be with Faith tonight. Instead he’d smile and make polite conversation with his daughter’s in-laws. It wasn’t how he’d imagined this evening, but Megan was his child; she had to come first. Besides, there’d be other nights for him and Faith.
He was counting on that.
Fifteen
Bobby Polgar knew one thing for sure: he wasn’t going to risk losing his wife because of a chess match. Vladimir had done his best, but Bobby was unwilling to fall in with the Russian’s plans.
Bobby had to give the other player credit. Aleksandr Vladimir understood that Teri was Bobby’s weakness. Nothing on this earth, not his titles, not his money, was worth putting the woman he loved in jeopardy.
“Bobby,” Teri called to him from the bedroom, her voice husky with sleep. “It’s the middle of the night. Why aren’t you in bed?”
He could hear her moving around in their main-floor room and looked away from the chessboard he was studying. He was tired, so his thinking wasn’t as clear as it should be.
Teri ambled into the den where he sat. She wore a short black nightie made of silk that instantly reminded him of the pleasures of the marriage bed. Her hair, dark brown this week, was mussed and she covered her mouth with one hand as she yawned widely.
“I woke up and you weren’t there,” she complained. Her gaze fell on the chessboard and she shook her head. “How can you play like that?” She sounded perplexed. “Without chess pieces, I mean.”
“I
