sat in the living room for the next hour and flipped through a magazine, but a new thought was tormenting her like a pesky fly. Was this the way it was going to be? Was she really going to be alone with every decision, every new worry about her baby once he was born? She had no family to fall back on. She couldn’t bother Chareen all the time. As the night got later, her mood grew darker, and she began to see the future as a deep, black emptiness yawning before her, filled with demands and decisions.
The only thing she could think of to lift her spirits was to call someone. Maybe Kyra Symington was home. Gayle called the number her friend shared with her new husband, but she only got the answering machine. She tried Ann Marie Hope’s, and then Tracy Martin’s, with the same result. She began to wonder if all her friends had gone somewhere together, forgetting all about her.
Suddenly the phone rang while her hand was still on the receiver, making her jump. Quickly she answered, grateful for the promise of human contact.
“Hello?”
“Hi.”
It was him. She knew his voice immediately, and for some crazy reason, her pulse began to race.
“Hi,” she said. “Is something wrong?”
“No. I just wanted to check if this number was correct.”
There was a hint of amusement in his voice, but she wasn’t sure what that meant. “Why would I give you a wrong number?” she asked, feeling a bit defensive.
“To avoid hearing from me?”
She hesitated, still not sure if he were goading her or laughing.
“How are you feeling?” he asked casually, before she had time to think of something to say.
It would be nice to think he cared about her, but she knew he only cared about the baby. And she couldn’t blame him. It was only natural and logical. Still…
“Fine,” she said, but again she knew she sounded defensive. And she really didn’t mean to.
“Good.” He paused, then continued. “I’d like to see you tomorrow.”
She shook her head, even though he couldn’t see that. “No, impossible. I’m busy tomorrow.”
“All day?”
“Well…” The truth was, she was only hoping to be busy. “I told you, I’ve signed up with Top Techs. I’m expecting a call first thing in the morning, and then I’ll be working all day.”
“Top Techs, huh?” His voice sounded ironic, but perhaps that was just her being overly sensitive. “They’re a good agency. I’ve used them in the past.”
“How interesting.” There wasn’t anything else to say, was there? She tensed, hoping he wasn’t going to start in again on how she should give up her baby to him. But he didn’t do that.
“Okay,” he said. “I just want to let you know I’m here if you need me. Really. Any time of day or night. I will make sure you can always get hold of me.”
For the baby’s sake, of course. “I’m not sure if I feel comforted or threatened by that,” she said dryly, then immediately regretted sounding churlish. After all, he was being very nice. And that was a good thing, even if it was for an ulterior motive.
He was silent so long, she wondered if he’d hung up and she’d missed it. “Gayle,” he said at last. “Are you sure you’re okay?’
She sighed. “Yes. Yes, I’m fine. It’s just…well, it’s been a rough day.”
He was silent for another minute, then he said, “Gayle, I’ve got a question for you.”
Her fingers tightened on the receiver. “What’s that?” she asked him, trying not to let him hear the apprehension in her voice.
“How do you know when an elephant’s been in your refrigerator?”
She blinked. “What?”
“You can see the footprint on your pizza,” he said, his voice impassively earnest. “How can you tell that an elephant’s getting ready to charge?”
She shook her head in wonder. “Jack…”
“Your first clue is when he takes out his credit card.”
Jokes. He was telling elephant jokes. She gaped in astonishment.
“What did Tarzan say when he saw the elephant working in the coffee bar?”
He didn’t wait for her to answer. Putting on a gruff voice, he said, “I didn’t know the hippo had sold the place.”
She laughed. She couldn’t help it. She put her hand over her mouth to try to mask it, but she was laughing nonetheless.
“You smiling yet?” he asked her. “Or do I need to torture you some more?”
“I’m smiling,” she admitted, and the laughter was still in her voice.
“Good,” he said. “See you tomorrow.”
“All right.”
She hung up and stared at the telephone. His strategy had worked, she realized. There was a sense of warmth where a few moments before there had only been emptiness.
“He’s just trying to charm me into doing things his way,” she reminded herself out loud. But it didn’t dim the warmth. Still smiling, she went to bed. She needed rest. Tomorrow she would be starting a new job, if there was any luck left in the world. And once she had that foundation of security, she would feel stronger. Maybe even strong enough to tell Jack Marin that he had to stay out of her life.
Chapter Four
“Oh Mikey, baby, please. Not now.”
Wincing, Gayle gently patted the bulge where her baby was stretching his legs. She was sitting stiffly at the computer in a glass-enclosed room on the third floor of Earth Matters, Incorporated, trying to get a feel for the job Top Techs had sent her on. They hadn’t given her much to go on, but the firm seemed to be involved in environmental impact research or something close to it. There were about twenty employees, including three software engineers and a pool of five secretaries. The rest were mainly scientists and lab workers. The building was beautifully landscaped and modern, of dark brick and tinted glass. The people she’d met so far were perfectly nice and friendly, and the entire situation seemed promising, but it was always a little nerve-wracking getting used to a new job.
Top Techs had called her first thing in the morning and given her the information about this temporary opening, and she’d hurried over after a quick breakfast. Rio de Oro wasn’t a very large town and there weren’t likely to be too many temporary opportunities for the sort of work she did, so she had jumped at it. Phyllis Vernon, a warm older woman who was head of human resources for the company, had greeted her and showed her to the office she would be using.
“The boss wants to meet with you at ten-thirty. I’ll show you to his office then.” She glanced
