Read Toys and Baby Wishes Online
Authors: Karen Rose Smith
Toys and Baby Wishes (28 page)
"We lost the ability to talk a long time ago."
"For Jenna's sake, you have to try."
"I know you're right. When he picks her up next
weekend, I will."
Marsha opened the silverware drawer and collected a variety
of spoons, forks, and knives. "I couldn't have gotten through the divorce
and all of this without you."
Darcy tipped the soda bottle to pour. "Don't
underestimate yourself. You're a strong woman. And you have Jenna. She makes
all the difference in the world."
Marsha looked Darcy squarely in the eyes. "Did you
ever think of adopting?"
"I've thought about it. But I'm so involved at the
garage. The business is important to me and harder than ever to keep on its
feet. I don't know if I have what it takes to be a single parent."
Marsha picked up the tray with hot dogs and pushed the door
open. "You were willing to do it once."
"Because I had no choice. Gary told me more than once
children wouldn't fit into his plans for years, if ever. I should have
suspected then he wasn't the right man for me. I should have seen how
calculating and selfish he was."
"Love gives us blinders. How well I know. I'm trying
to see clearly with Chuck. And if there's hope for me, there's hope for you.
You're only twenty-eight. You could still meet someone special, someone who
likes a small tourist town and wants to spend his life here, someone who wants
children and a family."
Thinking about Gary, her poor judgment where he was
concerned, and her miscarriage, still brought Darcy sadness. Too inexperienced
to see the warning signals, she'd loved him and dreamt about having a future
with him. But he'd never had any intention of staying in Hershey or taking her
with him to New York. If she'd told him their birth control had failed and she
was pregnant, it wouldn't have made a difference. He'd never loved her. The
day he told her he was leaving, he'd made that perfectly clear.
While Marsha went to the pool to call Chuck and Jenna, a
face flickered in front of Darcy's eyes. As if she'd asked herself a question,
she silently answered it. No. Seth Hallaran was not that special man either.
For one thing, he was out of her league. For another, he was on the opposing
side. Case closed.
***
Sunday afternoon, Seth sat in his study, reading Brad
Winston's file. The man claimed his ex-wife was neglecting her daughter. She
had a lover. The neglect Brad claimed was a different matter. He'd said
Marsha left Jenna with a babysitter more nights than she was home with her.
He'd said she left her daughter in the house unattended. He'd said Marsha
forgot about her daughter often. Case in point. Jenna had called Brad from
school upset and in tears because nobody had arrived to pick her up. He'd
claimed Jenna's clothes were worn and inadequate. And he couldn't understand
why since he was paying child support.
Added together and if all of it was true...
Aah. Seth could remember a time when he automatically
believed the man. His crusade was simpler in those days. He thought he'd left
these cases behind. He had for the most part. This was the only custody
matter he was handling, or was thinking about handling.
Seth rubbed his hand over his face and closed down the file
on his laptop. Instead of being cloistered in an air conditioned condo, he
should be outside appreciating the fine weather. The heat had abated to a
balmy eighty and he knew exactly where he'd like to be and what he'd like to be
doing.
He'd found an ideal spot for a picnic when he was exploring
the back roads--a grassy area with trees and a stream. He imagined Darcy
sitting there with him on a blanket. The sun would turn her hair to fire and
her amazing eyes would absorb him like a blue-green sea.
Pushing his chair away from his desk with his heels, he
stood. Why couldn't he stop thinking about her? Granted, he wasn't used to
having his overtures rejected. But it was more than that. She was different.
Different from women he knew. Yes, they were independent and polished. But
Darcy...
There was innocence there, somehow maintained with the
independence. Maybe because she'd lived in a smaller town all her life. The
reason didn't matter. The innocence was there. He wanted to get close to it
and experience it for himself.
He'd already Googled her and found her address. He fingered
the piece of paper where he'd written it, contemplating his options.