Wendy took a grateful sip as Kitty asked, “Can we get you anything else? Something to eat maybe? I can’t cook worth a damn, but Claire could McGyver a feast out of the barest cupboard.”
Wendy didn’t doubt it. “I think I’ll save room for another doughnut.”
“You sure?” Claire asked, in hushed tones so as not to wake the baby. “I could whip up an omelet. Or something else? I saw some nice Gouda in the fridge when I was foraging for cream.” With a smile she added, “I could make you a grilled cheese sandwich so good you’ll cry.”
“No, thank you.”
“You should try the grilled cheese,” Kitty urged. “It’s amazing.”
“No, really. I’m okay.” Wendy looked from Kitty to Claire, suddenly suspicious. “Why do I get the feeling I’m being plied with food for nefarious reasons?”
Kitty and Claire exchanged a look.
Wendy raised an eyebrow. “Come on, spill. What’s up?”
Claire’s cheeks reddened with what Wendy could only assume was guilt. Kitty played her cards closer to her chest. Her expression revealed nothing.
“Okay, obviously you have some bad news for me. Either that or you’re going to try to get me to join a cult. Which is it?”
Claire bit down on her lip, her chin jutting out at a rebellious angle.
Kitty gave a little eye roll and sighed with obvious exasperation. “Fine,” Kitty said, managing to flounce a bit while sitting almost perfectly still. “We’re worried about Jonathon.”
Wendy gave a little grunt of surprise and sat back against the sofa. “Worried? About Jonathon?”
“Whatever is going on between you and Jonathon,” Claire began, “obviously has something to do with Peyton.”
Wendy opened her mouth to protest, but Kitty didn’t give her a chance.
“Jonathon wouldn’t talk about it, so I assume you won’t either. That’s fine. But we’re not idiots. Don’t forget, you told Ford why you were resigning just twenty-four hours before you and Jonathon announced you were getting married. If I had to guess, I’d say you’re pretending to be some happily married couple so your family will let you keep Peyton.”
Well, so much for hiding the truth from their friends.
“As convoluted and bizarre as that seems,” Kitty continued. “We’re not going to try to stop you.”
“We’ll even play along,” Claire added in. “Anything you need from us, you’ve got.”
“But when you’re off playing house together, just be very careful.”
For a long moment, Wendy had no idea what to say. She turned away from their careful scrutiny and walked over to the bassinet where Peyton lay sleeping.
She thought about the conversation she’d had with Jonathon before they’d signed the prenup. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who thought she was in danger of falling in love with him. And here she’d thought she’d hid her attraction to him so well over the years. Was she really so transparent?
Glancing back at Kitty and Claire, she forced a perky smile. “Look, I admit Jonathon is a great guy. I’ve always thought so. But I know his dating history probably better than either one of you. I know he doesn’t open up easily. I’m not going to make the mistake of falling in love with him.”
Claire and Kitty exchanged nervous glances, seeming to have an entire conversation with just their eyebrows.
“What?” Wendy demanded after a second, crossing back to the sofa to get a better view of their unspoken exchange.
Claire kept her mouth shut.
But it was Kitty who admitted, “Actually, it’s him we’re worried about.”
Wendy sank back to the sofa. “You’re worried about Jonathon? Falling in love with me?”
Claire nodded.
“Not me falling in love with him, but him. Falling in love.
With me.”
Kitty gave an elegant wave of her hand. “Obviously we don’t want to see you left brokenhearted either. But you’re a smart woman. Very practical. We just assumed you can look out for yourself.”
“But you’re worried that Jonathon, the brilliant, analytical CFO is going to get his feelings hurt?” Wendy fought back a giggle.
“Well,” Claire hedged. “Yes.”
Wendy looked from one woman to the other, her amusement fading. “You’re serious?” They nodded.
“I know that Jonathon seems…” Claire trailed off, searching for the right word.
“Detached,” Kitty provided. “Ruthless.” Claire glared her into silence. “You’re not helping.” “Like a heartless bastard,” Wendy offered quietly. “Yes!” Kitty agreed.
“But he really isn’t,” Claire said quickly. “Don’t forget, I’ve known him longer than you have.”
Which was technically true. Claire had grown up in the same small town as Matt, Ford and Jonathon. “But you’re younger than he is. You didn’t even go to school together.”
“We overlapped some,” Claire argued. “And I’ve seen him in love. Senior year, he was…” she trailed off, apparently struggling to convey the full force of his emotion. “He was just head over heels in love. Crazy in love with this girl. He would have done anything for her.”
“Who was she?” Wendy found herself asking.
Claire hesitated. “Just a girl at school. Kristi hadn’t grown up in Palo Verde. Her parents were divorced and she moved there to live with her dad her sophomore year.”
“And they dated?”
“A little.” Then Claire shrugged. “I think mostly he just chased her. She flirted a lot. He was completely determined to win her over. Any grand gesture you can imagine an eighteen-year-old guy making, he made it. Flowers, jewelry. The whole nine yards.”
Flowers and jewelry? She knew he didn’t have a lot of money growing up. He’d once told her he’d started saving money for college when he was twelve. She couldn’t even imagine the man she knew taking money out of his precious college fund to buy gifts. For a girlfriend.
“Once,” Claire said, leaning forward and warming up to the story, “she told him that her mother always bought her birthday cake from the same bakery. She’d grown up in San Francisco. So for her birthday, the guys made a road trip out to San Francisco to buy her a cake. On a school day. They got in so much trouble.” Claire chuckled for a second. Then seemed to realize how much she’d revealed about herself. Her blush returned as she sank back against the sofa.
“You were a little bit of a stalker, weren’t you?” Kitty asked, grinning.
“I had a crush on Matt. That’s all.” Then she smiled smugly. “Besides, he eventually came around.”
“I’ll say.” Kitty bumped her shoulder against Claire’s in easy camaraderie.
“So what happened?” Wendy asked, unwilling to leave the thread of Jonathon’s story dangling. “Why did they break up?”
“That’s the thing.” Claire gave a little shrug. “I’m not sure they were ever really together. And not long after the birthday cake thing, she moved back in with her mother. Jonathon was…”
“Heartbroken,” Kitty supplied.
“No.” Claire frowned thoughtfully. “He was just never the same.” She gave her head