“Oh, I was hoping you could drop us at the park,” Alice said, her eyes lowered. “We could both do with some fresh air.”
Vanessa frowned. “I’m sure you could, but thanks to my husband, I’m running late enough as it is. The park is out of the question. By the time I take you all the way home—”
“What are you talking about?” Grant interjected. “There’s a park right across the street.”
“What?” Vanessa whirled, her blue eyes wide with surprise, as if she had somehow forgotten his presence.
Grant pointed to the window. “Mirror Lake Park is just across the street. It’d be a shame for John David to be cooped up in the house on such a beautiful day. Why don’t you drop him and Mrs. Becker off at the park, then pick them up when you finish with your appointment? It would even save you from having to take them all the way home first.”
Vanessa’s lips tightened almost imperceptibly. “My appointment could take a couple of hours.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t mind,” the nanny chirped in. “Mr. Chambers is right. The weather is beautiful.” She threw him a dazzling smile, which Grant briefly acknowledged, then glanced away. He didn’t want to give her encouragement. In the few times he’d been in Alice Becker’s presence, she’d made him decidedly uncomfortable.
“There was a mugging in Mirror Lake Park a few weeks ago,” Vanessa said. “I don’t think it’s safe.”
Grant laughed. “You’re just being an overprotective mother. Every park in Houston has the occasional mugging. Mirror Lake is perfectly safe, especially in the middle of the day.”
Vanessa bit her lip. “I don’t know.” She glanced at Alice Becker and John David, obviously torn by what seemed to Grant an inconsequential decision. Then she shrugged. “I suppose it’ll be okay. But look—” she tapped her diamond watch with her fingertip “—I want you to have the baby in the parking lot at a quarter of one. I don’t want to have to go tramping all over the park looking for you.”
“Of course, Mrs. Baldwin.” Alice Becker sent Grant another smile, then bent to retrieve John David’s diaper bag. Slinging it over her shoulder, she competently shifted the baby to her other hip and hurried out of the office.
Vanessa gave Grant a sour look. “See what you’ve done. As if that woman wasn’t smitten enough before—”
“Don’t even start,” Grant warned. He came around the desk to give his sister a peck on the cheek. “And stop worrying. It’s just an afternoon in the park. They’ll be fine.”
“Easy for you to say,” Vanessa fretted. “You don’t know what it’s like to be a parent.”
“No, I guess I don’t.”
If there was regret in his tone, Vanessa seemed not to notice. She picked up her purse and headed for the door. “Don’t forget about tonight,” she called. “The party is in your honor, so don’t even think about not showing up.”
“That was the old Grant. You’re looking at the new and improved version.”
She paused at the door and glanced back. “Not too new and improved, I hope. I sort of liked you as the black sheep.”
“Only because it made you look so good.”
Vanessa smiled, her pink-tinted lips curling in amusement. But there was something in her eyes, a glimmer of emotion Grant couldn’t quite define. “You always did know me too well,” she murmured.
* * *
The park was nearly deserted. It seemed lonelier than usual without the shouts and laughter of the children, but most of them were still in school this time of day.
Perhaps it was just as well, Nina thought, walking along a leaf-strewed pathway. Though she’d haunted the park—the last place she’d seen Karen Smith—for months, the children were always a painful reminder of her loss.
Lifting her face to the sky, Nina drew a long breath. The sun warmed her face and shoulders, but the coldness inside her lingered. Six months, she thought numbly. Six long months without a trace.
Where was Dustin at this moment? Was he happy? Was he being taken care of? Or was he…?
Nina closed her eyes briefly. Most of the time, she was able to keep the terror at bay, but there were times like today when every mother’s nightmare tormented her. Her baby was missing, and she had no idea where he was or who had him. Had he been hurt? Was he still alive?
Abruptly Nina turned down another path, heading toward the deserted playground. Finding a bench, she sat down, her thoughts spiraling back to the days when she’d come to the park after Garrett’s death, when a tiny life growing inside her had been all that had kept her from despair.
Nina scanned her surroundings. What are you looking for? Did you think Karen Smith would simply appear out of the blue and give you back your son? Is that why you came here today? Is that why you always come here?
It had been a day very much like today when she’d first met Karen in the park. The sun had been shining then, too, but the weather had been cooler. Nina had worn a loose sweater over jeans, and although her pregnancy had not yet been outwardly noticeable, she’d been fascinated by all the changes occurring within her body. She’d been sitting alone on a bench that day, hand on her stomach, when she’d felt her baby move for the first time.
Startled at first, she sat stone still, unsure what was happening to her. Then the tiny flutter came again, and Nina laughed out loud, marveling at the miracle growing inside her.
“Excuse me.”
Nina glanced up to find a dark-haired woman standing over her. She was petite and very pretty, her blue eyes softly glowing behind black-rimmed glasses. She smiled knowingly, as if she shared Nina’s secret.
“You’re pregnant, aren’t you?”
Nina stared at her in surprise. “How did you know?”
The woman’s smile turned shy. “I’ve been watching you. I’ve seen you here before. You always keep one hand on your stomach. See?”
She nodded, and Nina glanced down. Her hand was still resting against her stomach. Almost self-consciously she removed it.
The woman sat down beside her. “I only noticed because I did the same thing when I was pregnant. It was the most wonderful experience in the world.” She broke off and glanced down. “I’m sorry. You must think I’m crazy, coming over here like this.”
“No,” Nina said impulsively. “No, I don’t. I know exactly what you mean. It is wonderful. So wonderful you want to share it with someone.”
And Nina had no one. It hadn’t hit her until that moment how truly alone she was. No friends, no family, no one with whom to share this blessing.
And Karen Smith seemed just as lonely. There was something about her that immediately drew Nina to her. Perhaps it was the shadow of pain in the woman’s eyes or the self-conscious way she had of dipping her head, as if she didn’t quite have the courage to look you in the eye. Perhaps it was because Karen had suffered a great loss, too, miscarrying three months into her pregnancy.
Nina could relate to all of those things. She and Karen were like kindred spirits. They began meeting in the park almost daily, their conversations revolving around Nina’s baby at first. But then gradually, as their friendship deepened and Nina’s pregnancy progressed, she found herself confiding in Karen as she had never been able to do with anyone else. Not even with her husband.
She told Karen about her impulsive marriage to Garrett, how he had swept her off her feet and how his family had despised her from the first, how they thought she was nothing but a gold digger after the Fairchild money. She told