I was terrified I was about to drop us into a whole mess of bad.
Neely Kate changed what was indeed a blowout diaper before handing Hope to me so she could nurse.
“You’re not going to call Jed and let him know what we’re about to do?” I asked once Hope was latched on.
“No,” she said gravely. “In this instance, the fewer people who know, the better.”
Sadly, I had to agree.
When I finished nursing, I handed Hope to Neely Kate. My best friend’s face lit up, and I once again questioned why God had blessed me with a beautiful baby girl, an unexpected surprise, while Neely Kate had been cursed with infertility. It wasn’t fair, but many things in life weren’t. Like Roberta being hung out to dry because her boyfriend had been mixed up with something.
“It occurs to me,” I said, hating to break up Neely Kate’s bonding time, but Roberta’s life could be in danger, “there’s a strong likelihood that Roberta won’t be at work today. Her boyfriend was just murdered. She probably either called in or left after she found out.”
“If she knows,” Neely Kate said, staring at my daughter in a way that made my heart gush. “And if she’s not there, whoever is may be able to help us find her.”
Hope had a firm grasp on her finger as she stared back, her mouth twitching before lifting into a smile.
“She’s smiling!” Neely Kate said, excitement in her voice, then swung her gaze to me. “She’s actually smiling!”
“She just started doing that yesterday,” I said. “I teased Joe it was gas, but he swore he could tell the difference.”
“She’s gonna be a daddy’s girl through and through,” Neely Kate said with wonder in her voice. “How would you feel about that?”
I gave her a reassuring smile. “I’d be fine with it. No, better than fine. I’m ecstatic. All I’ve ever wanted is to have a family with a man who’ll love our children the way I always wanted to be loved as a child. And Joe feels the same way. Our babies will never doubt we love them. Ever.”
Her eyes widened. “Babies. Plural?”
“Oh!” I lifted my hands in surrender. “No, no, no, no. I’m not pregnant.”
She laughed. “I didn’t think you were. It’s only been six weeks. You haven’t gotten the all-clear for sex. I’m sure it’s perfectly fine, but I know Joe’s been waiting until the doctor gives you her stamp of approval.” Her eyes filled with mischief. “When is that appointment, by the way?”
My cheeks grew hot. “The day after tomorrow.”
She got to her feet, holding Hope on her shoulder while she continued to pat her back. “We need to get this Roberta situation cleared up so you two can have a romantic evening to consummate your relationship. In fact,” she said, getting excited, “I think Jed and I should keep Hope overnight so you two can be uninterrupted.”
I laughed. “And what if your baby girl is home by then? The two of them will be up all hours, especially since Hope has given up sleeping for longer than a couple of hours at a time. The last few nights have been torture.”
“Not my sweet baby niece,” Neely Kate said as she carried her to the car seat. “She’s an angel.”
Hope belched, and pasty white spit-up covered Neely Kate’s shoulder.
I couldn’t help laughing. “Not so much an angel now.”
“Hush your mouth,” Neely Kate teased. “She’s perfect.” She set her in the seat, and I moved over to fasten all the straps while Neely Kate went to the bathroom to clean her shirt.
“But if you’re suggestin’ there will be more babies…” Neely Kate said through the open door as she turned the water on. “That means you see something more permanent with Joe.”
I knew Neely Kate worried that I was settling for Joe simply because he’d asked to be Hope’s father, but I knew from the bottom of my heart that this was what I wanted. Every day, Joe proved that I’d made the right decision. Every day, I fell more in love with him. “I want forever with Joe.”
But I wasn’t sure she heard me, because she walked out of the bathroom with a damp spot on her shoulder and her phone clutched in her hand. Her face was several shades paler than when she’d walked into the restroom.
Muffy jumped to her feet and moved closer to Hope.
“Neely Kate, honey,” I said, trying not to panic. I had no idea what had just happened, but whatever it was had clearly shaken her to the core. “What is it? Is your granny okay?”
She held up her phone, and I saw Kate’s name at the top of a page of texts. At the bottom, Kate had sent: Don’t you worry, sister dearest. I’ll make sure you’re happy. No matter what it takes.
I glanced up at Neely Kate in horror.
And just like that, we had two problems.
Chapter 5
“Were all of those from today?” I asked, trying not to panic now even though this was definitely panic worthy. “We need to call Jed.”
“No,” she said, still pale but looking less shell-shocked. “She only sent that last one, and we’re not telling Jed yet. Once he knows, he’ll get all super protective and keep me under his thumb. We have work to do.”
“Neely Kate…”
“No.” Her response was firm.
It was her decision, ultimately, but I still felt responsible.
“Wipe that guilty look off your face,” she said. “This has nothing to do with you.”
“I just really think you should tell Jed.”
“And I will tell him. After we find Roberta. Besides, what’s he going to do? We have no idea what Kate’s up to this time.”
“Then let’s not waste any time finding Roberta,” I said, and picked up the car seat. “Come on, Muff. You and Hope get to see Nana Maeve.”
Neely Kate locked up the office and followed me to the truck. I got Hope’s car seat clicked in, and Muffy hopped up and sat on the bench seat next to Hope.
“Muffy really has become her guard dog, hasn’t she?” Neely Kate asked as I started the truck.
“You have no idea.”
We rode to the nursery in silence. I wanted to talk about Kate, to offer Neely Kate some eassurance that her sister wouldn’t do anything too crazy, but the thing was, Kate was clinically insane. Anything was possible with her.
There were several cars in the nursery’s parking lot, and a wave of guilt swept through me. The last thing Maeve needed right now was to babysit Hope, but I didn’t dare take her with us. It would hopefully be an hour, max.
I got Hope’s seat out of the backseat and slung the diaper bag over my shoulder. Muffy hopped out and followed. Neely Kate stayed outside, looking over the inventory of plants. In her will, Violet had left my best friend a third of the ownership of the nursery (the other two-thirds belonged to Joe and me). I knew that Neely Kate would love to split her time between the nursery and the landscaping company, but my maternity leave had forced her to cover my absence.
Maeve was ringing up a customer when we walked in. Her face lit up as soon as she saw us. She handed the customer her receipt, then hurried around the counter to greet us.