Dear Friends,

I’m so delighted you’re back for one last visit to Serenity. And though I have dearly loved writing about Maddie and Dana Sue, I have to admit that Helen holds a special place in my heart with her yearning for a child and her sudden awakening to the fact that it might be too late for her to have one.

To be honest, I had another hero in mind for Helen when I began writing about the Sweet Magnolias, but suddenly in midstream I realised exactly how perfect she and Erik would be together. Because of his history and her belated desire for a child, there were bound to be high-stakes consequences for these two wonderfully strong-willed people. I hope you’ll enjoy the twists and turns they take on their path to the altar.

As always, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Margaret Marbury, a wonderful editor who can see far deeper into a story than I and show me ways to enrich it. She embraced this series from the beginning and made me want to make it the best yet. And for years now – almost from the beginning of my career – I have trusted agent Denise Marcil not only to cheer me on, but to show me the error of my ways when I’m about to leap off the proverbial cliff that every author clings to from time to time. She’s amazing. Both women are among the smartest in the business.

And while I’m thanking the two people who keep me on track with each and every book, my thanks as well to the wonderfully supportive sales team. My respect for them is boundless. I couldn’t be happier that I found a home at MIRA Books, years and years ago.

All best,

Sherryl

SHERRYL WOODS

Feels Like Family

www.mirabooks.co.uk

1

For a woman who prided herself on being cool and competent, who relied on her wits to win a case, Helen Decatur walked away from the Serenity courthouse with a strong desire to pummel some sense and decency into a few of South Carolina’s good old boys.

Not that she could have proved—weekly golf outings aside—that the judge, the opposing attorney and her client’s soon-to-be ex-husband were in cahoots to deprive her client of what she deserved after the nearly thirty years she’d devoted to her husband, his career and their children. Nonetheless it was clear that the ongoing delays and postponements were designed to wear down Caroline Holliday until she settled for a pittance of what her husband owed her.

One of these days Caroline would fold, too. Helen had seen the defeat in her eyes today when the judge had allowed Brad Holliday’s attorney yet another postponement. Jimmy Bob West claimed they hadn’t seen papers Helen had filed with the court weeks ago. Helen’s production of a signed courier receipt for the delivery of those papers on the same date they’d been filed with the court had done nothing to dissuade Judge Lester Rockingham from granting her opponent’s request.

“Now, Helen, there’s no reason to be in a rush,” the judge had said, his tone condescending. “We’re all after the same thing here.”

“Not exactly,” Helen had muttered under her breath, but she’d resigned herself to accepting the decision. Maybe she could use the extra time to do a little more digging into Brad’s finances. She had a hunch that would wipe that smug smile off his face. Men who provided such extensive records as quickly as Brad had often buried financial secrets under the avalanche, hoping they’d remain buried.

If Brad’s smug expression annoyed her, at least she could take some pleasure in Jimmy Bob’s careful avoidance of her gaze. He’d known her long enough to be leery of her temper once she snapped. On his own, he would only push her so far. Spurred on by a client, he was sometimes tempted to take risks—as he was now.

Jimmy Bob, with his slicked-back hair, ruddy complexion and ribald sense of humor, had tangled with Helen on so many occasions that she pretty much knew what to expect from him. He was a born-and-bred South Carolinian who’d been talking his way out of jams since high school. While he’d never crossed an ethical line to Helen’s knowledge, he danced right on the precipice so often it was a wonder he hadn’t lost his balance and fallen into some legal quagmire by now.

“I’m sorry,” Helen told Caroline as she gathered up her files. “They’re not going to get away with this forever.”

“Sure they will,” her client replied wearily. “Brad’s in no hurry. He’s too busy popping Viagra and sleeping with any female who crosses his path to be worried about when the divorce actually goes through. In fact, this is giving him the perfect excuse to avoid making a commitment to another woman. He’s in hog heaven right now, free to do whatever he wants without any consequences. He figures that any woman hooking up with him does so at her own, fully informed peril.”

“What did you ever see in a man like that?” Helen asked.

It was a question Helen found herself asking her clients a lot lately. How did smart, attractive women wind up with men who were so unworthy of them? To her mind, marriage was something to be avoided. Her friends told her she was simply jaded from handling too many nasty divorces, and while she couldn’t deny that, she could list on the fingers of one hand the number of successful marriages she’d seen. Her friend and business partner, Maddie Maddox, had one—though only after recovering from a lousy first marriage—and her other friend and partner, Dana Sue Sullivan, had recently reunited with her ex, and even to Helen’s cynical eye it looked as if this time things would last for her and Ronnie.

“Brad wasn’t always that way,” Caroline told her, a faintly nostalgic expression in her eyes. “When we met, he was thoughtful and considerate. He was a great dad, a terrific provider and until a few months ago I’d have said we had a solid marriage.”

Helen had heard the rest before, or some version of it. Brad had had a brush with prostate cancer that had threatened his virility. After that, he’d lost his grip on reality. All he could think about was proving he was still a man, and he did that by sleeping with a succession of younger women, never mind that a real man would’ve stuck by the family who’d stayed by his side during his treatment and recovery.

By the time Helen left the courthouse, she felt even more cynical than usual. She would have given anything to head to The Corner Spa, the business she’d started with Maddie and Dana Sue, and spend an hour working out, but she knew she had a full schedule back at the office. Normally a jam-packed calendar would have reassured her, but lately she’d begun to wonder what she was working so hard to accomplish.

She had professional success, she had money in the bank—quite a lot of it, in fact—and she had a lovely home in Serenity she rarely had time to enjoy. She had good friends, but the family she’d once envisioned for herself had never materialized. Instead she played doting surrogate aunt to Maddie’s children—Tyler, Kyle, Katie and Jessica Lynn—and to Dana Sue’s daughter, Annie.

It was her own fault, she knew. She’d always been too driven, too dedicated to the clients depending on her to take the time for the kind of serious dating that might actually lead to a relationship and marriage. And as the divorces had piled up in her caseload, she’d grown less and less enchanted with the idea of risking her own heart, especially on something that came with no guarantees.

When she reached her office, a small cottage on a side street near downtown Serenity, her secretary handed her a thick stack of message slips and nodded toward her office.

Barb Dixon was almost sixty and unapologetically gray-haired, and she’d come to work for Helen the day she’d opened the office. A widow who’d raised three sons on her own and gotten all of them through college, Barb was endlessly patient and compassionate with the clients and fiercely loyal to Helen. She also felt it was her right and duty to take Helen to task from time to time, which made her one of the few people on earth who dared.

“Your two o’clock’s been waiting in your office for an hour,” she chided. “Your three o’clock will be here any second.”

Helen glanced over Barb’s shoulder at the calendar the woman maintained with careful detail, instinctively knowing when to allow extra time for a client and when to keep the appointment to a fifteen-minute session that wouldn’t try Helen’s patience.

“Karen Ames?” Helen questioned. “She works for Dana Sue at Sullivan’s. What’s she doing here?”

“She didn’t tell me, just said it was urgent she speak with you. You had a cancellation for this afternoon, so I called her yesterday and confirmed her for that slot. If you can keep it short, maybe you can catch up a little.”

“Okay, then, let me get started. Apologize to Mrs. Hendricks when she gets here. Give her a cup of tea and some of those cookies from Sullivan’s. She’ll say she’s on a diet, but I know better. I caught her diving into a strawberry sundae at Wharton’s the other day.”

Barb nodded. “Done.”

Helen stepped into her office, with its antique furniture and pale peach walls. Karen was seated on the edge of a guest chair, nervously biting her nails. Her blond hair pulled back into a ponytail that emphasized her fragile cheekbones and large blue eyes. She didn’t look much older than a teenager, though she was, in fact, in her late twenties with two very young children at home.

“I’m so sorry I kept you waiting, Karen,” Helen said. “My court case didn’t start on time and then it took longer than I anticipated to agree on a new hearing date.”

“It’s okay,” Karen said. “I appreciate you seeing me at all.”

“What can I do for you?”

“I think Dana Sue’s going to fire me,” Karen blurted, her expression tearful. “I don’t know what to do, Ms. Decatur. I have two kids. My ex-husband hasn’t paid child support in a year. If I lose this job, we could wind up on the streets. The landlord’s already threatening to evict us.”

Helen’s heart went out to the pale, obviously frazzled young woman seated across from her. There was little question that Karen was at the end of her rope.

“You know Dana Sue and I are friends, as well as partners in The Corner Spa,” Helen said. “Why did you come to me? I can’t represent you, but I’d be happy to recommend someone who could.”

“No, please,” Karen protested. “I guess I was just hoping you could give me some advice because the two of you are friends. I know I’ve bailed out on her way too often lately, but it’s only because of the kids. It’s been one thing after another with them—measles and then their babysitter quitting. I’m a mom first. I have to be. I’m all they have.”

“Of course they’re your first priority,” Helen said, even though to her increasing regret she’d never experienced the need to juggle kids and a career.

“The thought of being homeless with two kids scares me to death.”

“We’re not going to let that happen,” Helen said decisively. “Have you sat down with Dana Sue and explained about your ex and the threats of eviction?”

Karen shook her head. “I’m too embarrassed. I think it’s unprofessional to bring my financial problems into the workplace, so I haven’t talked to her or Erik about this. When I call to say I can’t come in, I tell them the truth, but hearing about one problem after another involving the kids has to be getting old by now. I made a commitment to be there, and Dana Sue has every right to expect me to honor that commitment.”

“Then you can understand her position,” Helen said.

“Of course I can,” Karen replied at once. “It’s not as if she has a huge staff to take up the slack. In fact, it’s almost too much for us when we’re all there. I’ve been trying to find another sitter for the kids, but do you have any idea how hard it is to find someone willing to take care of two sick kids under five during the hours I need to work? It’s almost impossible. And day-care programs don’t run late enough and wouldn’t have taken them when they were sick, anyway.”

Her shoulders sagged with defeat. “Until all this happened, I was a good employee. You can ask Dana Sue or Erik how hard I worked. I love working at Sullivan’s. Dana Sue gave me a fabulous opportunity when she hired me away from the diner, and I hate that I’m blowing it.”

“You haven’t blown it yet,” Helen consoled her. “I know Dana Sue thinks the world of you. But you’re right. She needs staff who’re reliable.”

“I know that,” Karen said miserably. “And she deserves it, too. I guess I’m just feeling completely overwhelmed right now. Is there anything you can do to help? How should I handle this?”

Helen considered the situation. Though employment issues were not her area of expertise, she was fairly certain Dana Sue could legally fire an employee whose absenteeism was intolerable, especially if there’d been repeated warnings about the absences. At the same time, she also knew that her friend would never kick someone when they were down. Sullivan’s was a huge success in part because Dana Sue had always thought of the relatively small staff there as a family. It was one of the reasons she’d been reluctant to expand.

“Why don’t we sit down with Dana Sue and see if we can’t brainstorm some solutions?” Helen suggested. “Dana Sue is a compassionate person. I’m sure she’s no happier about the prospect of firing you than you are. In addition, I know she’s invested a lot of time in training you to become her sous-chef eventually. Compared to the man who had the job when she first opened, you’ve fit in perfectly. I also know you’ve taken a lot of initiative in creating new recipes for Sullivan’s. And you were there when she had a family crisis of her own. Maybe I can mediate some kind of compromise to buy you time to pull things in your life together.”

“That would be incredible,” Karen said.

“Unfortunately, it only solves part of the problem, not the part about finding a reliable sitter,” Helen reminded her. “But between Dana Sue and me, we know a lot of people. I’m sure there’s someone out there who has time on her hands and would be thrilled to be needed.”

Hope sparked in Karen’s eyes, but faded quickly. Clearly she was someone who’d come to accept defeat as the norm.

“I’m so sorry if I’m putting you in an awkward position,” she said.

“Nonsense,” Helen returned. “If it were a matter of you wanting to sue Sullivan’s for wrongful dismissal, I wouldn’t be able to help you because of my close ties with Dana Sue. This is just three reasonable women sitting down for a little heart-to-heart. I think being straightforward and honest with Dana Sue is the only option here.”

Karen gave her a worried look. “I have no idea what your fee is, but I promise you I will pay you as soon as I possibly can. You can check my credit. As tough as things have been since my husband left, I’ve worked really hard to pay my bills on time. I got behind one month on the rent and the landlord went ballistic, even though he got his money a week after the due date. He’s just waiting for me to slip up again so he can kick us out and charge more rent to the next person.”

“Let’s not worry about any fee right now,” Helen said. “As I said, we’re going to look at this as an informal chat among friends, okay?”

Tears welled up in Karen’s eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She swiped at them impatiently. “I don’t know how to thank you, Ms. Decatur. I really don’t.”

“First, call me Helen. And before you thank me, let’s wait and see if we come up with some way to make this a win-win situation for everyone, okay?”

Helen didn’t think there was going to be any problem once Dana Sue understood the whole story. Sullivan’s was successful enough that she could afford to hire someone else part-time, if need be, to fill in when Karen had another of the inevitable family crises that came with having kids. If worse came to worst, Helen herself could step in to help out. She’d done it before when Dana Sue had a crisis that took her away from the restaurant.

Helen had discovered that working with Erik was actually fun. He was probably the only male on the planet who wasn’t the least bit intimidated by her. She’d found that to be both refreshing and frustrating.

In addition, she’d found chopping and dicing to his very precise expectations oddly soothing. After a tough day in court, it had relieved some of her stress to envision a particularly thorny witness or cantankerous judge on the chopping block as she worked. After today, taking a knife to an imaginary Judge Rockingham, Jimmy Bob or Brad Holliday would have been particularly soothing.

“Are you working tomorrow?” Helen asked Karen.

“Assuming my sitter shows up, I go in at ten to prep for lunch, then stay ’til seven so the early part of the dinner rush is covered.”

Helen nodded. “I’ll check Dana Sue’s schedule to see when she’ll be there and get back to you, okay? We’re going to work this out, Karen. I promise you.”

If she had to be a volunteer substitute in Sullivan’s kitchen on a regular basis for a while, she would do everything she could to save Karen’s job. Maybe she could even do something about that deadbeat husband of hers, though Karen hadn’t asked for her help with that. She’d happily do the work pro bono.

Karen left Helen’s office feeling a lot better than she had when she’d called out of sheer desperation to make the appointment. She knew enough about the attorney to know she worked hard for her clients—worked hard at everything she did, for that matter. If ever Karen had met a type-A personality, Helen was it. She made Dana Sue’s perfectionism in the kitchen at Sullivan’s seem like a cute little eccentricity.

When Karen got back to her two-bedroom apartment in a charmless rectangular building, she knocked on her neighbor’s door. Frances Wingate, who had to be over eighty but wouldn’t admit to it, had agreed to keep the kids for a couple of hours, which was about all she could manage with rambunctious, five-year-old Daisy and three-year-old Mack. Two hours were about as long as Daisy was content to make pictures with her crayons or read her books, and twice as long as Mack usually stayed down for his nap. Even as Karen waited for Frances to answer her knock, she could hear Mack crying.

“You big baby, look what you did to my picture!” Daisy yelled just as Frances opened the door.

Karen regarded her apologetically. “I am so sorry I took so long.”

Frances didn’t look nearly as frazzled as Karen had expected. “Oh, don’t mind them. This just started. Mack woke up a minute ago and made a beeline for the table where Daisy was coloring. He tore her favorite picture, the one she’d colored for you. I was just about to get both of them some cookies and milk—that should settle them down. Why don’t you come in and have some, too? They’re chocolate chip. I baked them this morning.”

“Are you sure you can stand this commotion another second?” Karen asked worriedly. “You must be ready for some peace and quiet.”

Frances gave her a wry look. “At my age peace and quiet aren’t the boon you’d think. I like having the kids around. They remind me of mine, though I hate to tell you how long ago it was when they were as young as Daisy and Mack. I have great-grandchildren older than these two.” She drew Karen inside. “Now, you sit down and get off your feet. I’ll get the kids settled and then you and I can chat.”

When Karen had asked Frances if she’d mind watching the kids, she’d said only that she needed to talk to someone about some problems at work. The older woman hadn’t hesitated. “Of course,” she said. “You go do whatever you need to do.”

Now, while Frances bustled off toward the small kitchen, Karen stepped into the dining room where the kids were still engaged in a noisy dispute over the destroyed picture. The instant Daisy spotted her, she ran to Karen and lifted her arms to be picked up.

“Mommy, Mack tore my present for you,” Daisy said with an indignant huff, her big blue eyes shimmering with tears.

Though Daisy was getting much too heavy for Karen to hold for long, she cradled her precious little girl in her arms. “Sweetie, he’s only three. I’m sure he didn’t mean to hurt the picture.”

“But it’s ruined,” Daisy wailed.

“I bet you can draw me another one that’s even more beautiful,” Karen suggested. “You’re very good at drawing pictures.”

Even as she spoke, Mack latched on to her leg, shoulders heaving with great hiccuping sobs. “Mommy!” he wailed. “Up!”

Karen felt the start of a pounding headache. Torn between her two distraught children, she managed to sit down at the table while still holding Daisy. Settling her on one knee, she hauled Mack into her lap. Daisy immediately struggled to get down, clearly feeling betrayed by the shift in attention to her little brother.

“Not just yet,” Karen told her firmly. “Let’s talk about this.”

“He’s a baby,” Daisy said sullenly. “He never listens.”

“And isn’t that the point?” Karen asked. “If he’s too little to understand that something is important to you, then you need to be the big sister and keep important things where he can’t get at them. Can you try to do that?”

“I guess,” Daisy said, sounding resigned.

“Thank you,” Karen told her solemnly.

“Who’s ready for cookies and milk?” Frances called cheerfully.

Both kids immediately abandoned Karen, scrambling down and heading toward the kitchen, the disagreement forgotten. Frances’s cookies were always a huge hit with her kids, who preferred them to the fancier desserts Karen sometimes brought home from Sullivan’s.

“Why don’t we make it like a picnic?” Frances suggested. “I’ll put a big tablecloth on the floor in front of the TV and you can have your cookies and milk in there.”

“I love picnics!” Daisy said enthusiastically.

“Me, too,” Frances confided. “And you know the best part of having it indoors?”

“What?” Daisy asked.

“No ants.”

Daisy giggled.

Karen helped Frances spread out a plastic red-checked tablecloth, where she then set down a plate of cookies. “Two for each of you,” Frances said emphatically. “Mack, here’s your sippy cup with milk in it, and Daisy, here’s your glass of milk.”

She flipped on the TV, then handed the control to Daisy. “Find that cartoon channel you both like, okay?”

That was something else the kids loved about visiting Frances. She had cable TV, which gave them a whole range of channels Karen couldn’t afford. At home they had only the three major networks and one local station that carried ancient reruns.

“That should keep them busy for a while,” Frances said. “I’ve made some tea for us to have with our cookies. You sit down at the dining-room table and I’ll bring it right in.”

“Please, let me help,” Karen said.

“The day I can’t carry a plate of cookies and two cups of tea to the table is the day I’ll check myself into that nursing home they built up the street a few years back,” Frances said.

Karen knew better than to argue. Frances was as strong-willed and independent as anyone she’d ever met. It was probably the reason she was still doing so well on her own. Every now and then one of her children would come for a visit and drop in on Karen to see if she thought Frances was getting too feeble to be left alone.

Karen had never felt a need to shade the truth even slightly. Frances still had a sharp mind and plenty of energy for a woman her age. She was active at her church and made a trip to the library at least once a week to pick up something to read. Until a few months ago, she’d even volunteered at the regional hospital, but the long drive had gotten to be too much for her. Now she spent an hour or more a day checking on local shut-ins, calling or visiting them just to chat and to see if they needed anything more than a few minutes of company.

Though Frances’s apartment was the same dimensions as Karen’s, it was cozy and welcoming in a way Karen’s was not. Maybe it was the lifetime of memories on display in pictures and collectibles. Every knickknack crowded onto every surface in the living room had a fascinating story behind it. Surprisingly the kids—even Mack—had learned to look, and not touch. On the one occasion when, to Karen’s chagrin, something had gotten broken, Frances had waved off the incident.

“One less thing to dust,” she’d said, sounding as if she meant it.

Now, as she poured tea into mismatched chintz teacups, she studied Karen intently. “You still have that worried look in your eyes. Did your meeting not go well?”

“Actually it went better than I’d expected,” Karen admitted. “But the real test is going to be tomorrow. The attorney I saw thinks we should sit down with my boss and work out a solution to the problem I’ve been having getting to work lately. She’s optimistic everything will work out. I’m not so sure.”

“Surely you don’t think Dana Sue would fire you,” Frances said, clearly startled. “Is that what this is about?”

Karen nodded. “I wouldn’t blame her if she did.”

“Honey, she’s one of the sweetest gals I’ve ever known. It’s not in her nature to fire someone just because they’ve hit a rough patch. Did you know I taught her back in second grade?” She shook her head, a smile crinkling her face. “Oh, my, she was something back then. She made your Daisy look like a little angel.”

Karen grinned. “I can’t imagine that.”

“I knew her mama and daddy real well because of it,” Frances said. “And Dana Sue spent a lot of time-outs inside during recess, so I knew her real well, too. She reminds me of that every time I go to Sullivan’s for lunch with my group from church. She says I was the last person who ever managed to keep her in check. I could speak to her, if you think it would help.”

“The only thing that’s really going to help is me finding someone to take care of the kids so I can get to work when I’m supposed to be there,” Karen said.

Frances regarded her with regret. “You know I’d help if I could. I might be able to manage Daisy for a few hours, but I’m too old to be chasing after Mack.”

“Believe me, there are days when I think I’m too old to handle Mack,” Karen told her honestly. “I appreciate you taking them for a couple of hours every now and then. I would never ask you to deal with them any longer than that.”

Frances gave her a sympathetic look. “Have you heard from their daddy lately? Has he made any of his child-support back payments?”

Karen shook her head. Just thinking about the way Ray had left her to fend for herself and their kids when he ran off made her head throb again. “I can’t even think about that right now,” she said, not trying to hide her bitterness. “I’ve gotta focus on keeping my job so I don’t lose the roof over our heads.”

“If that happens, you’ll just move in here with me ’til things get straightened out,” Frances said at once. “I will not let you and those babies be on the street, and that’s that, so quit your worrying on that score.”

“I couldn’t,” Karen protested.

“Of course, you could. Friends help each other out. I may not be able to watch those kids for you all day long, but I can certainly see that there’s a roof over your heads.”

Karen just sat there, stunned into silence. Though she prayed she would never have to take Frances up on her offer, that Frances had even made it was the most wonderful, generous thing anyone had ever done for her. Combined with Helen’s willingness to help her fight for her job, a day that had started with nothing but worry was turning into one filled with blessings.

2

It was nearly seven when Helen finished with her last client. Barb had left an hour earlier, so she turned off the lights and closed up the office, relieved to have the workday behind her.

Outside she weighed the prospect of going home to her empty house against dropping in at Sullivan’s for a decent meal and a few snatched minutes of Dana Sue’s time. Anytime she could see one of the Sweet Magnolias, as they had once called themselves, she grabbed it. Maybe she could lay some groundwork before she and Karen met with her formally tomorrow at the restaurant. Barb had already set up that appointment for two o’clock, after the lunch crowd thinned out.

The restaurant, which specialized in what Dana Sue called new Southern cuisine, was packed, as it was most nights. Though Serenity’s population was only 3500 or so, the restaurant’s reputation had spread through the entire region thanks to excellent reviews in the Charleston and Columbia newspapers.

Helen was greeted at the door by Brenda, the harried waitress. “I should have a table opening up in a few minutes,” she told Helen. “Do you mind waiting?”

“Not at all. Do you think I’ll be risking life and limb if I stick my head in the kitchen to say hello to Dana Sue?”

Brenda grinned. “I’d say that depends on whether you’re prepared to pitch in and help. She and Erik have their hands full tonight. It’s been crazy ever since that review in the Columbia paper. If it’s going to stay this busy, she needs to hire some additional prep staff for the kitchen and some more waitstaff. Paul and I have just about run ourselves to death tonight, even with the busboys pitching in. And just so you know, we ran out of all the specials an hour ago.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Helen said, then headed for the kitchen.

When she pushed open the door and stepped in, she saw Dana Sue at the huge gas stove. Face flushed from the heat, Dana Sue juggled half a dozen different sauté pans, then slid the contents onto waiting plates, added the decorative sauces and spicy salsas, and moved them to a pickup area for the waitstaff.

Her expression filled with relief when she spotted Helen. “Grab an apron,” she ordered. “We need you. It’s nuts in here.”

“Looks to me like what you need is more trained help. Where’s Erik?” Helen asked as she whipped off her suit jacket, hung it on a peg in the pantry, then found an apron and put it on over her two-hundred-dollar designer silk blouse.

“Right behind you,” a deep voice rumbled. “Watch your step. I’m loaded down.”

She turned and found him carrying a tray laden with pies fresh from the oven. She could smell the heady aromas of peaches, cinnamon and vanilla.

“If you’ll give me a slice of that, I’ll be your slave for the rest of the night,” she said.

Erik grinned at her. “I’ll save you a whole pie, but you don’t have time to eat it now. I need you to mix up another batch of the mango-papaya chutney for the fish.” His gaze skimmed her outfit and he shook his head. “You realize that blouse is heading straight for the dry cleaner’s after this, don’t you?”

Helen shrugged. She had a dozen more in her closet. It wouldn’t be a huge loss. “Not a problem.”

His dark eyes warmed. “That’s what I love about you. No pretensions. Underneath that icy courtroom demeanor that I hear you possess lies the soul of a woman ruled by a passion for food and a willingness to help out a friend in distress, no matter the personal cost.”

The compliment caught her off guard. When the usually taciturn Erik popped out with something unexpected or insightful, as he occasionally did, it made her wonder what his story was. She winked at him. “I’m only this cavalier because I figure with the size of tonight’s crowd, Dana Sue’s good for the cost of another blouse.”

“Don’t,” he protested. “You’re ruining my illusions. Do you remember how to make the chutney?”

Helen shook her head. “But don’t worry. I know where the recipes are. I’ll get that one and find the supplies in the storeroom. I’ll have another batch whipped up in no time. You don’t need to supervise.”

“As if,” Dana Sue called out from her station by the stove. “Erik is so thrilled to have someone to supervise for once, he’s not going to pass up the chance.”

Within moments, Helen had fallen into the frantic rhythm of the kitchen. When she could, she snatched glances at Erik, admiring the efficiency with which he moved almost as much as she craved the desserts which he excelled at making. Though he’d been hired primarily as a pastry chef right after graduating from the Atlanta Culinary Institute—which he’d attended after apparently leaving some other career he never mentioned—his role in Sullivan’s kitchen had been expanded over time. Dana Sue relied on him as her backup and had officially named him as assistant manager just a few weeks earlier.

In his late 30s or early 40s, he had a wry wit, a gentle demeanor and was fiercely loyal to and protective of Dana Sue. Helen liked that about him, almost as much as she liked his pastries and occasionally lusted after his six-pack abs and competent hands. That she lusted after him at all was a surprise, because she’d always preferred polished executives over the strong, silent, athletic types.

Helen was relegated to the most basic duties for the next two hours, but she liked being part of the hustle and bustle of the kitchen. The aromas were delectable, the excitement and stress palpable. If cooking at home were half this much fun, she might do it more often. Instead her culinary endeavors ran to scrambled eggs, when she remembered to buy any, and the occasional baked potato. She did make a damn fine margarita, though, if she did say so herself. That was the result of a few summers in Hilton Head working as a bartender during law school. She’d made great tips, great contacts and learned a lot about human nature.

By the time the last meal had been served and only a few customers were lingering over coffee and dessert, she was exhausted from being on her feet for so long, to say nothing of being half-starved.

“Okay, you two, that’s it,” Erik said, hustling them toward the door to the dining room. “Get in there and sit down. I’ll bring you both dinner in a few minutes.”

Dana Sue shook her head. “Only if you’re going to join us,” she told him. “You haven’t had a break all night, either.”

“Sure,” Erik said. “But you need to eat now and Helen needs to kick off those ridiculous heels she insists on wearing.”

Vaguely miffed by the comment, Helen stuck out her foot in its sexy high-heeled sandal, her most extravagant indulgence. “What’s wrong with my shoes?”

Erik’s gaze lingered on her foot with its perfectly manicured pink toenails, then traveled slowly up her leg to the hem of her skirt, now hitched up to show a couple of inches of thigh. “Speaking as a man, there is nothing wrong with those shoes,” he told her, regarding her with amusement. “Speaking as someone who’s watched you hobbling around in here for the past couple of hours, I’d say they’re inappropriate for being on your feet for very long.”

Mollified, she grinned. “You may have a point. If me pitching in around here is going to become a habit, I should probably keep some sneakers in Dana Sue’s office.”

Dana Sue gave her a startled look. “You own sneakers?”

“Don’t be snide. What do you think I wear when I work out?”

“Oh, yeah, those customized things you created online in colors to match your workout clothes,” Dana Sue said.

Erik looked at Helen in amusement. “What’s wrong with the sneakers you buy at the mall?”

Helen gave him a disdainful look. “Everyone has them,” she replied. “Come on, Dana Sue. I can’t possibly deal with a man in faded jeans and a grease-stained T-shirt who doesn’t understand fashion, no matter how sexy he thinks he is.”

Erik chuckled, while Dana Sue said, “Right now, all I care about is that he understands food.” She gave Erik a wink as she and Helen headed for the dining room and a corner booth away from the few remaining customers.

As soon as they were seated, Helen groaned and kicked off her shoes under the table. “Please don’t tell Erik, okay? These things are torture if I’m on my feet too long. They’ll definitely never be my dancin’ shoes.”

“Still, it’s a small price to pay for looking sexy.” Dana Sue grinned. “I haven’t worn shoes like that in years. I’d break my neck.”

“Next time you want to knock Ronnie’s socks off, I’ll let you borrow a pair of mine,” Helen said.

Dana Sue’s eyebrows rose and fell. “I knock his socks off no matter what I wear.”

“Then the honeymoon’s still not over?”

“You can stop asking me that, you know,” Dana Sue said smugly. “Ronnie and I expect to be in the honeymoon phase for months and months. Maybe years. And this time around, I’m going to do everything in my power to see to it that the marriage never ends, even if the glow does wear off.”

Helen regarded her wistfully. “I never thought I’d say this about you getting back together with Ronnie, but I envy you.”

Dana Sue regarded her with compassion, but she quickly shifted to impatience. “Then what are you doing about it? When was the last time you went on a date, and I don’t mean sitting down with some male attorney to discuss torts or writs or whatever else it is you talk about over coffee.”

“Who has time?” Helen said defensively. “Between work, keeping up with things at the spa and trying to exercise more regularly, I don’t have five spare minutes a week.”

“Really?” Dana Sue said skeptically. “You just spent two solid hours in my kitchen. That’s enough for a quality date.”

Helen shrugged. “That’s fun. There’s no pressure in there.”

Dana Sue lifted an eyebrow. “Really? No pressure? Not even with Erik’s exacting orders flying at you? He scared off the last two prep guys I brought in for a tryout.”

“He’s a perfectionist, that’s all. Lord knows, I get that and respect it. And there’s more at stake in there for you and for him. I’m just a volunteer worker bee from time to time. If I mess up, what are either of you going to do about it?”

“I’d probably banish you forever, but I can’t speak for Erik,” Dana Sue said. “By the way, was there some reason you came by tonight other than the chance we’d put you to work?”

“To be honest, I was hoping for a few minutes to talk to you,” Helen admitted.

“About…?”

“Karen.”

Dana Sue’s eyes widened. “You want to talk to me about Karen Ames? Why? Is that why Barb called to set up an appointment for tomorrow afternoon? I thought it was about the spa.” She held up her hand. “Wait. Here comes Erik with our food. If it involves Karen, he probably needs to hear this, too. And he should be at any meeting we have.”

Erik set three plates of grouper, with its garnish of mango-papaya chutney, wild rice and a side of baby carrots in a brown sugar glaze on the table. Everything was as artfully arranged as it was for the paying customers.

“Where’s my pie?” Helen asked immediately.

“Not ’til you’ve cleaned your plate,” he teased, sliding into the booth beside her. “Pie’s your reward, not your meal.”

Helen frowned at him. “Who says?”

“The chef,” he told her. “So. Dig in.”

All three picked up their forks and started eating. After a minute, Erik asked, “What were you two talking about when I got here? You looked awfully serious for a couple of women who were supposed to be kicking back and relaxing.”

“Karen,” Dana Sue told him, her expression somber. She took another bite of food. “Helen brought her up.”

Erik stared at Helen, his expression immediately shifting into something far more cautious. “What do you have to do with Karen?”

“She came to see me today. She thinks she’s about to be fired.”

Dana Sue exchanged a rueful look with Erik that spoke volumes.

Helen sighed. “I see she was on target. It’s because of the amount of time she’s missed lately, right?”

Dana Sue nodded. “It makes me very unhappy, but I don’t have a choice, Helen. I can’t operate a kitchen if one of my key employees is absent half the time. Even if I do find the right prep person, as busy as we are I need an assistant I can count on.”

“Do you know why she’s absent?”

“Every time she calls in, it’s always about the kids,” Erik volunteered.

“And I sympathize with that, I really do,” Dana Sue added. “But it comes back to my ability to keep this place running the way it needs to. It’s not fair for Erik and me to have to pick up the slack all the time. I have to have an employee who’s reliable.” She studied Helen worriedly. “Is she going to make a legal issue out of this? Is that why she came to you?”

“No,” Helen said, putting down her fork. “I don’t think it needs to come to that and I wouldn’t represent her if it did. I just want you to sit down with Karen and me tomorrow and see if there’s not another solution, something that will enable you to run this kitchen the way it needs to be run, yet keeps her from losing her job.”

“You’re putting Dana Sue in an impossible position,” Erik said protectively. “Come on, Helen, she’s not the bad guy here.”

“I know that,” Helen said. “But Karen’s not some irresponsible kid, either. You’ve spent a lot of time training her. Just let her explain and see if we can’t come to some kind of solution.”

Though Erik looked less than thrilled with the idea, Dana Sue nodded. “I can do that much.”

“Thank you,” Helen said, then turned to Erik and added sternly, “And you, reserve judgment, okay?”

“I’ll do my best, since the champion of the underdog requests it, but I’m not happy about it. I intend to be at that meeting. And so you know, I’m a little surprised that you would take Karen’s side over your best friend’s.”

Helen bristled. “I’m trying not to take sides,” she retorted. “Successful negotiating means making this a win-win situation.”

“Then tell me exactly what Dana Sue is getting out of this,” he demanded.

“She gets to keep an excellent, well-trained employee,” Helen replied, determined to keep her tone reasonable, though his attitude was starting to grate on her. He wasn’t the only one who felt protective about Dana Sue. She’d been looking out for her friend a lot longer than he had. Her appetite fading, she said, “You know Karen’s good. I’ve heard you say it more than once.”

“Doesn’t matter if she’s never here,” Erik said.

His refusal to give Karen a break riled her. “That’s an exaggeration,” she snapped, losing patience.

“Whoa,” Dana Sue protested. “It’s a meeting, Erik. We owe Karen that much. Helen’s right. When Karen’s here, she’s been terrific.”

“Just as long as you don’t let your pal here railroad you into doing something that’s not in the best interests of the restaurant,” he said.

“I’ve never railroaded anyone in my life,” Helen said, annoyed. Her appetite for her food completely vanished.

“Really?” Erik scoffed. “Whose idea was it to get Ronnie Sullivan out of town when he and Dana Sue split up? That really worked out well for their daughter, didn’t it?”

Dana Sue regarded him with dismay. “Old news, Erik. Annie’s fine now, and so are Ronnie and I.”

“No thanks to Helen’s interference,” he said.

Helen glowered at him, stung by his accusation. When Dana Sue would have responded to his comment, Helen stopped her with a look. “I can fight my own battles,” she said tightly. She faced Erik. “You weren’t here. You have no idea what was best at the time.”

“No,” he agreed, leaning forward, his gaze intense. “I came along just in time to see all hell break loose when Annie landed in the hospital.”

“That was not my fault,” Helen said fiercely.

“Really? Her eating disorder was brought on to some degree because her father abandoned her, or did I get that part wrong?” He didn’t wait for an answer before charging, “You made that happen.”

“That’s a little simplistic,” Dana Sue said, though neither of them even looked at her.

Helen was practically nose-to-nose with Erik. “Where do you get off making an accusation like that?”

“Just calling it like I see it, sweetheart.”

“Go to hell,” Helen said, nudging Dana Sue until she moved out of the way so that Helen could slide out of the curved booth on the opposite side. She glanced at Dana Sue as she grabbed her shoes out from under the table. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, then scowled at Erik. “I suggest you skip the meeting.”

“Not a chance,” he said. “Somebody has to make sure common sense reigns.”

“And you have to be that somebody?” Helen asked. “How do you feel about that, Dana Sue?”

“I’m pretty much shell-shocked by the way this entire conversation has spun out of control,” Dana Sue responded. “What is wrong with you two? I’ve never seen either of you act like this before.”

“I guess know-it-all attorneys bring out the worst in me,” Erik said stiffly.

“And judgmental men, who won’t even listen to reason, bring it out in me,” Helen said.

Erik gave her a once-over that made her blood almost as hot as her temper. “I guess that means you won’t be wanting your pie, since I baked it.”

The reminder of that peach pie, which had been all she could think about as she’d worked in the kitchen, created a major dilemma. Her mouth still watered when she thought about it. Her pride dictated she not let him know that.

“I never said that,” she said huffily, then stalked into the kitchen and picked up the entire pie from the counter.

One bite, she thought as she drew in a deep breath and savored the aroma. What could it hurt? She put the pie down, grabbed a fork and dug into the fragrant peach mixture and flaky crust, then sighed as her temper simmered down a notch. Maybe two bites, she decided. Erik would never know. She ate the second mouthful, then picked up the pie again, marched straight back into the dining room and, before she could talk herself out of it, threw the remainder straight into his shocked face.

Beside him, Dana Sue sucked in a startled breath, then fought to contain laughter. Helen watched as the pie oozed down Erik’s face and onto his T-shirt. She was so intent on watching it spread across his impressive chest that she apparently missed the wicked glint in his eyes until it was too late.

Before she could make a dash for it, he’d wiped most of the pie off his face and was on his feet. In an instant, he had his arms around her, his hot, demanding mouth on hers and the remains of that incredible peach pie crushed indelibly into her silk blouse.

Helen figured she could always buy another blouse, but it was going to take a whole lot longer to erase the memory of Erik’s breath-stealing kiss from her head, especially with Dana Sue as an obviously fascinated witness. Dana Sue wouldn’t let her forget it in this lifetime. And since there were still a couple of diners left in the restaurant and this was Serenity, it would be all over town by morning. Helen Decatur, the Sweet Magnolia with the most common sense, the one who got people out of trouble, had just landed in a pile of it.

When Erik finally released Helen from that ill-advised kiss, he cast Dana Sue an apologetic look, then headed for the kitchen. He needed to figure out what kind of insanity had possessed him to first taunt and then kiss a woman like Helen Decatur.

She was a pushy, arrogant, know-it-all attorney, but she was also his boss’s best friend and a regular customer at Sullivan’s. Moreover, on more than one occasion including tonight, she had willingly pitched in to help them out of a jam in the kitchen.

Maybe that was the problem, he concluded. It was one thing to disapprove of the fancy clothes and pretensions, but in the kitchen at Sullivan’s he’d seen another side of her. He’d seen a woman who cared more about her friend and what she needed than she did about such superficial things as her designer clothes. She also checked her ego at the door and did whatever was asked of her without complaint. She did it damn well, too, if he was being totally honest. He actually liked her, most of the time, anyway. Tonight she’d just gotten under his skin for some reason. Despite what he’d said, he did know she’d never choose someone else’s side over Dana Sue’s.

Baiting her, he could understand. Kissing her, well, that was a whole other story, one destined for an unhappy ending. He’d crossed a line, a move for which he’d have to apologize eventually.

Of course, he couldn’t help remembering that she’d kissed him back. In fact, she’d kissed him with such unexpected heat and passion, it had sent him running for cover. He hadn’t run from a female since Susie Mackinaw had planted an unwanted kiss on him in third grade to the accompaniment of jeers from his friends.

No, he amended, pouring himself a cup of coffee and drinking it as he methodically began to clean the kitchen. The truth was he’d been running from women since his wife had died in childbirth. An EMT in Atlanta at the time, he’d been with Samantha in the ambulance after she’d gone into premature labor and begun hemorrhaging. The ride to the hospital had taken an eternity, and even before they’d arrived in the emergency room, he’d known it was too late. Sam had lost way too much blood, her vitals were fading and the baby was too early to be saved.

That was the day his heart had been ripped from his chest, right along with his ability to function in his job. If an EMT couldn’t do something to save his own wife, how could he ever trust himself to help anyone else?

After a month’s leave, during which he’d drunk himself into a stupor every single day, he’d walked into his boss’s office and quit. Gabe Sanchez had argued with him, pleaded with him to get some counseling and then come back, but Erik had known that his days in any career tied to health care were over.

He might have drifted aimlessly after that, but a friend of his wife’s had suggested he go to the Atlanta Culinary Institute. Erik had laughed at the idea at first, but Bree had kept badgering. Her husband had added his support for the idea as well.

“Out of our entire crowd, you’re the best cook, hands down,” Bree had told him. “More important, you enjoy it. If nothing else, taking the classes will get you out of this funk you’re in. Once you graduate, who knows? Maybe you can open your own restaurant or become a caterer or just come to my house once a month and cook for Ben and me and the kids. It doesn’t matter. The distraction is what’s important. Sam would hate what you’re doing to yourself. She wouldn’t want you to grieve forever.”

Erik might have dismissed the whole idea if Bree hadn’t shown up on his doorstep a few days later with application forms. She’d sat right there while he filled them out, then written a check herself, tucked it all in an envelope and taken it with her to mail. Obviously she hadn’t wanted to leave anything to chance.

“Consider it a gift toward your future from Ben and me,” she said. “When you’re running your own restaurant, you can pay us back with free dinners on our anniversaries.”

A few weeks later, he’d been accepted and shortly after that he’d taken his first classes. By the end of the first month, he knew it was the best decision he’d ever made, next to marrying Samantha. By the time graduation rolled around, he wondered how he’d ever considered, much less worked in, any other field.

Then Dana Sue had contacted the school to find a pastry chef, which was Erik’s specialty. He hadn’t been convinced he wanted to move to a small town in South Carolina, but after he’d visited Serenity and seen Sullivan’s, he’d been hooked. It was just the change he needed, a chance to get away from Atlanta and all of its memories. Moreover, Dana Sue had created something special in a community that was trying to turn itself around after some hard knocks to its economy. As all of the reviews had glowingly stated, Sullivan’s was a rare culinary treasure and he was glad to be a part of it.

As for Dana Sue, she was something special, as well. He’d even harbored a vague notion that someday their relationship might move from professional to personal, but it had quickly become clear that the shapely blonde was still in love with her ex-husband.

Even so, Dana Sue, her daughter, Annie, and even the annoyingly unreliable Karen had become his family. And as hard-hearted as he’d obviously sounded to Helen, when it came to Karen what he most cared about was the toll her problems took on Dana Sue, who simply didn’t need the added stress.

Unlike Dana Sue, Helen was not a woman who needed anyone to look out for her, which was yet another reason Erik was at a loss to explain why he’d kissed her so thoroughly a few minutes earlier. He was by nature a nurturer, a self-proclaimed knight in shining armor. The idea of tough-as-nails Helen needing nurturing was laughable.

Then again, maybe the kiss had been inevitable. She was a gorgeous woman, a little too uptight for him, a lot too opinionated. But sometimes just such a mix guaranteed an explosion sooner or later. Now that the kiss was behind him, the steam was released, and odds were it would never happen again.

He was just congratulating himself for making it all seem reasonable when Dana Sue came into the kitchen and joined him at the sink, where he was scrubbing pans. Picking up another pan from the sudsy water, she nudged him with her hip.

“So, what was that kiss all about?” she asked, keeping her gaze on the greasy pan in her hands.

“Pure impulse,” he said, dismissing it.

“Something tells me the impulse has been coming on for some time. There’s something in the air every time you two are in the same room.”

“Tension,” he suggested.

“Sexual tension, I think,” she retorted, a glint in her eye. “Why haven’t you done anything about it before?”

He rolled his eyes. “Helen and me? Are you crazy?”

“I don’t think so. You’re an incredible man. She’s an incredible woman. Both of you deserve someone special in your lives.”

“I don’t know about Helen, but I’m not looking for a relationship,” he said.

“You used to say you wanted me,” she reminded him.

He grinned. “Because I knew there wasn’t a chance in hell you’d say yes.”

“So you claimed to want me only because I was unattainable?”

“Exactly.”

“Not buying it. If you like the challenge of the unattainable, then Helen’s an even better bet. Think of the fun you could have trying to change her mind.”

“And then what? Tell her it was all just a game?”

“No, you idiot. Then you fall madly in love and marry her.”

Erik laughed. “I don’t see that happening. Somehow I just can’t picture Helen’s designer duds hanging next to my Levi’s in the closet.”

“After that kiss tonight, I can see it,” Dana Sue told him. “And judging from the way Helen ran out of here, I think she can see it, too.”

“Stop meddling, Dana Sue. She’s your friend and that alone is reason enough for me to stay away from her.”

“Why? I’m giving you my permission to pursue this. In fact, I’m encouraging it.”

“And what happens when one of us gets our heart broken? Whose side do you take?”

She looked vaguely disconcerted by the question. “It would never come to that,” she declared.

“Really? You can see into the future?”

“No, but I have faith in both of you, and I saw something tonight, a spark, that hasn’t been there before in either one of you. Passion—the real deal that leads to love—is a rarity. I’m here to tell you that a spark like that shouldn’t be ignored.”

“Well, I’m ignoring it,” he said flatly.

“We’ll see,” she taunted. “I’m sure I can think of some way to change your mind.” She shrugged. “Or Helen’s. It’ll only take convincing one of you to get this ball rolling.”

“It’s not up to you,” he said, even though he could see he was wasting his breath. He was just going to have to be on high alert from now on.

Damn. That meeting tomorrow. He’d have to be in the same room as Helen and Dana Sue when the memory of that searing kiss was just a little too fresh in his mind.

3

Karen’s heart was in her throat all during the first part of her shift prior to the meeting Helen had scheduled for two in the afternoon. Erik kept shooting daggers at her, as if he was really ticked off about something. She got the impression he’d been against the meeting. Dana Sue was trying to overcompensate by being extra nice, but the tension in the kitchen was really beginning to take a toll on Karen.

Added to that, they’d had one customer from hell, who’d sent her meal back three times. Erik and Dana Sue had finally drawn straws to decide which one of them would go into the dining room to deal with her and take a stab at making sure she left Sullivan’s happy. Dana Sue had drawn the short straw. Free champagne and dessert for everyone at the table finally soothed the woman, but the whole exchange had ruined Dana Sue’s mood. It was now as dark as Erik’s.

At precisely two o’clock, Helen sashayed in, wearing one of those power suits she favored, a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes that probably cost more than Karen made in a week, maybe even a month, and designer sunglasses that she didn’t remove.

Pointedly ignoring Erik, she smiled at Karen, then turned to Dana Sue. “Where do you want to meet? It’s going to be a little crowded in your office, unless Erik has decided to skip the meeting.”

There was a cool, antagonistic note in her voice that Karen didn’t recognize. Something told her it didn’t bode well for the discussion to come.

“Not a chance,” Erik replied tightly, adding to the tense atmosphere.

“The last of the customers have gone. We can sit in the dining room,” Dana Sue said briskly. “Karen, you want a soda or something? Helen?”

“I’m good,” Karen said, too nervous to even try to swallow something while her future was at stake.

“Nothing for me,” Helen said.

“Then let’s get started, shall we?” Dana Sue said with obviously forced cheer, leading the way.

“Could I see you for a minute first, Helen?” Erik asked, his expression grim.

Dana Sue tucked her arm through Karen’s and immediately steered her through the door into the dining room. “We’ll give you a minute alone,” she said to the two of them.

“What’s that about?” Karen asked in a hushed voice.

Dana Sue grinned. “They had a little disagreement last night. Trust me, it’ll be a whole lot better if they work it out before this meeting.”

Almost before the words were out of Dana Sue’s mouth, though, Helen appeared right behind them, her expression as grim as Erik’s.

Karen leveled a worried look at Dana Sue and leaned close to whisper, “That’s not a good sign, is it?”

Dana Sue sighed. “Not especially,” she said, frowning when Erik emerged from the kitchen right on Helen’s heels, his own expression even stormier than before.

“Okay,” Helen said when they were all seated. “Remember, this is just a conversation among friends. The goal is to work out a solution all of you can live with. Karen’s well aware that her absences lately have put a real strain on the two of you. Karen, why don’t you tell them what’s been going on and why you haven’t spoken up before now?”

Swallowing hard, Karen avoided Erik’s unyielding expression and focused on Dana Sue as she explained about the kids having the measles, the babysitter quitting and the financial stress she’d been under with Ray not sending child-support payments.

“I haven’t told you before because my personal problems shouldn’t be your problems,” she said. “I know I’ve been unreliable and that it’s unacceptable. But I swear to you if you can just bear with me a little longer until I can make permanent arrangements for someone responsible to watch the kids for me, I will be here every single minute I’m supposed to be. I won’t have to hunt for someone new every day.”

Helen held up a hand. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Karen. Let’s face it, being a single mom is unpredictable. Dana Sue, you certainly know all about that. Here’s what I suggest, especially after being here last night. Isn’t it time you considered hiring another chef, or at least some prep staff who can be trained just the way you’ve trained Karen? That way if Karen does have another one of these inevitable crises, you’ll have some backup.”

“Why should Karen’s problems force Dana Sue to hire additional staff?” Erik demanded.

“Because you need the help, anyway,” Helen said before Dana Sue could answer. “Karen wasn’t scheduled last night and it was crazy in the kitchen. If I hadn’t shown up—”

“We’d have managed,” Erik interrupted. “We always do.”

“Come on, Erik, Helen’s right,” Dana Sue cut in. “We really are understaffed for the size of the dinner crowd lately. I’ve interviewed half a dozen people for prep work and given two of them a trial run, but neither one was right for us. I really need to accelerate that search. I’ve been putting off doing anything about it, because I wasn’t sure the popularity of this place would last. That sometimes happens after rave reviews. The kitchen can’t keep up for a few weeks and then people go back to their usual routine and you’ve got more staff underfoot and counting on you than you need and you have to let people go.”

“Hiring someone to do prep work is one thing,” Erik conceded. “But as long as we’re still counting on Karen to be here, how does that solve the problem if she bails?”

“Another trained person can come in if Karen has an emergency,” Helen said.

“And be paid overtime wages?” Erik asked. “How is that fair to Dana Sue? She has to think about costs, you know. And prep work is a far cry from being her assistant or sous chef. We need someone who can move into that position, now that I’m assistant manager.”

Karen studied Erik and Helen and knew there was something going on between them that had nothing to do with her. It was clear, though, that this discussion wasn’t going to work in her favor unless she stepped in with a solution of her own. Fortunately sometime in the middle of the night she’d actually come up with one. Until now she’d been hesitant to offer it, but it was beginning to seem as if she had nothing to lose.

“I have an idea,” she said quietly.

All three of them looked at her in surprise, almost as if they’d forgotten she was there.

“Go ahead,” Helen encouraged.

“I worked with another cook at the diner ’til she had to leave. She had the same problem I’m having now. She was a single mom and her kids had to come first. Doug fired her, just the way I know you two have been debating about firing me. Anyway, Tess was really, really good, but she took a job telemarketing, so she could work at home. I know she hates it and would love to get back to work in a restaurant.”

Erik’s scowl deepened. “If she’s already been fired for being unreliable, why would we ask for more problems by hiring her?”

“Because, frankly, she’s got exactly the skills you need,” Karen told him, determined not to back down in the face of his skepticism. She needed to fight for herself. To do that she had to convince them to at least give Tess a try. “She’s fast. She’s a quick learner. She’s creative. She doesn’t get rattled in a crisis. And she already knows her way around a kitchen.”

“That still doesn’t address the key problem,” Erik said.

“Let her finish, for goodness’ sakes,” Helen snapped.

“Well, pardon me all to hell for wondering how this solves anything,” Erik retorted, his gaze locked with Helen’s.

Suddenly Karen got it. Whatever tiff those two had gotten into, it was because something personal was going on between them. She hadn’t heard anything about them dating, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t happened. There were enough sparks bouncing around to set the tablecloth on fire.

Biting back a grin, she waved a hand to catch their attention. Dana Sue looked equally amused.

“Here’s my idea,” Karen said. “Let me and Tess share the job as sous-chef.”

Helen looked startled, but to Karen’s relief Dana Sue looked intrigued.

“How would that work?” Dana Sue asked. “Don’t you both need a full-time job?”

Karen nodded. “But you’re open six days a week, right? And you’re open more than eight hours a day. One of us could work three days, the other four, and you could schedule our shifts to overlap. You need the extra help anyway on weekends. The sharing part would be that Tess and I would adjust that schedule between us if one of us had an emergency, so you’d never be left without a sous-chef. You’d have two trained people and you’d be covered all the time. The odds of both of us having an emergency on the same day are slight.”

“I like it!” Helen said eagerly. “Dana Sue, what do you think?”

Karen held her breath.

“It could work,” Dana Sue said slowly. “We do need the extra coverage. I’d have to meet Tess and see if she can handle the job or if she even wants it, but it would solve a lot of problems. Erik, what do you think?”

Though his expression remained grim, he nodded. “It has potential, as long as at least one of you shows up, no matter what,” he conceded grudgingly. For the first time, he actually looked at Karen. “That’s one of the traits I’ve always liked about you. You do think outside the box and you’re not afraid to try new things.”

Karen smiled at him. “Thanks. This time it was mainly out of desperation, but I really do think you’re both going to love Tess. She’s bright and energetic and loyal. She’d fit in perfectly here. And I know she and I can work things out so you’re never short staffed.”

“Okay, then, have her call me,” Dana Sue said. “We’ll get her in here and give her a try.”

Helen sat back, a satisfied smile on her face. “A win-win solution. Good job, Karen. Thanks, Dana Sue.”

Karen noticed she pointedly ignored Erik as she stood up. “I need to get back to the office,” Helen said.

This time Erik shot out of the booth. “I’ll walk with you,” he said in a determined tone that silenced any argument. “Back in ten minutes, Dana Sue.”

Dana Sue stared after him. “Take all the time you need.”

After they’d gone, Karen met Dana Sue’s amused gaze. “Are those two…?”

“Not yet,” Dana Sue said. “But I predict it won’t be long.”

“My, my,” Karen murmured, laying on a thick Southern drawl, “I do believe I could use some iced tea. It’s gotten a little warm in here and I’m parched.”

Dana Sue laughed. “Isn’t that the truth? Come on. I’ll join you. Something tells me we’re going to be on our own for a while in the kitchen.”

Helen was sorry she’d walked over to Sullivan’s from her office. If she’d driven, she could have gotten in her car and slammed the door in Erik’s face. Instead, he was walking along beside her in an increasingly awkward silence. Finally she could stand it no longer.

“If there’s something on your mind, just say it,” she demanded. “Otherwise, leave me alone.”

“I’m trying to figure out what to say,” he admitted.

“‘I’m sorry’ has a nice ring to it. Or ‘I was wrong.’ That’s a good one.”

“Okay, both of those,” he said, his lips twitching.

She stopped and whirled around to look him in the eye. “That’s it? I throw you a couple of options and you don’t even repeat them or put your own pitiful spin on them?”

“But you’re the one who’s so good with words,” he returned dryly. “I figured you put it exactly the way you wanted to hear it.”

Helen rolled her eyes. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, do you even know what you’re apologizing for?”

“The kiss?” he suggested uncertainly.

The hint of vulnerability in a man who’d always struck her as supremely confident cut through her defenses. “That would be a good place to start,” she agreed.

“There’s more?” he asked.

Though his tone was perfectly serious, she thought she detected a hint of teasing. “You’re darn straight, there’s more. How about the fact that you were behaving like a horse’s behind about Karen?”

“I was trying to look out for the restaurant’s best interests,” he said. “Something I thought would matter to you, you being Dana Sue’s good friend and all.”

“Of course that matters to me,” she retorted. “So, don’t you think the solution we worked out in there is the best thing for everybody?”

“Possibly,” he said. “But by Karen’s own admission, her friend was fired for being unreliable. In my book, that’s not a terrific recommendation, no matter what her skills are.”

“Not only a horse’s behind, but stubborn as a mule, too,” Helen muttered under her breath.

“I heard that,” he said.

“As I intended,” she replied, then studied him curiously. “I thought you liked Karen.”

“I like a lot of people I don’t want working in my kitchen,” he said. “Not if they’re not going to show up when they’re supposed to.”

Helen’s lips curved in a small smile and she resumed walking. “Does that also mean you don’t mind having someone you dislike working in your kitchen?”

“If they do the job well,” he said, his gaze narrowing as he strode beside her. “What’s your point?”

“You don’t seem overly fond of me at the moment.”

“Because you’re annoying the hell out of me right now.”

“And last night?” she teased.

“And last night,” he agreed.

“And yet we worked so well together. Interesting,” she said thoughtfully.

“What’s so interesting about that?”

“The way your mind works. Can I ask you something else?”

“I don’t imagine I can stop you, interrogation being one of your primary work skills.”

“How did the kiss fit in?” she asked, clearly catching him off guard. Color bloomed in his cheeks.

“I apologized for that,” he reminded her.

“I know, but what sparked it? A sudden attack of lust, the heat of the argument, a desire to get even because of the pie I’d tossed at you?”

“I wish to hell I knew,” he said.

“Come on. Think about it,” she prodded, stopping to look at him. “I just want to know so I can avoid triggering that particular response again.”

“You and me both,” he said, then studied her intently. “You seemed to be into it at the time.”

“I most certainly was not!” she replied indignantly.

“Bet I could prove what a liar you are.”

Now there was a challenge that was best avoided. And since she seemed to be increasingly off balance around Erik, maybe it was time to turn the tables. After all, the man was seriously cute when he was befuddled. Feeling downright daring, she reached up and pressed a kiss to his cheek, hoping to throw him even further off-kilter.

“Let me know when you figure out how we wound up with our lips locked,” she said. “We walked past my office five minutes ago and I need to get back there. See you.”

“Hold it!” he commanded before she could leave. “What about the apology you owe me?”

Helen frowned. “Excuse me?”

“That pie you tossed in my face,” he reminded her.

“You deserved it,” she said.

“Maybe you deserved that kiss,” he said. “Maybe I should take back that apology. After all, it could happen again.”

Helen gave him a hard look. “Don’t even think about it.”

There was a daring gleam in his eye as he took a step in her direction. She backed up and nearly tripped over a crack in the sidewalk.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry about the damn pie,” she said hurriedly. “Now I really do have to go.”

She spun around and took off in the direction of her office as fast as she could, given the three-inch heels she wore. Viewed from Erik’s vantage point, her haste probably wasn’t a pretty sight, but impressing him wasn’t real high on her priority list right now.

“Women!” Erik muttered as he watched Helen cut across the grass in an awkward gait and run up the front steps to her office.

But it wasn’t women in general who made him nuts. It was this woman. He needed to stay as far away from Helen as humanly possible. Maybe he could figure out some way to get Dana Sue to ban her from the kitchen at Sullivan’s. No, that was impossible, given Dana Sue’s apparent matchmaking scheme, which, now that he thought about it, had probably kicked into gear months ago, when Helen had first been drafted into kitchen duty. If he suggested now that Helen didn’t belong in the restaurant kitchen, he could all but guarantee that’s where she’d turn up. Better to keep his mouth shut.

When he got back to Sullivan’s, Karen and Dana Sue both avoided looking at him. He figured that wouldn’t last, either. Dana Sue’s curiosity would eventually get the better of her. When it came to cross-examining, she came in a close second to her attorney pal.

Thankfully he still had to finish the preparations for tonight’s dessert special, an apple bread pudding that had become a customer favorite. It was on the menu every Friday night. Working quickly, he assembled the ingredients, filled two large baking pans with the bread-and-apple mixture, then poured the blended liquid ingredients over the top and popped both pans in the oven. After baking, it would be cut into squares, then served warm with a caramel sauce, whipped cream or cinnamon ice cream, according to the customer’s preference.

Just as the pans went into the oven, he noticed Dana Sue studying him intently, but before she could accost him with questions, her husband walked in and her attention immediately shifted to him. Erik figured he owed the man a beer for his excellent timing.

“Hey, Erik, Karen,” Ronnie said as he made a beeline for his wife and pulled her into his arms. “Hey, you. How’s my favorite chef?”

Dana Sue glanced pointedly in Erik’s direction. “Actually I was about to suggest to Erik that we take a break before the dinner rush.”

“Too busy,” Erik said, heading toward the pantry in search of the ingredients for walnut brownies he could make now and freeze for later.

“Doing what?” Dana Sue asked, regarding him suspiciously.

“I thought I’d get a head start on next week and make up some brownies,” he told her.

Dana Sue beamed at him. “Sounds like an excuse to avoid talking to me.” She linked an arm through his. “Let’s take a break. Ronnie, how about bringing some iced tea out for all of us?”

Ronnie regarded Erik with sympathy. “Sorry, pal. She’s the boss.”

“At home, too?” Erik asked.

Ronnie grinned. “At home there’s a delicate balance of power that’s ever-changing,” he replied. “Unfortunately, for your sake, we’re in her restaurant now. I have zero standing here.”

“Pitiful,” Erik said. “I thought men were supposed to stick together.”

“Normally, yes,” Ronnie agreed. “But in this instance, I have to admit to being a little curious myself about why the prospect of talking to my wife has you as jittery as a june bug.”

“Are you two through yet?” Dana Sue was impatient. “At this rate, there won’t be any time left for a nice long chat.”

“Now there’s a reason to celebrate,” Erik muttered.

Across the kitchen, Karen giggled, then buried her face in a paper towel in a futile attempt to smother her laughter.

“Another traitor,” Erik noted. “Okay, let’s get this inquisition over with.”

Dana Sue frowned at him. “It’s hardly an inquisition,” she said, leading him to a booth in the dining room. “Just one friend catching up with another one.”

Erik smiled despite his deteriorating mood. “How much catching up can we possibly have to do?”

“You were gone half an hour,” she said. “A lot can happen in half an hour.” She sat and patted the seat beside her. “Sit right here.”

“I think you should reserve that spot for your husband,” Erik said. “I’ll sit over here.” He sat on the edge all the way around on the other side of the table, as far away as he could possibly get and still be in the same booth.

Dana Sue regarded him with amusement. “How did your chat go with Helen? Did you two kiss and make up?” she asked just as Ronnie joined them.

Ronnie’s eyebrows shot up. “You and Helen? Now that’s something I never would have imagined.”

“Be quiet,” Dana Sue ordered.

“There is no me and Helen,” Erik assured him. “It’s all in your wife’s imagination.”

“I did not imagine that kiss last night,” Dana Sue told him. “That kiss was hot enough to solder steel.”

“How much do you know about soldering steel?” Erik asked.

“Beside the point,” Dana Sue retorted. “You get the picture. Now, answer me. Did you kiss and make up when you walked her back to her office?”

“We walked. We talked. End of story. May I go now?” Erik said. “My bread pudding is probably burned to a crisp.”

“It’s not due out of the oven for another ten minutes and you know it,” Dana Sue said without hesitation. “I want details about what happened between you and Helen.”

Erik slid out of the booth. “Then call Helen. The doors of this place open in less than an hour and I have work to do, something I would think that you, as the owner, would remember.”

He walked away without looking back.

“I won’t forget about this,” Dana Sue called after him.

Sadly, he knew that was the truth. Like most women, Dana Sue had a long memory. Worse yet, she had a streak of determination that could rival a wartime general’s. Something told him her full-throttle campaign to get him hooked up with Helen had just begun.

4

Helen hadn’t been able to forget the way her evening had ended at Sullivan’s a few days earlier. Nor had she been able to forget the speculative glances Dana Sue had given her and Erik during their tense meeting with Karen the next day. She knew that kind of look. Her friend thought there was something going on between Erik and her. Or maybe she just wanted something to be going on so she could feel good about her matchmaking skills. Either way, Helen was not looking forward to her next encounter with Dana Sue and the questions that awaited.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t put off seeing her any longer. She, Dana Sue and Maddie were scheduled for one of their morning get-togethers at The Corner Spa today. Since Helen had been all for these regular meetings to discuss spa business, she could hardly skip one. Her absence would just bring Dana Sue’s curiosity to a boil.

Besides, what with Maddie’s increasingly hectic schedule— a new husband and a new baby took up most of her time—and Dana Sue’s demands at Sullivan’s and her remarriage to Ronnie, the three of them hardly had any time to themselves anymore. Helen missed their leisurely chats. She’d started to feel a little like an outsider in their busy lives, though both of them would be appalled if they knew she felt that way.

Filled with a peculiar sense of dread, she braced herself as she walked through the bustling workout room. Personal trainer Elliott Cruz waved to her, as did several of the women who were sweating through a spinning class. The instructor was really putting them through their paces on the stationary bikes.

Helen paused to stick her head into the lavender-scented spa area where Jeanette was busy giving a facial to a blissful customer. The relaxing aroma reminded Helen that she’d been promising herself a massage for weeks now, hoping it would ease the constant tension in her shoulders.

“Everything okay with you?” she asked Jeanette, whom they’d stolen from a very upscale spa in Charleston. With her very short black hair and huge dark eyes, there was something exotic about Jeanette that made most of their clientele think she’d come from Europe. At least until they heard her speak. Her accent was as slow and sugary sweet as any South Carolinian’s.

“Perfect,” Jeanette told her. “Be sure to ask Maddie about the idea I had the other day.”

“Will do,” Helen promised.

Jeanette had more ideas, most of them excellent, than everyone else combined. She’d brought a lot of experience and creativity with her when she’d come to work for them. Their day spa services had increased in revenue at an even faster clip than their gym memberships. The days of Helen thinking of her investment in The Corner Spa as a tax shelter were long past. The place filled a surprisingly large niche in the region and business was booming.

Jeanette had already justified the expense of adding another technician to help handle the ever-increasing number and range of beauty treatments and massages they offered to a clientele who wanted to be truly pampered. Even the women of Serenity, who’d never even considered the extravagance of getting a massage, were signing up to treat themselves on special occasions. And, thanks to Jeanette’s word-of-mouth promotion, they’d sold a dozen gift certificates in the past week alone before Maddie had even had a chance to make their spa package marketing plan. If this kept up, The Corner Spa was single-handedly going to turn the previously well-kept secret of Serenity’s small-town charm into a tourist destination.

When Helen couldn’t put it off a second longer, she wandered onto the patio and spotted Maddie in the shade with her eyes closed. Obviously she’d seized the opportunity for a little catnap. Helen hesitated to interrupt her.

Maddie had only recently told them that she was pregnant for the second time since her marriage to Cal, something she claimed had taken both of them by surprise. Still, her previous pregnancy had gone so smoothly and she and Cal were so delighted with their daughter that she’d taken the fact of her second pregnancy in stride, though Maddie admitted she’d kept it to herself through the first trimester just in case there were complications.

Helen was the one who’d been thrown. Why did it seem to be so easy for Maddie to have a baby while she herself continued to wrestle with the decision about whether to take measures to have a child of her own? Sometime during the past year, watching Maddie breeze through her pregnancy with a doting husband by her side, holding baby Jessica Lynn in her arms and breathing in that powdery, just-bathed baby scent, Helen had become increasingly obsessed with the idea of having her own child. The depth of the yearning had caught her completely off guard. Up until then, she thought she’d been content and fulfilled with her single lifestyle and playing doting aunt to her friends’ children.

Once the yearning had surfaced, though, it had taken over most of her waking moments, at least when she wasn’t drowning in a sea of court documents. Lately she’d been working hard to get her high blood pressure in check, as the two high-risk pregnancy obstetricians she’d visited had advised. She’d made a dozen lists of the pros and cons about seizing her dream by whatever means necessary. But when it came down to actually taking the next step, she’d hesitated. She didn’t know what to make of her uncharacteristic indecisiveness. Something was holding her back, but she had no idea what.

Pushing aside her own doubts and her envy of Maddie’s pregnancy, she plastered a smile on her face and went to join her friend.

“Are you sure you’re only a few months along?” Helen asked, waking Maddie from her nap. She patted the mound of her tummy. “Seems to me you weren’t showing this much this early with any of your other kids. Maybe you’re having twins this time.”

“Bite your tongue,” Maddie said. “One baby at a time is more than enough. I hate to think how exhausted I’d be if there were two of them.”

Helen regarded her with concern. “If you’re that tired, shouldn’t you be at home with your feet up?”

Maddie grinned. “I work for these tyrants,” she explained. “This place gets busier and more demanding every day. I can’t get any time off. Besides, the baby’s not due for months.”

Helen sat down and studied Maddie’s glowing face. With four children already—three from her first marriage to pediatrician Bill Townsend—forty-two-year-old Maddie hadn’t been nearly as anxious as Cal to try again, but looking at her now, Helen knew that she was as excited about the new arrival as her husband.

Maddie studied Helen with a knowing look. “You haven’t said much about it for quite a while now, but you’re still thinking about having a baby, too, aren’t you?”

Helen nodded. “I had no idea I’d ever feel such a strong maternal yearning, but every time you hand me Jessica Lynn and she looks up at me with those big blue eyes and blows those tiny little bubbles or smiles at me, it makes me realize just how much I’ve missed in my life.”

“And?” Maddie prodded. “Did you ever follow through and talk to a doctor about whether your high blood pressure presents too much of a risk? When you didn’t mention it, Dana Sue and I figured that you’d dropped the whole idea.”

“To be honest, I’m a little surprised you haven’t pestered me about it long before now,” Helen said. “You’re usually not that hesitant to poke about in my life.”

“This is one of those decisions that’s yours to make. Neither of us wanted to sway you one way or another. So, did you follow through or not?”

Helen wasn’t sure why she’d kept those doctor visits a secret, but when confronted with a direct question, she saw no reason to lie. “I’ve seen two high-risk pregnancy experts,” she admitted. “Both of them have said that if I promised to take extremely good care of myself and stay in bed at the first sign of blood pressure problems, I could go ahead with a pregnancy.”

Maddie’s brows drew together. “Then why do you look so unhappy? Isn’t that exactly the news you were hoping for?”

Helen nodded. “Then I bumped straight into reality. Getting pregnant isn’t the slam dunk I thought it would be. I mean, some women get pregnant just by going to bed with somebody once, but somehow I don’t see myself going out and having some casual fling, hoping to get a baby out of it.”

Maddie smiled. “Yes, I imagine you’d want to know the man’s entire medical history and his pedigree, which pretty much rules out the whole casual thing.”

Helen frowned at her because the remark hit a little too close to the truth. “My point is that this should mean something, you know? I can’t imagine telling my son or daughter someday that I met their dad in a bar and never saw him again.”

“Okay. What about artificial insemination?”

“I’ve thought about it,” Helen said. “Even did some research on fertility clinics that do the procedure. There are very reputable ones. I could either bring in a donor or use one of their anonymous ones.” She struggled to put her feelings into words. “It just seems so, I don’t know, artificial. To be honest,” Helen went on, “my reaction threw me. You know me. I take charge. I don’t think I need anybody for anything, but the idea of having a baby that way seemed too cold and impersonal.”

“So you’ve just given up?” Maddie asked, clearly surprised.

“No,” Helen protested. “I’ve just taken a step back. I’ve been thinking about it.”

“Making lists?” Maddie asked.

“Yes, I’ve made lists,” Helen replied. “If more people did that, they’d make fewer mistakes.”

“Whoa!” Maddie said. “On any level whatsoever, do you see having a child of your own as a mistake?”

Helen winced at the heat in Maddie’s voice. “Don’t say it like that. I told you that getting pregnant was only one of my concerns. What if I’m too selfish, too self-absorbed, too busy to be a really good mom?”

“Ah, so that’s it,” Maddie said. “Self-doubts plague just about everyone contemplating having a baby for the first time. You’re not unique.”

“I’m trying to be responsible,” Helen said defensively. “I’m older. I’m alone. Is that going to be the best thing for a child? By the time my child’s in kindergarten, the other kids will have grandmas my age.”

“You’re exaggerating,” Maddie said.

“Only a little bit.”

“Do you want to know what I think?” Maddie asked, then went on without waiting for Helen’s reply. “I think you’re just plain scared. This would be a huge step, a big change in your life and for all of your claims to being a modern, totally independent woman, you’re terrified that you’ll finally find something in life at which you can’t excel.”

Miffed at Maddie’s perceptiveness, Helen said, “Well, you have to admit it would be a really bad thing to mess up.”

“Okay, let’s go back to basics,” Maddie suggested, studying Helen intently. “Are you really sure you want a baby? Or do you just like the idea of having a baby?”

Helen regarded her miserably. “I wish I knew.”

“Have you ever known yourself not to go after something you really, really wanted?” Maddie pressed.

“Are you saying you don’t believe I want a child at all?” Helen asked, startled by the thought.

“I’m only suggesting that your biological clock started ticking loudly when I got pregnant with Jessica Lynn and you realized it was now or never.” She reached for Helen’s hand. “Maybe it’s never, sweetie. Not every woman has to have a child to be fulfilled. Maybe what you’re really longing for is a powerful connection to another person.”

“A man?” Helen asked incredulously. “You’re suggesting I forget about a baby and just find myself a man? Now there’s an enlightened point of view. Come on, Maddie. I think I know myself a little better than that. Besides, of all people, I know that relationships don’t always last. Why would I want to set myself up for heartache?”

“I’m just telling you that maybe what you’re feeling is an emptiness in your life that could be filled in some other way. If you haven’t taken steps by now to have a baby, then perhaps on some subconscious level, you know that’s not really what you want.”

“Or maybe I just want one the old-fashioned way,” Helen retorted, annoyed that Maddie was questioning her determination, even if she was asking questions Helen had asked herself a million times. “Did you ever think of that? Maybe I want a man and a baby and the whole family thing that you and Dana Sue have.”

“But you just said…” Maddie began, obviously confused.

Helen could hardly blame her. She was confused herself. To her dismay, tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “Excuse me. I need to get out of here.”

“Helen?” Maddie called after her. “Come back here. Let’s talk about this.”

But Helen made a clean getaway—which she’d hear about later. In fact, she’d probably find Maddie and Dana Sue on her doorstep before the sun set. Although, maybe by then she’d somehow figure out what the hell was really going on with her and why this decision about a baby was the only one she’d ever been incapable of making.

Erik had come to work early, hoping to get enough done to cut out the second Dana Sue arrived and thereby avoid another conversation about his love life, or lack thereof.

He was surprised when the back door inched open and Annie Sullivan, Dana Sue’s daughter, stuck her head in. “Is it okay to come in?” the seventeen-year-old inquired. “Are you really busy?”

“Just getting a head start on my day,” he said, gesturing for her to come in. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”

“Not for another hour,” Annie told him, dropping her books by the door and climbing onto the stool beside his prep area. “My mom’s not around, is she?”

“No. Why?” he asked. “Were you hoping she would be?”

“No. Actually I wanted to talk to you.”

Erik regarded her suspiciously. “Why?”

“Because you’re a guy and you’re not my dad.”

“An unbiased male point of view is what you’re after,” he concluded. “Are you sure I’m the right person? I’m not exactly a relationship expert. I assume this is about Ty.”

She grinned. “Of course.”

Ever since Annie’s hospitalization with severe complications from anorexia, she and Maddie’s son Tyler had gotten closer. They’d always been family friends, but Annie had wanted more, and Ty seemed to be showing some interest at long last. They’d been on half a dozen “real” dates, as Annie liked to call them, before Ty left for college, though both of them stopped short of saying they were actually a couple.

“What’s your question?” Erik asked, studying her closely for signs that she’d fallen back into her old harmful eating patterns. It didn’t matter how frequently he saw her, he couldn’t seem to stop himself from checking. Fortunately her complexion had a healthy glow, her hair was shining, and even more telling, she was wearing clothes that fit and showed off a figure that was still a little on the thin side, but far from the skeletal form it had been a year ago.

“You know Ty’s at Duke,” she began.

Erik bit back a grin. “You’ve mentioned it a time or two since he left for school last fall.”

Annie frowned at his teasing. “I mention it so much because it’s amazing that I actually know a guy who’s at Duke and who’s the star of their baseball team, even though he’s only a freshman. What’s even more amazing is that we go out once in a while to movies and parties. He’s even…” She blushed furiously.

Erik’s gaze narrowed. “He’s even what?”

“Kissed me,” she confessed shyly. “It was totally awesome.”

Although he wasn’t her father, Erik felt like it sometimes, so close was he to the family. And like a father he did not want to hear about any guy, even a responsible young man like Tyler, kissing Annie. For sure Ronnie wouldn’t be thrilled about it, either, even if kids their age often did a whole lot more than kiss. Still, maybe it was a good sign that Annie was talking about it. If things had gone beyond the kissing stage, he suspected she’d keep it to herself. He was so out of his depth with this stuff!

“You know there’s nothing amazing about Ty liking you,” he told her, opting for a lesson in self-esteem. “You’re a terrific young woman. You could have a dozen boyfriends at a dozen different colleges if you wanted them.”

“You’re just biased, like my dad,” she scoffed. “Anyway, my question is whether I should ask Ty to come home to take me to my senior prom or whether that would be totally lame.”

“Isn’t prom coming up soon?” Erik asked. “I think your mom mentioned something about taking you to Charleston to shop for a dress.”

“It’s three weeks away,” she said. “So it’s practically last-minute if I ask him now.”

“Why have you put off asking him?”

“It feels weird. It’s not like we’re exclusive or anything. Don’t guys like to do the asking?”

“As a general rule, yes,” Erik told her. “But this is your event, not his. My guess is that Ty’s probably wondering why you haven’t already asked. You said yourself you’re not dating each other exclusively. What if he thinks you’re going with some other guy?”

“But I would never do that,” Annie said, her expression dismayed. “I don’t even want to see other boys.”

“Then, if you want him to go, ask him. A man appreciates a woman who’s direct with him.” He winked at her. “Unlike women, we’re pretty simple creatures. Be straightforward and honest with us and we’ll go along with the program. Women are the mysterious, complicated ones.”

“I wonder if Ty thinks I’m mysterious and complicated,” Annie asked, looking intrigued with the idea.

“I can just about guarantee it. He’s nineteen. I doubt he gets anything about women yet. I’m still working it out and I’m twice that age.”

Annie hopped down off the stool and hugged him. “Thanks.”

“Why didn’t you just ask your dad or your mom about this?” he asked.

She shrugged. “They’re parents. They get all worked up thinking I might wind up disappointed and I get a half-hour lecture on not counting on too much where Ty’s concerned. That usually turns into a conversation about disappointment leading to depression and bad decisions and eating disorders, yada-yada-yada.”

“You mean I just blew this entire conversation by not including a lecture?” Erik demanded, mostly in jest, of course, though he did find these little tests of his untried parenting skills to be disconcerting.

“For which I am very, very grateful,” she assured him. She grabbed a brownie off the tray he’d just taken from the oven and took a bite as if to prove a point. “Have a good day.”

“You, too, sweet pea. Let me know how it goes when you talk to Ty.”

She smiled, looking more carefree than she had when she’d arrived. “I’ll call you tonight right after I talk to him.”

No sooner had Annie exited through the back door than Dana Sue pushed open the door from the dining room. “Was that my daughter I saw sneaking out the back?”

Erik regarded her with his most innocent expression. “Was it?”

Dana Sue rolled her eyes at his pitiful attempt at evasion. “What did she want?”

“To talk to me.”

“About?”

“Sorry, confidential.”

Her gaze narrowed. “You and my daughter are having confidential conversations? I’m not sure how I feel about that. It was bad enough when she was having them with Maddie.”

“I don’t think this was something she felt she could ask Maddie,” Erik said.

“Then it was about Ty,” Dana Sue guessed at once.

“I never said that.”

“Is she inviting him to prom or not?”

“I know nothing,” Erik insisted.

“We could talk about you and Helen instead,” she suggested.

“Sorry. Gotta run.”

“Run where?” she demanded.

“Someplace where you’re not,” he said readily. “But don’t take it personally. You know I love you.”

“I think you love Helen,” she countered. “Or at least like her.”

“What was that?” he asked, already closing the door. “Can’t hear you.”

The door snapped open before he could make his escape. “I said that I think you’re crazy about Helen,” she shouted after him. “And just so you know, I think she likes you back! Can you hear me now?”

Unfortunately, Erik figured half the people of Serenity had heard her. And if they had, his life had just gone from peaceful and quiet, the way he liked it, to downright complicated. There was no more popular sport in town than watching, and then discussing, a cat-and-mouse game between a man and woman.

Erik had barely walked to the outer fringe of downtown Serenity when he literally bumped right into the woman who’d become the bane of his existence. Helen was striding purposefully along with her head down and her thoughts obviously somewhere else.

“Hey, where are you heading in such a hurry?” he asked, steadying her as she blinked up at him.

To his shock her makeup was streaked and her eyes were swimming with tears. “Helen, what’s wrong?” He dug in his pocket and found a fistful of clean tissues. He handed them to her.

Even as she accepted them and mopped her eyes, bright patches of color bloomed on her cheeks. She tried to push past him. “I’m fine,” she muttered.

“Sure you are,” he scoffed. “The strongest, most in- control woman I know is walking around town crying her eyes out and claims to be fine. Not buying it, sugar. Talk to me.”

“Erik, please,” she pleaded. “Just leave me alone.”

“Sorry. It’s not in my genes to walk away from a woman in distress.”

“I’m not in distress. I’m just confused, and before you ask about what, it’s not something I want to talk about.”

“Okay, then, we’ll just go to Wharton’s and get one of those hot-fudge sundaes I hear you Sweet Magnolias turn to whenever you’re upset.”

She regarded him with surprise. “You know about those?”

“I’ve worked with Dana Sue long enough to know a lot of things,” he said.

“She blabs?”

He laughed at her indignation. “No, I have amazingly astute powers of observation for a man. Plus, I hear things.”

“You eavesdrop?”

“I remain attuned to my surroundings,” he contradicted.

“How is that any different from eavesdropping?”

“If you come with me, I’ll explain it to you.”

“I don’t want to come with you,” she murmured.

He fought a grin. “Do it anyway. Just think about what I’m offering—a hot-fudge sundae and someone willing to sit quietly and listen to all your woes. Do you know how many women would beg to be in your place?”

“I’m not one of them,” she claimed. “I just want to be left alone.”

“I’m sure that’s your usual way of coping with things,” he agreed. “Doesn’t seem to be working out so well today. How about trying something new?”

“Spilling my guts to you?”

He nodded.

She actually seemed to be weighing the offer. When she finally nodded, he felt a far greater sense of relief than he should have. He attributed that to having been spared tossing her over his shoulder and carrying her into Wharton’s.

“Let’s go, then,” he said, tucking her arm through his. “I’ll do my best to make this painless.”

“Whatever,” she said, sounding a little like a petulant child.

“Think of it this way. If you had to spill your guts to a shrink, you’d be paying a hundred dollars or more an hour. I’m a bargain.”

“And you’re throwing in a hot-fudge sundae, too,” she said grudgingly. “Is this my lucky day or what?”

“Told you so.”

It remained to be seen if it was going to be Erik’s lucky day or if this was going to be just one more step down a very slippery slope.

5

Helen avoided Erik’s concerned gaze and dug into her hot-fudge sundae. It might only be 9:00 a.m., but Erik had been right. The combination of rich vanilla ice cream, thick fudge sauce and whipped cream was just what she needed. She could barely remember what had thrown her into such an emotional tailspin and sent her fleeing from the spa and Maddie.

What the sundae wasn’t accomplishing, Erik was. He was a very disconcerting man. Few other men would have dragged her out for ice cream at this hour or even guessed that it was what she needed. In fact, most men would have been put off by her tears and run the other way.

“You ready to tell me what’s going on?” he asked eventually.

She took another overflowing spoonful of the sundae to avoid speaking and shook her head.

“Sooner or later you’re going to finish the ice cream and you won’t have an excuse not to talk,” he reminded her as he lounged on the seat across from her, seemingly content to sip his coffee while she made a total pig of herself.

“I’ll have to leave as soon as I finish this,” she said, pleased with the perfect excuse. “I’m already running late for work. Barb will send out a search party if I don’t show up soon.”

His mouth curved into a smile. “Okay, then. You’d better start talking now.”

“Look,” she said, “I skipped breakfast. That’s the only reason you were successful at persuading me to come here. My blood sugar must have been low.”

“And is that what made you cry in public?”

She shrugged. “It can have all sorts of weird effects.”

“Trust me, that’s usually not one of them,” he said.

He sounded very sure. She studied him curiously. “What do you know about it?”

“You have no idea how many pieces of miscellaneous information I have stored away here.” He tapped his head.

“But you said that with some authority,” Helen countered. “Is that because you read up on diabetes so you could keep an eye on Dana Sue?”

“Yeah, that’s it,” he said, but his expression had become shuttered. Helen sensed this was far from the whole story. Pushing aside the sundae, she put her elbows on the table and leaned toward him. Maybe she could avoid his probing questions by asking a few of her own. “I just realized that I know very little about you. Who are you, Erik Whitney? And what were you before you became a chef?”

“What makes you think I was anything before that?” he inquired.

“Because you’d just graduated from the Atlanta Culinary Institute when Dana Sue hired you. Unless you’re a very slow learner, which I doubt is the case, you must have done something before you went there.”

He seemed increasingly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. “Look, the only reason we’re here in Wharton’s is so you can get whatever’s bothering you off your chest,” he reminded her. “This isn’t supposed to be about me.”

“But you’re so much more interesting, or at least your reaction is. What are you hiding, Erik?”

He regarded her incredulously. “What makes you think I’m hiding something? And what exactly do you think I’m hiding? Some nefarious past as a bank robber, perhaps? Or maybe you think I’m AWOL from the marines?”

“I’m an attorney. I deal in facts. I try not to have any preconceived ideas, which is why I’m asking you.” She tilted her head and noted the closed expression on his face. “You know what I find absolutely fascinating?”

“Not a clue.”

“You’ve gone all secretive and strong, silent type all of a sudden. Why is that, especially if you have nothing to hide?”

“No particular reason other than not liking to dwell on the past,” he said, his tone indifferent, but a tic in his jaw suggested he was anything but indifferent.

“Well, just so you know, it’s the kind of thing that kicks a lawyer’s curiosity into high gear. The art of a successful cross-examination depends on being able to read body language and expressions.” She surveyed him lingeringly, then added, “I’m considered to be very, very good at it.”

“It’s hardly the big deal you’re trying to turn it into,” he said. When she continued to pin him with her gaze, he finally shrugged. “Okay, here’s the condensed version. I was an EMT. I decided it was time for a change. There’s not a lot of drama in that.”

Helen was less surprised by the revelation than she probably should have been. It explained a lot about how observant he was when it came to Dana Sue’s monitoring her diabetes and the close eye he always kept on Annie and her eating patterns. Still, it didn’t seem as if it were something he’d want to hide, yet he’d obviously been very reluctant to reveal it. She couldn’t help wondering why.

“Did you like the work?” she asked.

“For a long time, yes,” he said, his expression still guarded. “Look, if you’re feeling better, I need to get back to the restaurant.”

“Running out on me just when things are getting interesting?” She shook her head. “It intrigues me that a man who was trying to dig around in my psyche just minutes ago can’t handle the idea of me asking personal questions.”

“I wasn’t the one having a public meltdown,” he said. “If you spot me having one, feel free to ask all the questions you want.” He tossed some bills on the table and was gone before Helen could formulate a response.

She stared after him, then distractedly picked up her spoon and ate the last few bites of her now-melted sundae.

“Now there goes one very sexy man,” Grace Wharton declared as she joined Helen. “How’d you let him get away?”

“I think I scared him off,” Helen admitted, vaguely unnerved by how guilty that made her feel. He’d been kind to her and he’d given her an excuse to take a few minutes to gather the composure she’d lost after her conversation earlier with Maddie. What had she done in return? She’d cross-examined him as if he were some kind of criminal.

“A man like that doesn’t scare too easily,” Grace said. “You didn’t mention marriage or something like that, did you? That’s the only thing I can think of that scares a confirmed bachelor.”

“The subject of marriage most definitely did not come up,” Helen assured her. “What makes you think he’s a confirmed bachelor?”

“I’ve seen just about every single woman in town throw themselves at him at one time or another,” Grace said. “He flirts right back, but that’s as far as it ever goes. For a while I thought he might be hung up on Dana Sue, but then Ronnie came back and that put an end to that.”

“Interesting,” Helen murmured. She wondered what Grace would think if she knew about the kiss Erik had laid on her not that long ago. Her lips still burned every time she thought about it. He hadn’t shown any real interest in repeating it, though. If he was a confirmed bachelor, and that kiss had shaken him as badly as it had her, maybe that alone was enough to make him cautious around her, especially when the conversation took a more personal turn.

Before she could pick apart her own theory, her cell phone rang. She snatched it out of her purse.

“You planning to come to work anytime today?” Barb asked wryly. “I have a waiting room filled with clients and they’re getting restless.”

“Oh, my God,” Helen said, glancing at her watch. It was going on ten. “I got sidetracked.”

“By Erik Whitney, if the rumors are true,” Barb said, proving that the Serenity grapevine was faster than the speed of light.

Helen didn’t fall in to her trap. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”

“Make it four,” Barb retorted. “Your nine o’clock looks as if he might start breaking things.”

“On my way,” Helen said.

When she’d turned off the phone and jammed it into her purse, she looked up into Grace’s fascinated gaze. “Never known you to be late for work,” the woman commented. “Must have been something about the company.”

Helen frowned at her amused expression. “Don’t even go there.”

“Can you think of any other reason you’d lose track of time like that?” Grace teased.

“Too much on my mind,” Helen said, “that’s all. Nothing to do with Erik.”

“If you say so,” Grace said, but she sounded skeptical. “Maybe you were hoping he’d kiss you again, the way he did at Sullivan’s a few days ago.”

Helen nearly groaned. So, Grace knew about that, after all. Unfortunately Helen didn’t have time to stick around and debate the subject with her. And what would be the point, anyway? It would only add fuel to the fire. Grace had more than enough fodder for her lunch-hour gossip mill as it was.

“Mommy, I got a tummy ache,” Daisy told Karen when it was time to get out of the car at the day-care center.

She’d picked her up from kindergarten five minutes before and spotted her climbing a jungle gym when she drove up. She regarded her daughter with dismay. “You didn’t look sick when you were playing with your friends on the playground.”

“Because I wasn’t sick then,” she said, clearly exasperated. “I want to go home.”

“You can’t go home. There’s nobody there to take care of you and I have to go to work. I’m working the late shift today.”

Daisy’s lower lip quivered. “But I’m sick,” she wailed. “I can stay with Frances.”

“Frances can’t take care of you all afternoon and evening, Daisy.”

“Please!”

Karen felt her own stomach twist into knots. She’d thought she’d put these crises behind her. She’d found a new day-care center that kept both kids ’til five, and thanks to Helen and Dana Sue, she’d found an excellent sitter to pick them up and watch them until she got home. For a week now things had gone smoothly.

In addition, Dana Sue had interviewed Tess and scheduled an on-the-job evaluation for tomorrow. Karen knew Tess would pass that with flying colors and then Karen’s backup plan could be set in motion.

She reached into the backseat and put a hand to Daisy’s forehead. No fever, thank goodness. “Sweetie, do you have a pain in your tummy? Or do you just feel sick?”

“Sick,” she said miserably, then promptly threw up to prove the point.

Karen wanted to weep. It wasn’t Daisy’s fault. She needed to keep reminding herself of that. Kids picked up a million germs at school, particularly at Daisy’s age. Karen grabbed some tissues and packets of baby wipes, then got out of the car and opened the back door to clean up her daughter.

“I’m sorry, Mommy,” she said with a sniff.

“It’s okay, baby. You can’t help getting sick.” The thought of calling the restaurant to tell Dana Sue and Erik what was going on made her feel sick to her stomach, as well.

“Do I still have to go to day care?” Daisy asked pitifully.

“No, sweetie. I’m going to take you home.”

“And stay with me?”

“Yes, I’ll stay with you.” Maybe she could go to work once the sitter got there, assuming she still had work to go to.

Half an hour later she had Daisy settled on the couch in front of the TV with a glass of ginger ale. She was about to brace herself to face Erik’s reaction, when it struck her there might be another solution. She dialed Tess.

“Tess, I know you’re not supposed to have your on-the-job evaluation ’til tomorrow, but I’ve got a problem,” she explained. “Daisy just threw up in the car. The sitter’s not due for three hours. Is there any chance at all you could work today, if Dana Sue agrees?”

“Hold on and let me check with my mom. She came in early from picking vegetables because the heat was bothering her. If she’s up to babysitting, I can do it.”

Within minutes she was back. “It’ll work on my end,” Tess said. “Call me as soon as you’ve spoken to Dana Sue. I’ll get ready in the meantime, just in case. Tell her I can be there in half an hour.”

“Thank you! You’re a lifesaver.” As soon as she’d hung up on Tess, she called the restaurant. Unfortunately it was Erik who answered. “It’s Karen,” she said.

“You’re late,” he said, obviously exasperated.

“I know. I was running right on time, but then Daisy got sick. I had to bring her home.”

“Then you’re on your way?”

“Actually I need to stay here with her,” she admitted.

“Not again,” he said, now sounding beyond annoyed. “Karen, things can’t go on like this. I thought these last- minute absences were going to end.”

“I know. I thought so, too. But it’s not as bad as before. I’ve already spoken to Tess. She can come in for her evaluation right now and take my place. She said she could be there in thirty minutes, if it’s okay with you guys.”

“Fine,” Erik said tightly.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I really am, but at least this proves that my suggestion about having two of us in this job will work.”

“That remains to be seen,” he said, then sighed. “Tell Daisy I hope she feels better. She’s had a tough time lately.”

“Thanks,” she said. “Maybe you could come by sometime and have a tea party with her. She loved that.” And Karen had gotten a huge kick out of watching the very masculine Erik holding one of Daisy’s delicate, tiny teacups and drinking pretend tea.

“Sure,” he said. “We’ll work it out.”

She hung up and called Tess back, then called the sitter to tell her she wasn’t needed tonight. She’d either have Frances keep an eye on Daisy for a few minutes while she went back to the day-care center to get Mack, or she’d take Daisy with her.

In the meantime, she sank onto the sofa next to the now- sleeping Daisy and closed her eyes. Thank heaven for Tess. Without her pitching in, Karen knew that her job would have been history and there would have been nothing Helen or anyone else could have done to save it. Erik’s fragile patience was obviously at an end. And though Dana Sue owned Sullivan’s, Erik had a lot of clout when it came to decisions about what happened in the kitchen.

Not for the first time, Karen was nearly overwhelmed by just how close to the edge she was living. She had hardly any savings and very little reserve of energy for these constant emergencies. Sometimes when the kids were screaming and she was juggling bills, she wondered just how much longer she could cope without snapping.

Then she glanced over at her sleeping daughter, her long, dark eyelashes a smudge on her pale skin, and the force of her love for Dasiy flowed through her. She would do anything—anything—to protect her babies and give them the kind of loving home and security she herself had never known.

Helen wasn’t one bit surprised when she opened her front door at eight that night and found Maddie and Dana Sue on the doorstep. The only surprise was that it had taken them so long.

“Shouldn’t you be home?” she asked Maddie, then regarded Dana Sue just as inhospitably. “And shouldn’t you be at work?”

“We would both be where we belong, if you hadn’t taken off from the spa in tears this morning,” Maddie said.

“And then landed at Wharton’s with Erik, who was so concerned he dragged you over there for a hot-fudge sundae,” Dana Sue added.

“I see it didn’t take long for that piece of news to make its way around town,” Helen commented sarcastically.

“It didn’t have to travel far,” Dana Sue said. “Erik told me.”

“Really? I’m surprised. He doesn’t seem inclined to talk much about himself,” Helen said.

“In this case, he was talking about you,” Dana Sue retorted. “He thought I should know my friend was upset. When Maddie called and confirmed it and said she was worried, too, we agreed that we needed to come by and check on you.”

“Here I am, not upset,” Helen said. “You can go home now.”

“I don’t think so,” Maddie said, pushing past her. “I need to get off my feet. So does Dana Sue. It’s been a tough night at the restaurant.” Maddie headed for the sofa and sank into its cushions. “I hope you two can drag me up when it’s time to go, but right now this feels heavenly.”

“We’ll manage,” Helen assured her, then studied Dana Sue and saw that she did, indeed, look more frazzled than usual. “What happened at the restaurant tonight?”

“Karen bailed again. Fortunately she was able to get that friend of hers, Tess, to come in, but in some ways that just complicated things.”

Helen’s stomach sank. “How so? Isn’t she any good?”

“She’s great. In fact, I think she’s going to work out just fine, but on-the-job training in the midst of the dinner rush is not exactly ideal. It took more time to explain how we do things than it would have for me or Erik just to do them ourselves.”

Helen regarded her with concern. “But you’re still going to give Karen’s idea a chance to work, right?”

Dana Sue nodded. “I promised we would, didn’t I?”

“I should call Karen and let her know,” Helen said. “I’m sure she’s terrified that you’re fed up with her and her problems.”

“I spoke to her a little while ago to tell her that we’re definitely hiring Tess and that things are okay,” Dana Sue told her. “You’re right. She was relieved.”

“Now let’s get back to you,” Maddie said, reminding Helen that she could be as single-minded as anyone on earth when she needed to be.

“How about something to drink?” Helen said. “Bottled water? Juice? Decaf coffee?”

“You’re not going to distract us,” Dana Sue said, looking amused. “You know us better than that. Maddie filled me in about the whole baby dilemma. Why don’t you get one of the million and one lists you’ve no doubt made and go over it with us? Maybe we can help you sort things out.”

“No,” Helen said flatly. “Maddie was right this morning, when she said this was something I need to work out for myself.”

Both women frowned at her.

“That was then,” Maddie said. “This is now.”

“You were crying,” Dana Sue said. “In public. That is so not like you. Obviously this is too much for you to deal with on your own.”

Helen sighed. “I’m stronger than you think.”

“I would have agreed with that before this morning,” Maddie said.

“Okay, look,” Dana Sue began. “Maddie mentioned that maybe you want more than just a baby. She says you’ve been reexamining your whole life and that you think you might want the whole family thing.”

“So what? You’re going to snap your fingers and get it for me?” Helen retorted, sorry she’d ever opened her big mouth.

“We could,” Dana Sue said. “In fact, if you would just open your eyes and see what’s staring you right in the face, you could have it all.”

Helen sighed. She’d seen this one coming a mile away. “Erik, I assume.”

“Well, of course, Erik,” Dana Sue said. “He’s smart. He’s gorgeous. And he’s hot for you.”

Maddie stared at her with obvious surprise. “Really? How did I miss that?”

“You’ve had other things on your mind,” Dana Sue said to Maddie. “You missed the kiss.”

“What kiss?” Maddie asked, clearly fascinated.

“Long story,” Dana Sue said. “Trust me, though it made me go home and throw myself at Ronnie.”

Helen moaned. “I am not having this conversation with you. And stop matchmaking. Erik and I are friends,” she said, then corrected herself. “Not even friends. We’re acquaintances.”

“Sweetie, if a man kisses you like that, you’re more than acquainted,” Dana Sue replied. “You’re about ten minutes away from falling into bed together.”

“Grace Wharton says Erik is a confirmed bachelor,” Helen countered.

“Nonsense,” Dana Sue said dismissively. “Just because she doesn’t have a line on his social life doesn’t mean he doesn’t have one.”

“If he has one, then what makes you think he has any interest in someone new?” Helen asked. “You can’t have it both ways. I think it would be best if you get over the whole idea of trying to shove Erik and me together. I know that’s why you’ve been coming up with all those excuses to have me pitch in at the restaurant. It’s not because you discovered I have hidden culinary talent.”

Dana Sue’s face was the picture of innocence. “We’ve been swamped every single time you’ve helped out, and you know it.”

“Then how come you never asked Maddie to pitch in? She actually knows how to cook. So does Ronnie, for that matter. You used to ask him.”

“Yes, why haven’t you asked me?” Maddie demanded.

“Because you’ve been pregnant off and on for most of the past two years,” Dana Sue answered. “You shouldn’t be on your feet. As for Ronnie, what little spare time he has now that his hardware store has taken off, he needs to spend with Annie.”

“Yeah, right,” Helen said skeptically. “Face it, Dana Sue. I know what you’re up to and I’m telling you right now to cut it out.”

“But I think—” Dana Sue began.

“Don’t think. Go home to your husband and drag him off to bed. Maybe if you’re not feeling sex-deprived, you’ll stop worrying about my love life.”

“Trust me, not an issue,” Dana Sue said, her cheeks flushed. “You’re my friend. I want you to be as happy as I am.”

“Me, too,” Maddie said.

“Then, please, just lay off about Erik and about me having a baby. I’ll work this out for myself when the time is right.”

“We just don’t want you to wake up when you hit fifty and realize that you have all these huge regrets,” Maddie said. “The saddest question of all is ‘What if…?’”

“You mean like what if I’d never mentioned to the two of you that I thought I wanted a baby?” Helen said testily.

Maddie frowned at her. “No, I mean like what if I’d realized how much I wanted one before it was too late. You can’t go back, then, Helen.”

The aching emptiness deep inside Helen, the ache she’d been trying so hard lately to pretend wasn’t there, came back with a vengeance.

“Believe me, I know that,” she said quietly. “It’s not something I’m ever likely to forget, which is why I’m under so much pressure. I know I can’t take forever to make this decision.”

“Then get those lists of yours and let’s talk about all the pros and cons,” Dana Sue prodded.

“But…” Helen began, only to sigh when both woman regarded her with unyielding expressions. “Okay, fine. I’ll get the lists.”

She grabbed her briefcase and fished through it ’til she found the legal pad she’d reserved for just this particular topic. Page after page had been covered with her notes, including everything she’d been told by the obstetricians she’d consulted. Though she was filled with reservations about this entire conversation, she handed her notes to Maddie, whose eyes widened as she flipped through the pages.

“You could write a Ph.D. thesis with this much research,” Maddie said.

“I thought it was critical to be well-informed,” Helen replied defensively.

Dana Sue looked over Maddie’s shoulder. “You consulted medical textbooks?” she asked incredulously.

“Well, of course, I did,” Helen replied. “You don’t think I’d rely on only two sources for something this important, do you?”

Dana Sue sat back down. “I think you’re overthinking this whole thing. That’s the problem. It comes down to this, Helen. Do you want to have a child of your own or don’t you?”

“It’s not that simple,” Helen protested. “I can’t just wave a magic wand and be pregnant.”

Dana Sue regarded her with a wicked grin. “Well, the right guy could.”

Maddie swallowed a laugh. “Dana Sue!”

“Well, isn’t that really the bottom line?” Dana Sue retorted.

“No!” Helen said. “I have to know with every fiber of my being that I want this, that I can make the kind of changes in my life that having a baby will require. You were both a lot younger when you got pregnant for the first time. You were married. It was the natural order of things, the right time in your lives. Now, especially for someone who’s spent her life so far married to her career, it’s not that easy. Heck, Maddie, even you wrestled with the decision to have another baby when you and Cal got married, and you had him to support your decision.”

“True,” Maddie conceded. “But I’m still trying to pin down what has you worried. Is it a fear that you’re incapable of devoting the time required to raising a child? Are you concerned just about the process of getting pregnant— natural versus artificial insemination? Are you wondering what will happen to your child if something happens to you? Or are you just afraid that you don’t want this enough to disrupt your life? If that last one is it, then you’re right to worry. This is not something to undertake unless you’re totally committed to it.”

Dana Sue reached over and took her hand. “You do know that we’ll both be around to support you every single step of the way, don’t you? You and this baby will have a big extended family. If you hit any kind of rough patch, you won’t be in it alone, even if you do decide not to do things in the traditional way. You would be an incredible mom. Annie thinks so, too.”

“My kids feel the same way,” Maddie added. “They adore you.”

Helen’s eyes swam with tears for the second time that day. “I know that,” she whispered, swiping at the annoying evidence of what she perceived as weakness. “I guess I never thought I’d find myself in this position. I thought I’d do it all the traditional way. Time just…got away from me.”

“Well, it’s not too late yet,” Dana Sue said firmly.

“From a medical standpoint, I know that,” Helen said. “But you touched on something that does worry me. What if something happens to me? Knowing I’m the only parent could make a child feel incredibly insecure.”

“Which is why your child will always know they can turn to any of us,” Dana Sue reminded her. “Now let’s get down to business. We can stay here all night and go through those lists of yours item by item, if that will help.”

Already somewhat relieved by their reassurances and their commitment, Helen shook her head. “No, but thanks. I’ll work this out.”

“Soon,” Maddie said.

“Soon,” Helen agreed, though she immediately felt the pressure starting to build again. She hated knowing that there was no time to waste, that a decision of this magnitude couldn’t be put off forever.

Maddie struggled up from the sofa with an assist from Dana Sue. If she was this awkward now at only four and a half months, Helen couldn’t begin to imagine how ungainly she’d be by her ninth month. For some reason the image made Helen want to weep all over again. She did want that for herself. The awkwardness, the belly out to here, the kick of her baby keeping her awake at night.

It was the aftermath that terrified her—the middle-of-the- night feedings, pacing the floor trying to soothe a crying baby, letting go of a tiny hand on the first day of school, having to make excuses to the court when her child had chicken pox, making sure homework was done, teaching her son or daughter the dangers of alcohol, smoking and premarital sex. The litany of things that could make the difference between raising a happy, well-adjusted child and a kid destined for disaster scared her out of her wits. Despite the accolades from Dana Sue, Maddie and their children, what if she was lousy at all of it? What then?

“You’re overthinking it again,” Maddie said, interrupting Helen’s thoughts. She tapped her chest. “Listen to what’s in your heart. It won’t steer you wrong.”

Helen hugged both of them fiercely. “Thank you for not listening to me when I told you to go away.”

Dana Sue grinned. “Not a problem. We’ve spent a lifetime ignoring your orders. We enjoy it.”

“That’s true,” Maddie agreed. “Now get some rest. Maybe this will all be clearer to you in the morning.”

Helen doubted that, but she did feel better for having these two old, and very dear, friends offering her unconditional support. It was the one thing she should have realized she could count on long before tonight.

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