Nine Months

“Kay, I’d rather you didn’t mention this to anyone. I know that, sooner or later, my condition will become apparent, but until then—”

“I won’t tell a soul.” Kay wrapped her arm around Paige’s shoulders. “Are you and the father going to get married?”

“No.”

“Is he already married?”

Paige gasped. “No, of course he’s not married.”

“Then what’s the problem? Is it that he doesn’t want to marry you or don’t you want to marry him?”

“He doesn’t know about the baby.”

“What? Why haven’t you told him?”

Paige closed the commode seat and slumped down, sitting before her trembling legs gave way. “You and I have become friends these last four months and I trust you, but—”

“Don’t tell me anything you don’t want me to know.”

“I’ve told my parents. My mother is the Rock of Gibraltar. My father has murder in his heart.” Paige laughed shakily. “They’ve promised to stand by me and help me get through the pregnancy. My mother’s agreed to take care of the baby until he or she is old enough for preschool. And with my salary and good insurance, I should be able to get by just fine.”

“Why haven’t you told the father?”

“Because…” Paige hesitated, wondering just how much she dared tell Kay. “I’ve had only one other lover. The college boyfriend I told you about, and we’d planned to get married. Things didn’t work out after he got a job in L.A. and met the girl of his dreams—the boss’s daughter. There hadn’t been anyone else since Kevin. Not until four months ago.”

“So, four months ago you started a new relationship and accidently got pregnant.”

“I didn’t start a new relationship,” Paige said. “I did something unthinkable. At least, it was unthinkable for someone like me.”

“What did you do?”

“I had a one-night stand with a stranger.”

“Oh, my God, Paige, you didn’t!”

“I’m afraid I did. We got trapped in the elevator that Friday night in June that Grand Springs lost its power.”

“You had sex with a perfect stranger in a stalled elevator?”

“Uh-huh.” Paige nodded her head.

“Then you have no idea who he is, the man who fathered your child? You never saw him again?”

“I saw him again. The following Monday morning.”

“The day you started work at Montgomery’s?”

“Yes.”

“He works here in the Wellman Building?” Kay asked.

“Yes.”

“For heaven’s sake, Paige, who is he?”

Paige hesitated a moment. “L. J. Montgomery.”

For once in her life, Kay Thompson was utterly speechless.

Chapter Three

Paige was thankful that Jared had left the office for an early lunch and had told her not to expect him back until after two, if then. Despite his totally professional attitude toward her the entire morning of his second day back in Grand Springs, he had seemed nervous and edgy. And once or twice, when he’d thought she wasn’t looking, she’d caught him staring at her. Smiling, she had returned his stare, giving him an opportunity to say something—anything—personal. But all he’d done was clear his throat and look away. If he’d wanted to say something to her, why hadn’t he? Maybe her wishful thinking had made her imagine the longing in his eyes, or perhaps it had just been a reflection of the longing in her own heart.

How was she going to work alongside Jared day after day, see him walk out of his office with his dinner dates time and again, and then have to order morning-after roses for those women, as she’d had to do today for Marcy Dailey?

“Eating in today?” Kay asked as she entered the employees’ lounge.

“Yes, I brought a microwave meal.” Paige pointed to the low-fat, low-calorie pasta dish she’d just warmed.

Kay tossed a brown paper bag on the table, pulled out a chair and sat down. “I brought tuna with fat-free mayo on whole wheat and bottled water. I’m watching my figure. What’s your excuse for eating that stuff?”

“I’m watching my weight, too,” Paige said. “I’m only five-five and I’ve gained three pounds more than I should have. Dr. Petrocelli says that since I’m already well-rounded—” Paige rolled her eyes and sighed “—I need to watch my weight or I could easily balloon into an elephant by the time the baby arrives.”

“Speaking of Baby Montgomery, have you given any more thought to what we talked about last night?” Kay unscrewed the lid from her bottled water.

“Shh!” Paige glared at Kay. “Anyone could overhear you. No one knows I’m pregnant, and I certainly don’t want anyone suspecting that Jared is the father.”

“You do realize that sooner or later, you’re going to have to tell him.”

“He may not believe the baby’s his.” Paige lowered her voice to a whisper. “He has no reason to believe me. He’ll probably think that I’m just trying to trap him because he’s rich.”

“Anyone who knows you, knows you aren’t the type.” Kay unwrapped her sandwich.

“That’s just the problem. Jared doesn’t know me. Except as his employee. He doesn’t have a clue as to who I am as a person.”

“Then we’ll have to figure out a way for him to get to know you. And we don’t have any time to lose. You’re going to have to tell him the truth before you start showing.”

“I think it might be better all the way around if, when it becomes necessary, I tell him he isn’t the father. That it’s my boyfriend’s baby.”

“What boyfriend?” Kay took a hefty bite out of her sandwich.

“The imaginary one who fathered my child.”

Kay chewed and swallowed, then washed the food down with water. “What if Jared wants to meet your boyfriend? What will you do then?”

“I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. My main concern is keeping this job. I need my insurance, and once I have a child to support, I’ll need my weekly paycheck more than ever.”

“You’ll never be able to look the man straight in the eye and lie to him,” Kay said. “You’re far too honest. Besides, even if by some miracle you pull this off, what will you do when one day L.J. gets a real good look at your kid and notices that it’s a carbon copy of him?”