After locking the door to the unisex bathroom at Danforth Development, Gabby pulled her sweater over her head so she could change back into her business suit. The upside down mermaid tattoo on her left arm practically winked at her. The peace sign tattoo high on her other wrist also reminded her she was trying to leave her past behind. No one knew about her tattoos except Chad, of course. She always kept them covered; they really weren't befitting an up and coming professional. As if it were calling to her again, she reached for the note in her jeans pocket. Opening it, she read,
"You owe me. Don't think I've forgotten."
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. She'd almost told Craig about it; after all they'd been friends when she returned to Portland, pregnant. Back then, after she'd had Timothy, she'd even thought they might connect romantically but they never really had. Craig was 2 years older than she was, protective and they'd settled into a friendship that was valuable and she hoped lasting. The note looked as if it had been generated by computer on plain white paper. When she was homeless, she'd met some shady characters; she'd met pimps who wanted her to turn tricks for them, drug dealers and avoided them but not before they checked her over, trying to figure what she could do for them.
And there was Thad, Timothy's biological father, who'd wanted nothing to do with her and the baby because he'd had his own plans. How could the note be from him, when he'd signed away his parental rights?
Just as she had.
The difference was she was still connected to Timothy and always would be. Some nights her heart ached unbearably because of the decision she'd made but she'd known it was best for Timothy then, and she believed it was best for him now.
What did this note mean anyway? Was it a precursor to blackmail? Did someone think since she was connected to Chad and Taylor, she had money too?
Folding the note, she slipped it into her purse. She'd think about it some more before she told anyone; besides, what was there to tell, she was certainly not going to worry Chad and Taylor unnecessarily, not after everything they'd done for her. She was making my life on her own now and she wouldn't and she wouldn't depend on anyone else.
During a game of hide and seek that evening, Gabby spotted Timothy by the leg of the dining room table "I see you!" Giggling, he dashed under the table where the white cloth partially hid him. Gabby got down on her hands and knees and went after him, as she caught him, he laughed.
"You can't hide from me," she warned him, tickling his tummy. When Taylor spoke, Gabby could hardly hear her above her laughter. Releasing Timothy, she peered out from under the tablecloth. Taylor was smiling and she wasn't alone. "Chad brought home a friend for dinner." As Gabby's gaze traveled from boots, up expensive slacks to the Western-cut jacket, she practically groaned; the friend Chad brought home was Troy Bolton.
Minus his Stetson, he looked amused as he said, "I used to do that with my daughter, in some ways, and it feels like yesterday"
Taylor explained "Troy's daughter will be leaving for college in the fall."
He had a daughter; he was married, Gabby almost breathed a sigh of relief. Almost.
Timothy chose that moment to scramble away from her and run to his mom, snagging Taylor by one leg. "Can I have a cookie, please?"
A beautiful woman and a former model, Taylor stooped and lifted Timothy into her arms. Her black hair hid her face until she absently brushed it away. "It's almost bedtime. I suppose you can have a cookie if you have a glass of milk with it." One of those little pangs stabbed Gabby's heart. Taylor had a final say in everything Timothy did. She was a wonderful mom and Gabby couldn't have found anyone better to be a mother to her son. Crawling out from under the table, Gabby felt foolish, when she'd arrived at Chad and Taylor's; she'd changed from her suit to the clothes she wore for lunch. Now she was rumpled after roughhousing with Timothy; she knew her hair was nonexistent. Some professional image she was projecting to a man she was working with. Ruffling timothy's hair, Chad said, "I'm going to check messages in my office." After loosening his tie, he motioned to the top of the buffet and suggested to Troy, "Make yourself at home. Drinks are there, Gabby can tell you where anything is if you can't find it."
"Dinner will be ready as soon as I get this little rascal a snack and put him to bed," Taylor added. "I'm so glad you could join us, Troy. Please do make yourself at home."
A few moments later, the dining room seemed small and quiet with just two of them in it. Troy seemed to tower over Gabby. Awkward tension vibrated between until he stepped toward the buffet. Searching for some topic conversation, Gabby asked, "Where will your daughter be going to school?" Troy picked up a glass and tipped the ice bucket. "She has to make up her mind soon. I'll find out when I get back to the ranch next week."
"I imagine it's hard to be away from your family when you travel for work."
Although Gabby has told herself that Tim was no longer hers, she'd still missed him terribly when she'd gone off to college. She'd thought once she'd started her own life she could her past behind her and move on. But even her heavy course load hadn't been able to make her forget her son, though her resolve had always been strong and sure. She just hoped as Timothy matured and learned the truth, he'd understand. Most of all, she hoped that he'd forgive her.
"I've been away a lot the past six months," troy replied. "Most of the time I've been working up here in Portland with Chad. I bought a condo in the fall to cut back on hotel bills." He flashed the crooked grin that made her toes curl in her boots.
He's married, she scolded herself. No toe-curling allowed.
"Did I hear you say you got a new apartment?" he asked, glancing at her. Troy apparently had been in and out of Chad's life for the past six months, but she didn't know what Chad might have told him. So she treaded carefully. "Yes, I'm furnishing it, little by little. I dropped over tonight because Taylor had some extra things in the attic she thought I could use."
"Chad and Taylor are a great couple. Truth be told, I never thought I'd want a partner, but Chad's got good instincts and something else that's hard to find these days- integrity." He poured scotch into his glass and then soda. "Can I fix you something?" he asked when he was done. That surprised her, and he must have seen it in her expression.
"What? You think a cant fix a drink for a lady? Believe me, whenever Lisa stays with me, I hear about the changing roles of men and women. I think she even did a paper on it."
"Stays with you?" that sounded as if…..
"Yes. I've had joint custody with my ex-wife since Lisa was ten."
"You're……divorced?"
"Yes I am."
The toe-curling was back double-time now. "maybe I will have a club soda," she murmured.
"Ice?" he asked.
She nodded, and then watched as his very large, tanned hands took the tongs and dropped three cubes into the glass. He and Gabby reached reached for a lime slice at the same time. His fingers were hot, and her skin touched his, she became hot, too. She knew a flush rose to her cheeks as she pulled back and let him add the fruit to her glass. When he handed it to her, she was careful that their fingers didn't meet.
"Your lunch date looked like an interesting guy," Troy remarked nonchalantly.
"Craig and I have known each other since……" she stopped. "For a long time."
"You dated through college?"
"No. We kept in touch, but with him in Portland and me at college, we went our separate ways."
"But now you're back and he's here, too."
Was Troy fishing or just making conversation? She had the feeling he was going to cast a few more lines, and she didn't want him to be judging her while they were working. She didn't want Chad's yummy friend looking at her as the homeless, unwed mother she'd once been. Maybe it was pride on her part, but she was trying to make a future for herself.
"I'm going to see if Timothy finished his snack. Maybe I can read him a bedtime story before dinner. If you'll excuse me….."
After a long, studying look, Troy tipped his glass to her. "Bedtime stories are almost as importance as goodnight kisses. Enjoy."
His words lingered as she went to the kitchen to find Timothy. Troy sounded as if he understood; as if he knew the importance of being a father.
One more reason to keep her past a secret.
