Chapter Seven

Chuck hadn't lied.

With a mug of coffee in hand and a sense of doom weighing heavily on her shoulders, Blair stood in the cool basement Sunday morning studying the empty, unfinished space. Chuck's plans lay on the nearby worktable for reference.

She'd spent all day Saturday pondering the situation only to continually come back to Chuck's idea. But then she had always been able to trust Chuck's ideas. She was the one she had to worry about.

The stairs creaked behind her. She turned. Chuck's long legs came into view as he descended. Desire flickered to life inside her. She tried to snuff it out with little success.

His gaze raked her, making her self-conscious of her jeans and long-sleeved knit shirt. "Good morning, Blair."

"Good morning. Are you headed out?"

"Care to join me?"

She shook her head. He tapped his hip. "I have my cell phone if you need me. I left the number upstairs on the table." He nodded toward the blueprint. "Did you make a decision?"

She took a deep breath and then a sip of coffee, delaying the inevitable and maybe hoping for divine intervention in the form of a better idea. "You're right. Using the basement is the best option."

Satisfaction gleamed in his eyes. He nodded. "I'll make the call to the contractor first thing in the morning. I know one I trust implicitly. Monday afternoon we'll go out and look at furnishing."

"Don't you have to work Monday?"

"I'll take the afternoon off. Come by the office after lunch and we'll leave from there."

That surprised her. He'd never taken time off from work before, and he certainly hadn't liked her popping in and interrupting his day.

"Look over the preliminary plans while I'm out and see if you want to make any changes." he crossed to the exterior door and opened it, letting in a cool rush of air. "I'll be back."

The door closed behind him, leaving her in silence - a reminder of the long, lonely days and nights she'd once spent while Chuck worked. She couldn't help but believe their marriage would have survived if he'd gone to collage, instead of becoming CEO at the family firm. But because his father had entrusted him, he was the only one considered for the job after his fathers death.

She shook her head. The loneliness she'd experienced back then wouldn't happen again. She wouldn't let allow it. She has her own business and interests, and her life and happiness would never again be completely wrapped up in Chuck.

She took the last sip of coffee, then rolled up the blueprints and climbed the stairs. In the past she would have called for Dorota to bring her breakfast. Instead she refilled her coffee cup and sat down with the paper.

The doorbell rang, breaking into her concentration. Had Chuck forgotten his key? She glanced at the clock. He'd only been gone forty minutes.

She rose and walked to the front door. The glass distorted the person on the other side, but not so much that she couldn't see the visitor was to petite to be Chuck. Who would visit so early?

Blair opened the door. Her sister in law stood on the doormat. "Hello, Serena."

Blond and thin to the point of ridiculousness for someone who had given birth to three children. Serena was a welcome surprise. "So it's true. You're back."

"Yes." One single word shouldn't be all they had to say to each other. While Blair was suffering alone, Serena was in LA planning the arrival of her and Dan's first baby. Blair had become angry with Serena's happiness while she was so sad and the two had fallen out.

Serena pushed herself through the door. "I wouldn't mind a cup of coffee."

Blair lead the way to the kitchen rather then the parlor where she would have entertained guest in the past. Without ceremony, she filled a mug, instead of good china, and brought it, the sugar and the milk jug to the table.

"Dorota has Sundays off."

Serena raised her eyebrows questionably. "Are you going to talk to me about this? Eric called me, I know what's going here."

Dismay and denial rippled through Blair in quick succession, surprising her. She had no right to be mad Serena and Eric were his family and he had the right to talk to them about anything.

"You won't change my mind about this baby, Serena."

Serena's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in calculation . "You're pregnant?"

"Well, no. Not yet. I thought you said Eric told you…."

"He told me you and Chuck reconciled because you were still legally married. I came here to make sure you were sure about this. I couldn't imagine how hard it would be for you if things didn't work out again. Wait, your trying for a baby?"

"A cauldron of toxic feelings bubbled in Blair's stomach. Anger, guilt, sadness. She had no idea how to go bout explaining this. She yearned to tell Serena the truth, to confided in her best friend again, but Bair bit her tongue. She'd promised to try and make the reconciliation look real.

Her fingernail's bit into her palms as she delivered the lie "Chuck and I are still in love and a child will complete our family."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. We're going to make you an aunty. Aunt Serena. How do you like that?"

Tears formed in Serena's eye. "We have always known that you and Chuck are meant to be. I'm so happy for you both and I can not wait to be Aunt Serena. You will both make wonderful parents."

She stared at her sister in law. This was the first time anyone had ever said that to her. "Thank you."

The women chatted over coffee, Serena filling her in on the gossip with the rest of the family. Jenny and Nate were engaged and living out in LA. Serena and Dan had moved back to New York last year WHEN Dan was offered a teaching position at NYU.

Something felt right about this for Blair. Being with her friends and family. This was what she wanted for her baby. Aunt's and Uncle's, cousins. Maybe she really was making the right decision.