Chapter Thirteen

Blair's cell vibrated in her pocket, making her jump. she grimaced at Laure. "Oops. Sorry. My phone buzzed me."

Lauren waved her hand. "No problem. Go ahead and see who it is. I know your waiting on calls from contractors.

Blair checked the caller ID. CHUCK. Her pulse took a ba-ba-boom misstep.

"It's my husband." She had to force herself to say the H-word. In her head Chuck had been her ex for so long it would some time to get used to his new/old status.

"Take the call. Believe me, if Jason called I'd answer."

'Thanks." Blair punched the button. "Yes?"

"Join me for lunch," Chuck's deep voice said, and her heart clenched in regret.

"Too late. I'm just finishing brunch with Lauren. And then we're going shopping."

"We'll do it another time." Did he sound disappointed? "Don't forget to get the doctors recommendations. See you tonight, baby."

That 'baby' shimmied down her spine like a feather-light caress. Blair disconnected and pocketed her cell. As much as she liked Lauren and believed they could be friends, Blair had no intention of asking for an obstetricians name, because a very intense part of her subconscious kept yelling, Run before it's too late!

She dabbed her mouth with her napkin. "How long have you and Jason been married?"

"Three weeks." Lauren replied with a smile that lit up her face.

Surprise hiked Blair's eyebrows. "You're newlyweds."

"That, of course, leads to the next question." Lauren pointed to her baby bump. "Jason and I worked together in LA and had a brief affair before he moved here for the Bass Job. It wasn't supposed to be more then that. The pregnancy caught me by surprise, and I debated not telling him. I was prepared to have my baby on my own. But when Jason found out, he wanted more. Our explosive chemistry returned and we got married." She winked. "He is pretty irresistible when he puts his mind to it."

Love and pregnancy combined to give Lauren's face a beautiful glow that Blair had read about but never seen. An itty-bitty twinge of jealousy nipped at her heels. She would never have that glow with Chuck. She couldn't afford to let herself love as she once had ever again.

"What about you and Chuck? You do realize you're the hot topic in the Bass break room at the moment, don't you?"

Blair grimaced. "I suspected that might be the case. Chuck and I have known each other our whole lives, we fell in love in high school and got married in collage, eight years ago."

"I sense a story there."

Blair shrugged and decided it would be best not to share her background. Lauren nodded "Do you mind me asking what happened to you and Chuck?"

A fresh wave of pain hit hard and fast. Blair glanced away. If she was over him, then why did it still hurt to think about those miserable months/

"After Chuck took over Bass Industries, he and I hit a rough patch and took a break. We're trying to work out our differences now." She believed she could trust Lauren and was tempted to ask her advice, but instead, she tucked the cash for her lunch into the vinyl folder with the bill and tactfully changed the subject. "Are you ready to overheat your credit card?"

"Absolutely. I appreciate your wiliness to tag along and offer your onion. Most women's eyes glaze over when I start babbling about nurseries - unless they're pregnant." Lauren's mouth dropped open in surprise. "You're not, are you?"

"Pregnant? No. but Chuck and I are discussing it. We'd once planned to have a large family, so I don't mind looking."

They arrived at the baby boutique catering to upper-class mommies-to-be. Blair followed Lauren in.

Inside the boutique each vignette portrayed a perfect decorated nursery. Before she'd left Chuck, Blair used to wander through children's boutiques, yearning for a family and someone to love. But she'd done her looking and yearning alone.

Then the oddest thing happened at the fourth display. A sensation of coming home settled over her like a warm blanket. She ran her fingers over the rails of am oak crib and tried in vain not to fall in love with the piece.

If the baby plan came to fruition, she had to have this.

"Gorgeous, isn't it?" A saleswomen said.

"Yes." Blair looked around for Lauren, but her new friend had moved several displays deeper into the store.

"Each spindle is hand-lathed, and of course safety checked. It's one of a kind from one of the most talented and sought after craftsman. When are you due?" the women asked.

"Oh. I'm not pregnant, yet."

A polite smile stretched the women's lips. "Ah. Then may I suggest that if you're going to wait till you conceive, you might not want to set your heart on this crib. This gentleman's work always sells within a week of being put on the floor."

Indecision twisted inside Blair. If she walked away now, she'd probably never have this set. But if she brought it, she'd be making a commitment to an idea that still terrified her. "I …I'd better catch up with my shopping partner."

The saleswomen's interest cooled. "Of course."

Blair shadowed Lauren through the store. "Blair , are you okay?"

'Can I ask you something?" she waited for Lauren's nod "Starting a family, moving across the country, it's a lot to take on, and yet you seem so serene. Doesn't this much change at once make you nervous?"

Lauren chuckled. "Of course it dose. And if I appear calm, it's and illusion. I adore my husband, and I can't imagine not having this baby or sharing the pregnancy with Jason now. My only concern is that Jason loves his work so much he might miss a few things if I don't make sure he puts us ahead of the business."

The words struck a chord deep inside of Blair. "I understand that concern all too well. After Chuck took over at Bass he became a workaholic. I almost never saw him."

"I'll bet that contributed to your need for a break."

Blair hesitated, than nodded. "For what it's worth, I make Jason take time out most weekends for a sail on his boat. That allows us some quality one-on-one time and gives me an opportunity to polish my painting skills."

The wicked glint in Lauren's eyes caught Blair's attention. "Do I want to pursue that topic?"

Lauren flashed a mischief-filled grin. "Probably not."

She tapped a hand carved toy chest. "What do you think of this? It's not to feminine, is it?"

"No. it's lovely." Blair realized that she and Lauren were approaching pregnancy with polar-opposite attitudes. Lauren's pregnancy had been unplanned and yet she'd happily embraced the coming baby and the upheaval in her life. Blair, on the other hand, was trying to plan and control every detail and was petrified of failing and falling in love with Chuck again. She wished she possessed a fraction of Lauren's courage.

She wanted a baby, a family. And she wanted to expand her business. Chuck was offering her the opportunity to achieve her dreams. All she had to do was guard her heart for the next twelve to eighteen months or so and then divorce Chuck. With so much to gain, how could she afford to say no?