Chapter Thirty-Five
Lainey
Kristy walked in the kitchen, pulled an apron from the hook on the wall, and paused before slipping it over her head to stare at me.
“Why are you smiling?”
“ What ? I’m not smiling.”
She put the apron on, then reached behind her to tie the strings.
“Yeah, you are.” Her eyes narrowed, and she whisper-shouted, “You got laid!”
“Oh my gosh! Shush!” I glanced around, like I was expecting the morality police, or worse, the town biddies, to be listening in the corner. “Okay, I may have had sex a few times since I last saw you.”
This time she didn’t even try to whisper. “ A few times ?”
“Yes, a few times!”
“It was with that sexy friend of Shawn’s huh? I told you he was into you! I’m so proud of you!”
“You cannot tell anyone! Oh good lord, if this got out… Granny O’Brien would try to have me thrown in jail or something.”
She pulled a hairnet from the box on the shelf next to the hooks and put it on.
“Well, this isn’t the Middle Ages. Having sex isn’t against the law, and no one is going to make you wear a big scarlet A on your chest. But, your secret is safe with me. I promise.”
“Thank you, I appreciate it!”
“So, based on your smile, I’m guessing it was amazing.”
I really didn’t want to talk about it, so after I answered, “It was,” I tried to steer the conversation back to her. “I don’t see a diamond on your hand; did Jonathan pop the question?”
“No! Thank goodness! He just wanted to have a nice night out. Well, and then he asked what I thought about doing anal.”
“So, he took you to a fancy restaurant to ask if you’d do butt stuff?”
“Yep.”
“What’d you tell him?”
“That I’d think about it.”
“So, are you going to?”
“Probably. I mean, Eddie and I did it when we were together, and I didn’t hate it, but Jonathan’s a lot bigger, so that kind of worries me.”
I winced on her behalf.
She paused as she measured out flour for the croissants.
“What about you? Would you ever do anal?”
I wrinkled my nose. “I don’t know. Maybe someday, but I’ve barely had oral sex, so let me conquer one thing at a time.”
She laughed as she added more ingredients to the mixing bowl.
“Fair enough.”
~~~~
“Lainey, baby. You have got to relax.”
I glanced at my watch again as I paced the living room floor.
“It’s ten after seven. I told them I’d be done at seven!” A thought occurred to me. “Maybe they’re at the front of the bakery!”
I’d started toward the apartment door when Adam grabbed my arm.
“I’ll go check, that way you’re here if they come up the back stairs. But, baby girl, are you sure you didn’t say around seven?”
“I’m not sure of anything right now!”
“Take a deep breath. I’ll go check the front.”
I inhaled deeply and remembered to call, “Thank you!” as he walked out the door leading to the bakery kitchen.
I knew I was getting worked up over nothing. Conor was in good hands with Shawn’s family. They adored their grandson and wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him.
And of course they’re going to bring him back, I assured myself. This wasn’t one of those crime news shows where my son gets kidnapped by his paternal grandparents.
They wouldn’t do that.
Would they?
They’d returned every one of my texts asking about how he was doing.
Maybe it was to buy them time as they drove further away .
I glanced at my watch again.
Twelve minutes after seven.
I decided I’d give them until seven-twenty, then I was going over to their house.
I heard voices coming up the bakery stairs, and I threw open the door.
Be cool, Lainey.
“Hi, guys!” I exclaimed as I reached for my son. He was dressed in different clothes than he’d been wearing that morning. Adam was right, the O’Briens probably had a whole nursery set up for him.
Teresa handed him to me and declared, “We were getting ready to come around the back, when Adam opened the door for us!”
With my baby safe in my arms, it felt like a weight lifted off my chest, and I laid a kiss on his head. He smelled like he’d just had a bath.
I glanced over at Adam, who’d walked in behind Hugh. He smiled and held up Conor’s car seat as he said, “They were right there waiting.”
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! I’ll know next time to meet you downstairs.”
Teresa and Hugh exchanged looks, then she said, “Oh, good. There will be a next time.”
I furrowed my brows. “Of course there will be.” A feeling of panic overtook me, and my gaze flew to my son’s little face as I felt his body. “Wait—did something happen?”
“No!” They both cried in unison. Teresa gave me a patient smile.
“I remember the first time we left Shawn with Hugh’s parents, and it was only to go to dinner.
I fretted the whole time and swore we would never go out again.
Fortunately, Hugh talked me down and convinced me his parents would take good care of him. ”
“But Shawn’s not here to do the same for us,” Hugh supplied with a sad smile.
“She never had a doubt,” Adam chimed in.
He had no idea the extent of insanity my thought process went through while he was downstairs.
“Of course not,” I said with a smile. “I appreciate the help, today. And thank you for giving him a bath.”
“It’s part of why we were a little late. He had… how should I put this?”
Hugh interjected for her. “A green diarrhea explosion.”
“Oh no! Yeah, those can be pretty gross.”
“I’m sure his little system is upset. He drank from a bottle all day, and he was with people who he’s not used to being with.”
I wasn’t sure if her intention was to make me feel bad about that, but I did. I hadn’t kept Conor from them, but I was certain they would have liked to have spent more time with him than they had so far.
Hugh imparted his wisdom. “Just goes to show, change is hard at any age.”
“Amen to that,” Adam agreed.
Teresa turned to him. “I guess you would know about that better than anyone, wouldn’t you? You left the Marines and are starting a new job and new life in a new town.”
“This was not on my bingo card when I got on the bus last Thursday, that’s for sure.”
She reached for his hand and clasped it between both of hers.
“Well, we’re glad you’re here.”
“We really are,” I murmured as I adjusted Conor in my arms.
“Thank you both for saying that. Everyone has made me feel very welcome.” He paused and pointed to his face, “Well, almost everyone.”
Hugh leaned against the counter.
“Any leads on that? Or Lainey’s letter writer? Do the police think they’re the same person?”
“Not yet. And they’re not sure. I don’t think they’re ruling anything out at this point.”
Teresa mused, “Hopefully you’ll be able to move the investigation along once you start work. I know the department has been stretched pretty thin lately.”
“Angus was thrilled when you took the job,” Hugh added.
Adam replied, “He’s been very generous.”
Conor vocalized he was unhappy, so I told Hugh and Teresa, “I’m going to check his diaper and feed him.”
Hugh pushed off the counter, and Teresa exclaimed, “We won’t keep you, dear. Thank you again for letting us watch him today.”
“Thank you for taking him. I was able to do a few things that I normally wouldn’t have time for.”
I purposefully didn’t look at Adam, for fear that I wouldn’t be able to keep a straight face.
“Oh really? Like what?”
Oh damn.
“Oh, stuff around the house that I usually put off.”
Think, Lainey! Think!
I was so bad at lying, it was like my brain was buffering. Conor’s increasing volume wasn’t helping.
Finally, a thought popped in my head, and I blurted out, “You know, laundry.”
“Well, we’d love to take him again soon.”
I took a few steps toward the hall leading to the bedrooms, and called, “Let me know when your schedule is open.”
“How about this Sunday?”
I paused without turning around. I hadn’t expected her to have a day in mind already.
Finally, I faced them again and said, “Um… yeah. I think Sunday should work.”
“We’ll pick him up after church; around ten-fifteen?”
“Sure.”
“Great! We’ll see you then!”
Then, as if they were worried I’d change my mind, the two made a beeline toward the entry.
Adam was close behind them and said, “I’ll walk you down so you can go out the front,” and I headed toward the nursery to feed my boy.
****
Adam
“Thank you for keeping Lainey and Conor safe,” Teresa commented as I turned the lock on the bakery’s front door.
“Of course.”
Hugh clasped my shoulder and squeezed. “Shawn would be glad to know you stepped in.”
Hmm… I’m not sure about that.
Of course, I nodded and said, “Thank you, sir.”
“We hope to see you again, soon,” Teresa said, then opened the door, and the two stepped out.
I stood and watched as Hugh opened Teresa’s car door, then went around to the driver’s side.
They were a nice couple. They’d raised their son right; probably their daughter, too, although I’d yet to meet Katelyn.
I felt like a fraud accepting their praise. Shawn would not be happy that I was sleeping in Lainey’s bed. He’d punch me in the nose.
Maybe the masked man really was Shawn’s ghost.
But who left her the letter?