Chapter 4 Andrea Kendal
Andrea Kendal
“Andrea’s a really good mom, I’ll say that about her.
And Eric’s a good dad. I mean, she really hit the jackpot with him.
A rich heart surgeon and he took on a single mom with a bratty infant?
Not many men would do that, and he was definitely in demand after Roxanne was murdered.
Every single woman in the county pounced on him, and some married ones too. ”
Andrea called the guard gate, then Tia, then the mom in the mid-century modern on the eighteenth hole.
No one answered, so she swung by Ryder’s nursery to check on the baby.
He was still asleep, on his back, his mouth half open.
The seven-month-old slept like he was dead, and she took a moment to watch his little tummy moving up and down in peaceful serenity.
He had no idea how lucky he was. Neither did Cameron. They would never understand how close they came to a life of control and intimidation, of always looking over their shoulder and having to choose between violence or fear.
She gave the baby one final look, then went down the wide vaulted hallway to their bedroom. Inside the two-story suite, Eric had already changed into his surgical scrubs and was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth in front of one of the sinks.
She passed through the large suite and took a moment by the bed to smooth a dent in the neatly made cover.
Crossing through the open doors into the bathroom, she rested her weight against the long granite counter.
“I made some calls to see if anyone knows what’s up, but I didn’t get a hold of anyone.
Think I should go across the street and ask what’s going on? ”
“No.” Her husband spit into the sink, then filled a glass from the filtered tap and took a sip, rinsing his mouth. “It’s none of our business.”
“Maybe they’re looking for a convict or something. We could be in danger.” She opened the closest drawer, anticipating his next move. He stacked the toothpaste and his toothbrush into their appropriate slots in the drawer, then used a monogrammed hand towel to dry his mouth.
“Just turn on the alarms. I’ve got to get to the hospital.” He stepped back from the sink, giving her room to close the drawer.
“What’s your schedule like today? Do you want to meet for lunch? Or I could bring you something.” She used the hand towel to wipe the water drops from the counter, then picked up his glass and followed him out through the suite.
“Not today. I’ll be home in time for dinner, though. Could you do a roast?”
“Sure.” A roast would mean a trip to the butcher, then the market. She could stop at the nursery off Park and get some fresh-cut blooms to refresh the house’s arrangements. A perfect day, with plenty of time to get everything ready before Eric got home.
He stepped forward and gave her a soft kiss. “Love you.”
His mouth was cool, the faint scent of spearmint on his breath. She gripped his scrubs and pulled him tighter to her, stealing another kiss before letting go. “Love you too,” she said thickly.
“Don’t let Cameron sleep too late,” he warned.
“I won’t.” She glanced at her watch. “I’ll get them both up shortly.
” She returned to the window; the search party had moved farther down the course, almost out of sight.
In a little bit, she’d head to the playground with the kids.
There, the gossip circle would certainly have some idea of what was going on.