Out of the Depths

CHAPTER NINETEEN

BUSINESS WAS SLOW THE first day, and Kyndal was grateful. Lumbering around the crowded back corner of Pet Me, which had been transformed into Santa’s workshop, with a cast on her foot was a daunting task. But the added benefit of being located close to the employee bathroom gave the small nook a certain ambiance.

The festive red-and-green-striped elf costume with its pointy shoes, pointy hat and pointy green velvet vest all decked out in bells jangled constantly and made her feel more like a court jester. But she convinced herself the jingles were synonymous with paychecks, which meant food, so she worked at ignoring them.

As of yesterday, however, food had become both her greatest ally and her nemesis. She began to understand the word craving in all its glory, being helpless to stop eating Jaci’s cranberry salad until every bite was gone. But morning sickness had become a misnomer, managing to work itself into surprise attacks at any time of day.

Chance’s message on her machine had triggered an attack at around eight-thirty last night although that may have just been her body’s reaction to the stress of the past two days.

She did know that her heart had gone into a wild rhythm at his words, and his kind voice pricked her conscience.

She’d thought about it all night and decided he was right. They could make this work. Thanks to their time in the cave, she’d gained insight into Chance’s character. He needed space to breathe. Allowing him to have his life separate from them was the key to keeping the father in her baby’s life.

Too tired to change out of the elf suit at the store, she headed home, praying the old Jeep would make it that far.

The heater warmed quickly, and soon her muscles were loose and relaxed. They instantly balled into hard knots, though, when she turned onto her street and spotted Chance’s SUV in her driveway.

He saw her coming and was waiting to open her door by the time she switched off the ignition.

“Hi.” His mouth twitched, but he couldn’t keep his mirth in check as his eyes roamed over the costume. “You make a damn fine-lookin’ elf, Kyn.” He erupted into a laugh that heated Kyndal’s face and heart at the same time.

“Thanks!” She broke into a quick shimmy, jingling from her toes to her head. “I tinkle.” A flash of heat sprang into his eyes at her movements, so she cut it off abruptly. “Um, the baby might not like that.”

He cocked his head and raised his eyebrows suggestively. “Maybe not, but I sure did.”

“What brings you here?” She pointedly changed the subject. Giving Chance space meant no sexual contact. She was more than positive sex would bring out her clingy side.

“Do you still have a freezer in the utility room?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Why?”

Chance opened the door to the cargo hold of his SUV and lifted out a large foam box. “Because I ordered a month’s supply of dinners for you from Maid-to-Order.”

Kyndal had heard about the delicious, but very costly cuisine the new take-out/catering service offered. A month’s worth of meals had surely cost him a small fortune. “You shouldn’t have done that. It’s way too expens—”

“Nothing’s too expensive for my baby.”

A tingle ran up Kyndal’s spine at his words. When she realized he meant them literally, the tingle branched out through her whole body.

“But we need to get them in the freezer.” Chance tilted his head toward the house. “I didn’t know what time you’d get off, so I’ve been sitting here awhile.”

“Oh, sure!” She hurried to get the door unlocked and he followed her through the kitchen.

They chatted while unloading the box of its delicacies. Kyndal read the labels—learning about the nutritionally balanced five-course gourmet meals, which included bread and dessert, and filled Chance in on the details of her first day of work.

She was astounded when he went back to retrieve a second box. By the third, she was speechless.

“I don’t know what to say other than thank you. I never expected anything like this.” Her emotions threatened to get the best of her, and she bit her lip.

“I meant what I said last night, Kyn. I’m thankful, and married or not, I want to be a part of your and the baby’s life.”

The brush of his knuckle against her cheek unleashed the tears, and they streamed down her cheeks. She swiped at them, covering her embarrassment with a laugh. “Hormones have my emotions all over the place.”

“Can we sit and talk a few minutes?”

She nodded and he led her to the kitchen table and helped her into a chair.

He pulled a cell phone from his pocket and slid it over in front of her. “This is for you, too.” She started to protest, but he placed a finger on her lips, which cleared her brain of any thought except that his finger was on her lips. “You need to be able to get hold of me anytime, and I need the same from you.” He pointed to the antiquated telephone hanging on the wall and the answering machine on the counter under it. “That just doesn’t cut it.”

He powered up the new cell phone. “I’ve taken care of a three-year contract for this, and I’ve already got my cell number and the office number programmed into the favorites list as well as all of Jaci’s numbers and Rick’s number. I also put myself in as the in-case-of-emergency number, which I know is presumptuous, but I did it, anyway.”

He shrugged and grinned, and Kyndal’s heart felt so full, she thought it would burst. “I don’t know how I’ll repay you, Chance.”

He gave her hand a squeeze. “You’re having my baby.”

Her arms ached to hold him, but if she did, he would have to pry himself loose because she would never let him go on her own. She’d smother him until he couldn’t breathe, and they’d be back to where they were nine years ago, except with a baby on the way.

No, hugging was out. She searched for another way to show her gratitude. “Would you like to stay for supper?” It came out quickly, partly because it seemed like the least she could do considering his generosity. Mostly because she didn’t want him to leave.

His eyes widened in surprise. “I’d love to. I still have a lot to discuss with you about doctor’s appointments—I want to be included in them. The first trimester is the critical time to guard against birth defects…”

She nodded and smiled to herself as she listened to him quoting information from the internet she’d read hundreds of times already.

He stopped for a breath and gave a sheepish smile. “We can talk about this during supper. What’d you have in mind? Pizza?”

“Nope.” She pushed out of the chair and headed for the refrigerator. “I have a pan of leftover lasagna in here begging to be eaten.”

Their laughter blended, and for a split second, she saw—

or imagined she saw—something that went beyond desire in his dark eyes.

She wouldn’t fool herself into thinking they could have a future together, but she could rest easy knowing he’d be there for the baby.

* * *

BILL BRENNAN POKED his head in his son’s office the following Monday afternoon. “Got a minute?”

“Sure.” Chance leaned back and stretched his arms over his head. For two hours he’d been hunched over his desk, writing furiously. The break was welcomed—even if it had to be shared with his dad. “What’s on your mind?”

“Just wanted to talk with my son for a few minutes.” His dad took one of the seats in front of the desk.

His studiously casual posture caused a tightness to grow in the pit of Chance’s stomach. “About…?”

“About your Thanksgiving news.” His dad’s lips pressed together, forming a thin line where a mouth had been. “I overreacted.”

Chance shrugged. “I probably could’ve chosen a better time. I know it came as a shock.”

“Kyndal’s doing well? Feeling okay?”

Hearing Kyndal’s name and a concerned tone coming from his dad’s mouth was a unique experience, and it took Chance by surprise. “Fine…good. She’s doing great. Well, except for the sickness.”

“Glad to hear it.” Bill Brennan shifted back in his chair and crossed his legs. “Tell me more about this job she’s trying to get.”

Chance explained about the new magazine and how she’d sold some shots for the first issue, but was still waiting to hear about the final choice.

“And if she doesn’t get it, what then? She gonna stay on at that pet store?” He spat the last two words out as if they left him with a bad taste.

“She’ll have to find something else.” Chance could feel this conversation heading south. “But she’s confident she’ll get it.”

His dad grunted in reply, and then characteristically switched topics. “You been seeing anyone?”

“No.” Chance didn’t want to get into the subject of women. Until now, he’d refused to open the Kyndal subject up in front of his dad since Thanksgiving, but he hadn’t given up hope he might be able to break through her resistance to marriage.

“Good-looking guy like you needs to be out there.”

“I’m pretty busy.” Chance left it there, hoping his dad would take the hint and leave.

“So Rick Warren and Denise Macomb are an item now.” It wasn’t a question, so Chance merely nodded in agreement. “Lucky guy Rick. Denise is a real looker.”

Chance heard a bugle blasting in the back of his brain.

“Lots of beautiful women around. May be time for you to start thinking about settling down—find yourself a sharp woman with a good career and the right connections…”

“Not interested, Dad.”

“I’ve got somebody I’d like to introduce you to.”

There it was. “Still not interested.”

Bill Brennan’s face turned red as he pushed out of the chair. “You need to start thinking about other people sometimes.” He tossed down a piece of paper with a name and phone number scribbled across it and started toward the door. Before he exited, he threw a parting punch. “Hank would’ve never been so self-absorbed.”

Chance brushed the note into the trash.