“Tell all,” her sister demanded.
“Well, we’ve been out a few times.” All right, once, to the day care center to pick up Penny. Not exactly a date, but Caroline never needed to know that. And would coffee at his house also count?
“It just sort of took off from there.”
“What did?”
“Our feelings for each other,” Michelle said recklessly.
“My God, you’re seriously interested in the man?”
“Definitely!” Seriously interested in having him find their father!
“I can’t believe it! Tell me everything. Does Abby know?”
“Uh, not yet. She’s been busy, you’ve been busy and I’ve certainly been busy.” Looking for a private investigator.
“When can I meet him?”
“There’s nothing definite between us yet. I’m not exactly sure how he feels.” Except about marriage, she thought with a touch of amusement. He’d made himself perfectly clear on that subject.
“Tell me all about him.”
In describing Josh, Michelle realized she apparently noticed a lot more about the man than she’d thought. Not only his physical characteristics, but some of his mannerisms, like that impatient energy that had to find an outlet in pounding a steering wheel or pacing a small kitchen.
She made no mention of Penny. If it didn’t work out, if she had to find another way to locate her father, she didn’t want Caroline or Abby to know more than the bare bones.
“Bring Josh to dinner on Sunday,” Caroline ordered.
“I’ll have to check and let you know.” Michelle panicked. She hadn’t expected that. What if Josh said no to her crazy proposal? What if he refused to go along with a charade to fool her sisters?
“I’ve got to go now, Caroline. Give my love to Brandon.”
She hung up feeling wrung out. Setting the stage was difficult. If Josh agreed to her scheme, could she carry off the deception?
It depended on how badly she wanted to find her father—and protect her sister.
Caroline had been protecting her all her life. She owed it to her to make sure she kept her from worrying.
The doctor had assured Caroline she’d be fine this pregnancy, but Michelle remembered how devastated her older sister had been after her miscarriage and had no intention of being a cause of unnecessary worry or concern.
She was already in bed and leafing through a magazine when the phone rang again.
Her heart skipped a beat when she recognized Josh’s deep voice.
Without any preliminaries he went to the heart of the matter.
“You’ve got yourself a deal, Michelle.”
The enormity of what she’d done almost overwhelmed her.
“Thank you,” she said primly.
“Want to discuss particulars now or in the morning?” he asked.
“In the morning.” Panic threatened. She needed some time to assimilate the fact she would soon be marrying a stranger, pretending an emotion she didn’t feel, and be half responsible for a little girl who by her daddy’s own admission was spoiled and sometimes threw tantrums. Was she crazy?
“We’ll pick you up at nine and head for Dunking Delights. Penny loves donuts.”
“Fine.”
Hanging up, Michelle stared blankly at the opposite wall. Her heart pounded, her throat felt dry. Could she go through with this? Or had she made the biggest mistake of her life?
She shook off her doubts. How hard could it be to pretend for a few hours here and there in front of her sisters that she was a happily married woman? The rest of the time she and Josh would go their separate ways.
Saturday morning she dressed in yellow shorts and a white loose cotton top. The weather forecaster predicted high temperatures and higher humidity. She wished she lived near the water where there was a chance of a breeze. Instead, her apartment was hemmed in by others, keeping any wafts of cool air to a minimum.
Ready long before the appointed time, Michelle paced in front of her window, stopping suddenly when she realized she was copying Josh.
There was nothing to be nervous about—it was a straightforward business deal. They each brought something that the other needed. And in no time, they’d be able to obtain an annulment and go their separate ways.
But the churning in her stomach didn’t abate. Nervously, she wiped damp palms on her shorts and began pacing again.
The doorbell startled her. It rang and rang.
Opening the door, she saw Penny still pressing the button.
“That’s enough, Penny,” Josh said reaching for her little hand, his eyes on Michelle.
“I like it,” the little girl said, dancing away from her father’s reach and spying a doorbell by a nearby door. She raced down the hall and began pressing it.
“Penny! No!” Josh called, quickly following after her to snatch her up just as an elderly woman opened her door and peered out.
“Yes?” she said.
“Sorry, Mrs. Hatterly. Penny’s fascinated by doorbells,” Michelle said, as she joined Josh and took his arm, tugging toward her open door. “We didn’t mean to bother you.”
The older woman nodded vaguely and shut her door.
“It’s wrong to ring doorbells if you aren’t going to visit the people who live there," Michelle said to Penny.
“She doesn’t know that,” Josh said.
“She’ll never learn any younger.” Eyeing him suspiciously, she frowned. “Something else we need to discuss, I see.”
“What?”
“Discipline, manners.”
He took a sharp breath through his nose.
“I’d say we have more than that to discuss. Ready?”
Michelle reached inside for her purse then shut her door. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Feeling much like Alice in Wonderland where nothing was quite normal, she headed for the stairs.
Settled at the table for four at the Dunking Delight, Michelle watched Josh allow Penny to order two huge jelly-filled donuts. Michelle had eaten her own breakfast a couple of hours ago and settled for a latte.
Once seated, Penny began to eat, one foot kicking the table leg.
Josh bit into a light glazed doughnut.
“Penny, stop kicking the table, please,” Michelle said, patiently.
“Don't gots to,” she mumbled, licking jelly from her fingers, her foot swinging again.
“Yes, you do,” she said, her tone brooking no refusal.
Josh looked up at her in surprise.
“She’s
