“I hope I didn’t wake your son,” she said. “I was sitting here feeling sorry for myself now that Jenny’s out of the house for the evening, and thought you might be feeling a little blue, too. Bumping into Connor all the time can’t be easy.”
“It’s awful,” Heather said at once, then sighed. “And wonderful.”
“Oh, sweetie—do I remember what that’s like!” Connie said sympathetically. “When Jenny’s dad and I first split up, it was some kind of torture every time I saw him at the gas station or in the grocery store. It does get better, I promise. Of course, in my case, it helped that he eventually moved to Michigan, where now, if God is truly good, he is freezing his butt off at least ten months of the year and thoroughly miserable.”
“Not that you give a hoot,” Heather said with a laugh.
“Not even a tiny one,” Connie said. “I really called to see if you’d like to grab a pizza or something. I can come over there if you don’t want to wake little Mick and bring him out.”
“I would love the company,” Heather said at once, relieved not to be facing another lonely night. “I’ll call and order the pizza.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll pick it up on my way. Do you have sodas or wine, or should I get that, too?”
“I have diet sodas, but no wine.”
“That works for me. See you soon.”
Heather started straightening up her apartment, only to have the phone ring again. It turned out to be Bree, Connie’s sister-in-law and Connor’s sister.
“What are you up to?” Bree asked. “I know Connor’s in town, so I thought you might need cheering up.”
“I see the family grapevine is alive and well,” Heather said wryly. The O’Brien grapevine worked faster than the internet.
“Of course. Truthfully, though, I was looking for something to do. Jake’s painting the nursery tonight, and he doesn’t want me breathing in the paint fumes. I swear, it’s a good thing this baby is due in less than a month, because I’m not sure how much longer I can handle the way he hovers over me.”
Heather chuckled. “I think it’s sweet. You should have seen your brother when I was pregnant with our baby. Even though he was swamped with work he’d bring home from the office, I’d catch him staring at me as if he was afraid my belly was going to pop open. And the night I actually did go into labor, he was such a wreck I almost had to drive myself to the hospital.”
“Oh, just wait till I see him,” Bree gloated. “I am so going to hold that over his head. Anyway, if you’re not busy, I thought I’d drop by.”
“Come on over,” Heather said at once. “Connie’s picking up pizza. I’m sure there will be enough for one more.”
“Have you seen the way I eat these days?” Bree asked. “I’ll call her on her cell phone and tell her to pick up two.”
“See you soon, then.”
When she hung up, Heather couldn’t seem to stop the smile that spread across her face. For the first time practically since college, she was making friends. Okay, Bree was Connor’s sister, so that was probably a little risky. Connie had O’Brien in-law status through Jake’s marriage to Bree. Still, these were women whose company she could enjoy, women who clearly understood the emotional roller coaster she’d been on.
“This is good,” she murmured as she put ice into tall glasses and poured their sodas.
And for the first time since moving to Chesapeake Shores, she truly felt as if she were not just launching a business, but settling into a community that would be home.
* * *
When Heather answered the first knock on her door, she found not only Bree, but Jake.
“He insisted on walking me up the stairs to be sure I got here okay,” Bree explained, exaggerated disgust in her voice but a telltale glint of delight in her eyes.
“Stop complaining, little mama,” Jake said. “Until this kid of ours is out here in the world where I can look out for him directly, the two of you are a package deal. Get used to it.”
Bree scowled at him. “Does that mean all the attention will shift to the baby as soon as he or she is born? Am I just some sort of incubator to you?”
He fought unsuccessfully to stop a grin. “I thought that’s what you wanted, to be free from my hovering. I heard you say that very thing not ten minutes ago.”
Heather held up a hand. “Truce, you two. The goal is a happy, healthy baby and a contented mother, am I right?”
“Yes,” they agreed at once.
“Ah, unity. It’s a blessed thing,” Heather said, then nudged Jake toward the door when he showed no inclination to leave. “Your sister and I will take very good care of her for the next couple of hours. Go, paint, have a beer and relax.”
Reluctantly, Jake backed away. “You need me, you call, okay?” he said to Bree just as his sister climbed the steps with the two big pizza boxes. He sniffed the air. “Or I could stick around.”
Connie stared him down. “Do you really want to tell your friends that you spent Saturday night at a chicks’ gabfest? I brought my DVD of Love Story. Think about your image, little brother.”
He groaned at the mention of the guaranteed tearjerker movie. “I’m out of here.” He still couldn’t seem to tear himself away. He stepped back inside and kissed Bree. “Call when you’re ready to come home.”
“I’ll drop her off,” Connie said.
Jake looked uncertain.
“I promise she’ll be in one piece,” Connie said impatiently. “Now get out of here, or I will start to tell embarrassing stories about you that even your wife doesn’t know!”
That finally got him out of the apartment.
Bree sank onto the sofa. “I do love that man, but I need breathing room.”
“Just wait till
