Count on Me (Bayview Heights Trilogy) (20 page)

Just then Alexandra entered the kitchen, dragging a teddy bear by the arm. Fortunately her forehead seemed cooler. “Want juice. And Cheerios,” she said, climbing onto Zoe’s lap. Zoe blew her hair out of her eyes and sighed heavily.

By the time she reached the pediatrician’s, Zoe was exhausted and frantic. Camille’s temperature had soared and she cried all the way to the medical building.

Struggling to open the office door, she hoped like hell she could handle two sick girls for three whole days. A class of At Risk kids never caused her to bat an eyelash, but this was something else.

Leaving the office armed with prescriptions for more medicine—Camille had an ear infection on top of whatever flu she had—Zoe prayed she could get the antibiotic and make it back home.

Never in her life has she experienced anything like dragging two little ones into the drugstore, waiting interminably for the pharmacist to dispense the drug while she held Camille and kept an eye on a restless cranky four-year-old.

When she pulled into the driveway with both girls crying loudly in the back seat, she felt like joining them.

At eight that night, with no end in sight, she gave in. She picked up the phone and dialed a number beside it. After two rings, it was answered. She said, “Kurt, this is Zoe. I need some help.”

o0o

HE’D NEVER SEEN HER so disheveled. Grateful brown eyes locked on him “Thanks for coming.” In her arms she held a sleeping Camille; at her side was a pale Alexandra. He leaned over immediately to lift his niece into his arms and cuddle her against the sweatshirt he’d hastily thrown on with jeans and sneakers. He’d still been dressed from work when Zoe called. “What’s the matter baby? You don’t feel good?”

Alexandra whimpered, “I want my mommy.”

“What’s this? My best girl doesn’t wanna be with her favorite uncle tonight?”

That made Alexandra smile, and Zoe give him a weak facsimile of one.

The four of them traipsed into the living room. Zoe took the rocker and Kurt sat on the couch. “What did their pediatrician say?”

“Mild flu for Alexandra. But she’s a bit better tonight. Camille has the flu
and
an ear infection. I stopped to get the antibiotic at the drugstore, and I’d rather have my fingernails pulled out before I’d repeat that experience. I thought Cassie and Mitch were exaggerating. I had no idea these two could be so...” She stopped, realizing Alexandra was listening intently.

“We was bad, Aunt Zoe?” the little girl asked.

“Oh, honey, you were fine. Aunt Zoe’s just new at taking care of children.”

Kurt leaned over and took the book Alexandra held, then pulled her onto his lap. “Aunt Zoe might be learning how to take care of children quicker than she thought,” Kurt said mischievously.

“No, she won’t be.” Zoe’s tone was confident.

Damn. Though he knew, logically, chances were slim, he’d hoped for a positive outcome. “Got confirmation already?” he asked as lightly as he could.

Zoe stared at him blankly. “Confirm...Ah, no, not yet.”

He frowned. “Shouldn’t you know by now? It was a couple weeks ago that we...” He let the words hang.

“I don’t want to talk about it now.”

“Just answer that.”

“All right, I’m late, but only by a couple of days. It’s not unusual for me.”

That little piece of news cheered him. He read
Good Night Moon
to Alexandra while Zoe rocked Camille, part of his mind on the possibilities. When the baby started to cry, he watched Zoe try to calm her, then eased Alexandra off his lap and stood. “Let me see her.” Taking Camille in his arms, he felt her face and neck. “When did she have the last analgesic?”

“Two hours ago.”

“She’s hot. I think I’ll give her a tepid bath.”

Alexandra’s eyes brightened. “Me, too. I wanna bath, too.”

“Camille’s too fussy for you two to bathe together, honey. But Aunt Zoe can give you a bath in the big tub in Mommy and Daddy’s room.”

“With bubbles?”

“Sure.” He winked at Zoe. “Aunt Zoe likes bubbles.”

 What are you doing?
she’d asked once in his bubble-filled Jacuzzi.

 Making pyramids on you.

You’re crazy, you know that?

Crazy about you.

Kurt banished the memory and concentrated on the child. Upstairs in the girls’ adjoining bathroom, he drew the water, whipped off his sweatshirt and bathed the sick baby. When he was done, he wrapped her up in a big towel, dried her gently, dressed her in clean pajamas and headed downstairs. At the master bathroom, he realized Camille was almost asleep. “I think Camille feels bet—” He stopped midword. What he saw took his breath away.

The big tub was indeed filled with bubbles. In it was Alexandra, covered from head to toe in froth.

So was Zoe.

He gaped at the luscious picture she made, unable to take his eyes off Zoe. Part of one shoulder peeked out of the soap, and freckles dotted it. He remembered kissing them one night.

“Wanna come in, Uncle Kurt?” Alexandra asked. “Sometimes Daddy does when Mommy’s in the tub.”

Zoe sputtered, “Ah, no, honey, that’s not a good idea.”

Kurt gave Zoe his full masculine perusal. “I think it’s a great idea.”

“Kurt!”

“Unfortunately Camille here is pretty possessive.” He patted the baby’s back as she cuddled into him sweetly. “I can’t abandon my charge.”

Zoe shook her head, but the corners of her mouth turned up. “Get out of here.”

“Why? It’s nothing I haven’t—”

“Don’t say it. Just leave.”

He chuckled all the way to Camille’s room.

o0o

“THEY’RE BOTH ASLEEP, finally.” Kurt dropped onto the couch next to her, stretched his legs in front of him and closed his eyes.

“Thank God.”

He opened one eye. “I can’t believe how demanding they are. Just when one quiets, the other wakes up. This is as bad as the night shift in the ER.”

She sipped her sparkling water, unable to remember ever being so tired in her life.

“I think you should go to bed down here in Cassie and Mitch’s room,” he said after a moment.

She thought about the king-size bed. And Kurt. “What about you?”

“I’ll bunk in Camille’s room on the twin bed. That way, I’ll hear either of them from there.”

“No, I can--”

His raised his hand to her mouth. His fingers stopped her words. They felt soft and comforting against her lips. She wanted badly to kiss them, feel them all over her.

“How much sleep did you get last night?” he asked.

“About four hours.”

“And today they ran you ragged. You need rest.”

“What about you?”

“I’m a doctor. I’m used to going without sleep.”

“I think—”

“Look, we’ll rest in shifts. This—” he nodded upstairs “—will most likely continue into tomorrow and maybe into Sunday. We need to be sensible, sweetheart.”

“Oh, God.”

“Besides,” he said, his eyes twinkling like dew-kissed grass, “I won’t be able to sleep, anyway, after seeing you in the bathtub.”

She’d forgotten how good Kurt’s flirting felt, how playful their life together had been. It was a stark reminder of all they’d lost. And it angered her.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Nothing.” She stood. “You’re right, we need to be sensible about this. About everything. I’ll turn in now. Wake me early so I can relieve you.”

“All right.”

“Sleep well.”

 Don’t bet the farm on it
, she thought miserably.

o0o

KURT WAS DIMLY aware of a movement on his chest. He slept lightly on the twin bed, holding the baby clasped to him, but he knew intuitively Camille wasn’t waking.

Slitting open his eyes, he saw Zoe lean over him and ease the child out of his arms. “Shh, go back to sleep.”

She lifted Camille away from him, soothed her back, then placed her in the crib. Clothed in blue satin pajamas, Zoe looked wonderful as she returned to the bed and stared down at him. “Since you’re awake, why don’t you go into the guest room and get some good sleep?”

He stretched. “What time is it?”

“Seven. Alexandra’s not up yet. What time did Attila the Hun go down?”

“The last time she woke up was about five.” He yawned. “She fell asleep again about six-thirty.”

“You need more sleep.” Zoe wrapped her arms around her waist. The action pulled the pajama material tight over her breasts, and he could see the outline of her nipples.

“I need
you
.” Defenses down from lack of sleep, he didn’t censor his words or actions. He reached up and tugged on her arm.

She fell on top of him. “Kurt!” she whispered fiercely. “What are you doing?”

He tunneled his fingers through her tousled hair. He loved the way she looked and smelled in the morning. “I’m taking advantage of the situation.”

She giggled. “Let me up.”

His hands left her hair and trailed down her back to her bottom. He squeezed her gently there. She was soft and supple, and his body responded immediately. “In a minute. You feel too good.”

“Kurt.” She moaned his name.

“Don’t you miss us, love?”

“You’re not being fair.”

“Don’t you?” His hands inched under her top and met skin smoother than satin.

She closed her eyes. “Please.”

“Answer me and I’ll let you up.”

“All right, I miss you.” Her middle bumped with his. “I miss this. A lot.”

“Kiss me.”

“No. I’ve got to see to Alexandra.”

“Please.”

Zoe swallowed hard. Stared at his lips. His hand came up to coax her head down.

She ended up going willingly. Her mouth met his, gently at first. Then hungrily. Her whole body pressed into his as she consumed him.

He angled his head to get more of her. Their legs tangled together and his hands gripped her bottom reflexively.

Mumbling—some kind of noise—came from the doorway.

Zoe drew back. “Wh-what?”

“What’re you doing on top of Uncle Kurt, Aunt Zoe?” Alexandra must have repeated the question.

Zoe’s forehead met Kurt’s. She said softly, “Good question, kiddo,” and tried to pull away. He held her for a minute, relishing the sight of her flushed and breathing hard from his kisses. Then he let her go.

Though his body ached with fatigue, his heart felt lighter. He turned over and buried his face in the pillow. The last conscious thought he had was that he was making progress with the woman he loved.

o0o

THAT EVENING, Zoe stared across the kitchen at Kurt, and her heart turned over. He stood at the wide expanse of window, just as he had on moving day. He was freshly showered and shaved, and his hair was slicked back and still damp. He was dressed in one of Mitch’s sweat suits; its deep green turned his eyes the color of the forest. They’d had a hectic day, with two cranky little girls to entertain. Fortunately Camille had taken a miraculous turn for the better about four that afternoon, and Alexandra was almost completely well.

“How long did I nap?” Zoe asked.

“A few hours. It’s eight o’clock.” He smiled. “Feel better?”

“A little. I wish you’d slept more today.”

“I got a good three hours this morning after...” He let the thought trail off.

She blushed.
After they’d kissed
. She’d dreamed about him the entire time she slept. She’d awoken aroused.

 Damn it.

Glancing at the clock, she asked, “The girls asleep?”

“Uh-huh. They went down easily just a few minutes ago. My guess is they’re out for the count.”

Zoe smiled.

“Hungry?” he asked.

“Have we eaten today?” she joked.

“Some leftover pizza for breakfast, I think. The rest is a blur.”

She sank onto a chair and sniffed something spicy. “What do I smell?”

“I ordered takeout from that new seafood restaurant in town.” He grinned and joined her at the table. “Lobster thermidor.” Her favorite.

“Wow!”

“Hey, we deserve it after the weekend we’ve had.” He shook his head. “I forgot how exhausting dealing with sick kids for an extended period of time is.”

“What I can’t figure out is how Camille got better so fast. Before I took a nap, she was cooing like an angel.”

“The antibiotic kicked in.” He grinned. “Boy, am I glad.”

“Thanks for coming to help, Kurt. I couldn’t have done it myself.”

“Cassie’ll have a fit when she comes home, especially about how you lied to her on the phone.”

Zoe shrugged. “I didn’t want to spoil their weekend.”

“They’ve got the best marriage I’ve ever seen, and still it’s strained by daily life, isn’t it?”

Swallowing hard, she said, “Nothing’s perfect.”

“Relationships take a lot of work.” He stared at her intently. “We could have made it, Zoe.”

“Don’t.”

“All right. I’m too drained to argue, anyway. Let’s call a truce. No discussing the past or the future. Let’s just enjoy tonight.” He glanced at the ceiling. “Alone. Hopefully.”

“I’d like that.”

They ate lobster and twice-baked potatoes and white asparagus. Periodically they checked on the girls to make sure they were all right. She and Kurt sat side by side and watched an old Humphrey Bogart movie on TV. At midnight Zoe felt her eyes closing.

“Here,” Kurt said, raising his arm, sliding it around her and tugging her close. He was slouched on the couch with his feet on the coffee table. “Put your head here and sleep.”

“. . . should go to bed,” she mumbled against his chest.

She felt his mouth in her hair. “In a bit. Sleep.”

The next thing Zoe knew, birds were chirping. She stirred and opened her eyes. She was in the big guest room across from the girls’ rooms. Kurt lay next to her. Both of them were on top of the covers, dressed as they’d been the night before, with a crocheted afghan pulled over them. They were snuggled into each other, the way they used to sleep together. Zoe lay quietly, once again overcome with a monumental sense of loss.

Her hand went to her stomach. Sometimes she
did
wish, just for a minute, that they’d have no choice but to pick up their relationship again. That the decision would be taken out of her hands.