Vegas Pregnancy Surprise (7 page)

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she said as they drove.

“In its own way, yes.”

“I mean, you expect it all to look tawdry, but the colors are gorgeous.”

Like you, he wanted to say, but didn’t.

“Stop here,” he said to the driver. “And wait for us.” He got out, took Molly’s hand and led her down a wide street lined with busy casinos, shops and hotels, all housed under a giant canopy.

“This is amazing,” Molly said. She stopped walking, spinning a little to take it all in. Linc turned with her, allowing Molly’s wonder to rub off on him. The emotion was as sweet as dessert, and as rarely indulged, at least in his life.

He had the strongest urge to kiss her, to take her in his arms again. Instead, he cleared his throat and started reciting every fact he could think of. “This is Fremont Street, one of the most famous landmarks in Vegas. The canopy covers about a quarter-mile tract. Above you are 12.5 million synchronized LED lights—”

Molly pressed a finger lightly against his lips. “I love the information, Linc, really, I do, but just for one minute let’s enjoy it.”

He opened his mouth to speak, nearly kissing her finger. Oh, that was trouble. “Uh…sure.”

She smiled. “Enjoy it,” she repeated.

They stopped and looked up at the kaleidoscope of animations and videos marching across the canopy, which changed every few minutes, zipping from images of space to shorts about alien battles. Linc found himself laughing with Molly—enjoying the frenetic, skyward show. After a while, they started wandering among the shops.

She held up a clock shaped like a giant pair of dice. “This, I think, is totally you, Linc.”

He grinned. “Oh, yeah?”

“Absolutely.” She turned it right, left, her face a mask of seriousness, but he could see her biting her lip to keep from bursting into laughter. “Exactly what today’s CEO needs to stay on time.”

A moment later they walked out of the shop, with one dice-shaped clock in tow. “Now we’ll have to get you something suitably Vegas.”

She grinned at him. “And what would that be?”

He faked as if he was reaching for a glow-in-the-dark martini glass, and instead picked up a teddy bear emblazoned with the logo of a nearby hotel. “This.” He danced the bear in front of her, grinning. “It’s warm, fuzzy and available to cuddle. A perfect Vegas memento.”

Molly knew Linc meant the item as a joke. That he didn’t see the hidden meaning in a small stuffed toy. But still, the image of Linc bending over a crib, handing their baby the same small white bear, sprang to her mind. She turned away, afraid he’d be able to read her thoughts on her face. “Oh, yeah, perfect.”

“You don’t like it?”

“No, no, of course I do.” But the words rang false, no matter how cheery a spin she put on them.

“Maybe you’d rather have some of these Elvis sunglasses?” Linc held up a pair of amber shades, and gave her another smile. She said something that passed as a joke and moved on to the next tacky souvenir.

She should have told him. She’d had an opening, a moment she could have said something, but let it pass. Of course, they were standing in the middle of a busy store, on their first real “date,” if she could even call it that. Probably not the best time to drop the pregnancy bombshell.

They left the store and started heading back toward the taxi. “You feeling okay?” Linc asked. “You look a little pale.”

“I’m fine.” But she wasn’t.

“Do you want to see one more place? Something a little different?”

“Sure.” Anything to get out of here. Away from the teddy bear and all that implied.

Lincoln Curtis should know better. He had, after all, tried the relationship route once before. He’d come within inches, in fact, of walking down the aisle. Even briefly toyed with the idea of becoming a father, having the whole American dream of two-point-five kids and a house in the suburbs.

Then Marcus had died, his life had fallen apart, and he’d realized he was better off staying right where he was—behind a desk.

Except, every time he looked into Molly’s deep green eyes, he forgot the reasons why he’d made those resolutions. He was rocketed back to that night in the bar, and a part of him—a part he thought he’d managed to bury—came to life and said he deserved a life, if only for a moment.

The part that forgot the legacy he had taken on, one he had managed so badly thus far. The promises he had made to his parents before they died. To his brother, then, after Marcus was gone, to his brother’s family. One of these days, he vowed, he would get all of that right. Getting distracted by a relationship wasn’t going to help.

That’s what he told himself. Twice.

“Where are we?” Molly asked, as the cab pulled away.

“It’s my friend Harry’s place. He opened it a few years ago. It’s not your typical Vegas tourist place, and I thought you might like it.” Linc gestured toward the sign above the bright blue door, which Molly could read now that they were under the exterior lights.

Harry’s Underwater Experience:

Guaranteed to Thrill and Amaze.

“Underwater Experience?” Molly asked. “We’re not scuba diving, are we?”

Linc laughed. “No. It’s not that adventurous. Just a lot of interesting fish. And an interesting owner.”

“An aquarium?”

Linc shrugged. “Of sorts. Harry’s got a unique sense of humor, and it shows here. I think you’ll like it.”

Molly smiled and marveled at Linc’s choice of destination. Of all the places he could have named, this probably wouldn’t have made the list. Once again, Lincoln Curtis had surprised her. Before Molly could ask him any more questions, Linc had led her inside the busy lobby, and drawn her over to the glassed-in ticket booth, which was framed by dozens of cartoon aquatic animals. “Harry, you have room for two more?”

The wizened old man behind the ticket counter looked up from counting change and gave Linc a wide grin. “Linc! Long time no see! I was beginning to think I’d never get you in here to see my new leopard sharks.”

Linc laughed. “I’m a bit busy, Harry.”

“Excuses, excuses.”

“It’s not an excuse, it’s a job,” Linc said, giving the older man a friendly grin. “Somebody’s got to steer the ship.”

“One of these days, you’ll be my age, and you’ll be wishing you took more time off when you were young.” Harry shook his head. “Anyway, you’re here now, and with a beautiful lady at that. Let’s enjoy the night!” He threw up his hands, then came out from behind the ticket booth. “You two go right on in. Be sure to see my gorgeous new sharks. They’re babies now, but when they get bigger, boy, they’re going to be the stars of this place.”

Linc and Molly thanked Harry, then walked down a long, dark hallway, lit only by the blue light reflection of the tanks at the end. The light bounced off the walls, giving the hall an eerie quality. Families crowded the space around them, chatting happily. Friendly drawings of neon cutout cardboard fish decorated the walls, with cartoon bubbles above their heads, filled with corny knock-knock jokes that Molly could hear the kids in the aquarium repeating, with much giggling. There were miniature seahorses and whales for seats and benches, plastic eels serving as lights and conch shells holding brochures. The entire space had been designed in a fun, friendly manner, clearly oriented toward children.

Molly loved it. Every inch. And she hadn’t even stepped inside the main aquarium yet.

“Why are so many children here at night?” she asked Linc.

“Vegas is a 24/7 city. That means there are round-the-clock daycare services, and parents who want a place to go with their kids when the other half is rolling the dice. This gives them a fun, entertaining place to go with the little ones.”

“Oh,” Molly said. “Makes sense.”

The hall spilled into a forty-by-sixty-foot room, entirely encircled by glass, giving the visitor the sensation of stepping into the center of a fish tank. It reached three stories, magnificent in layers of brightly colored coral. On one side, a mini sunken galleon dominated the center of the tank, while on the other several treasure chests were piled beside a trio of smiling skeletal pirates. More friendly skeletons peppered the tank in various poses—waving at guests, dangling from a fishing line, pretending to scuba dive.

It was the kind of place every kid would love. The kind she would have loved to bring her students to see. Molly gasped. “This is incredible.”

Linc grinned. “I told you. Harry loves his fish.”

She spun in a circle, taking in the slow-moving sea turtles, the friendly puffer fish, the schools of silvery fish, the shy eel ducking into a dark hole at the bottom of the tank. The aquatic world was in constant motion, an underwater rainbow of activity.

Around them, children swarmed through the room, darting up to the glass to point out a bright blue fish to their mom, or to follow the path of a yellow one. Carrying above it all was the sound of laughter and the excited chatter of children having fun. Molly’s hand strayed to her abdomen, and her attention dropped from the aquatic sights to the familial ones.

Would she someday bring her child to a place like this? Point out the lazy loggerhead sea turtle making a meandering circular journey? Explain why the stingray glided so effortlessly through the water? Give a quick lesson on why eels had an electric charge?

She glanced over at Linc, who had paused to watch the massive sea turtle mosey past the glass wall. Was he thinking the same thing?

“This is a great place for kids,” she said to Linc.

“I guess so. I’ve never brought a child here.”

“I think that’s the best way to see this place, don’t you? Through a child’s eyes.” She gestured toward the children all around them. “Look at how excited they are. Harry clearly geared this place toward little ones.”

Linc “mmm-hmmed” her.

Not much of an answer. She tried to read his face, but couldn’t. Frustrating.

“Well, I can imagine myself bringing my own children here someday,” she said, hoping that statement would open a conversational door with Linc. At the very least, a
ditto
.

“I can see you doing that, too,” he said.

Nothing about himself, she noted. Not a word about whether he was interested in children or not. He couldn’t have said less if he’d not said a single word. She wanted to drag the answers out of him, but suspected even a tow truck couldn’t do that.

Somehow, she needed to get Lincoln Curtis to open up. Needed to get him to be more conversational. She was here, after all, to get to know him, and thus far she knew exactly…zero. Clearly, what she was doing so far wasn’t working. She was going to have to get more creative, and fast, if she wanted answers from Linc.

Beside her, a little girl strained to see the tank, her head bopping left to right, but her view was blocked by the taller children in front of her. Molly bent down, smiling at the cutie-pie beside her. “Want to scoot in front of me, sweetie?”

The blonde pixie grinned. “Tank-u.”

Molly made way, then lowered herself to kid level. “See that up there?” She pointed to a squat yellow-and-brown-striped fish swishing his way past them. “That’s a striped burrfish. Did you know they can drink a whole bunch of water, to puff their bodies out, like pufferfish do?”

The girl gasped. “Really?”

Molly glanced over to see if Linc would join in, become part of the conversation, but he was keeping his distance. Because he wasn’t into kids? Or because he figured she had it all under control? “Uh-huh. They do it to scare off other animals, and when they do, those little spikes on their backs—see those?” Molly indicated the fish again. “They become really pointy and scary and say ‘Don’t mess with me.’”

The little girl giggled. “I bet he looks silly when he’s all blowed up.”

“I bet he does too. Lots of animals do silly things. That’s what makes them so fun to learn about.” Molly stepped back, making room for the child’s mother to join them. She had a baby in a stroller, and another child holding onto one of the handles. She gave Molly a harried but grateful smile.

“Thank you for letting her in there to see the tank,” the woman said. “Anna loves the aquarium.”

“Me too,” Molly said, shooting Anna a grin. “Enjoy the rest of the fishes.”

“Thank you!” Anna trotted off, her hand in her mother’s, chatting the whole time about what she’d just learned.

Linc gave Molly an approving grin when she returned to his side. “You’ve got a great touch with kids.”

“Thanks. It’s always great when they learn something—and even better when they’re excited about it.”

“Hopefully the software we’re developing will do the same thing.”

Back to work talk with him. Perhaps, though, that might be a way in to other avenues. “I think it will. I can see kids getting all charged up by the taste of information they get from playing the games in the program. Afterward, they’ll want to know more.” They wandered past tanks of jellyfish, glowing in the dark as they floated weightless through ebony water. “We could include things like links to aquariums and zoos. Encourage them to get out there and put that knowledge to use.”

“That’s a great idea.” Admiration shone in his blue eyes. “That’s exactly why I hired you. Because you really know this market and how to reach these kids. Then again, you work with them all day. I wouldn’t know the first thing to say to one.”

She laughed. “Kids are easy. They don’t expect you to be a conversational giant. Just find something they’re interested in—fish, sports, food—and comment on it. They’ll take it from there, most times.”

Linc shook his head. “You’re talking to someone who spends his days talking computer code and spreadsheets with a bunch of people in suits. Not exactly the kinds of topics five-year-olds are interested in. Besides, I don’t do well with kids.”

“But you were a five-year-old once, right? And you’ve been around some, too? Nieces, nephews?”

“Yes.” He gestured toward a doorway at the other side of the room. “Want to go see the sharks?”

A door had shut with Lincoln Curtis, and Molly wasn’t sure why. As she followed him into the next room, she tried again. “Do you come from a big family?”

“No.”