“He’s still resisting her?”
“He still thinks her ideas are too impractical. She’s talking now about using my grandmother as a spokeswoman for the medical facilities. He thinks that’s just foolish.”
Cecilia took a moment to think about that idea. “Actually, that’s not a bad suggestion. No one would be a more knowledgeable or passionate spokesperson than Myrtle Bingham. After all, she’s the one who founded the Janice Foster Memorial Midwifery Clinic and Women’s Health Center. And she’s obviously the perfect representative for the Myrtle Northrup Bingham School of Midwifery. Who better to talk about the need for readily available quality prenatal and delivery facilities?”
Geoff swallowed a bite of apple. “Actually, I thought it was an idea with potential, myself. If my grandmother wants to take that on, I’d say more power to her. She’s still healthy and vibrant and sharp as a tack, and I’ve always believed that staying active goes a long way toward keeping her that way.”
“So what’s your father’s objection?”
“I’m not sure, exactly. Lillith just seems to rub him the wrong way.”
“Odd. Do you want a cup of tea?”
“Do you have any juice?”
“In the fridge. Help yourself.”
Geoff opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of grape juice. As he poured it into a glass, he said, “You know, I was thinking….”
“Always a frightening prospect,” Cecilia murmured, dunking a tea bag into a mug of boiling water.
He grinned. “Smart alec. Anyway, what do you thinking about joining my family for dinner tomorrow night? Grandmother’s having us at her house.”
Her hand froze in the process of stirring her tea. Dinner with Geoff’s family? “Thank you, but I think I’d better pass.”
Leaning against the counter, he lowered his glass to look at her. “Why?”
“I just think it would be…awkward. You haven’t told anyone what we’re trying to do, have you?”
“No, of course not. That’s strictly between us, for now. I just thought you might enjoy spending an evening with my family. I know they would enjoy your company.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d rather not this time. I actually have a couple of things to do tomorrow evening at the clinic. I’m helping out with a Lamaze class, and there’s always a ton of paperwork to catch up on.”
He didn’t look particularly satisfied by her decision, but he didn’t push. Probably because he knew it wouldn’t have done any good. “All right. Maybe some other time before I leave town.”
She didn’t want to think about him leaving town. Or about spending an evening with his father, sister and grandmother, who would be bound to wonder what was going on between the midwife and their fair-haired boy.
Thoughts of Geoff didn’t actually interfere with Cecilia’s work on Wednesday. But they stayed very close to the front of her mind all day as she saw patient after patient in her regular, busy appointment schedule.
She’d had such a wonderful day with Geoff on Tuesday. Who would have thought she could have so much fun painting a room?
“You’ve dilated to two centimeters, Angie. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we see that baby by the end of the day tomorrow.”
“I sure hope so. My back is killin’ me.”
Geoff had hung around for the remainder of Tuesday evening, and they had indulged in the pizza-and-television quiet time he claimed to have been craving. She liked veggie pizzas and he preferred pepperoni, so they’d ordered a half-and-half. She liked watching the home and garden channel and he preferred the news channels, but it turned out they both liked the history channel, so they’d found an interesting documentary there that they had both enjoyed.
Funny how well they had gotten along from the beginning, she mused. There seemed to be no silent competition between them, no need for them to have their own ways or prove they were right. That was more than she had ever accomplished with her ex-husband, who saw every disagreement as a challenge he had to win.
“I’m very proud of you for giving up cigarettes for your baby’s sake, Jolene. I know it’s been hard for you, but your daughter will appreciate it.”
“It has been hard, but when you told me all the bad things cigarette smoke could do to my baby, I knew I had to quit. Low birth weight, developmental disorders, asthma and other respiratory complications—I couldn’t live with any of those possibilities. I’ve known for a long time that I should quit, but my baby gave me the best reason to finally do it.”
“The important thing is, you made your health and that of your unborn child’s a priority, and I commend you for that. Stay strong, okay?”
“For my baby’s sake, I will.”
Parenthood involved sacrifice, and Cecilia was as prepared to make them as any of the eager mothers under her care. She sometimes had trouble identifying with the women who weren’t willing to give up—or at least make the effort to give up—the bad habits that were detrimental to their unborn children.