compliment that she was even asked. But I don’t know that she’d be happy in New York. And I’m pretty certain she wouldn’t be happy living that far from home. And that’s not really what’s bugging me,” she said. “I just... I have ideas for Feel Good, solid, researched and analyzed business choices for growth. Angie doesn’t like them. She wants us to stay a smallish, family-owned business. So now that she’s got this offer... I’m finding myself wanting to give her what she wants so she’ll stay. And that’s me being me. Trying to please, giving up what I think is best, for the one I love. Maybe I’m obsessing over her, trying too hard to compensate...
“Or am I? Growing Feel Good isn’t like a driving need of mine. It’s just sound business. But we’re already comfortable enough. Anyway...the designer called this afternoon, sweetening his deal to Angie. He really wants her.”
“How old is this guy?” An instant protective feeling sprang naturally to mind. He’d never met Amelia’s sister, but if she looked anything like Amelia, she must be drop-dead gorgeous.
“Sixty-two. And he’s gay,” Amelia said, giving him a look and cocking her head at him. “Get your head out of the gutter, Harmon,” she said. “Angie’s just really that good.”
He hadn’t doubted Angie’s talent for a second. Or her rightness for the job. He just...lived in a world where he now cared about both Grace sisters. Even the one he hadn’t met. They were going to be raising his child together.
“Is she considering taking him up on his offer?”
“No. I just don’t know if it’s my job to encourage her to do so. I don’t want her to go, but what if it’s best for her?”
“I’d think that would be something she has to decide, right? As long as you aren’t stopping her from going, or making it difficult to say she wants to go, then you’ve done your job.”
She pulled to a halt at a stop sign they’d blown through two other times. There was no traffic on the quiet road now, either.
“How do you always know just what to say to me?” she asked.
He shrugged. Grinned. Made a joke to hide the truth.
He had a feeling he knew what to say because, for some truly god-awful reason, she was the woman with whom his soul currently wanted to connect.
* * *
Craig hadn’t said anything more about the sex of the baby the rest of their ride. Amelia still felt uncomfortable for not having called the clinic. She’d figured, after Sunday’s conversation, Craig would hold her accountable to facing her fears.
Instead, he’d picked up on her confusion over Angie’s situation, and by the end of the ride she’d been more at ease where her younger sister was concerned. She’d done what she could, would continue to do it, to support her sister whichever way she chose, to love her and let her know life would be okay either way, and then she let it go.
What a concept! A relief. To do what she could and let the rest go.
It wasn’t a new theory, of course.
She and her sister had dinner together at Amelia’s condo Wednesday night and talked for hours. Wonderful hours. About growing up and hopes and dreams, about family and wants and needs. All stuff they’d been over before and delved into again as they talked about the future. No choices were made. Nothing changed between them. Probably not even the conversation, but for Amelia, it seemed new. And felt so good.
Increasingly at peace with the Angie situation, Amelia found herself almost obsessing about the sex of her baby on Thursday. While she waited for tea to brew she thought of boy names. And when she took a bathroom break, she had girl names on the brain. She still hadn’t really felt the baby move. Not for sure. There’d been some bubbles that could have been movement.
She wasn’t calling them that. Not until she knew for sure.
Now that they’d signed the deal for the “lace embellished jewelry,” she had serious designing to do and had set aside hours on Thursday specifically for that purpose. Angie was handling all business calls, situations and problems for her as she sat holed up in her office, refusing to leave her drawing table, having to replace the lightbulb that illuminated the white top from underneath, and stay there until she’d produced something that pleased her.
She had sketched one earring. So similar to the prototype that she ripped off the page and threw it away. Picking up her tablet, she played with the electronic designing choices, and exited out of the program without saving. She picked up her pencil again, went back to the light board and drew a tiny denim jumper with lacy pockets and a colorful lacy butterfly sewn to the bib.
Baby clothes! Why hadn’t she thought of that? Shaking her head, she ran for Angie, who was in her office next door on the phone. Judging by her frown, and the way her sister’s mouth remained firm, she was on a business call that couldn’t wait.
A new idea could.
She’d drawn a jumper instead of a bracelet. Did that mean she wanted a girl? Was having a girl? Or had the baby apparel been for a girl because...their customers, their product, was female based? A sudden vision of Craig holding a little girl in a lace embellished jumper had her drop her marker and turn off the board.
Back in her own office, knowing her sister would seek her out once she’d taken care of whatever she was dealing with, Amelia thought again of Craig. He thought she was afraid to know the sex of the baby because she was afraid to let it be real until it was viable. Or had he just led her to figuring that out for herself?
Either way...there was truth in it. She was afraid to believe that she was really going to have her family. Afraid to let herself believe. To count on it.
Afraid to let herself try to open the door to more with the man who was taking up so many of her thoughts—and bringing such pleasure into her days? Afraid to acknowledge that she cared about him.
Afraid because she’d done all she could do, was doing all she could do, and the rest...was out of her control.
So...just like with Angie’s decision, she had to let the fear go.