had purchased Lorna’s home. She’d been lucky to find a buyer so quickly, and she knew it. “Yes.” Lorna handed Amy the baby, who barely stirred. “They’re really nice, Amy. I think you’ll like them. In fact, I can see you and Leslie Baxter becoming good friends.”
Amy smiled sadly. “No one can take your place.”
“Or yours,” Lorna said softly.
After Amy left, it only took the movers another hour or so to finish loading all of Lorna’s belongings. Once they were gone, Lorna—followed by Buttercup—walked back inside to survey what was left to do. There wasn’t much, thank goodness. The only pieces of furniture that remained were ones Lorna didn’t have room for in the new house, and the Baxters had decided to buy. Everything else had either been disposed of before the movers arrived or had been loaded onto the truck for transport to Houston. Tomorrow morning Lorna had a cleaning service coming. After that, she would be free to leave.
Free to begin my new life.
Suddenly, the melancholy that had plagued her all day began to lift and Lorna smiled.
Everything really was going to be okay. She could feel it in her bones.
And who knew?
Maybe by this time next year, she would be well on her way to having the kind of life she’d dreamed of all along.
Chapter Two
“Lorna, I love your house!” Claudia plopped onto Lorna’s sofa and stretched her long legs out in front of her.
Lorna glanced around with a smile. It was the Wednesday after her move-in, and she was in good shape, with almost everything unpacked and put away. “It is looking good, isn’t it? You know, at first I thought I would have a hard time getting used to having a much smaller place than I had at home, but I’m finding I like it. It’s cozy.”
Claudia grinned. “It is cozy. In fact, it’s adorable. And Buttercup seems to like her new surroundings, too.” She looked over at the cat, who was curled up on the hearth, even though it would be months before it might be cold enough to build a fire.
“Yes, she settled right in as if she’d lived here forever. Didn’t you, Buttercup?”
The cat never even turned her head.
Claudia laughed. “Don’t you love how cats totally ignore you unless they want something?”
Lorna smiled. “So what brings you here so early? I thought your last class wasn’t over until three.” The new semester at Bayou City College, where Claudia taught business and marketing courses, had just begun.
“I had a doctor’s appointment, so I rescheduled today’s classes.”
“Nothing’s wrong, I hope.”
Claudia grinned. “No, nothing’s wrong. Just the opposite, in fact.”
From her sister’s expression, Lorna had a pretty good idea of what was coming.
“I’m pregnant,” Claudia said, her smile filling her entire face.
“Oh, sweetie, that’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you!”
“And I want you to be our baby’s godmother,” Claudia bubbled on. “Well, actually, I thought we’d have two godmothers. You and John’s sister Jennifer.” She jumped up from the couch and hugged Lorna. “Oh, Lorna, I’m so happy! I never knew I could be so happy!”
Laughing and squealing, the sisters danced around the room together.
“Does John know yet?” Lorna asked when they’d finally settled down again.
“Of course. I called him right away. He’s totally thrilled.”
“He’ll make a wonderful father.”
“He will, won’t he?” Now Claudia’s smile turned tender.
Lorna wondered if Claudia had any idea how much she envied her. How much she wanted a baby, too. They hadn’t discussed the subject recently, because Lorna didn’t want her sister feeling sorry for her or feeling as if she had to censor everything she said in deference to Lorna’s sensibilities, so maybe she imagined Lorna had given up on the idea. “When are you due?”
“The doctor said about the middle of April.”
“Perfect. You’ll beat the summer heat.”
“I know. I couldn’t have planned it better if I’d tried.”
“So you weren’t trying?”
Claudia laughed. “You know what I mean.”
Lorna smiled affectionately. “Yes, I do. I was only teasing you.”
They talked baby plans for a while, then Claudia said, “Telling you about the baby isn’t the only reason I dropped by today.”
“Oh?”
“I wanted to invite you to go out with us Saturday night.”
“That’s sweet of you, but you and John will want to celebrate your good news by yourselves. I’d just be a fifth wheel.”
“No, you won’t. Anyway, we’ll be double-dating.”
Lorna made a face. “Oh, Claudia, not a blind date.”
“Don’t say it like that.”
“I can’t help it. I hate blind dates.”
“Jonah’s great. He’s a cameraman and works for John’s company. He’s a bit younger than you are, but he’s lots of fun and cute, and I think you’ll like him.”
Lorna grimaced. “Younger?”
“Not that much. Maybe a couple of years. Anyway, what’s the big deal?”
“I’m not good with younger guys.”
Claudia just rolled her eyes.
Actually, Lorna wasn’t good at dating, period. And she was especially bad at blind dates.
“Why are you always putting yourself down?”
“I’m not. I just…oh, you know. I never know what to say when I first meet a guy. I always feel like I’m boring them to death.” Like I bored Keith.
“Oh, Lorna, that’s ridiculous. You’re smart and beautiful and funny. Why would they be bored?”
“I might be smart, but I’m certainly not beautiful, and funny is still up for a vote.”
“See? There you go again. Putting yourself down.”
“Being honest isn’t putting myself down.”
“I swear, Keith did a real job on you, didn’t he?”
“Well, you’ve got to admit that finding out your husband prefers a silicone-breasted cheerleader barely out of high school and who can’t talk about anything more complicated than who’s dating who in Hollywood doesn’t do a lot to build your confidence.”
“Keith is an idiot.”
“I won’t argue with you there, but the fact remains he lost interest in me as soon as he realized he would have to work for my money.” Lorna wasn’t bitter. The truth was the truth. She’d misjudged Keith. She’d thought he really loved her, that her money wasn’t a factor in his courtship. She’d been wrong.
“Like I said, he’s an idiot,” Claudia said. “Anyway, back to Saturday night. We thought we’d go see a movie—maybe that new one with Drew Barrymore—it’s supposed to be hilarious, then go out for dinner. John and I discovered this really good Cajun place, and on Saturday nights they have a zydeco band.”
“Oh, Claudia, I don’t know….”
“Lorna, I’m