Shadows On The Lake

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“I…I think I would like to go.”

“Great. It’ll be a casual affair,” he assured her. “Nothing fancy. Just a good time.”

Courtney couldn’t think of anything that sounded more wonderful. Every day she spent on the houseboat deepened her feelings of isolation and loneliness.

“Thanks for asking me…us,” she laughingly corrected herself. “It will be Jamie’s first venture out into Manitou society.”

“Good, I’ll pick you up about six o’clock.”

When Courtney told her aunt about the birthday party and her invitation to go, Devanna seemed pleased. It was only when Courtney told her she’d be taking Jamie with her that her aunt objected furiously.

“No, that’s a stupid idea! A baby doesn’t have any business at some wild shindig where people are carousing around, acting like damn fools.”

“It’s not that kind of party,” Courtney protested. “It’s a family get-together.”

“You’ll have a better time without him,” Devanna said, trying a different tack. “No man wants to go out with a woman who’s lugging around a baby.”

“Neil specifically asked me to bring Jamie,” Courtney countered. “There’ll be other mothers and babies there.”

Courtney had never seen her aunt angry before. Devanna said something under her breath. Her face was flushed. Her eyes had narrowed to almost slits. She looked as if she were about to tell Courtney that she couldn’t take Jamie.

Courtney just faced her with steady eyes and a firm chin. When it came to Jamie, nobody was going to tell her what she could and couldn’t do.

With apparent effort, her aunt seemed to restrain herself, and said with a tight mouth, “I just want what’s best for him.”

“So do I,” Courtney replied shortly, but the anguish in her aunt’s face made her add gently, “Jamie is blessed to have an aunt who loves him so much. But he’s my child.”

Devanna turned away, went into her room and slammed the door.

THE NIGHT OF THE PARTY, Devanna didn’t come out to speak to Neil when he came to pick up Courtney and the baby.

“Here we go, fellow,” he said as he deftly fastened the belts across Jamie’s carrier. Courtney could tell he hadn’t exaggerated his uncle Neil role. He handled the baby like a pro. Neil glanced at Courtney as they drove through Manitou to his sister’s home in a lovely residential area on the west end of the lake. She looked lovely in a simple, pale pink summer dress, tiny pearl earrings her only jewelry, and her hair pulled up on top of her head, with wisps of fair hair curling around her tanned cheeks. He felt a tightness in his chest just looking at her.

He couldn’t tell from her tense expression if she was nervous about the evening, or unhappy about something. He wondered if she’d changed her mind about going out with him again. He’d never felt as unsure of himself with any woman as he did with her.

“Are you worried about something?” he finally asked, when every attempt he made at light conversation fell flat. Was she bored with his company already?

“It’s my aunt,” she sighed. “She threw a fit about me bringing Jamie. I can’t help wondering if maybe she was right.”

“Oh, so that’s it.” He smiled in relief. “A nervous mother. Believe me, you don’t have a thing to worry about. Maribeth will love you both on sight—and so will everybody else.”

“Tell me about your brothers. Are they identical twins?” she asked, wanting to keep the attention off herself. She wasn’t at all sure that Neil’s optimistic assurances weren’t more hopeful thinking than anything.

“Yes, but they’re different personalities and work together very well. They’re partners in a successful car dealership.” He chuckled. “Alex is the more aggressive. He’ll probably try to sell you his latest model if you give him an opening.”

When they arrived at a well-lit, two-storied home on the lake frontage, Neil held the baby’s carrier in one hand and guided Courtney into the house with the other.

“We’re here!”

Courtney scarcely had time to take a deep breath before she was enveloped in a sea of introductions to Neil’s family and friends. She got the impression that they were totally surprised that he was arriving with a woman and a baby, and she was sure the absence of a wedding ring on her finger didn’t go unnoticed.

“How nice to meet you, Courtney,” Maribeth said, squeezing her hand. Short, dark, curly hair framed her face and accented the same shade of brown eyes as Neil’s. She was rather plump, vivacious, and bubbled with friendliness. “And what a beautiful baby.” She nodded at Neil and winked. “Nice going, brother!”

“I thought you’d approve,” Neil answered, giving her an affectionate hug.

“Come on, Courtney, I’ll show you the nursery.” Maribeth took the carrier, then told her brother, “There’s food and drink on the terrace, and some of the fellows are watching a football game. We’ll make sure this little fellow is settled in, and then we’ll be down.”

“Sounds good.” He winked at Courtney. “Don’t get lost. My sister has a habit of monopolizing people she likes.”

“It’s true,” Maribeth laughingly admitted as she and Courtney went upstairs. “Neil never said boo about who he was bringing. What a lovely surprise. I didn’t know he was even seeing someone with a baby.”

Courtney wanted to correct the “seeing” part, but Maribeth didn’t give her a chance. A proud mother of a two-month-old little girl and a five-year-old boy, Maribeth centered the conversation on the demands and marvels of motherhood as she led the way down the upper hall.

“My son is playing with some of his cousins in the backyard. He thinks he’s much too big to stay in the nursery,” she said, laughing proudly.

Courtney tried to hide her shock when she saw the nursery. She couldn’t believe the spacious, beautifully decorated room was the domain of one little baby girl in a ruffled pink bassinet. White furniture and carpet blended with lovely swags of lace curtains at the windows, and harmonized with a pastel floral wallpaper. The wonderful, clean smell was a sharp contrast to the stale odors in the houseboat’s tiny quarters.

A large middle-aged woman in a nursemaid’s uniform stood at a small kitchenette in the far corner of the room. As they entered, she turned around and asked, smiling, “Another little one for the party?”

“Yes, Hazel,” Maribeth answered. “This cute fellow is going to keep Annette company.”

The nursemaid tickled Jamie under the chin as she took him out of the carrier. He rewarded her attention with one of his toothless smiles.

“What a darling,” she cooed. Nodding toward the diaper bag Courtney was carrying, she said, “I suspect there’s everything I need in there to keep him happy while you enjoy yourself.”

“He’s been fed, and if you give him his pacifier, he’ll probably drop off to sleep.”

As Hazel settled Jamie in a crib, Maribeth drew Courtney over to the pink bassinet. “This is Annette.”

Courtney gazed down at the sleeping baby girl dressed in a soft pink dress. “She’s beautiful. And look at all that lovely dark hair. I keep waiting for Jamie’s blond fuzz to thicken up.”

They began sharing some of the trials and joys of being mothers, and a half an hour sped by without either of them realizing it.

“Oh, my goodness,” Maribeth gasped when she heard the faint ring of a doorbell. “I’d better get back downstairs to my guests.”

Courtney was reluctant to leave the warm comfort of the nursery and the sleeping babies. Jamie had contentedly let the pacifier drop from his mouth, closed his eyes and fallen asleep. She knew he was in good hands, but lately, she’d felt a growing undefined anxiety about him. She’d gotten in the habit of checking him several times at night and nap time to reassure herself that he wasn’t getting sick. Her aunt had accused her of trying to smother Jamie with so much attention and seemed resentful that Courtney kept such a close watch on him.

Courtney’s hesitation to leave the nursery must have been evident because Hazel assured her, “I’ll call you if he isn’t happy without his mommy.”

“Neil’s going to chew me out for keeping you upstairs so long,” Maribeth said as they hurried downstairs.

The family party was in full swing inside the house and outside on the terrace. Guests flowed around a loaded buffet table or sat at scattered tables overlooking the lake. Courtney didn’t see Neil anywhere and felt self-conscious mingling with a crowd of strangers.

Maribeth introduced Courtney to her husband, Richard. He was a tall, rather serious-looking man who seemed to enjoy his wife’s bubbling personality. Courtney learned that he was an attorney. Obviously a successful one, Courtney decided, if he was able to afford the lovely home and paid help Maribeth seemed to take for granted.

“I’d better check on the food, and make sure we have enough of everything,” Maribeth said.

“May I help with something?” Courtney asked as she followed her into a beautiful, spacious kitchen.

Maribeth quickly looked over counters loaded with trays of food and nodded in satisfaction. “I wonder if we ordered enough beer and wine. I’d better check.”

As she disappeared into a butler’s pantry, Courtney became aware of two young women sitting at a round table in a kitchen alcove. She was surprised when one of them waved at her.

“Come join us,” a pretty plump blonde called out. “We’re the wives of the birthday boys, and enjoying our own private celebration. Would you like some wine? I’m Peggy, and this is Hollie.”

“Nice to meet you both. I’m Courtney. I came with Neil.”

“We know.” Peggy’s eyes sparkled over the rim of her wine goblet. “Our brother-in-law is full of surprises.”

“Why do you say that?” Courtney asked as she sat down and took the glass of wine that Hollie had poured for her. “Doesn’t Neil usually bring someone to these family affairs?”

“Oh, indeed,” Peggy answered. “Our brother-in-law is quite the swinging bachelor. Always got some good-looking gal in tow.”