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Anna was fussing again, so without taking time to investigate the rooms, she hurried into the bedroom, placed the baby on the king-sized bed and changed her diaper. Then Meredith unbuttoned her shirt, settled in a comfortable overstuffed chair and placed Anna at her breast.
Dark eyes looked at her trustingly, smooth dark skin and lips a vivid contrast against Meredith’s scarred white breast. She touched her baby’s face and smiled. The drive had been beautiful and relaxing, but she was tired from packing and planning and following directions. She kicked off her shoes and propped her feet on a matching ottoman.
The past few months had been tension-filled and emotionally draining. No, the past couple of years had been tension-filled and emotionally draining. But the recent months had been worse, rife with her mother’s constant disapproval and pressuring. Every time Meredith thought about her mother’s reactions, renewed hurt knifed through her heart. Breathing deeply, she worked to fight back her anger before her tension seeped through to the baby in her arms.
Meredith’s mother had wanted her to give up Anna for adoption. Meredith wouldn’t hear of it. She’d loved her baby from conception. She’d adored her on sight and cherished her more every day since.
But Veronica was embarrassed. She’d been mortified when her daughter gave birth to an African-American child. She wanted the world to know Anna’s birth was not by choice or by natural means and she threatened at every opportunity to feed the information about the mistake made by Children’s Connection to the media in hopes of having the public’s sympathy.
Veronica’s obvious shame hurt Meredith more than she could say. She’d been surprised when she’d seen her baby, yes, of course. But ashamed? Certainly not. She was tired of fighting her mother on every front and constantly heading off her confrontations and insistence that Meredith sue Children’s Connection. This was her mother! She should accept Meredith’s decisions and love her grandchild.
Tears stung her eyelids and she determinedly blinked them away. She needed this time away from everything—especially from Veronica. She craved privacy. She was looking forward to peace and quiet, time alone with Anna without pressure or censure.
For a few blessed weeks, she wouldn’t have to cook or clean; she’d have attendants to help tote and carry. She could see the local sights at her leisure and return here whenever she wanted to put her feet up and do nothing.
She glanced around the elegantly appointed room. This was just the getaway she needed.
Two
The morning news had predicted temperatures in the sixties and Meredith was glad for the unusual warmth. Shortly after her arrival the day before she had discovered a place nearby to rent all types of beach equipment, and she was eager to try out her canvas chair and umbrella.
The sand was deliciously warm from the sun, and though she knew the water was freezing cold, a few die-hard surfers in wet suits rode the waves onto the beach.
Anna slept peacefully on a thick blanket under the umbrella, and by late morning Meredith was a third of the way through a mystery novel she’d been wanting to read. She poured herself hot decaf coffee from the thermos, sipped leisurely and her eyes grew heavy.
“I think her baby’s sleeping.”
“She’s sleeping, too, Lamond. Don’t bother them.”
“I’m not bothering them, I’m just lookin’.”
The soft voices brought her out of her restful state, and she opened her eyes to find two handsome young black boys in jeans and T-shirts peering at Anna.
“Hi,” she said.
The oldest boy glanced at her with eyes widened in surprise, but the younger one gave her a friendly smile. “Hi. That your baby?”
“Yes. Her name’s Anna. I’m Meredith.”
“I’m Lamond and I’m four.” He held up the appropriate number of fingers. “This is my big brother, Jonah.” He’s seven.
“Nice to meet you both.”
“Can your baby swim?”
With a smile, Meredith shook her head. “Not yet.”
“I saw babies on TV what could swim,” Lamond said matter-of-factly. “The moms and dads just put ’em in. They had a camera underneath the water so you could see ’em with their little faces all scrunched up.” He demonstrated and giggled. “It was cool.”
“It sounds cool,” she replied. “I’ve heard of teaching infants to swim.”
Taking a step back, he pointed toward the ocean. “Maybe you could put her in the water and see if she can do it,” he suggested.
“I’m pretty sure you’d have to teach a baby in a heated pool,” she replied with a grin. “The ocean’s too cold.”
“It’s too cold for me,” Jonah said with a shudder.
“Not for me,” Lamond said, puffing his chest out. “I’m tough. My dad says so.”
“I’ll bet you are.”
“Your baby’s real pretty,” he said. “Can I look at her up close?”
“Sure.” Meredith got out of her chair and knelt beside the baby, peeling back the blanket that protected her cheek from the elements.
Anna’s rosy lips puckered and she made an instinctive little sucking motion.
“Aw.” Lamond chuckled. “That’s so cute.”
Meredith smiled at the child who had captured her heart in record time. She thought everything Anna did was darling, too.
“D’you live around here?” Jonah asked.
“No, we’re vacationing.”
“Us, too,” he replied. “We’re staying at the Lighthouse Inn, but the only lighthouse is on the sign.”
“There’s a painting in the foyer,” she told him. “We’re staying there, too.”
“We’re going to see a real lighthouse,” Lamond added.
“That sounds like fun.”
“Are you boys bothering the lady?” The rich timbre of a male voice interrupted their discussion.
Both boys turned toward the tall man who had approached and bent to peer under the umbrella.
“We’re not bothering her, Dad,” Lamond said. “This is Meredith. We was just lookin’ at her baby, Anna. Isn’t she cute?”
Khaki trousers and a pale yellow shirt contrasted with the man’s dark skin. The hands he placed on his knees as he bent forward were large, his nails blunt and pink. “She’s a beauty all right,” he replied with a grin. He had an energy and masculine presence that Meredith could almost feel. When he directed his attention to her, his gaze was like a physical touch.
She waited for censure in his expression…a question….
“Are these guys driving you crazy?” It wasn’t the question she’d been anticipating.
His voice melted her senses like hot fudge on ice cream. “Not at all. I was glad for someone to talk to. Anna is a joy, but she doesn’t have much to say.”
He grinned. “Give her a couple of years and you won’t be able to get a thought in edgewise.”
“The voice of experience, I take it?”
He nodded good-naturedly.
“They’re staying at the Lighthouse Inn, too, Dad,” Lamond said.
“I guess we’re neighbors, then. Temporarily anyway. Justin Weber,” he introduced himself politely, “father to these two rascals.”
She raised a hand and he shook it, his fingers warm, his grip firm, but gentle. The simple handshake shouldn’t have given her butterflies in the pit of her stomach, but it did. “Nice to meet you.”
He released her hand. Immediately, she wondered if there was a Mrs. Justin Weber, but she didn’t ask because she didn’t want to answer questions posed to her.
“Where’s your dad?” Lamond asked.
Meredith blinked, but understood momentarily.
“Her husband you mean,” Jonah corrected.
“I don’t have a husband,” she replied. It was a relief to be asked an easy question for a change, one she didn’t mind answering. Most people asked probing questions about Anna’s parentage, and Meredith found them offensive and rude.
“Did he die?” Lamond’s young face took on a sad expression. “Our mom died.”
The answer to her wondering was a disturbingly sad one and her heart extended even further to the motherless boys. “No, honey,” she said, her voice soft with sympathy. “I never had a husband. I’m sorry about your mom.”
Her gaze was drawn to the man’s, but his dark one didn’t reveal emotion.
“We have a nanny,” Jonah said. “She’s sort of like a mom.”
Not knowing what to say, Meredith simply listened.
“Her name’s Mauli,” Lamond supplied. “It’s Hawaiian. She knows how to do cartwheels.”
Jonah nodded. “And she can multiply and divide in her head. Without a calculator.”
“And she makes macaroni and cheese without a box.” Jonah looked up at his dad. “Doesn’t she, Dad?”
Justin nodded.
Meredith smiled at their exuberant praise of their nanny. “She sounds like a prize.”
“Couldn’t get along without her,” the man said.
“Is she traveling with you?”
“Oh, yes.” Justin glanced in the direction of the road that led away from the beach. “She’s shopping. She gets plenty of time to herself while we’re on vacation. Trips are one of her job perks.”
“That’s nice for her.”
He nodded. “Well, boys, we’d better leave Miss…Meredith to her book and finish our walk. It was nice to meet you.”
“You, too.”
“We’re going to see the lighthouse now,” Lamond said.
“Have a good time.”
“You could come with us,” Lamond added, in the innocent fashion of a child. “It’ll be really cool.”
Again she met their father’s eyes, but the man seemed a little uncomfortable this time.
She smiled. “Thank you, but I’ve planned to rest today. Anna and I are enjoying the beach. You have a good time.”
“When we see you, we’ll tell you all about it.”
His innocent assumption that she would just naturally be interested in his account of their sight-seeing trip was endearing. “I’ll look forward to it.”
They said their goodbyes, and Justin straightened to walk away. Lamond tugged on his arm, and he swept the boy up onto his shoulders.
Meredith watched the small family as they strolled away on the tawny sand, and couldn’t help noticing Justin Weber’s fine form—broad shoulders, narrow hips and long legs. Sad that they’d lost their wife and mother. Nice that they were all the same color.
Whoa! Where that thought had come from, she didn’t know, but she’d surprised herself with it.
Anna made tiny waking noises, and Meredith glanced at her watch. She’d planned to stay on the beach for another couple of hours, so she changed Anna and nursed her.
Occasionally someone on the beach nodded a hello, but she enjoyed the tranquility of the crashing waves and the solitude. She’d left her cell phone in her room because she didn’t want Veronica to reach her and ask where she was.
Finally getting hungry, she packed up her belongings, slid Anna into the sling she wore to carry her and made her way back to the inn. As she kicked off her shoes and shook out sand at the entrance, a young male employee hurried to help her and store her beach rentals.
Meredith went to her room where she locked the door and placed Anna in the crib the inn had provided. There were four messages on her cell phone, all from Veronica, all pleading with her to call and listen to reason. Meredith deleted them, turned off her phone and took a nap.
Waking rested, she fed Anna, took a quick shower and dressed in trousers and a silky blouse. She carried Anna out to the car and glanced at the food and entertainment guide she’d discovered in a rack inside the inn. They all looked good and the addresses were meaningless, so she headed down a main street.
The first restaurant she found was a seafood place with weathered clapboard siding, a wooden walk-way with posts and rope strung between them to mimic a wharf, and a shark’s jawbone over the door. Meredith liked the authentic look and it had a good rating in the guidebook, so she parked and entered.
A hostess asked her seating preferences just as a young voice called, “Miss Meredith! Miss Meredith!”
She turned to discover Lamond Weber racing across the foyer toward her. She shifted Anna’s seat to her other hand. “Well, hello.”
Dressed in a fresh white sport shirt, Justin walked forward and greeted her with a warm smile. “We were just being shown to a table. Will you join us?”
Meredith glanced from Justin to Lamond to the hostess and couldn’t think of a single reason not to accept his offer. “Thank you. I’d love to.”
“Great. We’ll need another chair, miss,” he said. “And one of those bases to put the car seat on.”
“What’s that?” Meredith asked.
He stepped beside her and touched his hand to the small of her back to guide her through the tables. She was keenly aware of his warm touch through her clothing.
“They have high chairs that flip over so you can fasten your infant seat on top,” Justin explained. “Some places have an aluminum or wooden frame for the same purpose. Gets the baby up on your level, and you don’t have to leave her in her seat on the floor or try to hold her while you eat.”
