“You’ve got to cheer up,” Mac said when they were alone.
“I’m sorry. It’s just so frustrating.”
“I’m sure it is, but try not to flip out, at least until you know the facts.”
A gentle tap came from the other side of the door. “Hello, Rachel. Looks like it’s been nearly a year.”
“Thanks for squeezing me in.”
He turned to Mac. “I’m Dr. Gravely. You must be the father?”
“Yeah. Name’s Mac Evans.” They shook hands and Gravely took a seat on a stool in the corner. He looked at the file again. “When I saw why you came in,” he said to Rachel, “I was pleasantly surprised.”
“I was too,” she said softly, “but after last night, I’m not so sure what to think.”
“Last night?” Gravely said, twisting his head. “Why? What happened?” He was so smooth.
“The first time we tested,” Rachel explained, “I used one of those cup and strip pregnancy tests. It came out positive twice. But then last night I tried one of the normal tests—the applicator-type—just to be certain. It came out negative.”
“It was an old one, Doctor,” Mac added. “I told her it had probably expired.”
“I see.” Gravely returned his attention to Rachel. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much. There are plenty of false negatives but never a false positive. If you did everything correctly on the first test, that’s the one we care about.”
Rachel lifted her head. Mac thought he saw a hint of color in her face. “See. I told you,” he said.
“One of my staff members is currently testing the urine sample you just gave us. Let’s see how that one comes out before we get too upset. Do either of you have any other questions,” Gravely asked, “before we do the rest of the exam?”
Rachel nodded. “Shouldn’t I have some spotting or sore breasts?”
“Not necessarily. Every woman is different. There are even differences among pregnancies in the same woman. For now, you should count your blessings. You might have plenty of both of those symptoms before your baby comes.”
Mac shifted his feet. “I have a question. How long does she have to put up with morning sickness?”
“Hard to say, exactly. Sometimes it lasts a couple months. Sometimes just a few days. Some women never get it at all.” He looked at Rachel and tapped her file. “In your case, it came a little early, but your cycles have always been off just a bit, so I wouldn’t give it another thought.” Gravely checked his watch. “You guys wait here for a moment while I check on that specimen.”
As he closed the door behind him, Mac grabbed Rachel’s hand and squeezed. “I can see why you like this guy. Good bedside manner. How long have you been coming here?”
“I don’t remember. Seven or eight years I suppose.” She was perkier but didn’t sound convinced.
“That explains why he’s so good.”
A knock and Gravely returned. He instantly showed them a pencil-sized applicator. “I thought you’d want to know right away,” he said. “Congratulations.”
Mac smiled and turned toward Rachel, whose face glowed. “Are you certain?” she asked.
Gravely showed Rachel the lines. “See for yourself. Like I said, there’s never a false positive. There’s no doubt.”
Rachel’s hands shot to her face and covered her mouth. “I can’t believe this,” she mumbled, excitedly through her fingers.
“See. I told you.”
“We’ll get the blood reports back from the lab in a few days,” Gravely said while smiling at Rachel, “but it’s safe to say you’ve got cause to celebrate.”
“Oh, my God,” she muttered.
Gravely’s foot pressed the trashcan pedal and he dropped the applicator inside. He sat down and looked Rachel square in the eyes. “In a case like yours, when a woman has had reasons to doubt her fertility there’s a tendency to want to retake the store-bought pregnancy tests over and over just to be certain; but those tests are not as reliable as ours. They can make both of you worry too much and you don’t need that.”
Rachel's fingers shook as she nodded. “No problem. I’m convinced”
“I’ll make sure she remembers that,” Mac said.
Gravely calmly rose and moved toward the sink. “Why don’t you schedule a follow-up appointment with my receptionist for three weeks from now. We’ll monitor you closely.”
Rachel nodded.
“Should she rest a lot?” Mac asked.
“As long as you don’t do anything overly strenuous,” he said to Rachel, “you can keep to your daily routine. Is there anything else before I let you folks celebrate?”
Minutes later giddy Rachel and Mac entered the elevator. Rachel hopped up and down and hugged Mac. “I can’t believe it. This is wonderful.”
Mac smiled. It must have been easy for Gravely to get an applicator that had a positive reading. Now the ball was back in Mac’s court. “You know something?” he said. “I just had a wild idea.”
Rachel was still grinning. “I’m not sure I can take any more excitement today.”
“That doctor was correct. We need to celebrate. Why don’t we drive out to Vegas for a few days?”
Rachel turned toward him. “Are you serious?”
“I’m very serious.” He looked right at her. “C’mon. You’re usually very guarded and under control, but this is a super-special moment in our lives. The spontaneity will make the whole weekend unique and memorable forever.”
“You really do mean it, don’t you?”
“Sure I do. My work is slow and you have a bunch of personal days built up. There’s no reason not to. We can even catch a show.”
“I don’t know. It’s so impulsive.”
“That’s what makes it so perfect.”
She thought it over a few seconds and then turned toward him. “I’ve heard there are some giant fountains and a lovely indoor flower garden at the Bellagio.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Mac and Rachel slept in. He got up first and plugged in the courtesy coffee pot. Within moments it was dripping away. He enjoyed a long hot shower and toweled off, then stepped into his boxers and joined Rachel in the bigger room. She was on her cell phone.
While she was distracted, Mac laid out two coffee cups just like he had been doing every morning. He plopped half of a nausea-inducing pill that Miranda got from the doctor into Rachel’s cup and then filled them both with coffee. Moments later, Rachel hung up. “Was that Granny?” he asked before taking a sip from his cup.
Rachel grinned. “Yes. She’s so excited.”
“You didn’t say anything about the baby, did you?”
Rachel shook her head. “No. You were right about that. It’s better to keep it between us for a while. But after I told her that we got married last night she was so excited I just let her ramble. She wanted to know how you proposed, and about the little roadside chapel—everything. I promised her we’d have a bigger, full ceremony a little later.” She took a sip of coffee. “Granny asked if we can stop by after we get home for a bite to eat. I hope you won’t mind, but she said something about a surprise.”
Mac grinned.
Chapter Forty-Five
Mac’s furtive attempts to call Miranda about the goings on at the gynecologist’s office, as well as the trip to Vegas and Granny’s surprise for Rachel all went unanswered. About all he could do was assume her phone was turned off and stick with their plan, which led him to Granny’s home with Rachel.
A class full of school children couldn’t have been more giddy than he and Rachel when they entered Granny’s home. They’d barely made it past her front door before the elderly woman’s wide eyes inspected Rachel’s rings—rings that Miranda paid for with her line of credit. “They’re lovely,” she said. “Come on in. I want to hear all about your little trip.”
“I didn’t even see it coming,” Rachel said, grinning from ear to ear. “Then, he just sprang it on me.” She grabbed Mac’s hand. “I
t was wonderful.”
“I love you,” he whispered.
Granny smiled at Mac. “How romantic.”
“It was,” Rachel said. “But I felt guilty cause you couldn’t be there – for the wedding, I mean.”
“Oh, baloney. It was special just the way it was. You’ll always remember how surprised you were.”
“Like I said on the phone, we’re still going to have another, more formal wedding, when we can invite our friends and take some time for a real honeymoon.”
“Probably to Hawaii,” Mac added.
“Next time I want you right in the middle of all the planning and everything.”
“Except the honeymoon,” Mac said.
Granny laughed, “Oh, why not? I like Hawaii, too.”
“So, you’re not mad at me?”
“Heck no. I’ll call Anderson Powell at the Herald. He’ll want to announce your wedding in his newspaper.”
“I remember him.” Rachel turned toward Mac. “He’s one of Pappy’s old friends.”
Granny rose. “I might as well get your surprise. Why don’t you two have a seat in the dining room.”
“Maybe it’s my mom’s wedding ring,” Rachel whispered to Mac as they took seats. “I never knew what happened to it.”
“That’d be nice,” he whispered back, his own heart thumping. He and Miranda would be a lot happier if the surprise were a million bucks or so.
Granny returned with a manila folder and a grin worthy of a picture. She sat at the head of the table, laid the folder down and crossed her arms on top of it. “Rachel, sweetheart. I have something very exciting to tell you.”
“So mysterious,” Rachel said, smiling. Mac’s pulse quickened as he stared at the envelope.
Granny slowly inhaled. “I can hardly believe this time has finally come. Before Pappy died, he arranged for a wonderful wedding gift for you.”
Mac’s heart pounded and Rachel’s eyes widened. “A wedding gift from Pappy? But he’s been gone for a long time.”
Granny grinned. “You know how quirky he was.”
Rachel looked Mac’s way. “That was one of the things we loved about Pappy.”
A million would do.
“After he sold our Silicon Valley ranch, he set up a trust for you.”
Rachel’s hands cupped her mouth. “What kind of trust?”
Kathump, Kathump.
“We never told you about it because we believed that when people get too much money, too quickly and too easily, it spoils them. Pappy wanted you to get married for the right reasons, not because of the money.” Granny looked at Mac, then back to her granddaughter. “Pappy would be very pleased that you picked Mac. He’s a very nice young man and you guys obviously love each other. That’s just what Pappy wanted.” She laid her hand on the envelope. “This is for both of you.”
A half-million would be enough.
Both Rachel and Mac were dead silent as Granny slowly, teasingly, opened the weathered manila packet. Then she slowly pulled out a short stack of papers.
Hurry woman, you’re killing me.
Granny turned the papers face-up and slid them across the table toward her precious granddaughter.
Mac struggled for a glimpse at the number, but before he could find it, Rachel’s hands shot to the side of her head. “Oh, my God!” she squealed and slid the paper over to Mac, “If you move the last comma over, the numbers are the same as my birthday.” She jumped up and rushed for Granny.
Huh? Mac pulled the papers his way. There it was. Mid-page. $11,241,974. His jaw dropped. “Holy shit!”
“Plus about a half-million in interest,” Granny said, beaming.
“It’s the same as my birthday,” Rachel said again. “November 24, 1974.”
Mac grinned crazily. He, too, stood, and the trio twirled around in circles, each one thrilled for a different reason.
Finally they calmed down and returned to the living room. “I wonder if I should quit my job?” Rachel asked.
Uh-oh. That would mean Mac would have to spend more time with Rachel and even less with Miranda. “Not right away,” he offered. “Pappy said when people get too much money, too fast, it usually changes them. He wouldn’t want that.”
Rachel shook her head. “You’re right. I have to be smarter than that. Now that I think about it, I should work at least the rest of the school year.”
“Now you’re talking,” Mac said. “I think we should keep this to ourselves for a while, too.”
* * *
Miranda had ignored Mac’s calls long enough. This time she and Don had finished their dinner in a local restaurant and were waiting for their bill. “Hi, Sweets,” she said into her burner, trying not to sound too affectionate. “Where have you been?”
“Me?” he asked loudly. “I’ve been wondering the same about you.”
“I hope you’ve got some good news?”
“I guess you could say that,” he said. “But all I’m going to say for now is, the trust is real.”
She damn near stopped breathing as she gave Don a thumbs up. “That’s fantastic. I knew you could do it, Sweets. How much is it?”
“I ain’t saying right now. I’m on my way to your place. I’ll tell you when I get there.”
She gulped. “But aren’t you with Rachel?”
“Hell, no. I wanted to see you so I slipped her a sleeping pill. She’ll be out all night.”
Oh crap. Don wouldn’t stand for that right now. “But, I’m at the grocery store,” she blurted for lack of something better to say.
“At ten-thirty? Which store? I’ll come and help you.”
“No. I’m going to get gas, too. Can’t you just tell me now, and I’ll see you in the morning?”
“That’s not good enough. I haven’t been with you for three days and we’ve got some celebrating to do. I want to spend the night. I’ll just use my key and wait for you. How soon can you get here?”
It wouldn’t look right to put him off when he was so juiced up. “I guess it’ll be a half-hour or so.”
Don wasn’t going to like what she had to do. After hanging up she slammed her drink on the table. “Your brother is such a dumbass.” She got up and tugged his arm. “We’ve got to go right now.”
“What about the trust?”
“It’s real,” she said pulling his sleeve, “but he wants to tell me the amount in person. Now, let’s go.”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Don said. “Why didn’t you insist he tell you over the phone?”
She faced him, raised her voice. “Dammit, Donnie. You heard me. I tried to, but he was too stoked and wouldn’t cooperate.”
“Alright then,” Don said. He threw forty bucks on the table. “But what’s the big damn rush?” he said to the back of her head as she moved away.
She turned. “He’s already at my house. He’ll be inside any minute.”
“What? Why the hell’d you give him a key?”
She raised her voice. “He’s supposed to think he’s my boyfriend. Remember?” Miranda’s SUV was just outside the door. She took the driver’s side and blew out of there. “I gotta drop you off at your motel, then grab some items at a grocery store. I just hope I’m not too late.”
“I hate that son-of-a-bitch.”
“I know you do. You tell me all the time.”
A moment later he asked, “How long will you be?”
Miranda sighed. “I hate to tell you this, Donnie, but he wants to stay overnight.”
“No way,” he snapped. “You already spend the days with him. The nights are for me.”
“He hasn’t seen me for a couple days and he gave Rachel a sleeping pill. I couldn’t tell him that his brother had other plans.”
While Miranda hurried, Don sat silent for a half-minute. Then, “Didn’t sound to me like you put up much resistance.”
Miranda lowered her voice to a near-whisper, “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”
“Simple,” he said. “I
think you’re in a hurry cause you genuinely like fucking him.”
She widened her eyes and raised her voice. “That’s ridiculous. We talked about this from day one. You knew things would have to get steamy between him and me. You said you understood that. So don’t pull this crap on me now. I’ve got enough to worry about without your going off the deep end.”
“So you really do enjoy it?”
She waved her arms wildly. “Well I can’t just lay there like a damn bump on a log, can I?”
“I just want to hear you admit it. We both know you like fucking him. So admit it.”
Miranda sighed, rolled her eyes and pulled her SUV to the curb, and stared right at him. “Yes, Donnie. If it will make you feel any better, I enjoy fucking your brother. I have to. Alright? It’s all part of the plan. Your plan, remember? You said you understood that.” She pointed in his face. “If you can’t deal with it anymore, you can call it quits. I’ll finish up with Mac and see if I can help my brother on my own.”
Don nodded. “At least now we’re being honest with each other.”
Chapter Forty-Six
Miranda clutched the steering wheel to conceal her shaking hands from Don. How did he figure out that she actually had stronger feelings for Mac than she was supposed to? Feelings that provoked still other feelings such as guilt and shame. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Now she was stuck trying to deal with a green-eyed monster.
She held back a sigh. “I know you don’t like staying in a motel, Donnie, but it can’t be helped,” she said.
“You think that makes me feel any better?”
“Of course not, but I’ll get back as soon as I can. I promise.”
“It ain’t just the time apart that pisses me off. After what I’ve been through, I could spend the night standing on one foot. But that motel is just like the shithole, only there’s even less to do.”
“I know it doesn’t help much, but there’s a liquor store up the street. Why don’t you get a six-pack and watch some TV? We can get a nicer motel tomorrow.”
“I never expected my asshole brother would want to sneak out at night. Or worse, that you’d let him stay with you that much.” He turned his head away. “I don’t give a shit no more.”