Dreams: Part Two (16 page)

“I’m supposed to be playing housewife, remember? Colby, I’m fine. Really.“

“Sure you are. And I’m at the top of the
New York Times
bestseller list. Sit down. Are you dizzy? Want me to call your doctor?“

“No, please, I’m okay. Just a little traumatized.“

“What happened?“ His eyes narrowed. “Did someone harass you in the basement?“

“Of course not. There’s never been any trouble in the laundry facility in this building. Stop worrying, Colby. I’m okay. Honest.“

“Then what made you barn pale like this?“ he demanded.

“I just had a lovely chat with Jennifer Landsdown from 301.“

He frowned. “Is that the young woman who had her baby last month?“

“Right. First time I’ve seen her since she got home from the hospital. She was doing her laundry alongside me this afternoon. Couldn’t wait to share her experience with me.“

Colby groaned. “I think I’m beginning to get the drift. What did that chatty little twerp tell you?“

“The chatty little twerp gave me a blow-by-blow description of her entire delivery from the onset of labor straight through to the gory end. You should have been there, Colby. You could have used her descriptions somewhere in your next book.“

“Wait until I get my hands on her.“

“Why? I’m sure she only told me the truth.“ Diana took a deep breath and sank down onto the sofa. She looked down at her rounded stomach and thought about what Jennifer had just finished explaining to her in graphic detail. “I got it all, Colby, from ruptured membranes and uncontrollable shaking to a detailed account of torn flesh, heavy bleeding and afterpains.“

Colby’s mouth crooked wryly. “Sounds like little Jennifer had a field day terrorizing you.“

“Her final words of advice had to do with all those pregnancy books you’ve been bringing home from the library.“

“What’s wrong with them?“ Colby was incensed. “They were recommended by your doctor.“

“Jennifer read them, too. You know all those parts that use descriptions such as ‘discomfort’ and ‘intense’ to describe labor?“

“What about them?“

“Apparently words like discomfort and intense are euphemisms for unbelievable, unrelenting, extreme agony. I have to tell you, Colby, I am not good at handling unbelievable, unrelenting, extreme agony.“

“That’s why they invented anesthetics,“ Colby said hardily.

“They aren’t very free with the anesthetics, according to Jennifer. Too little and too late, she says. They’re afraid of the effects on the baby. Mostly you just have to tough it out.“

“Come on, honey,“ Colby coaxed. “You’ve talked to your doctor about your fears. She told you what to expect.“

“Jennifer says the doctors lie because they don’t want to scare off all their patients. She says all her women friends who’d had babies deliberately lied to her about what to expect, too. Jennifer says that’s because there’s some sort of unspoken agreement among mothers not to frighten the women who have yet to go through the process. I gather it’s like a rite of passage. Once you’re through it, you don’t tell the uninitiated the whole truth. You just give them a little song and dance about how the pain of childbirth is quickly forgotten.“

“But Jennifer the Twerp has decided to set the record straight?“

Diana grimaced. “She’s vowed to tell the truth to others who are about to follow in her footsteps so that we won’t all go into it as naive and unsuspecting as she was.“

“Jennifer looks as if she’s about twenty-four years old, if that. Are you going to let yourself be traumatized by a woman who’s ten years younger than you?“

“That’s another thing. Jennifer says she’s heard that labor is a lot harder on older women.“ Diana glared at Colby as she saw his mouth twitch. “What’s so funny?“

“You are. For a businesswoman, you certainly have a vivid imagination. I can’t believe you stood there and let that kid scare you half to death like this.“

“Thanks for the sympathy.“

“Honey, you know I’m sympathetic. You also know I’ll be right beside you when the time comes. And so will your doctor and a whole bunch of nurses and trained medical personnel. You’ll have all the facilities of a first-class hospital.

Babies get born every day in that hospital. You’re going to do just fine.“

Diana touched her stomach. “I don’t have much choice, do I?“ She grabbed his hand and kissed his palm quickly.

“Thanks. You always seem to know the right things to say to me. And you’re quite right. I should never have listened to Jennifer. I don’t know how I’d get through this without you, Colby.“

“You wouldn’t be going through it in the first place, if it wasn’t for me.“

There was a short, taut silence.

“It was a mutual endeavor, as I recall.“ She did not like it when the reality of the reason behind their marriage was brought out into the open. Most of the time it stayed discreetly out of sight these days. Colby was as careful as she was not to bring it up. But once in a while it slipped out, usually as a joke that fell flat.

“Diana?“

“I’d better get to that laundry. Got to earn my keep around here.“ She started to struggle out of the thick-cushioned sofa. It was getting harder and harder to move about easily. Gone was the old familiar sense of energetic flexibility and womanly grace she had always taken for granted. She wondered sadly if it would ever return.

Colby reached down to assist her to her feet. “You do more than earn your keep and you know it. Is being a wife and expectant mother all that bad?“

“Heavens, no,“ she said lightly as she picked up the laundry basket. “Why, if I’d known what a cushy job this housewife business was, I’d have thought about enlisting ages ago.“ She started down the hall.

“You won’t be calling it a cushy job after the baby gets here,“ Colby warned behind her.

“So I’ve been told. Jennifer filled me in on that part, too. Apparently I will turn into a walking zombie, what with night feedings, postpartum depression and colic.“

Colby swore softly. “I really am going to shake the stuffing out of that little bubble-brain the next time I see her. By the way, Brandon called. He and some friends came up from Eugene for the weekend. He invited himself over for dinner and a night on the sofa. Is that okay with you?“

“Certainly.“ Diana smiled suddenly. “But I’ll have to go shopping. I don’t think we have enough food in the house to feed more than half a dozen or so people. We’ll need provisions for a battalion if Brandon’s going to be here. Did you get any more ideas for your next book proposal?“

“Yeah. While you were letting Jennifer terrify you, I got a couple of ideas I think I can use.“

“Do you realize it’s nearly Christmas?“

“What about it?“

“I was just thinking how quickly time flies,“ Diana said.

“When you’re having fun, you mean?“ There was a soft, goading edge in Colby’s voice.

“Something like that,“ she agreed wryly.

“Diana?“

“Yes, Colby?“

“Has it been so bad, these past few months?“

She turned at the end of the corridor and saw him standing at the other end, his legs braced, hands on his hips.

There were times when he seemed to challenge her, as if he wanted a clean, hot battle. He was good at winning battles.

Her face softened. “No, Colby, it hasn’t been so bad. Thanks to you. You’ve made it all a lot easier than it would have been if I’d had to face it on my own. I won’t ever forget that.“ She hurried into the bedroom, dumped the laundry onto the bed and began sorting socks.

She had discovered an odd thing about men’s socks. They almost never matched.

Several hours later Brandon dropped into a chair at the dining-room table and eyed the huge pan of spinach and feta cheese lasagna sitting in the center with keen anticipation.

“Who made it, Diana?“ he demanded with a grin as he helped himself to a large slice. “You or Dad?“

“I did.“ Diana glanced at Colby. “Colby washed the spinach, though.“

“I remember the days when the only dish you could make was stir-fried vegetables,“ Brandon said. “You’ve come a long way, if you don’t mind my saying so.“

“Thank you.“

“Not that your stir-fried vegetables and rice weren’t terrific,“ Brandon added quickly. “But a man needs something that will stick to the ribs once in a while, you know?“

“I’m learning,“ Diana agreed. “Under your father’s expert tutelage, I have become a whiz at reading cookbooks, clipping coupons and shopping for something besides vegetables.“

“I’m going to turn her into a wife yet,“ Colby said with a grin. “She’s getting very good at catering to a man’s needs.“

There was nothing like actually living with a man to teach a woman about male needs, Diana reflected. When she caught Colby looking at her with a sardonic expression, she knew he was reading her mind. Lately he’d gotten better and better at that kind of silent communication. So had she.

“So how’s the apartment-hunting going?“ Brandon asked conversationally.

Colby cut himself a chunk of lasagna. “We made a decision. Signed the lease last week. We’ll move in on the first of January. It’s a house, though, not an apartment. Three bedrooms and a den.“

“A darling little yellow and white Victorian that’s been completely remodeled,“ Diana explained eagerly. “Colby can have his own space for writing and there will be a room for the baby and a spare for you. Even Specter will like it. He’ll have a real yard to dig up.“

“Diana took one look at it and fell in love,“ Colby explained dryly. But it was obvious he was pleased by her show of enthusiasm.

“Took you guys long enough. You’ve been looking for months.“

“House-hunting is hard work,“ Colby said. “And the next few months are also going to be busy. There are a lot of things to do to the place before the baby arrives.“

“Well, at least you haven’t had a chance to get bored with the housewife routine, huh, Diana?“ Brandon gave her a curious glance. “Between house-hunting, learning how to cook something besides stir-fried vegetables and getting ready for the baby, I’ll bet you’ve hardly missed your old job.“

“You’re right,“ Colby answered for her. “She’s hardly had time to miss it. Have some salad, Brandon.“

“Huh?“ Brandon blinked at the huge bowl that was being held out to him. Automatically he took it. “Oh, sure.

Thanks.“ His gaze swung back to Diana. “Given any thought to what you’ll do after the baby is born?“

“As a matter of fact, I have,“ Diana said, aware that Colby was eyeing her warily. She hadn’t talked to him about her plans because he rarely seemed inclined to discuss her working future. “Remember that conversation we had one evening back in Fulbrook Corners, Brandon? The one where you asked me how I could ever get away from the problem of sexual discrimination in the business world?“

Brandon nodded. “I remember. You said the only answer might be to open your own business.“ He glanced up suddenly. “Is that what you’re going to do?“

“I’m thinking about it. I have all the skills I need to set myself up as a financial consultant to small businesses.

Maybe I could specialize in helping women-owned businesses. There’s an office complex near our new house where I could rent space. I’d be able to get home early every day as well as at lunchtime. There’s a woman I used to work with at C and Y, Milly Sweeney, who might like to go into partnership with me.“

“Sounds great,“ Brandon said with a genuine show of enthusiasm.

Colby looked at Diana. “Why haven’t you bothered to mention all these great ideas to me until now?“

“Because you never want to talk about my future,“ she responded with a small shrug. “Whenever I try to bring it up, you change the topic.“

“We talk about your future,
our
future, all the time. We’ve talked about where we’re going to live, what we’ll need for the baby, whether you’re going to breast-feed, all kinds of things, damn it.“

Brandon glanced at his father’s set face, and then he grinned at Diana. “Don’t mind him, Diana. Dad doesn’t know much about having a wife, least of all a modern sort of wife. But he’s learning fast.“

Colby turned a scowl on his son. “Since when are you an expert?“

Brandon held up both hands, at shoulder height, in a mocking gesture of surrender. “Hey… no offense intended. It

’s just that you’re not quite as forward-thinking as you like to believe you are, Dad. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you’re real old-fashioned in a lot of ways.“

“Is that right?“ Colby’s brows rose ominously.

“Afraid so. It’s obvious to anyone who knows either of you that there was bound to be a, uh, difficult period of adjustment, after you got married. But I’m pleased to say you both seem to be doing very well.“

“Listen to him.“ Colby helped himself to another thick chunk of lasagna. “My son, the twenty-year-old marriage counselor.“

Diana smiled conspiratorially at Brandon. “I agree with you, he is adjusting fairly well, all things considered.“

“Thank you, Madam Wife.“

The humor left Brandon’s face a few minutes later. “I wanted to talk to you about Christmas, Dad.“

“What about it?“

“Well, I was wondering if you’d mind if I didn’t spend it with you and Diana.“

“You and some of your friends have found something more interesting to do this year than spend Christmas with your families, hmm?“ Colby didn’t seem concerned. “Where are you going? Mexico?“

Brandon cleared his throat. “Not exactly. I was thinking about going to Fulbrook Corners.“

Colby’s forkful of lasagna stopped halfway to his mouth. He lowered it slowly, his eyes suddenly very cold. “What the hell for?“

Brandon shifted uneasily in his chair. He glanced at Diana for support. “Well, I got this call from Grandmother yesterday. She, uh, sort of invited me to spend Christmas with her.“

“The hell she did.“

“Dad, I’m not all that keen on driving up to Fulbrook Corners to spend the day with her, but I got the feeling she’ll be real lonely. There’s no one else for her to be with. There hasn’t been anyone for her to spend Christmas with in years. You’ll have Diana and Diana’s mom. I could drive up and back on Christmas Day. In fact, I could probably be back here by early evening.“