Part 57 (1/2)
”Some belly you got there,” he said when he saw her.
She smiled. ”Gee, thanks.”
He patted the cus.h.i.+on next to him in the colorful, plant-filled room. ”Just trying to distract you. There's no reason to worry.”
”So everyone keeps saying. I'm not worried. Not exactly.”
”Then what?”
”I don't know. This is all so strange. Three months ago I hadn't spoken with Cal in ages and now...”
”Now you're in a hospital waiting for him to have a simple procedure that may save the life of a child you never knew about?”
”That's a very nice summary.”
Reid leaned back in the sofa and picked up a paper cup of coffee. ”Does his willingness to help Lindsey make you mad?”
She considered the question. ”Not mad. I want her to be fine. And there was never any choice. Cal's a good man. Of course he would do this.”
”But?”
”But...why wasn't he like this with me?”
”When you lost the baby?”
She nodded. Why hadn't he cared more? Why hadn't he been willing to open his heart to their child? ”There's so much he didn't tell me, so much he wouldn't say. He's not very forthcoming, emotionally.”
”Does that matter?”
It shouldn't. She and Cal weren't together. Not in that way. And yet...
”I don't have an answer,” she said. ”Let's change the subject.”
”Okay. We could talk about how good-looking I am.”
”There's a topic that could fill hours.”
He smiled smugly. ”Yes, it could. It's also one of my favorites. You start.”
She laughed. ”No, thanks. Have you talked to Naomi lately? She's been off doing stuff. I haven't seen her much.”
”She and Walker were in the bar a couple of weeks ago. I haven't seen them since.”
”I know she has a lot on her mind. She's mentioned she might be leaving.” Penny thought about what Naomi had told her about having a family back in Ohio. ”I understand she had a life before she came here, but I don't want her to go. Gee, suddenly everything seems to be about me.” She sighed. ”I'll miss her.”
”She's been a good friend to you.”
”I know. You're great, too, but you don't do the girl stuff really well. You never want to talk about pedicures.”
”Or body waxing.”