“And?”
“I’m staring at your grandchildren right this second.”
“Boy or girl?”
James couldn’t help it. He laughed. “You didn’t listen very well.”
“I did, too, and I want to know—what do we have? A boy or a girl?”
“Could be one of each,” James informed him calmly.
“Twins!” Walter shouted. “You mean Summer’s having twins?”
“That’s what I’m telling you.”
“Well, I’ll be! This is good news. No, it’s great news. The best!”
James had never heard Walter this excited—practically as excited as he was himself.
It wasn’t every day that a man learned he was having not one baby but two!
Summer didn’t go directly home. Instead, she drove around for at least an hour, evaluating the situation between her and James. She loved him so much. The thought of leaving him, even when she knew it was the best thing for his career, brought her to the verge of tears.
What she wanted was to talk with her mother, but her parents were vacationing, touring the south in their motor home. They weren’t due back for another month. Summer received postcards every few days with the latest updates and many exhortations to look after herself and their unborn grandchild. Wait till she told them it was grandchildren, she thought with a brief smile.
This vacation was good for them, but she really needed her mother now.
Without realizing she knew the way, Summer drove to the Manning family home. She parked, wondering whether she was doing the right thing.
It took her a full five minutes to gather up enough nerve to get out of the car, walk up the steps and ring the bell.
Elizabeth Manning answered the door. Her face lit up with warmth. “Summer! What a lovely surprise.”
“I hope I haven’t come at an inconvenient time.”
“Not at all,” Elizabeth said, ushering her in. “I was making meatballs. It’s Eric’s favorite. Today’s his bowling day, so he’s out just now. Can I get you a cup of tea?”
“No, thank you.”
Elizabeth sat down in the living room.
“Would it be all right if we talked in the kitchen?” Summer asked after an awkward moment.
“Of course.”
“I…I’m aware that you barely know me, and it’s an imposition for me to drop in like this.”
“Not at all. I’m delighted to see you again.”
“I…my parents have a motor home,” Summer said, wishing now she’d thought this through more carefully before she approached James’s friends. “They’re traveling across the south.”
“Eric and I do quite a bit of traveling in our own motor home. We visit Christy and her sister, Taylor, at least once a year. Montana’s become like a second home to us.” She dug her hands into the bowl of hamburger and removed a glob of meat. Expertly she formed it into a perfect round shape.
“I really just wanted to thank you for everything you did the other night,” Summer said. “The party for James and me…”
She suddenly decided she couldn’t burden this woman with her troubles. She would’ve welcomed advice, but felt uncomfortable discussing her problems with someone who was little more than a stranger to her.
“When you know me better,” Elizabeth was saying, “you’ll learn that I love throwing parties. James has always been a special friend to our family, and we were so happy to find out about his marriage. Naturally we wanted to celebrate.”
Summer nodded. “I didn’t think it was possible to love anyone so much,” she confessed, and then because tears began to drip from her eyes, she stood abruptly. “Listen, I should go, but thank you. I’ll see myself to the door.”
“Summer,” Elizabeth called after her. “Summer, is everything all right?”
Summer was in her car by the time Elizabeth appeared in the doorway. She hurriedly started the engine and drove off, sure that she’d done more harm than good with her impromptu visit.
Wiping away tears, Summer went home. She walked into the house and up the stairs, then lay down on the bed and closed her eyes.
She had to leave, but she didn’t know where to go. If she didn’t do it soon, she’d never find the courage. Only minutes earlier, she’d declared to James’s family friend how deeply she loved her husband. That was the truth, so doing what was best for him shouldn’t be this difficult.
But it was.
Sobbing and miserable, Summer got up from the bed and pulled a big suitcase from the closet. She packed what she thought she’d need and carried it down to the car.
At the last minute she decided she couldn’t leave without writing James. She sat at his desk for several minutes, trying to compose a letter that would explain what she was doing and why. But it was all so complicated, and in the end she simply said he was better off without her and signed her name. She read it twice before tucking it in an envelope.
Tears streamed down her cheeks. It wouldn’t be so bad, or so she attempted to convince herself. The babies would be less than two months old when the election was over, and then she’d be free to return.
If James wanted her back.
James had seldom been in a better mood. He sat in the courtroom, convinced he must be grinning like a fool.
His assistant didn’t know what to think. During a brief recess, he waltzed back to his office to phone Summer, whistling as he went.