Chapter 3 15 страница

„G

Blair got home from dinner at 6:00, kicked off her shoes and

sank into the couch. It was a warm night, and her clients had chosen an outside table at the restaurant. She felt sticky, bloated, grouchy and unreasonably jealous … of Julie.

She'd been on a rant for the entire time it had taken her to drive home, and even though the dogs were giving her the usual royal welcome, she couldn't stop herself. I don't want another woman to come in here and try to take Kylie from me! We have such a nice thing going, and I don't want her to be gone at night. And I certainly don't want Julie over here! If I have to watch them make out again, I might jump in and join 'em!

She knew she was being unreasonable and that Kylie was doing exactly what she'd encouraged her to do. But she was unable to quell her jealous feelings — even though she knew she was on the verge of scratching Julie’s eyes out. The phone rang, and she was barely paying attention when she agreed to Sadie’s coming by for a talk. She hung up and opened the sliding doors to let the dogs out. It wasn't until the heat of the early evening hit her like a furnace that she acknowledged what she'd done. Have I lost my mind?

„G

Sadie arrived in short order, and Blair knew that her mother-in-law must have been in the area when she called. She was probably in the driveway two minutes after she hung up, she thought to herself while waiting at the door. She had both dogs on their leashes because Sadie was no fan of pets in the house — much less pets who jumped on her. The dogs cried and whined to get to the new human, but Blair was firm with them, and they obeyed better than she expected.

"Well. This is certainly an impressive house!" Sadie stood on the walk and looked around for a moment, shaking her head when she turned and saw the lights of the Westside. "Some view!"

"Yes, it is nice, isn't it? Little did I know I'd be living in it when I sold it to my friend."

Sadie stepped onto the porch and enfolded Blair in a motherly hug. Even though they'd had their difficulties, there was always something reassuring in one of Sadie's hugs, and Blair was in no rush to terminate the embrace.

Eventually, they walked into the house together, and Blair led her mother-in-law to the den, with Sadie exclaiming over every room they passed through. "My lord, Blair, who is this friend of yours?"

"Her name's Kylie, and she's a surgeon," Blair said.

"A girl with this kind of house, and she wants a roommate?" Sadie asked.

Her chin jutted out a little with her reply. "Yeah, yeah, she does. But I don't think you're here to talk about Kylie, are you?"

"No, of course not. I'm here to see how you are, sweetheart. When David told me that you were getting divorced, it took me a few days to call you. I couldn't … I honestly couldn't comprehend what would cause him to act like he has." She took Blair's hand and looked into her eyes. "I'm ashamed of my own son, Blair, and that's never happened before. Never! Not once in forty years has my David made me ashamed. But now … now …" She took a tissue from the pocket of her suit and dabbed at her eyes. "I don't know what's come over him, but he doesn't seem like the man I know. He acts more like the little boy that he was."

"I'd have to agree that he's been a little childish throughout this, Sadie."

"A little? Ha! He's been a complete child, and now he's turning into an infant!"

Blair smiled at the older woman. "He's having a tough time adjusting. I think he'll snap out of it at some point."

Sadie leaned back and let out a massive sigh. "Oh, my God! You can't imagine how relieved I am to hear you say that. I knew you'd be an adult about this!"

Giving her a puzzled look, Blair said, "Uhm … thanks."

"David says there's nothing to do but divorce, but if you think he'll snap out of this —"

"Oh, no, Sadie." Blair put a hand up to stop her. "I think David will grow accustomed to the fact that he's infertile, and I hope that he's able to love this child or another. But I'm not going to wait around to see when and if that happens."

Sadie's eyes saucered. "But if you think he'll change, why would you divorce?"

Blair didn't really want to involve her mother-in-law in the details of her marriage, but she felt that she had to be honest. "I don't love him the way I did. I’ve lost respect for him, Sadie, and I can't be married to a man I don't respect."

"But you can get that back! He can earn your respect again!"

Blair thought about that statement, then nodded her head. "You might be right. But David hasn't given me any indication that he wants me to wait for him. He seems perfectly willing to move on. That's enough for me."

"Oh, Blair, he loves you so much! He does!"

"He may," she allowed, "but he hasn't shown that he loves me. That's the only thing that counts."

Sadie stood and began to pace in front of the sofa. The dogs were still on their leashes, and they looked at Blair beseechingly, desperate to follow this person in her destinationless path. But she shook her head and pulled them close to her, then gave each of them a calming scratch behind the ears. "I don't have to remind you that you were married in a religious service," Sadie said. She was now in her lecturing mode, and Blair knew this could be a long night.

"I realize that, Sadie. It was something I did because it was important to you and David."

The older woman looked at her, her dark eyes flashing. "You took vows, Blair. You took a vow to remain faithful to David. You promised that he would be the head of your household, the king of your union!"

"I remember the crowning, Sadie," she said, still amazed that she’d consented to the traditional service. "I remember having our hands bound together. The entire service, even though it was in Armenian, was very meaningful for me. But things have changed. We're not the same people we were then."

"I know that! That's why it's your duty to stand by David until he comes to his senses. I can understand that you might have trouble living with him, but why are you in such a hurry to divorce?"

Blair was feeling a tightness in her neck and her stomach, and she wondered if she might have a bout of all-day-sickness again. "Look, Sadie, this is between David and me. It's too personal to discuss with you. I know you care, and I know this is hard for you, but we've decided this is what we're going to do."

"You're both so unconcerned about this! David acts like this is a weight off his shoulders, and you act like you're totally disinterested in working this out. Don't your vows mean anything to either one of you?"

"I can't speak for David, but mine do … or did," Blair said, leveling a glare at her mother-in-law. "I honored all of my vows, Sadie. But David has made it clear that he's not interested in working to hold our marriage together. And if he's not willing, I'm certainly not going to try to do it on my own."

"Blair, your vows don't give you an out because things have changed," Sadie said. "You promised to love, honor and obey — till death parts you. Death!"

"I know what I promised," the younger woman said, "but things have changed. We entered into a mutual contract, and he doesn't want to comply with the terms. I hate to sound so business-like, but those are the facts, Sadie."

Sadie stared at the younger woman and asked, "Why are you so unemotional? Have you met someone?"

"Yeah," Blair said, sarcasm dripping from her words. "Los Angeles is full of eligible, single men who're hot for pregnant women. I couldn't wait to get rid of David so I could have my pick!"

"I won't stand for this! Where's your respect?"

Blair stood up, both of her sentries flanking her. "Look, Sadie, I don't want to fight, but I've made my mind up and so has David. You've got more control over him, so if you're going to work on anyone — he's your man."

Sadie picked up her purse and clutched it to her bosom. "I suppose you're going to try to keep me from seeing the baby once it's born!"

The younger woman was astonished. "Jesus! What kind of a woman do you think I am? You can see the baby as often as you want! David can see the baby as often as he wants! He can have joint custody if he wants to! God damn it, Sadie, I couldn't be any nicer about this! So count your blessings, but count them elsewhere!" The dogs saw how angry Blair was, and first Nicky, then Nora, began to growl. The hair on their backs stood up, and Sadie began to back out of the room.

"I've never been treated so shabbily!" she huffed.

"You wouldn't be treated shabbily if you didn't insult me," Blair said. "We can have a good relationship or a bad one, Sadie. It's in your best interests for us to have a good one." The dogs and she herded the older woman to the door, and Blair closed it behind her, ignoring the outraged squawk that followed.

„G

Kylie got home around midnight and checked on the dogs before she went to bed. They were in Blair's room, and when Kylie pushed the door open, they both stood and shook and stretched before jumping down. Their movement woke Blair, and she gave Kylie the usual half-scowl/half-"who are you?" look that the doctor had grown inexplicably fond of.

"Sorry," Kylie said. "Go back to sleep. I'm gonna let them out before I go to bed."

Instead of rolling over and beginning to snore, which was her habit, Blair continued to look at her roommate. "Did you have a good time?" Even though her question was pleasant, the look on her face was not.

"You okay? You look grouchy."

Blair moaned and fell back onto the bed. "No, I'm not okay. Sadie ambushed me."

"Ooo … didn't you screen your calls?"

"No. She asked if she could come over, and I said all right. I invited her! How stupid am I?"

"You're not stupid," Kylie said. She sat on the edge of the bed. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really, but I guess I have to. I won't get back to sleep if I start thinking about it without venting a little."

"Vent away."

"There's not a lot to say, really. She's on my side in a lot of ways. She thinks David has behaved abysmally, which was nice to hear. But she believes that I should stay married to him to give him every opportunity to change."

Kylie nodded a little. "You are moving quickly …"

Blair glared at her. "I thought you understood!"

"I do, I do," Kylie said. She reached out and stroked Blair's leg through the sheet. "That's not a judgment. It's an observation. I only meant that I could see Sadie thinking that you could slow down and wait — especially if you still love David."

"Kylie, I've told you — I don't feel love for him the way I used to."

"I know that, and I understand that. But maybe Sadie doesn't."

Blair thumped the mattress with both fists, looking like she was about to have a tantrum. "No, she doesn't get it. She'll never understand that I don't love David any longer. She thinks the sun rises when he tells it to."

"So, thank her for her concern and tell her to butt out. You don't have to be nice to her anymore."

Blair sat up on an elbow and looked surprisingly guilty. "I did worse than that. I was really rude to her. And I feel sick about it. I never wanted to do that … but she made me so damned mad!"

Kylie gave her foot a pinch and said, "Don't feel too bad. I'm sure she deserved every word you said. She sounds like a real handful."

"She is. I guess I should be glad that she's my mother-in-law, not my mother." Blair lay down again and said, "Thanks for the dose of perspective. Now maybe I can get to sleep."

Kylie got up and leaned over her friend. She kissed her on the top of her head and started to walk away when Blair asked, "Are you wearing perfume?"

The doctor stopped, her hand on the doorknob. "No, why?"

"Mmm … my mistake. G'night."

When Kylie left, the blonde gave her pillow a good right hook, mumbling, "You are wearing perfume, you hussy. You're wearing Julie's!"

„G

On Wednesday evening, when Blair went into her room to change, she found two packages resting on her bed. Sticking her head out of the door, she called, “Hey, are these for me?”

“What’s that?” Kylie asked, walking down the hall.

“There are packages on my bed. Are they mine?”

“Hmm … packages that I purposely put onto your bed … are you sure you wanna persist in this line of questioning?”

"But the bags are from the Gap. They don't have anything that'll fit me. Is there a store called the Gulp? That'd be more my style."

"The Gap has clothes for you," Kylie said. "I bought you a few things for Chicago. When I talked to my mom this past weekend, she told me they’d had very chilly weather lately.”

“Really?” Blair asked delightedly. “You bought me some clothes?”

“Yep. You didn’t get much in the way of casual clothes when you went shopping. My family is ultra-casual, and I didn’t want you to feel overdressed.”

“Ooo … I love new clothes. And more than that, I love new clothes that someone buys for me. It makes it even more special.” She gave Kylie a robust hug, saying, “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Kylie said, delighted that Blair was so excited. “Don’t you want to open your presents?”

“I’m so excited about your buying me clothes that I can’t decide which box to open first!”

“I’m gonna have to buy you presents more often,” Kylie decided. “I haven’t seen you this happy in weeks.”

Blair gave her another hug, this time holding on to her for a while. “Oh, I’m feeling kinda down these days. Don’t mind me.”

“Why are you down?” Kylie asked, placing a soft kiss on her hair.

“Wearing the news clothes I bought makes me feel so huge. I don’t feel sexy or attractive anymore. I don't even flirt anymore.” She released her friend and sat down on the bed. "This is all very puzzling for me. I was never the kind of woman who was obsessed with her looks, but being pregnant has made me feel like I'm not even in the game anymore. It's like I don't exist!"

"Oh, come on, you get a lot of attention because you're pregnant."

"Yeah, but it's pregnant attention. Men hold doors open for you, but they don't look at you like you're a regular woman. I've really noticed it with clients. My male clients used to flirt with me, and I'd always flirt back a little bit. Now? Nothing."

“Boy, I’m glad I’m a doctor,” Kylie said. “I’d never make it as a real estate agent. I’m the worst flirt in the world.”

Now Blair started laughing, making her friend look at her curiously. “You flirt constantly,” she insisted. At Kylie’s stunned expression, Blair corrected, “No, that’s not really the right term. You don’t flirt like I do. I try to connect with the guy, to show him I notice him. You don’t do it like that. You, Doctor Mackenzie, walk into a room like you own it — your confidence oozes out of you. It’s like you’re flirting with yourself! That’s it!” She giggled, saying, “You flirt with yourself! You give the clear message that you’re way cool and that you’re a lucky woman just to be with yourself!”

“Jesus, Blair! You make me sound like an insufferable egoist!”

“You’re not, though,” Blair assured her. “That’s your surgeon demeanor. You’re not like that at home or when we’re out in public.” She thought for a moment and added, “Although you were flirting with the woman in the radiology department when you cut to the front of the line. That was definitely flirting.”

Kylie thought about Blair’s words and nodded her head briefly. “I guess I do put on my most confident demeanor when I’m at work. I mean, I’m trying to convince people that I can open up their bodies and make things work again. That takes a certain amount of chutzpa!”

“You’ve got enough chutzpa for three women,” Blair said. “Luckily, you leave most of it at work.”

“It’s on my checklist,” Kylie said. “Take off stethoscope, wash hands, drain chutzpa from over-inflated ego.”

“I like it when you show a little of it at home,” Blair said, looking at her pensively. “It’s part of your charm.”

“Thanks,” Kylie said, giving her friend a hug. “I like to make you happy, and if I have to be charming to do it, I’ll gladly comply. Now try on your new clothes while I get your dinner ready. I want you to model for me.”

“Okay,” Blair agreed, “I can't wait.”

“I’ll leave you to it,” Kylie said. “Come on, puppies, Mama Blair needs some privacy.”

„G

Kylie was standing at the kitchen sink, rinsing vegetables for a salad when a pair of arms slid around her waist. Blair pressed her cheek between Kylie’s shoulder blades and nuzzled her face against her. “Oh, someone’s feeling cuddly, eh?”

"Uh-huh. I haven't tried on my things yet. I had a nap."

"Do you like to cuddle after a nap?"

Blair was quiet for a moment, then said, "I've been falling asleep so early that I haven't had time to … you know."

Kylie turned around and looked at her friend, giving her a puzzled half-smile. As soon as she saw Blair's slightly embarrassed expression, she said, "Ahh … you had a productive nap."

“Yeah," the blonde said. She walked over to a stool by the breakfast bar and flopped down onto it. "Is there anything better than having someone hold you after an orgasm? I miss that so much.”

“I hardly remember,” Kylie sighed.

“Really? Blair gave her friend a surprised look. "I assumed you and Julie …"

Kylie scowled at her. "Jesus, Blair, we've had one real date."

"You've had two," Blair said. "You went over to her house."

"To walk around her neighborhood after work one night. That's not a date."

Blair gave her a curious look. "Did I offend you?"

"No," Kylie said immediately, then she stopped and thought. "Yeah, I guess you did. I told you I didn't sleep with women if I wasn't in love. I meant that."

"Oh, Kylie, I'm sorry. That was presumptuous and rude of me. Not to mention nosy!"

"S'okay," Kylie said, her smile back in place. "I was tempted, to be honest. But I decided not to let my horniness do my thinking for me."

"That's why I like you," Blair said. "You're such an adult."

"Such a horny adult," Kylie said, smiling broadly.

"That makes two of us. Sex with a partner is purely a fantasy at this point in my life.”

Kylie walked over to her friend and ran her hand through Blair's tousled hair. “It’s good for the baby to keep everything in shape down there. And a good orgasm lowers your stress hormones, too.”

“Isn’t a ‘good orgasm’ redundant?” Blair asked. “Is there such a thing as a bad orgasm?”

“Not that I’ve ever had,” the doctor agreed. “They’re all good.”

Blair gave into the soft crying that had been taking place below her since she’d come in. She fussed over the dogs and picked them up and cuddled them in her lap. “It doesn’t bother you to talk about sex and masturbation and that kinda stuff, does it, Kylie? I’d hate to think that I was making you uncomfortable.”

“No, not at all,” she said. “Sex was a normal topic of discussion at the dinner table when I was growing up.”

“Are you serious?” Blair gasped.

“Totally. My dad’s a firm believer in making sex a normal part of life. He’s very antagonistic to the concept that it’s something to hide and snicker about. I mean, he and my mom didn’t leave their door open or anything, but they’d answer any question any of us had, and with the age range of the kids, someone was always on the verge of puberty.” She chuckled and said, “I still remember going into my brother James’ room to sleep with him when he was around twelve or thirteen. I woke up before he did one day and went running downstairs, telling my mom there was something horribly wrong with his penis, ‘cause it was sticking straight up in the air!”

Blair nearly collapsed with laughter, and Kylie had to scoop the dogs up to stop them from tumbling to the floor. “Oh, my God! What did your mother say?”

“Well, she and my dad were having breakfast, and my sister Christine was there, too. My dad asked Chris to explain it to me, and she said that when boys got to a certain age their penises started acting differently. She said it was no big deal, but that I probably shouldn’t sleep with James any more. I’m not sure how she put it, but I got the impression that he needed more room in his bed because his penis got bigger at night.”

“That’s so adorable!” Blair said. “Was James embarrassed?”

“I’m sure he was — at least a little bit. Nobody wants his five-year-old sister to see his hard-on. But it wasn’t a big deal. That’s what my parents did so well. They made us all realize that sex was part of life, and that we’d all have different needs at different times of our lives. We only had five bedrooms, but they made sure that each kid had a private room by puberty — even though that meant that at one point, four kids were sleeping in the same room. But it made puberty seem like a good thing — like it was something to look forward to.”

“Your parents sound great,” Blair said.

“Yeah, they are,” Kylie agreed. “But you’ll find out for yourself this weekend.”

„G

When dinner was finished, Kylie offered to do the dishes while Blair modeled her new clothes. The doctor was about half through when she heard a discreet throat clearing. A wide grin settled onto Kylie’s face as she turned. “Now, that’s the Blair Spencer I’ve come to know and love.”

“Do I look okay?” the smaller woman asked tentatively.

“You look a lot more than okay,” Kylie decided, taking off the rubber gloves that she wore whenever she handled glassware or knives. “You look like yourself. You’ve got your sexy smile back.”

“I feel so much better,” Blair agreed. “Funny what a pair of chinos and a T-shirt can do for you.” She looked down at herself, ran her hand over her abdomen and said, “The T-shirt’s a little snug. Does that really look okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kylie nodded decisively. “It’s supposed to be close-fitting.” She walked all around the self-conscious woman, her head nodding the entire time. “Perfect, Blair. Really.”

“My business clothes cover me up pretty well,” Blair said. “I think I’ve gotten used to that. It feels kinda odd to display myself like this.”

“Well, given that I think your developing body is a real work of art, I might not be the most impartial judge, but I think you look wonderful.”

Smiling warmly, Blair said, “As long as you think I look good, that’s enough for me. If you’re finished, come to my room while I try on the rest of the things. No sense trying to be modest after that ultrasound.”

“Good point. I’ve seen less of women I’ve seriously dated,” Kylie said.

„G

Kylie lay on Blair’s bed, both dogs sprawled across her body while she watched the fashion show. “How did you know what colors I’d like?” Blair asked her. “You did great, by the way. I look best in yellows and greens and browns.”

“I’m not completely fashion challenged,” Kylie sniffed. “I don’t like to shop, but I know what looks good on women. I thought warm earth colors would match your skin tone and hair color.”

Blair held up a pink, sleeveless T-shirt, giving Kylie a doubtful look. “I don’t know about pink,” she said.

“Try it. You’ve got a lot of pink in your complexion.”

Blair did, and Kylie insisted they had another winner. “Go look,” the doctor urged. “It makes your hair look blonder, and it brings out the pink in your cheeks. I like it a lot.”

“You know, you’re right,” she said slowly, smiling at herself in the mirror. “I had no idea that I looked good in pink.” Blair whirled to face Kylie, her hands on her hips. “Why have you been hiding your fashion genius from me?”

The doctor threw her head back in a laugh at this unexpected and affectionate accusation. “A girl’s gotta have some secrets.”

“Aha, I should’ve known. Well, do you like the T-shirt? I don’t normally wear casual sleeveless shirts.”

“Oh, yeah,” Kylie said. “You’ve got nice arms. You should show them off.”

“Swimmer’s arms,” she said, making her triceps muscle more defined. “I was on the swim team in high school, you know.”

“No, I didn’t. I must have had a premonition, though, ‘cause I bought you a swim suit, too.”

Blair dug in the box and pulled out two pieces of stretchy, black material. “A two piece? Have you forgotten that I’m pregnant, Doctor?”

“Nope. The top is really quite substantial to give your breasts support as they continue to grow. But the bottom is a bikini. Rather than trying to cover your burgeoning belly, why not stay low? It makes sense to me, and since you’ll be here in the yard, I’ll be the only one to see you.”

“I don’t know,” Blair said, giving the suit another doubtful look, “but since you’re the only one who’ll want to poke her eyes out, I guess I won’t argue with you.” She sat next to her friend on the bed and said, “Besides, who’d argue with someone who bought her an entire casual wardrobe? This was far too generous, Kylie, but I truly appreciate every single piece. You’ve also given my self-confidence a nice boost.” She leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Now put on something for company. Nick’s coming over to get his dog-watching instructions.” Turning to the dogs, she said, “Uncle Nick's coming over, puppies! He gets to spoil you all weekend!”

„G

On Thursday afternoon, Kylie stood at the car rental counter at O'Hare, staring at the counter clerk. "That's not impressive enough. Don't you have anything hotter?"

Дата добавления: 2015-09-04