Baby Experts 02 Read Online Free PDF Page A

are fine. I’m fine. We’rehaving a great day. Two things,” she said quickly. “First of all, your cousin Chloie called.”
    “Why didn’t she call my cell?”
    “She just got around to checking her messages and didn’t have your number in her contact list. The good news is she can help you. She’s on South Padre Island meeting with a client and will be back tonight. She can take care of the twins tomorrow. She said she’s caught up on her Web design deadlines and can take a break.”
    “Thank goodness,” he muttered, glad he didn’t have to find a nanny right away. “And the second?” Hearing in Emily’s voice the sweetness, caring and enthusiasm, he knew he could never hire Mrs. Brunswell.
    “Second,” Emily went on, “I’d like to take the girls to the park this afternoon. I’ll be very careful with them, keep my eyes on them all the time. The fresh air would be good for them.”
    He suddenly realized he trusted Amy and Courtney with Emily because they couldn’t stop talking about her, because of the expression on her face whenever she was with them. Whatever the reason, it was gut instinct. His gut instinct was telling him to dismiss Mrs. Brunswell. If Chloie could watch the girls until his mother was on her feet again, he wouldn’t need to hire a nanny. “The park will be fine. I’m going to check in on my mother and then I’ll be home.”
    After he closed his phone, he concentrated on Mrs. Brunswell again, searching for the words to tell her he wasn’t hiring her.
     
    Emily felt like a mom and loved the feeling! With the Texas-bright sun peeking around the clouds, she helped Amy from the swing, then took her hand and Courtney’s.They walked through the grass to the merry-go-round. Although she felt like a mom, she wasn’t. Soon Jared’s daughters would be under someone else’s care. “You’ll be playing with Chloie soon. That should be fun.”
    “Are you going away like our mommy did?” Amy asked.
    This was dangerous territory. Emily didn’t know enough about the situation to speak with the girls about it. At three and a half, how much could they remember about their mother?
    “I’m not going to go away. I’m going to go back to working where your dad works.”
    “Mommy ran away and never came back,” Courtney informed Emily seriously.
    Was that how Jared had explained their mother’s absence? Had they heard adults discussing it? She didn’t believe Jared should just let them think their mother went away and never came back. Yet Emily knew she had no right to discuss this with them.
    “Is Grandma coming back?” Amy wanted to know as they reached the merry-go-round.
    “Your grandma hurt herself and has to have an operation. She might have to go to a special hospital for a little while before she can come home.”
    Courtney and Amy exchanged a glance as if this had been something they’d been worrying about. These two had a special bond and Emily hoped it would last throughout their lives. She’d often wished for a sister. She’d lost her dad to a construction-site accident when she was in high school. Her mom had died of an aneurysm a year before she and Richard had married. Looking back at her life, Emily wondered if she’d worn blinders and hadn’t seen Richard’s faults because she didn’t want to be alonein the world, because she’d wanted to cling to that one person who was supposed to always stand beside her. But he hadn’t. And by the time the lawsuit had been resolved, she’d realized how different their values were.
    After Emily pushed the girls on the merry-go-round, they tried out the jungle gym while she sat on a concrete bench and watched. Suddenly a deep male voice behind her said, “They look as if they’re having fun. Maybe I should get some equipment like that for the backyard.”
    Emily swiveled on the bench and looked up into Jared’s penetrating green eyes. He was studying her loose-fitting red blouse and jeans, and she felt as if he were