Caroline's Choice E-Book

Simone Beaudelaire

• Herausgeber: Next Chapter
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Years past her thirtieth birthday, English professor Caroline Jones's biological clock isn't just ticking, it's screaming.

With her boyfriend dragging his feet, Caroline's attempt at an ultimatum shatters their troubled relationship and leaves her no closer to her goals. The dream of motherhood seems to be slipping away.

When Victor, her handsome former student, shows up with an offer she can't refuse, Caroline finds herself having to make an unexpected choice.

But is Victor only her baby-daddy, or has the love of her life been with her all along?

Contains graphic sex scenes.

Leseprobe

CAROLINE’S CHOICE

HEARTS IN WINTER BOOK 4

SIMONE BEAUDELAIRE

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Epilogue

Afterword

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About the Author

Books by Simone Beaudelaire

Copyright (C) 2014 Simone Beaudelaire

Layout design and Copyright (C) 2020 by Next Chapter

Published 2020 by Next Chapter

Cover art by http://www.thecovercollection.com/

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author’s permission.

This book is dedicated to Gabrielle, Adrienne, Ian and Alyssa. Thank you for making me a mom.

CHAPTER1

Victor Martinez paused in front of the office of his favorite professor, Dr. Caroline Jones.

He had taken all four of his English classes from her, and even though he had long since completed his English requirements, he liked to stop by and say hello now and again. Caring and involved beyond what her job required, Dr. Jones always seemed more like a friend than a teacher. My days of stopping by to see her are drawing to a close, he thought with a pang, but I can’t resist visiting one more time…and one more…and probably one more after that.

He sighed, reading a notice on the door inviting students to contribute to the literary magazine. If I had the cojones to write it, I could sure add a contribution to that… but it would reveal too much and probably embarrass her. He sighed, terminal shyness warring with desperate longing.

I should quit hanging around. I don’t even have a reason to be in the Humanities building anymore.

None of his meandering thoughts stopped him from lifting his hand to knock.

Through the closed door, he heard Caroline’s normally musical voice raised to nearly a shout, angry and tinged with grief. The sound froze his movement colder than the frost outside the window. He’d never heard such a tone from her before.

“No, and that’s final,” she snarled, and then, a moment later, “No, it was your responsibility to make sure I knew how you felt since you…” her voice broke, “you were the one with the unusual priorities.”

After a long pause punctuated by rasping breaths loud enough to penetrate the door, she snarled, “It’s over, William. Don’t contact me again.”

The telephone clanged into the receiver loudly enough Victor could hear it from the hallway. Shattered respirations told the rest of the story.

The sound drew Victor like a magnet. Unable to consider any alternatives, he knocked gently and opened the door without waiting for a reply.

The move revealed a cozy, feminine space containing a desk topped with a purple and blue scarf, long fringes trailing over the edges. Behind and to the left stood two bookshelves loaded with textbooks and novels. To the right, a cream leather loveseat took up the entire wall. Framed sketches of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning hung above it.

Caroline sat behind her desk, her face buried in her hands, shoulders shaking. At his entrance, her head shot up, revealing a red nose and tears streaming down her cheeks.

Victor stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. “Hello, Dr. Jones,” he said gently.

“Victor.” She tried to smile. It wasn’t convincing at all.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, unable to suppress his growing concern.

“I suppose you wouldn’t believe me if I said nothing was wrong.” She smiled, an unsteady twisting of her lips that revealed no humor.

Victor just looked at her.

“It’s personal,” she added finally.

“Yes, I can see that,” he replied, “but it’s not good to be alone when personal things are going wrong. Is there anyone I can call for you?”

She considered for a moment. “No, not really.”

What is that in her expression? Like… desperation. She must want to let it out. “Then could you talk to me?” he urged. “I don’t like to see you hurting like this.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little unprofessional? After all, you’re still a student, right?” Something in her tone seemed to ask him to keep probing, not to take the immediate rejection as final.

“Yes,” he admitted. “I have one more semester after this one. However, I’m not your student anymore. I never will be again, so I don’t think we have to worry about that.” He took a breath, reaching across the desk to lay his hand on hers. “I would rather be your friend.”

Caroline smiled, a little more convincingly this time.

She likes that idea too. Excellent. Maybe I can cultivate a more personal connection with her over time.

“Please, come sit with me,” she urged. “Personal conversations shouldn’t take place across a desk.” She indicated the sofa as she rose, settling onto the cushions and wiping her eyes with one finger as though to dispel any lingering wetness.

.Lord, she’s beautiful, he thought, admiringher glossy, chocolate-colored hair clipped into a pixie cut that looked both sexy and innocent, her hazel eyes glowing even greener than usual. Victor’s heart began hammering as he crossed the room in three small steps. I can hardly believe how bold I was, pushing this conversation on her. Everyone knows how shy I am… but this is Dr. Jones. There’s something about her that has always dragged me into action. Besides, if there’s a human being who knows my innermost thoughts better than this woman, I can’t imagine who it would be.

A closeness exists between a nurturing teacher and a responsive student that transcends gender and age. After four semesters—two full years—of him writing with more and more openness, Victor had become a book laid open on her desk, and she had read every page.

The bond went both directions, too. A teacher reveals feelings, likes and dislikes, and aspects of character. An astute observer can pick up on these cues and come to know the person behind the podium. Victor had observed Caroline closely. The step between student and friend was one of definition only.

They sat in silence for several seconds. Silence didn’t bother him, and it was a comfortable kind of quiet anyway, one that meant she didn’t feel nervous with him there.

“There’s really nothing too shocking,” she said at last. “I broke up with my boyfriend. We’ve been together for almost three years. It was the right thing to do, but it still hurts.”

“What went wrong?” he asked, letting every ounce of concern bleed into his expression.

“I… well… I’m thirty-three years old, Victor. I want a family. When I started to talk to him about marriage, children, he said he wasn’t interested in either one, ever. He figured on remaining single for life. I couldn’t live with that. We have different goals and priorities. I guess we really don’t belong together…” Caroline sniffled and rubbed her reddened nose.

‘What kind of jackass is this? He doesn’t want to get married? Have kids? What was he hanging around so long for?”

“I guess I just let him,” she replied, shoulders drooping. “We dated casually for a year before becoming… close. Then I assumed things were progressing, and he apparently didn’t. I let our relationship drift too long, and it’s three years later. I’m no closer to having a family and…” she sniffled.

Victor took her hand in his. “And…” he prodded gently.

“And now I probably never will.” Her face turned bleak with grief.

“Why on earth not?” He stared at her, puzzled.

Seeming to realize his confusion, she inhaled a deep breath and blurted, “I’m over thirty with no prospects. Making a family is a slow process. Even if I met someone right away, it would take time… too much time, and by then, the risks increase of either not being able to have a child, or of having one with… problems.”

She isn’t wrong, but there has to be a solution. Victor considered, his eyes roving over her lovely face. An idea dawned on him… but how to phrase it… it’s a personal suggestion and I don’t want her to take offense. “Well,” he said slowly, carefully squashing down any feelings his words might generate, “if you insist on doing everything the traditional way, you may be right. After all, you have to meet someone, fall in love, get engaged, plan a wedding, and then get pregnant. That could take years. But what if you decided not to go the traditional route?”

Her delicately arched eyebrows drew together. “What do you mean?”

“Well, what if you asked a friend to help you get pregnant? Then you could have a baby right away and work on the rest later.” Years of pretending he didn’t go through life squirming with shyness enabled Victor to say the words, but the heat in his face sufficed to tell him his suggestion didn’t sound as casual as he’d hoped.

Her eyes widened and then narrowed, but she answered the suggestion, not his expression. “I wouldn’t even know where to start. Who would be willing to do that?”

“You might be surprised, Caroline.” It felt both strange and exciting to use her first name. His detachment melted away like snow in April with each word, until he spoke directly from the heart. “You are one of the kindest people I know. You should be able to have as many babies as you want. You would be a wonderful mother. What a fool your William is not to realize what he had.”

She rewarded him with pink cheeks and shy half-smile. “You’re sweet, Victor, but I think you’re overestimating my charms. No one I know would do such a thing for me. I wouldn’t even know how to ask.”

The discussion distracted her from her misery. Good. But it also opened a door for me. Victor took a deep breath and steeled himself. He couldn’t not take the next step. The risk is great, but the reward…He brought up one calloused hand to touch her face, and he said softly, his voice husky with feeling, “I’m not overestimating anything.”

Caroline’s eyes widened.

He continued. “You have no idea how desirable you are, do you? Well, little teacher, let me show you. I’m going to kiss you, right now. Stop me.” He leaned forward with aching slowness.

She didn’t stop him.

His lips caressed Caroline’s with the same tentative desire he was sure she’d heard in his voice.

Her hands came up against his chest, not to push him away, but just to touch. The warmth of her fingers sank through the soft gray fabric of his tee-shirt and seemed to brand his skin.

When he pulled back, she opened her eyes slowly. “Did you actually want me to stop you?”

“Of course not,” he replied, his eyes intense and hot as they burned into hers, “but I wanted to give you fair warning.”

“Why?”

“Why what? Please don’t be asking why I kissed you!”

“Why now, Victor? Why today? Please say you aren’t just feeling sorry for me.”

“No, Caroline, nothing like that. I’ve wanted to forever, since my freshman year. I’ve dreamed about you. Today seemed like the right day. I might never have another opportunity like this, and I’m not a fool.”

“It’s a lot to take in. You were a student to me yesterday.” Yet her expression hinted at something… more.

“Not just another student,” he dared to press.

“No,” she admitted, her eyes skating away from his. Then she looked back, meeting his gaze. “A really important one. You have always been terribly special to me, but the distinction still matters. I could be in so much trouble for just that kiss.” She gulped. “This has been a horrible day, and now… What do you want from me?”

“Only for you to be happy,” he replied with all honesty. “You work so hard helping others. You deserve it. If I can play some part in it, I will. I want to. Also, I want to kiss you again. You had better stop me this time,” he challenged her.

Caroline gazed into Victor’s beautiful brown eyes. More desire than she had ever had directed at her before set them ablaze. She found herself susceptible to that lust, that longing. If I’m honest, I have to admit I’ve never been completely immune to it. Plus, his first kiss was absolutely delicious. “No, don’t stop.”

This time he moved with deliberation. His arms encircled her slim waist as his mouth came down on hers.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of his embrace and his sexy, spicy, masculine scent. Even though his mouth claimed hers with intense pressure, he had the softest, most beautifully shaped lips she had ever kissed; the upper one a perfect Cupid’s bow, the lower almost too full. He has a mouth fit for a god.

The sudden, forbidden passion between them overwhelmed her, not least of all because she had just come from a doomed affair with another man. You really are hopeless. Helpless too, she realized. Done in by the sweetness of his kiss. His tongue touched her lips, and she opened, tasting the mint of his toothpaste as desire washed over her.

When the endless moment passed, he didn’t release her but continued to hold her against his chest. He leaned close to her ear and murmured, “I can’t undo the pain you’ve experienced today. I can’t recover those years for you. But I’ll do whatever else you want. Anything.”

“Anything is a big promise, Victor.” She pulled back, admiring the chocolate pools of his eyes. I could happily drown in them.

“I mean it,” he insisted.

“And if I asked you…” she swallowed hard. “And if I asked you to give me a baby?”

Victor froze, staring thunderstruck into her face for an endless moment. Then he captured her hand in his and guided it down to the front of his jeans. “Feel these?” he murmured, gently wrapping her fingers around his testicles

She swallowed again and nodded, drawing a shaky breath through her nose.

“I’m really fertile. There’s a ton of sperm in there. If I thought you would let me, I would put all of it inside you. You could walk out of here pregnant, today.” He guided her hand higher, to his painfully swollen erection. “Feel me there? I’m ready to give you what you want right now.”

Unable to take in the full scope of his offer, she turned to the details. “How do you know you’re fertile?”

“I’ve donated sperm before. They told me.” His tawny cheeks darkened, but he spoke calmly.

“Oh… why?”

He quirked his eyebrow and gave her a wry grin. “I’m shy, Caroline. I wasn’t sure I would ever have the opportunity to be a father otherwise.”

“Shy, Victor? You don’t seem shy to me. You put my hand on your penis and then claim to be timid?”

One corner of his mouth lifted into a wry half-smile. “With you, I’m not. You know me too well. I trust you.”

He trusts me. All the reasons why this conversation should end floated away, destroyed by the hot look on his face and the pleasure of his kiss. She couldn’t imagine being so deeply, passionately desired. An inferno of lust sizzled through her. His hand slid to her thigh and her control snapped. I have to have what this man is offering me… right now! Caroline disengaged her hand from his groin, planted her hands on his shoulders and swung her leg over so she knelt straddling his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her lips on his.

Their mouths met with punishing force, each one determined to show the other something… nameless, wordless, but real.

I can hardly believe this happening. This is reckless, her harried conscience shrieked. Here I am, in my own office, with a former student from my own classes, making out like a teenager. The very inappropriateness of the situation jangled her overwrought nerves terribly. But for sheer fantasy-fueling naughtiness, one could scarcely imagine a more arousing scenario.

And now, his warm hands slid over the front of her dress, caressing her belly and fondling her breasts tenderly, his fingertips lingering on her sensitive nipples.

Too much fabric muffled the pleasure of his touch, so she unhooked and wriggled out of her bra. Sliding it out from under her dress, she dropped it carelessly behind her.

Victor pulled back and stared at the bewitching sight of taut peaks pressing against her bodice. He made an inarticulate sound and leaned forward to taste one, then the other, right through the fabric.

Caroline tilted her head back, giving him greater freedom.

He took it, lifting, shaping and molding her breasts. How lovely they are, neither large nor small but beautifully round and upright. I want to savor them for hours…

Footsteps resounded in the hallway as they approached… and passed without pausing.

Reality attempted to break through the drugging embrace. Not here. This is a terrible place. We should go…somewhere; my apartment, her house, a hotel, the backseat of a car, anywhere. He tried to force himself to stop touching her so he could make the offer of better privacy, but her hands lifted to the buttons that fastened the front of her dress, opening them and letting the fabric gape, teasing him with a peek at her pretty skin.

His intentions disappeared in a tidal wave of arousal. One more button and I’ll be able to open her dress and see her.

She released it.

Victor peeled back the fabric to look at her breasts: pale, pale skin, soft as silk, with delicate, rosy nipples hardened to points.

“Victor,” she spoke his name softly. Brown eyes met hazel. Her tiny hand curved around one globe and lifted it. “Put that beautiful mouth on me.”

It was an invitation he didn’t even want to consider resisting. Leaning forward, he kissed the straining tip before opening his mouth on it, sucking gently to pull it in.

Caroline moaned. Victor’s mouth is amazing. On my breast, it’s even more amazing.

He tugged and suckled until she squirmed. As her desire grew, the moisture between her thighs gathered until her panties felt damp with it. The erection she had touched through his jeans had felt nice and thick. I want it inside me, she thought, and her whole body sizzled in agreement. She reached low, opening his belt, unbuttoning his jeans and pulling down the zipper. It only freed a tiny amount of space, but it sufficed to allow her to slide her hand inside. Through his underwear, she could feel his hardened, pulsing flesh. She gently squeezed.

Victor exhaled sharply. “Oh God, Caroline,” he moaned.

She hungered for the feel of his skin, so she backed up and reached into his underwear, touching him intimately. There was no room for vigorous stroking, but her deft fingers caressed him, trailing over the sensitive head.

“More,” she urged.

He lifted his mouth back to hers and wriggled his jeans and underwear down to the floor beneath her body. It was an awkward move, but it worked, and it put his hands between her thighs. He cupped her, then ran one finger along the elastic and moved it aside so he could touch her.

She squeezed her eyes shut as Victor’s finger explored her. He lovingly traced each fold, dipped once into her vagina and then slid up to her clitoris, where he skillfully caressed and circled until she was panting. Already the tension had nearly reached critical, and his touch came close to putting her in orbit.

“Please, stop,” she whispered frantically against his ear.

“Why?”

“If you make me come I’m going to scream.”

He chuckled. “I’d like to hear that.”

“Not here. Next time, okay?” There will be a next time. There has to be.

His slow nod and the brightness in his eyes told her he agreed. “Okay. Where were we?” he asked.

“I was about to take my panties off.”

“Good idea.”

She could think of no way to stay on him and remove them, so she stood briefly, dropping the scrap of fabric to the floor before she climbed back onto his lap, taking his sex in her hand and stroking once, twice, before positioning him. They arched their hips together and Victor’s erection slid through the drenched entrance of Caroline’s body.

She exhaled in a whoosh. I was right. He is a nice size, thick enough to stretch me a little. Just the right length too. The precious delivery will be placed perfectly for maximum effectiveness. Remembering why they were doing this made the moment even hotter and she moaned softly.

“Oh, Caroline, you’re so tight and wet. God, you feel great,” he whispered in her ear.

“So do you.”

“Ride me, little teacher.”

Caroline rose upward, letting Victor’s sex glide gloriously inside her. I’m going to come anyway, she realized. I’ve never been this ready.

They surged back together, seeking complete penetration again and finding it. The naughtiness of what they were doing, the newness, and the perfect stimulation combined to produce a mutual orgasm of blinding force.

They leaned together and sealed their mouths on each other. They drank in the pleasure noises, keeping each other silent so their passion could remain a secret.

As Caroline returned to awareness, she lowered her head to Victor’s shoulder. I should be embarrassed by what I just did, but I’m not. It was great, the best sex of my life, and I want more of it… more of Victor.

He lifted her into his arms and lowered her, so she lay on her back on the sofa. Retrieving her panties, he slid them back onto her before pulling up his pants.

She smoothed her dress back down over her legs and he tenderly fastened the buttons.

“Stay there a while,” he told her, “let gravity help you.”

“Right. Victor?”

He met her eyes. “Yes?”

“That was… wild, but really good.”

“It was.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb.

“We need to talk. What’s next?” There’s something here. There just has to be. And wouldn’t such a smart, kind, handsome man be an excellent baby-daddy?

“Yes, we do. Not here though. Enough is enough. This is going to be a private conversation.” He touched his lips to her forehead.

“It is.”

“Okay.” He brushed her mouth with his again before rising to grab a sticky note and pen from her desk. “Will you please call me?” he begged, his warm brown eyes pleading as he held out the note on which he'd written his number.

Now he turns shy, but it’s an easy promise to keep. “Okay, I’ll call you tonight. We’ll have to find time to get together and talk.”

Her promise restored his confidence. “Talk, and other things.” He waggled his eyebrows.

“Yes,” she said, laughing at his eager expression.

He knelt beside her and kissed her mouth. “I hope you’re feeling better.”

“Yes. Thank you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck for a warm hug. One more quick kiss and he turned and left.

Caroline lay there for several minutes. Who would have guessed that the shy, handsome student I’ve always liked so much would suddenly become my lover? Oh, I won’t lie. I’ve always been attracted to him. He’s awfully good looking after all; dark and handsome, my favorite, with dark brown hair and medium brown skin.

Okay, so he isn’t particularly tall, but then, I’m so petite it doesn’t matter. He’s taller than me. I had to struggle so hard to remain professional with him when he came to my office for help, his tee shirt clinging to his sculpted arm and shoulder muscles, his faded jeans riding low on his narrow hips, his sexy cologne filling the room. I’m not quite sure what became of my sense, that I allowed—no, encouraged—him to have sex with me, and here in my office of all places. We were so lucky not to get caught.

What was my motivation? It’s complex to be sure. Hmmm.

Her breakup with William, of course, should have meant that she would never have a baby. Desperate longing for a child coupled with her secret attraction to Victor had made sex with him a possibility.

Not to mention I’m just horny. It had been over a month since she and William had been intimate, and even then, their affair had been growing increasingly unsatisfying for the longest time.

Well, I’m satisfied now. A wicked smile crossed her face. No one will believe this.

Her mind wandered back to the day that marked the beginning of the end of her previous relationship…

The expected knock on the door of her house brought a strange sense of excitement mixed with discomfort. She rose from the sofa and moved in the direction of her formal front entrance—not the side door into the mudroom she and her friends all used.

What does this feeling mean? Since when did my Saturday liaison with my boyfriend cause anxiety? It must have been last week when pinned my arms down… or the week before when he blindfolded me. A cold dread dampening her usual ardor, she twisted the knob and revealed the tall, stately form of her man: dark hair with silver wings, dignified and handsome. His dark eyes burned with an expression that made her deeply uncomfortable.

Should I say something? I don’t want to seem like a prude.

He stepped into the room and began to move toward her with a stealthy, predatory step.

She couldn’t help but step back. Apparently, I am a prude, but this game doesn’t excite me. “William, what are you doing?” she demanded, straightening her spine. She set her heels, trying to seem taller.

“Playing chase. It’s just a game. God, Carrie, don’t you want to have fun in bed? Does it always have to be serious?”

“Please, don’t call me Carrie. I’ve asked you not to, and this doesn’t seem like fun to me. You’re scaring me. Stop it.”

His grin grew even wider until the sight of it made her want to hide. “A little fear can make it even better.”

Gulping down her rising panic, she lifted her chin in a show of bravado. “For you, maybe. William, if sex is fun, it’s got to be fun for both partners. I don’t like what you’re doing.”

“You don’t trust me.” He dropped the teasing act and frowned. “You know I would never hurt you, Carrie.”

I do know that… or at least I think I do. She tried to relax and let her boyfriend take her hand. He led her to the bedroom and gently unbuttoning her blouse.

“Undress me, Carrie,” he urged. “I know you want this.”

She nodded, trying to recapture her rapidly-cooling ardor. I feel so… wrong, she thought as he slid her skirt down her thighs, leaving her standing before him in her underwear, feeling more vulnerable and less aroused than she could recall since the relationship began. Determined not to spoil the afternoon, she obediently tugged off his sweater and unbuckled his belt. His pants skimmed down his narrow hips with little prompting.

Caroline shifted on the office couch, not liking the turn her thoughts had taken. She finished the scene quickly in her mind, skimming over the details.

I made a teasing, flippant comment, hoping to restore our shattered comfort level. I can’t even remember what I said, but I’ll never forget how his dark eyes flashed a second before he put me over his knee and spanked me… hard. God, I hated that. I truly don’t understand how pain spurs pleasure in some people, but it clearly doesn’t work for me. Four slaps later, and I was still too stunned to react when he dumped me onto the bed and mounted me. I didn’t say no. I can’t claim it was assault, but it certainly wasn’t the kind of sex I enjoy. At least it was over fast. But, damn, that was rough. I was sore for two days afterwards.

And then he started kissing me. That’s when I sort of woke up. “Stop it!” I shoved him away from me, and despite how much bigger he is, I actually moved him enough to escape his crushing weight.

“What’s wrong? That was amazing.”

“It was horrible. You hurt me. What’s wrong with you?” I pulled on my underwear so hard I almost tore it. Then I dragged on my bathrobe. Being naked made me feel more vulnerable than ever.

“It’s just a game, Carrie. Kink. What’s the matter?”

“Don’t call me Carrie,” I hissed. I was too angry even to shout. “I. Don’t. Like. Kink. Now get out of my house and don’t come back.”

“Wait, what?” He looked so surprised.

“Are you obtuse? You like it this way, so everyone else must? I told you I was uncomfortable, but you didn’t listen. You never listen. You won’t even call me by my real name. What kind of boyfriend is that? No, we’re through. Get out.”

I met his eyes as his expression changed from consternation to awareness to determination.

“Carrie… Caroline… I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. It was my mistake. I should have paid closer attention. Please, let’s not break up. Give me one more chance. If you don’t like kink, I won’t do it anymore. I promise.”

She had given him one chance, and he’d made the most of it, but it quickly became obvious that the pleasurable vanilla sex she preferred bored him, and the longer they lingered, the less often he was willing to go there with her until it became rare for them to be intimate at all.

That had been months ago. He never complained, but the distance grew with every passing day. And now it’s over. Spectacularly, amazingly over. The breakup itself had been as tepid as the relationship. No sooner had she said the word ‘family’ than he’d replied, in a calm, mild voice, that family was not something he intended to have.

That had been the end for her, right there. I’m glad. I should have ended it ages ago. After all, I’m not what he needs either.

A noise sounded in the hallway. Emma, the custodian, clattered her bucket of tools over the tile, leaning heavily on her one squeaky shoe.

Caroline, ready to release thoughts of her former boyfriend, jumped from the couch, grabbed her bra from the corner of her desk where it had been tossed, and stuffed it into her purse just before the customary knock on the door.

“Come in,” she called, hoping she looked relatively normal, not like a woman who’d just had amazing, wild sex.

Emma ambled squeakily into the room. “Evenin’, Dr. Jones,” she said.

“Hello, Emma. How are you doing?”

“Fine, just fine.” She scooped up the trash can beside Caroline’s desk and dumped the papers and an empty brown bag into her cart.

“Have you heard from your son?” Caroline asked.

Emma smiled. “Yes. He called me yesterday. Says it’s hot in Afghanistan.” She set the can back on the floor.

“I bet. Is he safe and all?”

Emma’s smile faded. “So far.”

“And your daughter?”

Emma’s frown changed and she beamed. “She had her baby over the weekend. It’s a boy.”

“Congratulations. What’s his name?”

“Darryl James. And thank you. They’re just so excited. Would you like to see a picture?”

“Of course!”

Emma reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. A few clicks brought up a picture of a pretty, dark-skinned woman sitting in a hospital bed beside a ghostly pale man with wild red hair and freckles. His arm encircled her. They held a tiny new baby who looked attractively like a mix between the two of them.

“He’s going to be a heartbreaker, Emma,” Caroline said, smiling.

The custodian grinned even bigger. “How come you don’t have any babies, Dr. Jones? You’d be such a nice mother.”

Caroline closed her eyes. “I want one, believe me. I hope it’s not too late.”

The custodian gave her a considering look. “I’ll say a prayer for you if you like.”

Caroline’s eyes burned. “Thank you, Emma. I’ll take all the help I can get. Listen, I have to run. Have a good evening.”

“See you later, Dr. Jones.”

“Caroline, Emma. Please, call me Caroline,” she reminded her.

Emma smiled but didn’t respond.

Caroline grabbed her purse and coat and hurried into the hallway. I’m going to be so late meeting my friends, but I have to make a quick stop in the bathroom to put my bra back on. Pushing through the door, she peeked in the mirror. Nothing obvious. I look normal.

She ducked into a stall and quickly hooked herself into the black lace garment. Then she threw on her coat and made her way down the hallway. No point racing around. I’m already late. As she descended the stairs, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Sophie’s number.

Her best friend answered.

“Hi, Sophie. It’s Caroline. I’m running a little late today.”

“Yes, I guess so,” her friend replied in a mildly ironic tease. “Are you going to make it?”

“Should I try? I’m almost in the parking lot.”

“Yeah, I think we’re going to eat here tonight,” her friend replied.

Oh, yum! And do I ever have an appetite. “Okay. I’ll get there as quick as I can.”

“Can we order you something? Your usual?”

Caroline considered her habitual glass of cabernet sauvignon. It sounds good, but… “Not tonight. Just order me a raspberry lemonade, please.”

“Sure thing. See you in ten.”