What the Doctor Didn't Tell Her Read Free Page A

ex-wife
travels—she’s a singer, and that involves a lot of touring. Until I
married Jane, I struggled to find good sitters.”
    “ It
doesn’t appear to have hurt Zoey.” The twelve-year-old had sailed
into adolescence with considerable self-assurance. She was popular,
athletic and a good student.
    “ Kids need
a mom, especially girls.” Luke gave her a wry grin. “Despite my
medical specialty, there are some areas of Zoey’s development that
I’m happy to leave to Jane. The way women react to Daniel, he
should have no trouble finding a new mom for Nina.”
    “ You think
it’s that simple?” Sarah asked sharply. “Just find the right
interchangeable mother and….sorry, Luke. It’s been a long
day.”
    “ I did
make it sound like that, didn’t I?” he said. “Came out
wrong.”
    “ Not that
I care.” Sarah was protesting too much. Best to change the subject.
“My last two patients canceled, so I’m off early.”
    “ Thanks
again.”
    With a wave, she
stepped out. Down the hall lay the receptionist’s counter, behind
which Edda Jonas leaned forward, beaming at Daniel. They were both
chuckling, apparently over a shared joke.
    “ He should have no trouble finding a mom for
Nina.” Luke’s
remembered words sent a pang through Sarah.
    Catching Daniel’s
attention on her, she mustered a polite nod and hurried off. So
what if he was flirting with Edda? None of her business.
    The walk cleared
Sarah’s thoughts, and she arrived home in a cheerier mood. She
found her mom and Nina emptying the dishwasher. The little girl
solemnly placed silverware in a drawer, matching forks to forks and
spoons to spoons.
    Eight years ago, after
Sarah’s father died of a heart attack, Betsy had been left with
enough insurance money to pay her bills but little left over for
travel or theater tickets. To bring in extra, she’d started
baby-sitting for acquaintances. Discovering that she enjoyed caring
for other people’s children as well as earning extra income, she’d
develop this into a steady business.
    It required
flexibility to accommodate different families’ schedules, Sarah
knew. Some children came before and after school, while others
showed up later in the morning and left in the early afternoon.
There was a mixture of ages, from babies up to ten-year-olds.
Although the license allowed Betsy to care for as many as six
children at one time, she rarely supervised more than
four.
    Betsy stifled a yawn
as she regarded her daughter. “You’re home early.”
    “ Patient
cancellations.” Although she’d meant to lie down, Sarah could see
her mom was tired. “Why don’t you rest before dinner? I’ll watch
Nina till her dad gets here. I can fix dinner, too.”
    “ That
would be lovely, if it’s okay with Nina.” Betsy turned to the
little girl. “What do you say?”
    “ Yes!”
Dropping the last spoon into place, Nina ran to Sarah and held up
her arms for a hug. Flattered, Sarah scooped her up, and the
five-year-old clung to her.
    “ She
doesn’t do that with me,” Betsy said. “What’s your
secret?”
    “ My
charming personality, of course.” Sarah lowered the little girl
gently.
    Nina took her hand.
“Can we play Go Fish?”
    “ Sure.”
Card games were instructive as well as fun. Sarah fetched a deck of
cards and they sat at the table. “Do you know how many cards we
start with in our hands?”
    Nina frowned as if
fearful of making a mistake.
    “ With just
two players, we deal seven cards each.” Sarah shuffled the deck,
flipping them in the air as her father had showed her years ago.
The little girl watched in fascination. “Can you help me count
them?”
    Eagerly, the girl
joined in, counting to seven along with Sarah as she laid out their
hands, face down. Picking them up, Nina arranged the cards by
herself.
    “ You’ve
learned your numbers already. You’re in good shape to start
kindergarten.” School would begin in a month. “Do you know your
alphabet, too?”
    “ Uncle
Danny