Free The Friends We Keep (Mischief Bay) by Susan Mallery Page B

a fan?”
    “You have no idea.”
    He leaned close. For a second she caught a scent of something woodsy and clean. Nice. “I get that from a lot of parents, but the kids love me and I love them.”
    “Don’t try to be nice now.”
    “I’m always nice.”
    And highly verbal, she thought. “You’re a writer. I don’t like writers. Look, you really have to go.”
    He studied her for a few seconds, then nodded. “It was nice to meet you, Nicole.”
    While she was happy this was over, a teeny, tiny part of her was sorry he was giving up so easily. Was it a writer thing? Because Eric had sure given up on them. Not that her marriage could be compared with her five minutes with Jairus, but still.
    He walked back over to Tyler. They talked for a few minutes, then hugged. Jairus whispered something to the boy before leaving.
    Tyler held his new book tight. “This was the best day ever.”
    Nicole brushed his hair out of his eyes. “I’m glad. He spent a lot of time with you.”
    “I know. He said he had fun.”
    “I’m sure he did. Want to get your stuff so we can go?”
    Tyler nodded and ran back the room where he’d left his lunch bag. The camp counselor moved next to Nicole.
    “He was asking about you.”
    “Tyler?”
    “No, Jairus. You know... Were you single? Did you have a boyfriend? I think he was interested.”
    There was a distinct fluttering right below her rib cage. Nicole told herself it was because she’d missed lunch. She was hungry—nothing more.
    “I hope you didn’t tell him anything.”
    “Just where you worked.”
    Nicole groaned. “Why?”
    “Did you see his butt? Plus, he’s successful.”
    “Nothing will come of it.”
    “I don’t know. He seemed pretty interested to me.”
    “You say that like it’s a good thing.”
    “Are you kidding? He’s so sexy.”
    “Not what I’m looking for.”
    “Uh-huh. Keeping telling yourself that and maybe it will be true.”

Chapter Six
    The waiting room was familiar. Hayley couldn’t guess how much time she and Rob had spent here. Talking. Hoping. There were also the appointments she’d had on her own. While it would never be a second home—no one would want that—it was familiar. Sometimes the news was good and sometimes it wasn’t. She’d cried here, hoped here.
    She knew every painting on the walls. All landscapes. There were no pictures of families in this waiting room, no children. That would be too hard. The magazines were related to travel or cooking or sports. No smiling babies on parenting magazines.
    Appointments tended to last a long time so it was rare to run into another couple. The process of having a baby when science had to get involved wasn’t easy.
    Rob sat next to her, his left ankle rested on his right knee. His foot bounced as he stared unseeingly at the magazine he’d opened. She might be the one going through the procedures, but he’d always disliked Dr. Pearce’s office. Or maybe he disliked the reason they had to be here.
    For the past four years, this place had defined their life. She’d been referred after her second miscarriage. There had been tests and discussions. It wasn’t that she couldn’t get pregnant, it was that she couldn’t stay pregnant. Her body rejected the fetus and while there were many explanations, there didn’t seem to be any solutions.
    “It’s okay,” she told Rob. “You can relax.”
    “Not here.”
    She took his hand in hers. “We’re going to have a good appointment. I can feel it.”
    He looked doubtful, but didn’t say anything. Alice, one of the nurses, called them into Dr. Pearce’s office.
    “How are you feeling?” the nurse asked as they walked down the hall.
    “Good. Taking my iron every day.”
    She had to. She’d lost so much blood with her last miscarriage. She was also bleeding on and off. If it were Halloween, she could easily do the vampire thing and be plenty pale without makeup. The thought made her smile, but she doubted Rob would appreciate the