"That"s great," Penny said. "I"m looking forward to seeing you and Dad."
"Oh, not just us. Your sisters are coming, too. And the kids. Sean and Jack can"t take off, which is too bad."
"The whole clan," she said weakly. "My house is kind of small. Oh, and I have a temporary roommate."
"Not to worry," her mother said. "We have hotel rooms. I"ll e-mail you the details. We"re really looking forward to this, Penny."
"Me, too."
They chatted a few more minutes, then hung up. Naomi sipped from her champagne gla.s.s and grinned. "h.e.l.l of a time to be pregnant, huh?"
Penny eyed the liquor enviously. "Tell me about it. My parents are coming, along with my sisters and their kids. They"re going to want to see the restaurant."
"Yes, they are."
"They"re going to poke through my house and want to talk about the future."
"Parents are like that."
"They"ll worry about me having a baby on my own."
"Sure."
Edouard swore in French. "The back burners are out. All four of them. I cannot work in conditions like this."
Penny groaned. She couldn"t afford to lose half her burners. Not when they were expecting a full house.
"I"ll call," she said as she hurried toward her office. Welcome to her world, she thought. Where it was always insane.
"Then we need to talk about the mushrooms," Naomi told her. "They smell funny."
"THANKS FOR COMING," Cal said. "You didn"t have to do this."
"I wanted to," Penny told him as they walked through the hospital.
He doubted that visiting his daughter would make the top-five list of ways she wanted to spend her day, but he appreciated her willingness to accompany him.
Penny had really been there for him, he thought. Helping him after he"d donated the bone marrow, feeding him, being a friend. Repaying that kindness by jumping her bones had seemed too slimy, so he"d resisted the urge to suggest they cash in on their rain check. Even though he"d wanted to.
He glanced at her as they waited for the elevator. She was showing more and more. He supposed that some guys would have found her growing size unappealing, but he thought she was s.e.xy as h.e.l.l, all lush curves and glowing health. He liked the way she moved, the way she smelled, the promise that seemed to be in every smile.
Complications, he thought. Getting involved with Penny would be nothing but complications. Another reason to resist his need for her. But he sure was tempted.
They rode up to their floor, then stepped into the corridor.
"We have to check in," he said. "Tracy, Lindsey"s mom, said they"ll explain about the mask and gown we have to wear. Her immune system is still recovering. Apparently she"s doing much better than anyone expected and she"ll be out of the hospital in a few weeks, but until then, we all have to be careful."
Penny touched his arm. "You"re nervous. That"s normal, but I"m still only going as far as the door. This is a private moment."
"I don"t know how to talk to her. I"ve known about her all her life, but she"s never given me any thought. What do I say?"
"I don"t know," she sighed. "Speak from your heart. Your goal here is to connect. Just establish some easy conversation, then sort of slide into the fact that you"re her father."
Cal tried to imagine himself saying the words, but it was impossible. He"d kept the secret for too long.
"Tracy will be there, right?" Penny asked.
He nodded. "She and I agreed it"s important for Lindsey to have her mother around."
Penny smiled. "You always say "her mother" or "her father." Never "her adoptive mother.""
"Tracy is her mother. Alison"s role in Lindsey"s life was to provide an egg and rental s.p.a.ce for nine months. Nothing else."
And his role had been even less. He"d given his daughter some DNA and then he"d cut her loose.
Penny moved close and stared into his eyes. "Don"t go there. You did more than just offer up sperm. Despite wanting to keep her, you made a conscious choice to make her life better. You did everything in your power to make sure she would be happy."
"I didn"t want to let her go."
"Knowing what you know now, do you think you made the wrong decision?"
Good question. Could he have raised Lindsey better? Could he have made her more happy? He"d still been a kid himself. What about Gloria and her need to meddle in every aspect of everyone"s life? What about Lindsey getting sick?
"This was the right choice," he said slowly. "I know that."
"Then maybe it"s time to give yourself a break, Cal. Maybe you should let go of the guilt and be happy your daughter is alive and getting better. How long are you going to punish yourself for giving her the best of everything in the world?"
He stared at Penny. Was it really that simple? Had he been punishing himself for doing what was obviously the best for his daughter?
"You have your moments," he said.
"I know." She smiled. "I can be brilliant on demand. It"s a gift."
"Okay. Be brilliant now and tell me what to say to Lindsey."
"How about telling her that you"re her father and that you love her very much?"
Before he could answer, Tracy came out of a room at the far end of the hall. She wore a long hospital gown.
"Hi," she said as she approached. "Right on time. Are you ready to get all covered up? Lindsey"s doing great. Even better than we"d all hoped. It looks like she"ll be able to come home fairly soon. Not that she can go back to school. No crowds for her for a while, but still. We"re happy and so very grateful."
She was nervous. Cal could see it in her eyes and hear it in her fast-paced words.
"Tracy," he began.
She shook her head. "It"s fine. Really. This is for the best. Lindsey wants to meet the man who saved her life and you want to meet your daughter. I didn"t tell her. I..." She swallowed. "I didn"t know how," she admitted. "Which is probably a good thing. You"ve been waiting to tell her for a long time. You"ve more than earned this, Cal. Really. Tom and I are so grateful."