Page 106 of I Will Find You

“What, I never had a crush on David.”

“You talked about him nonstop.”

“You almost sound jealous, Hayden.”

He smiled. “Perhaps I was.”

This was a minefield she didn’t want to wander into. “Do you trust me?” she asked him.

“You know I do.”

“Can you get me the pics?”

He picked up the water glass, took a sip. “Yes.”

“Thank you.”

“So what else?” he asked.

She knew him well. “This favor is trickier.”

The waiter came over with a second dish. “Jamon Iberico with caviar.”

Hayden smiled at him. “Thank you, Ken.”

“Enjoy.”

“You’re going to love these,” Hayden said. He scooped some of the paella onto her plate. It smelled fantastic, but Rachel ignored it for the moment. Hayden took a bite, closed his eyes as though savoring. When he opened them again, he said, “So what’s the favor?”

“One of the logos on that backdrop,” Rachel said, “is for the Berg Reproductive Institute.”

“Makes sense,” Hayden says. “It’s one of our holdings. You know that.”

“I do.”

“So?”

“So ten years ago, I made an appointment at one.”

Hayden stopped midbite. “Pardon?”

“I called Barb.” Barb Matteson was the institute’s manager at the time. “You introduced us.”

“I remember. At the family holiday party.”

“Right.”

“I don’t understand.” Hayden put the fork down. “Why did you make an appointment?”

“I told her I wanted to look into getting pregnant via donor sperm.”

“Are you serious?”

“About making the appointment? Yes. About going through with it? No.”

“I’m not following, Rachel.”

“I made the appointment for Cheryl.”

---