Page 51 of Knocked Up in Alaska

Afterward, Izzy drove them into town so Lilah could get her car, which was parked by The Goose. On the way, her phone chimed from the handy mesh pocket of her new diaper bag. She retrieved it, riding a wave of hope that the call came from her mom, only to have the hope crash under her when the number filling the screen turned out to be one she didn’t recognize.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Lilah?”

She didn’t recognize the voice, either. “Yes.”

“Hi. Um. It’s Ray. Ray Sandoval.”

Okay, talk about random. Ray wasn’t a complete stranger, but she couldn’t think of one reason he’d have for contacting her. “Hi, Ray. How can I help you?”

“Well, actually, I was hoping we could help each other. First off, congratulations. I heard you had yourself a brand-new baby girl.”

Obviously, he been talking to someone from Captivity recently. “Thanks. You heard right.”

“How’s she doing? And you?”

“We’re both good. Officially. I just left the clinic, and Doctor Devan couldn’t be more pleased.”

“Great. That’s just great. I know you gotta get back to that baby, so I’ll try to make this quick. You know how I have that little house down by the cove?”

“I do.” She’d never been there, but she easily pictured his little blue-shingled cottage with the sloping tin roof. He used it as a getaway during spring and summer and sometimes even a place to bunk if he made a late run to Captivity during the fall or winter and got stuck on account of weather.

“Yeah, well. I’m not going to be able to use it this summer, and I’m not too keen on putting it up as a vacation rental, ’cause people trash places and you can’t get reimbursed for the damages and I don’t want to deal with the headaches, but I don’t want to leave it sitting empty, either. That’s another good way to end up with a trashed property.”

“Did you want me to swing by now and then and check on it?”

“Not exactly. I heard you might be looking for a place to live for a while. Would you be interested in moving into my place for the summer? It’s pretty basic. Just a one bedroom, one bath, with a sleeper sofa in the living room if you have a guest. But it’s got all the necessities, and everything works. Remodeled the kitchen and bath last year.”

She glanced at Izzy, who was pulling into a curbside parking spot near her Jeep. An actual lead on a place to stay? All summer? Her heart skipped. “I…maybe. How much would you want to charge for rent?”

“No, no. No rent. I’d ask you to pay the utilities while you’re there and keep the yard tidy, so the neighbors don’t complain. Call me if something needs repaired and I’ll get someone out there to see to it. That’s the deal. Interested?”

“Oh my God. Yes! Very interested. When would you want to—?”

“I’m in town today, flying out this evening. Could you meet me over there in…oh, I don’t know…maybe an hour? Take a look at the place and see if it works for you. If so, I’ll hand you keys, and we’ll call it a deal.”

“Yes. I’ll be there. And thank you, Ray. Thanks for thinking of me. See you soon.”

She disconnected, then turned to see Izzy smiling at her. “You look like you just won the lottery. What’s happened?”

“Ray Sandoval just answered one of my prayers.” She quickly explained while she unlatched Shayla’s carrier from the rear-facing baby seat that had been Archer’s and Bridget’s baby shower gift. She handed the carrier over to Izzy and went to work digging in the crack of the backseat to find the safety latch.

“You don’t have to rush off, you know,” Izzy said. “If you don’t like the cottage for any reason—any reason at all—or you’re not quite ready to go solo, you can stay with us as long as you want.”

“Oh, Izzy.” She gave up the battle for a moment and faced her friend. “I know. And I truly appreciate your generosity. Everybody’s been so kind. You, Trace, Bridget, Archer.” Her chest tightened a degree, but she worked to keep her voice normal as she added, “Ford.”

And speaking of Ford…she glanced over Izzy’s shoulder to see him walking down the covered sidewalk toward The Goose. What he did for faded jeans, a tan Goose-logo T-shirt, and a couple days of skipped shaves affected her in stupid ways, all the more stupid because a long-legged brunette in a snug white T-shirt, a short jean skirt, and chunky black boots walked beside him. Dark sunglasses covered both their eyes, but still she knew the exact moment his attention locked on her. She swallowed and forced a friendly smile even though jealousy slithered and burned like an electric eel in her chest. “Hi, Ford.”

“Hey, Lilah.” He stopped a good two feet short of where she stood. A silence stretched after his greeting, just long enough to make her feel awkward. “Hey, Iz,” he said, as if just now noticing her. His attention swung back to Lilah. “I didn’t expect you to be out and about. How are you?”

“I’m good. Fine. Izzy took Shayla and me to the clinic this morning, and—”

“I thought you said you were fine?” He pushed his glasses to the top of his head and assessed her with his dark, measuring eyes.

“We are.” She reached over and took the baby carrier from Izzy. “Doctor Devan’s pleased with both of us.”

The woman beside Ford—no, correction, girl—came closer, pushed up her sunglasses, and crouched to peer at Shayla, snug in the carrier. Yes, definitely a girl. Maybe sixteen? The realization dispelled the jealousy but left a lot of questions.

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