“Right. The other things you had to do were keep an eye on your grandfather,” he said. “You think I didn’t notice? How long do you plan on being my shadow? You should be gadding about, doing the things you normally do, instead of worrying yourself sick over me. I’m fine, I tell you. When are you going to listen to me?”

“Dr. Madison said to watch you for a few days.”

“It’s been a week.”

Janine was well aware of it. In fact, she was beginning to suffer from cabin fever. She’d hardly spoken to anyone all week. She hadn’t heard from Zach, either. Not that she’d expected to. Perhaps Gramps had taken them at their word. Or else he was doing what Zach had suspected and simply regrouping for the next skirmish.

Michael stirred in her arms and she held him against her shoulder, rocking him back to sleep.

“I’m going to the office tomorrow,” Gramps announced, eyeing her defiantly as though he anticipated a challenge.

“We’ll see,” she said, delaying the showdown.

Yawning, baby Michael raised his head and looked around. Gramps’s weathered face broke into a tender smile. “All right,” he agreed easily. “We’ll see.” He offered the little boy his finger and Michael gripped it firmly in his hand, then started to chew on it.

Janine laughed, enjoying her grandfather’s reaction to the baby. After a couple of minutes, Michael grew tired of the game with Anton’s finger and yawned again, arching his back. Janine decided it was time to check his diaper. She got up, reaching for the bag Patty had left.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” she told her grandfather.

She was halfway across the living room when Anton stopped her. “You look good with a baby in your arms. Natural.”

Janine smiled. She didn’t dare let him know it felt good, too.

While she was changing the baby, she heard the doorbell. Normally she would’ve answered it herself, but since she was busy, either Gramps or Mrs. McCormick would see to it.

Michael was happily investigating his toes and making cooing sounds as Janine pulled up his plastic pants. “You’re going to have to be patient with me, kiddo,” she told him, carefully untwisting the legs of his corduroy overalls and snapping them back in place. When she’d finished, she lifted him high above her head and laughed when Michael squealed delightedly. They were both smiling when she returned to the living room.

Gramps was sitting in the chair closest to the grand piano, and across from him sat Zach.

Janine’s heart lurched as her eyes flew instantly to Zach’s. “Hello, Zach,” she said, striving to sound as nonchalant as possible, tucking Michael against her hip. She cast a suspicious glare at her grandfather, who smiled back, the picture of innocence.

“Zach brought some papers for me to sign,” Gramps explained.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt you,” she apologized. Her eyes refused to leave Zach’s. He smiled that slanted half-smile of his that wasn’t really a smile at all. The one she’d always found so appealing. Something seemed to pass between them—a tenderness, a hunger.