The doorbell chimed and, grateful for an excuse to leave the room, Janine hurried to answer it. Patty St. John stood there, her face cheerless, her posture forlorn.

“I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.”

“They’d already hired someone,” Patty said, walking into the foyer and automatically taking her son from Janine. She held the infant close, as if his small warm body might absorb her disappointment. “I spent the whole day psyching myself up for this interview and it was all for nothing. Ah, well, who wants to be a receptionist at a dental clinic, anyway?”

“I’m so sorry,” Janine murmured.

“Was Michael any problem?”

“None at all,” Janine told her, wishing she could think of something encouraging to say. “I’ll get his things for you.”

It took Janine only a minute to collect Michael’s diaper bag, but when she returned to the entryway, she discovered Zach talking to Patty. Janine saw him hand her friend a business card and overheard him suggesting she report to the Human Resources department early the following week.

“Thanks again,” Patty said enthusiastically. She lifted Michael’s hand. “Say bye-bye,” she coaxed the baby, then raised his arm and moved it for him.

Janine let her out, with Zach standing next to her. Gramps had gone into the library, and Zach glanced anxiously in that direction before lowering his voice to a whisper. “Can you meet me later?”

“When?”

“In an hour.” He checked his watch, then mentioned the number of a pier along the waterfront. Janine had just managed to clarify the location when Gramps came back.

Zach left the house soon afterward and Janine was able to invent an excuse half an hour later. Gramps was reading and didn’t bother to look up from his mystery novel, although Janine thought she saw the hint of a smile, as if he knew full well what she was doing. She didn’t linger to investigate. The last time she’d agreed to a clandestine meeting with Zach had been the night they’d met at the Italian restaurant, when she’d all but blurted out the arrangements to her grandfather.

Zach was waiting for her, grim-faced. He stood against the pier railing, the wind whipping his raincoat against his legs.

“I hope there’s a good reason for this, because I don’t think Gramps was fooled,” Janine said when she joined him. “He’ll figure out that I’m meeting you if I’m not back soon.” She buried her hands in her pockets, turning away from the wind. The afternoon sky was gray, threatening rain.

“Am I interrupting anything important?”

“Not really.” Janine wouldn’t have minded listing several pressing engagements, but she’d canceled everything for the next two weeks, wanting to stay close to home in case her grandfather needed her.

Zach clasped his hands behind his back and started strolling down the pier, the wind ruffling his neatly trimmed hair. Janine followed. “I’m worried about Anton,” he said suddenly, stopping and facing Janine.

“Why?” Perhaps there was something she didn’t know about his health, something Dr. Madison hadn’t told her.