Her whole point in being hired was to help Cara. Besides, she’d come to love Cara too much to put her through extra pain, if she could avoid it.
If only she hadn’t been so dumb about birth control…
Cara quirked her head at her as they kept walking. “I really always wanted a brother or a sister. Maybe both. I just… I think if Mom hadn’t died, eventually I would have had tons. Mom was such a good mom – what I can remember. Dad’s pretty awesome, and I know he works hard, but he makes time for zoo trips and the aquarium and everything else. He really is good.”
“I know, and if he didn’t care about you, he wouldn’t have hired you the best babysitter ever.”
Cara winked. “I could just say ‘And who’s that again,’ but you’ve been super fun all summer, and I’m glad you’re here. I did always want tons of siblings, but then Dad was so sad after Mom died. We just… How can you expect anything like that? Now he’s kind of old, so I’m used to being an only child. Why?”
Ooh, caught.
Jessica sighed and shrugged as they reached the backyard (which was as big as three or four lots put together). “Just curious. My mom and dad… I think my mom grew apart from my dad pretty fast after I was born. There was this guy, and she cheated.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too,” Jessica said, setting the ball on the ground and kicking it a bit. “But I was always an only child, and it was pretty obvious it was going to be that way. I wish I had a sister, you know? Someone I could always tell my secrets too. I have good friends, but I thought… you know, slumber parties and braiding our hair… that sort of stuff would have been really fun.”
“Yeah, but we have soccer!” Cara said, running after the ball.
Jessica laughed and ran after her.
***
“She’s all tuckered out,” Brent said after checking on Cara in her room.
“Yeah, Cecile made sure she ate, and you were running late, so Cara passed out. We played soccer pretty hard outside till sunset.”
Brent sat down beside her on the sofa and ran his thumb over her cheek. “I can tell. You have a bit of a grass stain there.”
She sighed and wanted to lean up and kiss him. But she had other stuff she needed to say. He had to know about the babies, and he needed to know now. Maybe there was a shot this could be okay… somehow… if Cara at least was open to the idea of brothers or sisters.
“Not when Cara’s here,” she said quietly, giving him a chaste kiss on the cheek. “I think we need to talk.”
His smile brightened, and he rushed off the couch before she could continue and went back toward the entranceway to the salon before she could stop him. Reaching beyond her line of sight, he pulled out a box wrapped brightly in gold, green, and vibrant violet paper.
“The reason I ran late wasn’t a meeting. I had to pick something up for you.”
Frowning, Jessica let him set the package on her lap. She could always get to the earth-shaking news after the present. He seemed so pleased with whatever he’d come up with. She wanted to give him one last happy moment before she maybe drove him off forever. It was all so hard to tell.
“Wait, so what is it?”
“Part of the surprise,” Brent said, his blue eyes sparkling mischievously at her. “Go on, take a peek.”
Curious, she opened the box and sent the paper scattering everywhere as she tore through it. “Oh wow!”
The mask before her was one that would cover most of her face, fine porcelain like something out of The Phantom of the Opera, but also hand painted with bright gold and purple harlequin diamonds. Huge feathers were mounted to the top, creating a wild look for anyone. “What’s all this for?”
“There’s a ball. My father insisted on a masked charity bazaar this Friday for the charity we have that funnels research money into new antibiotics test trials. I want you to be my date.”
She set the mask down gently in the box and then placed it all beside her on the sofa. “Brent, this is an incredibly sweet gesture, but you know I can’t. We’ve worked so hard to keep what’s between us a secret. How can I go to a ball?”
“It’s a masquerade. I have an outfit for you, and I’ll send a makeup and hair stylist from one of our production teams out to see you – get the right wig for the look. No one will even know.”
It was tempting. All their dates had to be out of the city of San Diego or completely clandestine at his separate high-rise by the bay. It was always sneaking and never a public moment between them. She knew the kind of wizardry the hair and makeup department could do for her dad’s movies. If they made her up, no one would recognize her. Not Donald Sanderson, not even her own father.