in the living room. Tam chuckled.
“ I know. The baby’s not even here yet, and she’s already taking over.”
“ She? You know you’re having a girl?” Bryn immediately pictured a cherubic baby with her mother’s red hair and her daddy’s brown eyes.
“ Not for sure. Vance says he’s got a feeling though. I have to admit, so do I.” Tam rubbed her stomach and winced. “She’s going to be a soccer player, that’s for sure.”
She started opening the small package in her hand, saying, “I want to open it while you’re here. Thank you. I really….” She stopped talking and stared at what was in the box.
Bryn clenched her hands together. “Um, is it…okay?” She’d shopped at five different stores to find it, and finally special ordered it from the Internet. Maybe she’d ordered the wrong one.
Tam pulled out the miniature book titled, “People Who Love Me.” She had casually mentioned one lunch how she’d seen it at a friend’s baby shower and thought it was the cutest idea. Each page, including the cover, sported a place to insert a photo. Bryn had snuck a photo of Tam and Vance from her desk one night and scanned it before returning it. After reading somewhere that babies like primary colors, she’d colorized it in Photoshop to look like a brightly colored Andy Warhol picture and had slipped it in the front cover. She thought it came out nice, but maybe….
Tam looked at her with tears in her eyes and Bryn’s heart sank. “Oh no, I’m sorry if I did something—”
“ Thank you so much. It’s awesome!” Tam put her arms around Bryn and gave her a big hug. As big a hug as a pregnant woman about to deliver her baby could give, at least. Bryn stiffened momentarily but then hugged Tam back, relishing the closeness almost as much as she had Daniel’s kiss. When she felt something kick her in the stomach, she jumped back, startled.
Tam laughed again. “See, what did I tell you? We’ll be spending a fortune on soccer uniforms.”
She looked around. “Is Vance home?”
Tam’s face turned serious. “No. He actually spent the night away last night.”
Bryn raised her eyebrows.
“ I insisted. Daniel needed him, and my friend Lucille stayed over with me. She’d driven down for the shower anyway, and didn’t feel like driving all the way back to Folsom. Did you hear about Winsor?”
She nodded, even though she felt a little weird talking about Daniel. The last time they’d talked about him, she had voiced utter disdain for the man and had been incredibly angry with Tam for trying to set them up. But now? Imagining Daniel so distraught that he needed the comfort of Vance’s presence even at night? It made her heart ache for him.
“ Yes, I did. I heard it on the news. How is he?”
“ Not good. Vance called last night, said Daniel was having a really hard time. Blames himself.”
She said nothing.
“ I know what you’re thinking, and it’s not true.”
Bryn shook her head. “Of course it’s not. He couldn’t have known what Winsor would do. No one could have.”
Still, he defends criminals, a voice whispered. She ruthlessly shoved that thought away. “Has he ever had something like this happen before?”
“ No, never.” Tam paused, her voice softening. “Have you?”
Bryn shook her head.
“ Do you feel guilty?”
The question surprised Bryn but not as much as the answer. She didn’t feel guilty. Why not? Could she have prevented what had happened, if she’d argued the case a little differently? Somehow she didn’t think so.
“ No, no I don’t. Even if Winsor had been convicted, he would have served a few months in jail at most. What’s to say he wouldn’t have done the same thing when he got out? He obviously had everyone fooled. Not just Daniel, but a jury of twelve citizens. And even if he hadn’t fooled them, their job was
“ I know. The baby’s not even here yet, and she’s already taking over.”
“ She? You know you’re having a girl?” Bryn immediately pictured a cherubic baby with her mother’s red hair and her daddy’s brown eyes.
“ Not for sure. Vance says he’s got a feeling though. I have to admit, so do I.” Tam rubbed her stomach and winced. “She’s going to be a soccer player, that’s for sure.”
She started opening the small package in her hand, saying, “I want to open it while you’re here. Thank you. I really….” She stopped talking and stared at what was in the box.
Bryn clenched her hands together. “Um, is it…okay?” She’d shopped at five different stores to find it, and finally special ordered it from the Internet. Maybe she’d ordered the wrong one.
Tam pulled out the miniature book titled, “People Who Love Me.” She had casually mentioned one lunch how she’d seen it at a friend’s baby shower and thought it was the cutest idea. Each page, including the cover, sported a place to insert a photo. Bryn had snuck a photo of Tam and Vance from her desk one night and scanned it before returning it. After reading somewhere that babies like primary colors, she’d colorized it in Photoshop to look like a brightly colored Andy Warhol picture and had slipped it in the front cover. She thought it came out nice, but maybe….
Tam looked at her with tears in her eyes and Bryn’s heart sank. “Oh no, I’m sorry if I did something—”
“ Thank you so much. It’s awesome!” Tam put her arms around Bryn and gave her a big hug. As big a hug as a pregnant woman about to deliver her baby could give, at least. Bryn stiffened momentarily but then hugged Tam back, relishing the closeness almost as much as she had Daniel’s kiss. When she felt something kick her in the stomach, she jumped back, startled.
Tam laughed again. “See, what did I tell you? We’ll be spending a fortune on soccer uniforms.”
She looked around. “Is Vance home?”
Tam’s face turned serious. “No. He actually spent the night away last night.”
Bryn raised her eyebrows.
“ I insisted. Daniel needed him, and my friend Lucille stayed over with me. She’d driven down for the shower anyway, and didn’t feel like driving all the way back to Folsom. Did you hear about Winsor?”
She nodded, even though she felt a little weird talking about Daniel. The last time they’d talked about him, she had voiced utter disdain for the man and had been incredibly angry with Tam for trying to set them up. But now? Imagining Daniel so distraught that he needed the comfort of Vance’s presence even at night? It made her heart ache for him.
“ Yes, I did. I heard it on the news. How is he?”
“ Not good. Vance called last night, said Daniel was having a really hard time. Blames himself.”
She said nothing.
“ I know what you’re thinking, and it’s not true.”
Bryn shook her head. “Of course it’s not. He couldn’t have known what Winsor would do. No one could have.”
Still, he defends criminals, a voice whispered. She ruthlessly shoved that thought away. “Has he ever had something like this happen before?”
“ No, never.” Tam paused, her voice softening. “Have you?”
Bryn shook her head.
“ Do you feel guilty?”
The question surprised Bryn but not as much as the answer. She didn’t feel guilty. Why not? Could she have prevented what had happened, if she’d argued the case a little differently? Somehow she didn’t think so.
“ No, no I don’t. Even if Winsor had been convicted, he would have served a few months in jail at most. What’s to say he wouldn’t have done the same thing when he got out? He obviously had everyone fooled. Not just Daniel, but a jury of twelve citizens. And even if he hadn’t fooled them, their job was
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