Upstairs Downstairs Baby

“Did she mention how many people?”

“Not really.” He sounded positively grim.

Claire gave him a curious once-over before saying, “I’ll give her a call and discuss the particulars.”

“If it gets to be too much, let me know. I don’t want you feeling overwhelmed.”

“Don’t worry.” She dismissed his concern with a flick of her hand. “Steve and Jenny will be here for your party tomorrow. I’ll ask them if they’re available. It’s a little last-minute, but if they’re busy, I’m sure they’ll know some other people who could help serve.” Claire glanced at the flowers on the counter. “Now, I’d better get back to these. I have lots to do before tomorrow night.”

“Dinner at six?” Linc proposed, naming an earlier time than he usually ate so they could have a leisurely meal and still get home for Honey’s bedtime.

“Sure. That will be fine.”

Nodding, Linc headed for the stairs. With a packed schedule from February to October, he should have appreciated the downtime during off-season. Instead, he chafed at the inactivity. It gave him too much time to think.

Lately, he’d been preoccupied with life after baseball. He’d had a great run, but he was going to be thirty-four when his contract was up. Despite the fact that his performance hadn’t slowed, at that age, there was no way he would get another big deal. Nor was he even sure he’d still be playing for the Barons. How much longer did he think his career in the major leagues was going to last?

So what was he planning to spend the rest of his life doing? It wasn’t as if he needed the money. Even after taking care of his mother and sister, funding the charities he worked with, and buying and restoring his house, he’d spent only a small percentage of his millions. Most of the money went into investments that would sustain him long past his contract’s end.

What he needed was to find something that inspired him. Because when baseball no longer consumed his life, he was going to go crazy. He envied Knox’s passion for restoring Charleston’s historic properties and his love of sailing, both locally and all over the world. Linc had joined Knox on several adventures but preferred a spacious suite on land to the claustrophobic quarters of a sailboat.

Knox’s face appeared on the screen of Linc’s phone, as if his thoughts had summoned his friend. He answered the call.

“What’s up?”

“My afternoon appointment canceled,” Knox said, sounding chipper. “Want to hit the batting cages so I can give you a few tips? Maybe you can bring your average up next season.”

Linc grunted good-naturedly as he took the hit. He’d been in a slump for the last four weeks of the season. All the sports commentators pointed to his broken engagement as the reason, but that had been the cure, not the cause of his problem.

“Sure,” he said. “I need to change. Meet you in thirty?”

“See you then.”

An hour later, as he took his turn with the pitching machine, Linc felt some of his tension melt away. Playing baseball had always let him escape whatever troubled him. It had been a godsend when his father went to jail and then divorced Bettina, abandoning the three of them to start a new life. Sometimes Linc wondered if he would have been good enough to make it in the majors if he hadn’t practiced so much back then.

He’d devoted every spare second to batting practice and perfecting his fielding techniques. Granted, he’d been endowed with a great deal of natural talent as well, but mostly he attributed his success to hard work and determination.

“Want to grab a beer after this?” Knox asked as they exchanged places.

“Can’t.”

Knox shot him a look. “Got plans?”

“I’m having dinner...” Linc paused, gripped by a sudden reluctance to tell his best friend about the anniversary dinner with Claire. He didn’t want to hear Knox’s opinion on taking the beautiful widowed housekeeper and her adorable toddler out to dinner.

“Anyone I know?” Knox quizzed, his tone sly.

“It’s not like that,” Linc countered. As much as he hated keeping Knox in the dark, Linc didn’t want to get into a huge discussion about Claire. Deciding a subject change was in order, he steered his best friend on to the topic he loved best. “How’s the King Street project coming along? Have you got the plans approved yet?”

Six months ago Knox had purchased a building in the heart of the business district and was in the process of getting the permits to turn it into a ten-unit luxury condo complex. He’d paid four million for the property, and at the moment it was occupied by college students.

Working with their friend Austin’s architectural firm, he’d commissioned plans that would include two private roof decks, as well as amenity space that would hold up to forty-eight people in the rear. Built in 1947, the building wasn’t a historic property, but the location offered an opportunity for people to buy in the downtown area and that was always a draw.

“Not yet. The BAR requested we tweak a couple things on the rooftop decks before they’d give the go-ahead.” The Board of Architecture Review met only twice a month, so the approval process was never speedy. “We’re slotted into the agenda for next week, so hopefully the third time’s the charm.”

Knox didn’t sound particularly stressed about the delays. They were the norm when doing any construction or development in the old city and the historic district. In fact, as frustrating as the board could be as they scrutinized projects from a dozen different angles, Linc knew Knox appreciated the board’s dedication to preserving Charleston’s past.

Of course, there was the other, less sentimental motivation for keeping the romance of Charleston’s historic district alive: tourism. The city survived on its five million visitors each year who brought in nearly four billion dollars in revenue. And the number-one reason cited for visiting Charleston was the city’s history and historic sites, followed by restaurants and local cuisine.

“I hope you get the approval this time around,” Linc said.

Knox nodded. “Are you still planning on making the hunting trip?” Knox’s family owned a large plantation a couple hours west of Charleston. Each fall, Knox brought a handful of his friends there for a weekend of deer hunting.

Linc cursed. Until now, he hadn’t realized that the hunting trip and his mother’s party were happening at the same time.

“I’m going to have to skip it this year. My mom’s decided to host a party and wants me to attend.”

“Can’t you tell her you already have plans?”

“Not exactly.” Linc was starting to understand how the deer must feel as Knox’s buddies gathered for their weekend of sport. “I’m afraid the party is about finding someone for me to date.”

“I’m not surprised,” Knox said with a broad grin. “She wasn’t too happy when you picked London. I’m sure she’ll make sure every woman there will be perfect for you.”

“Their pedigrees will be everything she could ever ask for,” Linc replied. “As for whether they’ll be perfect for me...that remains to be seen.”

* * *

Claire noticed a slight tremble in her hands as she dressed Honey in a new outfit to go out to dinner with Linc. Excitement raced through her body, bringing a sparkle to her eyes and color to her cheeks. She’d noticed the betraying effect while applying eyeliner and sweeping brick-red gloss across her smiling lips. It was impossible to subdue her high spirits despite several reproachful warnings to herself.

This was just a casual dinner between a boss and employee to celebrate one year of employment. Common enough in a professional setting. Nothing to get giddy over. Yet scolding herself didn’t settle her jittery nerves. Feeling this way would only bring her trouble. Plain and simple, she found her boss attractive, and instead of shutting her emotions down, she reveled in the thought that they were going to spend the evening together.

Fight it though she might, Claire had always been led by her emotions. If she’d done a better job listening to logic, she might have avoided getting involved with Jasper. On the other hand, whatever mistakes she’d made with him had given her Honey, and she wouldn’t trade her daughter for anything. Still, in the past few years, she’d become more cautious when following her heart.

“There,” she told her daughter, stepping back to admire the pale blue sundress covered in bright butterflies she’d recently bought. “You look so nice.”

A quick glance at the clock showed they were running late. Claire twisted her daughter’s hair into a loose topknot and fastened a bow. She felt a twinge at how adorable the two-year-old looked. Honey’s hair had the perfect length and texture to do all sorts of fun braids and updos, and when Claire had time, she enjoyed experimenting with ideas she gleaned off the internet.

“Can you play with your toys for a couple minutes while Mama gets dressed?”

Honey nodded and headed toward the books that lined the lower shelf of the nightstand in her room.

Claire headed next door to slip into the dress she had laid out. It was a simple short-sleeved dress, the color of wisteria. She fit her feet into a pair of beige sandals and snagged a white sweater out of her closet in case she needed it.

In less than five minutes, she returned to her daughter’s room to collect Honey, and the two of them headed downstairs.

Linc awaited them in the kitchen. He wore khaki pants and a navy cotton sweater over a white button-down shirt. The look was perfect for the casual seafood restaurant near Wappoo Creek.

“Oh, good,” he said, “you both have sweaters. I reserved a table outside. I thought you might enjoy the view.”