The Baby Bargain

She glanced down as Liam’s head bobbed against her chest. The motion of walking lulled him into his evening snooze. Gently, she stroked the hair around his ears. You’re the only guy for me from now on, little man. Still, it would be nice to be part of a larger community.

“I read about a woman in Florida who started a cooperative housing development,” she said contemplatively to Liberty. “The intention is to bring foster kids together with people who want to adopt or at least mentor children. The housing is available to people of all ages. You can even eat together in a common dining hall.”

Liberty eyed her doubtfully. “It sounds like a dorm.”

Eden laughed. “No, really, co-op communities sound like nice places. Most have common areas for the kids to play together. Some even do cooperative babysitting and there’s a deliberate effort to make the communities multigenerational, which is great for the kids.” She ran her fingers over Liam’s soft dark curls, so different from her wavy blond hair. “It would be nice to think he’s with people who feel like…”

“Like family without the need for therapeutic intervention?”

This time Eden’s laughter rang out down the street. “You are such a cynic.”

“Mmm.”

They reached their block of smaller Portland style bungalows, and Liberty stepped up her pace. “I’ve got major studying to do. I’m going to head to First Cup for something very tall, very strong and very iced. You want?”

“Nope.” Eden hadn’t done caffeine since the stick turned pink, and she didn’t particularly need more calories tonight. She nodded to Liam. “If the master of the house sleeps a little longer, I just might look up the co-op projects in Portland.”

“Have at it. Just don’t expect me to move with you. I like my privacy.”

Both women stopped talking when they reached their house. Parked in front was a sleek black Cadillac coupe. An impatient-looking man leaned indolently against the dry-rot-damaged porch rail Eden kept promising herself she would fix. Dark glasses hid his eyes.

“Speaking of tall and strong,” Liberty murmured.

Eden shook her head. What was he doing here? She stared at LJ Logan, only assuming he stared back from behind the expensive-looking shades.

“You left out icy,” she said.

“What?” Liberty gazed toward the porch unabashedly. By choice, she didn’t date, but she wasn’t shy.

“That’s LJ Logan.” Eden spoke out the side of her mouth, keeping her voice low. “Very tall, probably strong, and could freeze water with his tongue.”

“That’s the guy you tangled with?”

“Yeah.”

Liberty gave an exaggerated wag of her dark head. “El es muy guapo.”

“Cut it out,” Eden whispered, trying not to move her lips. “For all we know he speaks Spanish.”

“Ooh. Then he might—just might—be worth dating.”

Ignoring her roommate, Eden slowly approached her porch, curious but warier than a cat in a dog run. Portland General Hospital, which housed the Children’s Connection, was located across the river, at least thirty to forty minutes from her neighborhood if there was any traffic at all.

“You’re a long way from the west side,” she said to LJ when she was close enough to speak softly over Liam’s head and still be heard.

“Ain’t it the truth?” A smile spread slowly across LJ’s face, softening the bored rich-man expression. He nodded at Liberty. “Evening. I see you’ve been enjoying the good weather.” Still without moving off the porch or even uncrossing his arms, he focused on the baby sleeping against Eden’s chest. “And this must be the teether you mentioned. He looks happy now.”

Liberty joined Eden, standing near her shoulder. “He doesn’t seem icy,” she cracked sotto voce. More loudly, she said, “Well, we’ve just come back from a picnic. I’ve got to put the leftovers in the fridge.”

Jogging lightly up the steps, she stopped alongside LJ, who straightened away from the porch rail and extended his hand.

“LJ Logan,” he said, by way of introduction, “one of Ms. Carter’s coworkers. And you are?”

“Libertad Sanchez.” Liberty laid on the Spanish accent, which she could turn on and off as easily as she worked a faucet. “Roommate,” she added. “Also in-house natural foods chef and the voice of Eden’s conscience. I have a fruit-sweetened berry crisp in the kitchen, and you’re welcome to try it as long as you didn’t come here to rake Eden over the coals. She already feels terrible for dissing you in your business meeting.”

“Liberty!”

Without a glance at Eden, Liberty gave LJ a sexy smile and a shrug. “I tried. You two play nice. Try to set a good example for the baby.”

She disappeared into the house. More slowly than her friend, Eden walked up the steps. She looked Mr. Logan straight in the sunglasses.

“I did not ‘dis’ you. I stated my opinion calmly and courteously.”

He cocked his head. “Where are you from?”

“Pardon me?”

“I’m trying to place your accent. It comes and goes. Right now it’s a little thick, so I’m guessing that you’ve worked hard to eradicate it, but when you’re tense it comes back.”

Eden, who liked to think she had total control over the accent she had indeed tried to eradicate, frowned at him unhappily. “Mr. Logan, it’s after work hours and you haven’t told me why you are here.”

He nodded. “You see? You said, heah. You’re stressed around me. Like you were at the meeting. Why was that?”

He was sure right about her being stressed now, Eden thought; he liked to knock her off track. The conversation kept changing direction, and still he hadn’t answered her question. “Why are you—” she stopped short of saying heah “—present?”

Teeth that had been straightened to perfection flashed in a grin. His entire being oozed male charm. “To be perfectly frank, I’m not certain why I’m here, Ms. Carter. Why don’t you ask me in—or at least invite me to have a seat on your very inviting porch—and perhaps we’ll both find out.”

Eden gestured to the porch.

“You can sit there—” she nodded toward a wicker chair with a tall fan back “—while I put the baby down.”

Liam was asleep in his crib, changed and dressed in footed pajamas before she joined her self-invited guest. Garage-sale furniture, Goodwill crockery and a selection of organic herbs she kept watered and well-groomed decorated the porch he’d called inviting. She set a tray with two glasses of iced tea on a large wooden end table.

Settling into his chair’s mate and wishing she’d had time to sand and paint her porch furniture in the last year, Eden watched LJ sip the herbal tea.

“It’s…different. What is it?”

“Mostly fenugreek and blessed thistle, herbs that are good for lactating women. They increase milk supply.”

He’d removed his sunglasses while she was in the house. The blue eyes she remembered from the meeting regarded her wryly. “And what, pray tell, will they do to me?”

Eden raised her glass. “Let’s find out, shall we?” She drained half the glass, inviting him to do the same.

His appreciative laugh drew the glance of a neighbor walking his boxer. Eden waved.

“So we were going to figure out why I’m here,” he said, making his own chair creak as he leaned back. “I think I know.”

She waited while he let the suspense build. He was quite the politician, working his audience, watching for the reaction. Her continued silence didn’t seem to bother him in the least.