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Going Up South

By Janet W. Ferguson

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Chapter 1

Another sleepless night. Early morning light peeked through the top of the new drapes. The bedroom remodeling had finally ended, but Cassie Brooks still couldn’t sleep. New paint and bedding did little to erase the memories of her unfaithful husband. She slipped out of bed and went through her morning routine.
Walk the dog. Study her Bible. Exercise.
She had plenty of extra time.
After she dressed, her high heels clacked against the mahogany flooring through the house and into the garage. She set the alarm and locked the door to the Victorian-style mansion Evan had insisted they buy. Way too large for their family of three, even more so now that there were only two, but Evan had always lived for prestige.
The heavy scent of blooming sweet hedge saturated the humid Mississippi air as she tossed her carry-on bag into her minivan and sat. She settled behind the wheel and backed out. While winding around the short five blocks to pick up her friends, a yawn worked its way from her mouth. This would be a long day. First, a drive to the Memphis airport, then hours on a flight to L.A. At least she could sleep on the plane.
When she turned her minivan into the driveway of Jill and Nick Russo’s house, Sarah Beth McCoy already waited on their sidewalk, a suitcase in each hand. Cassie parked and climbed out. As she neared, the big tears rimming Sarah Beth’s swollen brown eyes came into view.
This would be a tough trip for her sweet friend. An anxiety disorder made leaving Oxford hard enough on the woman. Plus the fact that they were leaving for a funeral all the way back in Los Angeles.
Reaching for Sarah Beth’s bags, Cassie steeled herself. She’d come to support her friends. “Here. Let me throw those in the back. You sit wherever you feel most comfortable in the van.”
Fear carved hard across Sarah Beth’s forehead as she walked beside Cassie. “That would be nowhere.”
“You poor thing.” A deadly car accident could mess up a person. After situating the suitcases, Cassie wrapped Sarah Beth in an embrace. “I’m sorry you’re still struggling.”
“I’ll make the trip with God’s help. And yours.” She sniffled and brushed at the moisture on her cheeks. “Thanks for offering to go with us. You’re a good friend.”
Cassie led her toward the front passenger seat. “I wanted to help. Besides, Benjamin’s at his father’s this weekend.” Another reality she’d yet to get used to.
The door of the quaint gray cottage opened, and Jill emerged onto the broad front porch with her baby snuggled close.
As they neared, Cassie grinned. “What a bundle of cuteness. Can I take him while you get the car seat?”
“Sure.” The tall, thin blonde lay the infant across Cassie’s arms. How quickly time had passed since the difficult birth of the little guy. Jill had been ill the entire pregnancy, and they’d worried so much over her.
With the car seat in place, Cassie strapped him in. The baby grinned and cooed. “Such a ham. You should bring him to my garden for a photo shoot. He’ll be natural in front of a camera.”
Jill’s blue eyes flashed a warning at Sarah Beth.
What did that mean? Did Jill have a problem with taking pictures of the sweet baby? Cassie shook her head. “You know, time passes so quickly. I can’t believe my little boy’s a teenager now. I took a ton of pictures, and I’m so glad I did.” She eyed Sarah Beth’s midsection. “Just think, in six months, you and Jess will have a little baby, too. I wonder what he or she will look like.”
The lines on Sarah Beth’s face loosened a tad. “If I had my wish, he would look like my husband. A little Jess McCoy.” Tears filled her eyes again and clung to her lashes.
Cassie’s heart squeezed at her friend’s suffering. “I admire your bravery. You don’t have to go to your boss’s funeral. And you could’ve asked Jess to leave his fishing trip with his father, but you’re doing this. I’m proud of you.”
A half chuckle came from Sarah Beth. “I’m pretty sure you’re the brave one, Cassie—flying to L.A. with a new mother, a baby, and a pregnant woman who suffers from agoraphobia.”
With a slow blink, Cassie nodded. Sarah Beth had a point.
~~~
Dylan Conner straightened his blue tie in the mirror of the funeral home’s side hall, then swiped his fingers through his auburn hair. The visitation area was packed. A lot of people knew Bill Rogers.
Funny how quickly life could change. Only ten days ago, Dylan had visited Bill in his upscale office. Now Bill was gone. One of his few real friends.
Show business held a special kind of loneliness few could understand. No wonder so many celebrities lost their way and ended up abusing alcohol or drugs. Life in the spotlight brutalized a person.
He’d had another friend in Bill’s advertising agency’s office. Once. A tall, funny brunette with dark eyes and a smile that lit up a room. Too bad she had to go and marry that jock Jess McCoy. Sarah Beth and Bill had worked together for years, and they’d been close, but would she be able to overcome her anxiety and make the long trip from that little Mississippi town to L.A.?
A warm ache settled in the vicinity of his heart. One could hope. He’d love to see her again. Even if she never felt the same way about him. Of the women he’d known over the years, none were as sincere. Real even. Not that he planned to settle down or raise a family. Too many bad memories of his own louse of a father kept him from taking the plunge. Maybe Sarah Beth was better off with McCoy. With the football coach, she could have a family.
With him, all she’d get was life in the fishbowl. She’d made the right choice.
As he made his way back toward the main lobby, the ornate entrance door of the funeral home swung open, and she walked through. Dylan’s breath caught. Sarah Beth had come.
Memories had to be haunting the woman. Visitations where she’d been the one standing and greeting people for hours. Her parents and grandmother. Her boyfriend’s funeral—the death that sent her running back home to Mississippi.
Sarah Beth wrapped her arms around herself as she trailed behind Jill and a cute redhead carrying a baby. They neared the receiving line, where mourners in high-priced suits and designer dresses offered condolences to the grieving widow. How many had truly loved Bill? How many were here just to peek at the celebrities who would attend the advertising exec’s funeral?
Jill introduced the redhead to someone ahead of them. But Sarah Beth stopped, gripping the corner of the wall that curled around to the hallway on the far side of the lobby. What was wrong? Was she going to pass out?
Her eyelids slid shut.
Dylan rushed to her side and looped his arm behind her back. A familiar pair of brown eyes met his.
“I wasn’t sure you’d be up for the trip.” Dylan allowed his lips to lift into a small smile.
Sarah Beth fell into his shoulder, tears rolling from her cheeks onto his suit coat. He may’ve had a crush on the woman, but they’d also been friends. And he knew what she’d been through after Adam’s death.
“Come over to a chair. Let’s talk, and you can give yourself a minute before you offer condolences to Carol.”
“I’m just a little dizzy.”
She let him lead her away from the crowd to a wingback chair by the wall. The trip must’ve taken a lot out of her. Dylan rubbed her hand. “A funeral wasn’t the way I would’ve wanted your first visit back in L.A. to happen.”
“I really wanted to be here for Carol. At least I had someone to travel with, since Jess was out of town.”
“Still married, though, right?” Couldn’t hurt to ask.
“Yes, Dylan, we’re still together.”
“Always looking out for you, you know.”
She gave him a faint smile. “Right.”
“Seriously, though.” He paused to pull his thoughts together. “I thought highly of Bill. He had a way about him that made me feel comfortable. I dropped by his office when I was in the area.” He caught her eye for a moment. “I liked to check up on you, too. Get the scoop.”
Jill appeared with the baby in her arms now, the petite redhead at her side. “Sarah Beth, you vanished. I was worried about you.”
Dylan stood and looked at Jill and the infant. “Hello to you, too.”
Jill’s lips clamped shut, and she dropped her gaze.
Guess she hadn’t expected to see him here. The one night he’d spent with Jill last year had been a mistake. Thank goodness, the rendezvous hadn’t made the tabloids like the whole Sophia fiasco had. There was no reason for Jill to be acting like an angry ex-wife or anything, though. He’d treated her with respect the times he’d seen her at Bill’s office.
Maybe he should be extra polite. Dylan stood and hovered over the baby. “Who is this? Yours?”
Jill turned the infant over her shoulder to face the other way.
He moved around her and made eye contact with the little guy. “He’s a good-looking boy. What’s his name?”
“Michael James Russo.” Her voice cracked as she answered.
“James was my grandfather’s name. I like it.” The baby’s lips curled as he made garbled sounds. “Can I hold him? I think he wants to play.”
“He spits up a lot.”
Dylan flashed his best grin and held out his arms. “I like to live dangerously. Remember?”
A toothless smile covered the baby’s face. He chortled as Dylan covered his eyes and played peekaboo.
Jill finally let go of the child, but her face drained of color.
Talk about overprotective mothers. She needed a chill pill.
The redhead moved near and peered over small designer glasses at the baby. The elegant chandelier above her reflected off the thin lenses. “Hi, I’m Cassie. Our little pumpkin seems to think you’re hilarious.”
“I’m Dylan. Kids love me. They see me as one of them.”
Sarah Beth’s mouth twisted. “No doubt.”
Dylan lifted the baby up and down. “He’s so light. How old is he?”
Neither Jill nor Sarah Beth spoke.
Blue-green eyes sparkled up at him as Cassie pressed her index finger to her chin. “About three months?”
Sarah Beth jerked herself up from her seat. “He’s probably light because Jill was sick for so long, but the doctor says he’s fine.” She motioned across the room. “I’m ready to get back in the receiving line, and it’s my turn to hold Michael.”
Two high-strung women? Definitely lowered the romantic interest level. At least their friend Cassie seemed normal. Dylan laid the baby in Sarah Beth’s arms. “Are you sure you’re okay now?”
“I am.”
Whispering, Jill whisked Sarah Beth toward the long line of well-wishers.
What in the world was going on with those two?
Dylan walked with them and studied Michael as he waited in the line of friends who’d come to pay their respects to Bill’s family. He stayed close as they reached Bill’s wife, Carol.
There was something about that baby.
And the women’s strange attitudes. He didn’t know Jill that well, despite his one night with her. But Sarah Beth was usually pretty laid-back.
Three months old. How long had Jill been gone, anyway? Not a year even. And last summer… A little ball of anxiety planted itself in Dylan’s stomach.
“You came.” Carol embraced Sarah Beth and held her. “I know how hard this trip must’ve been for you.” When Carol released her, they both wiped tears from their cheeks. “I can’t believe it. Bill and I finally got things together, and we were going so strong…” She shook her head. “He got on that small plane and…”
Sarah Beth clasped Carol’s hand. “I know it doesn’t take away your pain, but I’m glad y’all did get to have some time.” Her voice broke. “Bill was a father figure to me.”
Dylan stepped around the people between himself and Sarah Beth and laid his hand on Carol’s shoulder. “Bill was the same for me, and I’m truly sorry for your loss.”
Her eyes downcast, Jill added, “Exactly what I was going to say. I had the utmost respect for him.”
“Your son’s precious.” Carol reached for Michael’s tiny fingers. “And I’ll always treasure our trip to Paris. It was a turning point in our marriage.” She smiled up at Sarah Beth. “Oh, Bill told me you’re expecting a baby, too. Congratulations. You deserve some happiness.”
A lump formed in Dylan’s throat, and his eyes dropped to Sarah Beth’s midsection. “You’re pregnant?”
“Just a little.”
“That’s not a thing.” Dylan raised an eyebrow. Pregnant? Sarah Beth? So quick. She only married in December. “I think you mean not very far along.”
Concern wrinkled Carol’s brow. “But you’re planning to go to Honduras to see the clinic and the chapel this summer?”
Sarah Beth bobbed her head.
“You know, Bill hoped to join your group for the trip.” Carol sniffled, then cleared her throat. “I should speak to the other guests. Please, come by the house when this is over so we can talk.”
Sarah Beth and Jill took off as soon as they passed Carol, mumbling something about the baby needing a diaper change. But he caught a glimpse of them scooting out the front door in a hurry. Maybe he’d go by Carol’s, too. She’d invited them all, hadn’t she?
Michael. All the way to Bill’s house, the infant’s smile replayed in Dylan’s mind. Maybe he was imagining it, but Michael looked a lot like his own baby picture hanging at his mother’s home in Boone, North Carolina. He’d been with Jill one night. What month—?
His throat closed. It couldn’t be.
Once he reached Carol’s home, Dylan let himself inside. The redhead sat on the couch in the living room with the baby. He stopped and bent down to eye level with the boy. “Hey, fella. It’s me again.”
Michael grinned. A cute little guy. A strange feeling wrenched around his chest like a giant rubber band. What was that?
It almost hurt.
Who was he kidding? He finally acknowledged the simple math that had been working itself out in his head since he’d climbed into his car. This baby had his hair, his eyes, even his smile.
This was his son. Michael. And no one had bothered to tell him. 

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