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“Fair and square,” Bliss agreed. “But wait until next time. Then we’ll see who’s the champ of the court.”
“I am, I am!” Dee Dee cried excitedly. She turned big eyes toward Katie. “I’m gonna be a big sister!”
“A what?” Katie nearly dropped the pitcher of lemonade. She turned and saw a blush creep up Bliss’s neck.
“That’s right,” Bliss admitted, her eyes shining with her secret. “I’m pregnant!”
Katie left the pitcher on the counter and hugged her half sister fiercely. “I’m so happy for you and Mason! When is the baby due?”
“A long time off,” Bliss admitted. “I’m really not sure, but in the spring sometime. I’ll find out when I go to the doctor.”
“A baby!” Tears threatened Katie’s eyes all over again. From the edge of her vision she saw Dee Dee gazing up at them both. “Oh, Dee Dee, how lucky you are,” Katie said. “I was never a big sister, always the youngest.”
“Not me.” Dee Dee’s smile was back in place immediately.
“Let’s have a toast,” Katie insisted. She poured them each a healthy glass, sliced lemons and tossed them into the liquid, added a couple of plump strawberries for good measure, then plopped ice cubes into the drinks. “Here.” She handed them each a glass and touched the rim of hers to Bliss’s. “To the baby and his big sister.”
“No way. It’s gonna be a girl,” Dee Dee insisted.
“Okay. To the baby and her big sister,” Katie amended.
“What? Nothing for the mother?” Bliss stuck out her lower lip until she couldn’t help giggling.
“You get the best part. You get to be a mother,” Katie said, “and change diapers, get no sleep, worry yourself silly and…I’m only kidding. It’s the most wonderful feeling in the world.”
“I’m already a mother,” Bliss said, cocking her head toward Dee Dee. “Well, kind of.”
The girl nodded enthusiastically, and Katie was amazed at how quickly Mason’s daughter had taken to Bliss. But then, who wouldn’t? Bliss Lafferty was special. “Well, listen, I’m going to throw you the biggest, most lavish baby shower Bittersweet has ever seen!” She pointed a finger at Dee Dee’s small nose. “You can help me give it—you and Aunt Tiffany.”
“Can I really?”
“Really and truly.” Katie took a long swallow from her glass. “This is the best news I’ve had in weeks.”
“Speaking of which,” Bliss asked as Dee Dee discovered Blue, and dog and girl dashed out the back door. “Who was on the telephone?”
“Oh. That.” Katie’s good mood instantly shattered. “That was Ralph Sorenson.”
“Who?” Bliss’s features pulled together as she tried to remember the name and came up blank.
“Dave Sorenson’s father. You wouldn’t know him, they lived here only a little while.”
“Sorenson? Isn’t that the guy who owned the place Luke Gates bought? I drew those blueprints for him, and it seems like I remember the name.”
“Small world, isn’t it? Anyway, Dave was Josh’s father. I just found out a week or so ago that…that Dave’s gone…I mean, he’s, uh, dead.” Her heart squeezed again at the horrid thought. “Died in a helicopter crash a few months back.”
“What?” Bliss eyed Katie as if she’d just sprouted horns. “Wait a minute. Slow down and start over. From the beginning.”
Fighting a losing battle with tears, Katie obliged, and as she told her story, she felt as if a great weight, a burden, was slowly being lifted from her shoulders. For the first time in her life she understood the depth of a sister’s love, the special bond that exists between sisters in times of joy or sorrow. Who else would listen to her and empathize when she poured out her heart and unburdened her soul?
Bliss listened and chewed on her lip. “Unbelievable,” she said when Katie had finished. “What’re you going to do?”
“Talk to Josh and try to get him to accept Dave’s family. I was afraid that they might want custody or something, but I don’t think so. They just want to know their grandson.”
“Well, if there’s anything Mason or I can do, just call and let us know.”
“I will. But I think we’re okay, as long as Josh quits blaming me for not telling him the truth. This is my problem. I can handle it.” The words sounded much stronger than she felt, but she and Josh had weathered storms before; they’d get through this. “You know the old saying—something about that which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.”
“Words to live by,” Bliss murmured, and Katie changed the subject.
