It would all be okay.

She was nearing the end of her thirties and she 'd never taken care of herself. She could learn.

The first tear rolled down her cheek and she brushed it away.

People did it all the time.

She was good with math. A budget. She could make a budget. Clothing. She and Regan had once been the same size. Perhaps she could talk her into passing down some of the clothes she had yet to work herself into after Tyler 's birth. That would do for a little bit.

She blew out a breath and sucked up the tears that continued. She 'd learn to take care of another. People did it all the time.

Simone ran her hands over her belly and swallowed hard. Soon Curtis wouldn 't turn her away. At least not completely. But she 'd have to prove that she could take care of herself before she told him she was carrying his baby.

Chapter Two

Normally, being called into work on his day off wasn 't ideal, but Curtis dressed quickly and headed to the hospital. Since his brother 's wedding he 'd managed to avoid Simone, and the rest of his family. That had been awkward to say the least when he 'd all but ignored his sister 's "hello " from the window when he 'd picked up his truck out front of her house.

By the time the shift he 'd been called in for was over he 'd be onto his own shift. Perhaps she 'd be long gone by the time he emerged from the hospital Friday afternoon.

When he was working he lived, breathed, ate and slept at the hospital. He 'd sleep in the room designated for residents and shower there as well. Food wasn 't a problem, he 'd grown accustomed to hospital food over the years, when there was time to eat. Though he was sure he wouldn 't have to worry about eating from the cafeteria. He 'd seen the schedule. Nurse Cynthia O 'Dell was working the same shift. Not only did she always bring in something scrumptious for the break room that he could nibble on all day and night, she was something worth looking at for the next twenty-four hours.

Certainly, Cynthia would also keep his mind off the French heiress.

Curtis wasn 't disappointed.

The spread Cynthia put out was enormous. It wasn 't anything too special, but a crock-pot of soup, bread and meats for sandwiches, and a great, big tray of chocolate chip cookies. Curtis was guilty. He took six and shoved them in his locker knowing they 'd be gone before he came back in for a cup of soup or a sandwich.

"I have to admit, " he said leaning over the counter of the nurses ' station, "I was mighty glad to see you were on for the twenty-four shift. "

"Were you? " She winked her crystal blue eye and slid a brilliant smile over her slightly pouty lips.

To the average eye the woman in the floral print scrubs, a blonde knot of hair on her head, and white Nike shoes wasn 't much to look at. But to Dr. Keller, who had seen what lay beneath the shapeless uniform while golden locks of curls fell over her shoulders, it wasn 't hard to imagine at all.

"What kind of soup? "

"Wedding. "

He snarled his upper lip. "Wedding soup? "

"Uh-huh. " She shuffled through the papers in front of her.

"Just a wedding week I suppose. " He walked around the desk and sat down on the counter next to where she sat in the chair.

Cynthia looked up at him. "Your brother? "

"Yep.Third marriage. Second marriage in two months. Second marriage to first wife. " He fingered the tiny hoop that hung from her ear. "Sounds like a soap opera, doesn 't it? "

"We all love a soap opera. "

"I suppose we do. " The pager on his waist beeped and he looked at it quickly. "Looks like my first ten year-old of the evening has a broken arm. I 'll catch you around. "

"I 'm sure you will. "

He hopped off the counter and walked back around the desk before taking a step back.

"Hey, you up for a family dinner on Sunday? "

She leaned back in her chair. "You haven 't had me to one of those in a long time. "

"Because you were flirting with my brother-in-law 's employee. " He raised his eyebrows playfully.

"Oh, yeah. Handsome older gentleman. " She laughed easily and it shot right through him. "Sure. I 'd love to come. "

"Great. Carlos and Madeline get back from their honeymoon Saturday. No slide shows I promise. "

"Madeline, that 's the ex-wife, new-wife. " She punctuated the series with her finger in the air.

"Yep. "

"She 's the one who had cancer last year. "

He nodded as his pager beeped again. "I 'll fill you in. Gotta go. " He ran off toward the room of the ten year-old who couldn 't quite master the skill of a wheelie on his bicycle.

Simone sat at the kitchen table with Regan and Tyler. He 'd changed so much since she 'd seen him only a few months earlier. He was ten months old and his father couldn 't stop bragging about him whenever she 'd phoned. Likewise, his grandmother, Madam Audrey, talked about him insensibly as well. He was certainly a cherished little boy.

Simone 's parents never doted on her the way Regan and Zach did with Tyler. It made her wonder if they had once. Back before her father began taking mistresses and her mother spent her life trying to take her father 's money. As far back as she could remember it had been nannies and boarding schools for her. They had conveniently locked her away and forgotten about her - mostly.

It was old news now, she decided. She was a grown woman in her mid-thirties and her fate was now her own. Besides, she couldn 't get to her mother and her father 's money was no longer within her reach. The secure life of Simone Pierpont was over. But she told herself that too was normal. Not everyone had millions of dollars at their disposal, or drivers, or homes in multiple countries. No, what she had always deemed as the usual was in fact not. If she expected any empathy toward her situation she needed to tread lightly. If anyone really knew what she came from they 'd turn her away as quickly as they would a homeless person begging for food and shelter at their suburban front door.

She watched as Regan, very discreetly, unbuttoned her shirt and Tyler latched on to her breast. Even within the confines of her own home, not much was shown that would embarrass any guest.

Zach walked into the kitchen in white shorts and a matching Polo shirt. He poured himself a cup of coffee. "Ah, two of my favorite women sharing coffee at the table. Beautiful way to start my morning. "