Vital Signs by Bobby Hutchinson Page B

long white nightgown, fantasizing about what it would be like to make love with Roy Zedyck.
    The man was so sexy. She shivered, thinking about his hands. He had good hands. Satisfying, that was how it would be. Spectacular. He was hot stuff, but he was also a caring, kind guy. From the little she’d seen of him, she thought he had his priorities in order.
    He didn’t seem to want fancy cars and designer suits. He wasn’t obsessed with hockey or investments or golf, the way a lot of guys were. In his way, Roy was as single-minded and devoted to his job as she was.
    The difference was that he was drop-dead handsome and could have any woman he set his sights on, whereas she—
    Give it a rest. Hailey sighed and arranged her six down pillows all around her. She snuggled into her cocoon and pulled the duvet up, finishing her train of thought as her weary body relaxed.
    Whereas she was…unusual-looking. She’d long ago stopped thinking of herself as ugly. She’d rationalized that she looked like Ingrid, and to call her beloved grandmother ugly was ludicrous. Ingrid’s beauty wasn’t the ordinary kind, but it was there,shining out like a beacon for anyone who cared enough about true quality to see. Sam saw.
    Thinking about beauty brought her sister to mind, and the phone call she’d vowed to make in the morning. It was insane of her mother to think that Laura would tell Hailey anything. With both Laura’s pregnancies, it hadn’t been her sister who broke the news to Hailey. It had been Jean.
    And when her niece and then her nephew were born, again it had been Jean who called Hailey to tell her the good news.
    If Laura didn’t share major happy things like pregnancy and childbirth with Hailey, she wasn’t going to unburden herself about anything that was bothering her, that was certain.
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    I N THE MORNING , Hailey waited until after nine to make the call. By then, Christopher and Samantha would be off to school, and Frank would have left for his law office.
    Hailey dialed and Laura answered, her deep, throaty voice the one thing she and Hailey had in common.
    â€œHey, sis, haven’t heard from you in a while,” Hailey began. “How are things going?” Best to keep this light and breezy, she figured.
    â€œHello, Hailey.” Laura sounded weary and pissed off. “I’m okay, I guess. This thing with the cleaning service is getting me down. They were supposed to arrive at eight this morning and they’re still not here. And Frank’s partners are meeting here tonight, so of course he wants the house looking good.” Shesounded irritable. “They’re just not reliable, these cleaning people, and this is the third service I’ve had this year.”
    Hailey rolled her eyes. What the heck was she supposed to say to that? Her cleaning service was lodged in her hall cupboard, mops and brooms and buckets she used herself.
    â€œEver thought of telling Frank to have the meeting someplace else?” As soon as she’d spoken, she wished she hadn’t. Her brother-in-law was a pompous, controlling, patronizing jerk, but that was no reason to be sarcastic with Laura. “I’ve never seen your place looking anything but spotless,” she amended, though she really didn’t visit Laura’s house very often.
    â€œHow are the kids?” she went on. And because she was feeling guilty, she added, “And Frank?” After all, she wasn’t the one who’d chosen to live with him. And he did supply the standard of living Laura wanted. If things could make you happy, Laura should be ecstatic.
    â€œThey’re fine, we’re all fine.” Laura didn’t sound fine.
    Hailey shook her head. Enough beating around the bush. She might as well just come out with it. Otherwise she and her sister would spend another twenty minutes talking about nothing, and she had a ton of stuff to do before she left for