The Cliff House. RaeAnne Thayne

she turned around and, as she feared, discovered Dr. Ed Clayton walking through the front door, accompanied by a gamine young girl with brown hair and a sprinkle of freckles across her nose.

      His face lit up when he spotted her. “Stella! Hi. I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

      Of all the OB-GYN offices in all the cities along the coast, he had to walk into hers.

      “I told you Jo was my doctor.” She held up the bag of swag. “First appointment.”

      How was it possible that Ed Clayton was the only other person besides Jo and Katie who knew about her pregnancy? That was just as unreal as the pregnancy itself.

      “I hope all went well.”

      “So far so good,” she answered.

      “Glad to hear it. Actually, I’m happy we bumped into you. I wanted you to meet my daughter. Rowan, this is Stella Davenport. She’s an old friend and also teaches at the middle school.”

      “Hi.” The girl looked at her curiously, but without any hint that she knew her father and Stella once had a relationship.

      “Hi, Rowan. It’s so nice to meet you. Are you in sixth grade or seventh?”

      “Starting sixth.” A hint of worry showed in the girl’s eyes that were remarkably like her father’s. “We just drove past the school and it’s huge.”

      “Her previous school was a small, private elementary not far from our house,” Ed explained.

      “This is my first time in public school. I really hope I don’t get lost.”

      “It’s not bad once you walk around a little. If you’d like, I can meet you there ahead of time and show you around. When you get your schedule, I can give you the tour and come up with a map to your classes.”

      “That would be great. Thank you.”

      Stella felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. She remembered that terrifying feeling of showing up to a new place when you didn’t have friends, didn’t know the routine, had no idea of the customs or cliques.

      How many times had she endured that through her childhood?

      Her past experience meant she had a special place in her heart for new students. She figured school was hard enough at this age without throwing in a complete change.

      “It can be daunting to start at a new school but I think you’ll find plenty of friends. I actually have a great-niece going into sixth grade and all her friends are very nice girls.”

      “That’s good.”

      She could almost guess what the girl was thinking. How lucky for your great-niece. How is that going to help me?

      “You know, I’m sure Mari would love to meet you before school starts. Would you be interested, if I could arrange for the two of you to hang out? Maybe she could invite some of her other friends to a little pool party at her house, just to make sure you have a few familiar faces on the first day.”

      This stirred Rowan’s interest. She gave Stella a look that seemed both wary and eager. “That would be really nice. Thanks.”

      “I’ll call her. I’m sure she would love to meet you. And if you have any questions about Cape Sanctuary or the things young people your age like to do around here, I would be happy to answer them or direct you to someone else who can.”

      “Thanks, Stella,” Ed said. He glanced at the reception desk. “I’m here to drop off some forms they need before I start working next week, but if you’re free, would you be interested in going to lunch with us to maybe give us some of those pointers?”

      She gazed at him, clutching her baby swag bag. “Lunch.”

      He smiled. “Yes. You’ve heard of it, I’m sure. The meal between breakfast and dinner.”

      She wanted to say no. A few days ago she thought she had put Ed Clayton firmly in her past. It may have taken years of effort but she had almost managed to forget him.

      She could do nothing about his decision to move here to Cape Sanctuary but that didn’t mean she had to willingly sign up to entangle their lives together again.

      She was about to refuse but then she saw the eager expression on Rowan’s face and couldn’t do it.

      For his daughter’s sake, she could handle a little thing like lunch. “Did you have somewhere in mind?”

      “You tell us. We don’t know restaurants in the area. That’s one of the areas where I could use help.”

      “I like The Ocean Club. It’s on Seaview Drive, near the Pine intersection, just a block from here.”

      “Do you want to walk?”

      She needed to stay active during her pregnancy, for the baby’s health and her own. “Sure.”

      “Give me a few minutes to take care of the reason I came here.”

      He handed the receptionist some signed forms. “Here you go. I think that’s everything you needed from me but let me know if I left anything off.”

      The receptionist apparently was not immune to the gorgeousness that was Ed Clayton. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled at him. “Thank you so much, Dr. Clayton. We can’t wait for you to start.”

      Stella had a feeling that as soon as word trickled out about the sexy new doctor, the women of Cape Sanctuary would be lining up for appointments.

      * * *

      Stella felt extremely conspicuous as she walked into The Ocean Club with Ed and his daughter. She had taught all three of the owner’s children and also knew several of the patrons eating at the comfortable café. The place was frequented by both locals and tourists alike, known for its excellent and extensive menu and spectacular view of Sea Glass Beach.

      She waved to Elena, the owner, who raised her eyebrows in Ed’s direction, all but wiggling them, Groucho Marx style. She frowned at her friend, hoping Ed didn’t notice.

      “Elena Jimenez, this is Ed Clayton and his daughter, Rowan. They’ve just moved to town. Ed is a doctor, joining Jo Chen’s practice.”

      “Nice to meet you, Ed. Hi, Rowan.” Elena gave them both a friendly smile. “Welcome to Cape Sanctuary.”

      “Thanks.”

      “Do you want to sit outside on the patio? It’s a beautiful day.”

      “That sounds great. Thanks.”

      “Go ahead and sit where you want,” Elena said. “I’ll send Leilani out in a minute to take your order.”

      Stella was nervous as she led them to a lovely spot near the patio edge, with a striking view of the curving beach below and the dramatic rock formations offshore.

      “This is nice,” Rowan said.

      She smiled at the girl. “The food is good, too. And reasonably priced.”

      They spent a moment going over the menu, then gave their order to Elena’s sweet daughter, who helped her mother out at the restaurant.

      “So do you have a place to live yet?” she asked after the server left.

      “We opted for a short-term lease our first few months, to give us time to figure out what neighborhood we want to settle in for the long haul,” Ed answered. “For now, we’re in the Surfside condos.”

      Surfside was a lovely development not far from Three Oaks. “You’ll like it there. It’s a nice area. Plus, they have that great pool complex.”

      “It’s got a good view of the ocean. That was my only requirement.”

      “You’re not far from the middle school there, only a few blocks,” she said to Rowan. “You should be able to walk or ride a