even the tiniest bit.
“Okay, please watch my things,” she said, plucking her keys from her purse. When she returned minutes later, she thrust the book in his hand, grabbed her purse, and left Jack without saying goodbye.
Sydney Kastner’s shop was on York Avenue, on the other side of Manhattan, and in rush-hour traffic the taxi only managed to crawl in that direction. On East Eighty-sixth Street the cab came to a complete halt, caught in an obnoxious knot of cars. When the driver laid on his horn for the tenth time, Lake felt like bounding from the backseat and running the rest of the way. If she missed Sydney, it would be days before she could learn what she had to share. Finally they began to move and she arrived at the shop ten minutes after six.
It was the tiniest of florist shops but totally charming, the window filled not only with plants and flowers, but quirky garden knickknacks. As she stepped in closer, Lake saw to her dismay that it was dark inside. Damn, she thought, I’ve missed her. Anxiously she pressed the bell. To her relief a few seconds later she heard footsteps make their way to the front.
She almost didn’t recognize Sydney Kastner. In place of the drawn and rattled woman she’d seen Rory console the other day was a calm, ethereal-looking creature. She was wearing a pale-blue sundress and her reddish-blond hair was worn loose now, with just the front part pulled from her face with a dainty barrette.
“Thank you for seeing me,” Lake said as Sydney ushered her into the store and locked the door behind her.
“I just don’t have much time, unfortunately,” Sydney said. She studied Lake’s face for a moment. “You were there the other day, weren’t you? When I was having my meltdown.”
“Yes. And I totally understand.”
“Would you like to sit for a second?” Sydney gestured toward two wrought-iron garden chairs close to the cash register.
“Thank you,” Lake said. “What an enchanting store.”
“It’s pretty much a labor of love. I barely cover my overhead, but I adore it. Ironic, isn’t it? I’m all about making one’s garden grow, but I can’t produce a baby.”
“You’ve had quite a few rounds of IVF. That must be very draining.”
“Yes. The drugs have been nearly unbearable. The funny thing is that unlike some women, I usually have no trouble producing viable eggs and embryos. They just don’t implant.”
“But since you have extra embryos, you won’t have to be subjected to the drugs for the next round.”
Sydney tilted her pretty face and eyed Lake quizzically.
“I don’t know who told you that. I don’t have any extra embryos. They implanted all three that were produced this time.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Lake said awkwardly. That was odd, she thought. She was sure the chart had indicated ten embryos had been harvested.
“Besides,” Sydney said. “There isn’t going to be a next time. That’s the thing I wanted to tell you.”
Lake paused, considering the news. “Why? Have you decided to try another clinic?” she asked.
“Actually, my husband and I have decided to adopt,” Sydney said, smiling. “I haven’t even told Dr. Levin yet.”
“That’s wonderful,” Lake said. “Congratulations.”
“Deep down I think I’ve always wanted to adopt. My younger brother is adopted and I completely adore him.”
Lake felt a rush of joy for the woman followed by a surge of disappointment. So this was the revelation Sydney had hinted at on the phone? Lake had hoped for so much more to help her case.
“In hindsight, how do you feel about the clinic? Were you satisfied?”
“Yes…. Yes, I was.”
Lake sensed reluctance in the answer, like an undertow. Maybe there is something else, she told herself.
“Did—did you ever feel pressured to keep going?”
Sydney lifted her pale, freckled shoulders as if she had something to say but didn’t know how. Here it comes, Lake thought.
“No, never,” she said, shaking her head. “Initially I wanted to do whatever it took to get pregnant. If I seem hesitant it’s only because the experience turned out to be worse than I imagined—not the clinic per se. Like I said, I hated the drugs. And I despised feeling so desperate and going to those awful support groups. When someone in the group would get pregnant, the rest of us would want to howl like wounded animals.”
“So there was nothing about the clinic that troubled you?” Lake asked. She had to force herself not to look crushed. “Something you wish they’d done differently?”
“Why do you keep asking that? I thought you work