"When will we meet her?" Kate asked, her voice thick with tears. "I want to thank her for this."

The woman glanced away, then back. "At this point, you won't be meeting her. She wants the adoption to be completely closed."

"Completely closed," Kate repeated, making a sound of distress. "But I…I'd really hoped we could at least meet her. And all the literature on the subject says it's best for everyone, especially the baby."

"We do prefer it." Ellen looked from one to the other of them. "But ultimately, it's the birth mother's choice."

"I don't understand," Richard murmured, frowning. "Why does she get to choose? It seems to me we're a fifty-percent partner in this deal."

"Quite simply, because she has something you, and thousands of other couples like you, want. She's in the driver's seat, Richard. Like it or not, that's the facts."

Richard looked at Kate, then back at Ellen, frown deepening. "This doesn't feel right to me. Is there something she's trying to hide? Some reason she prefers not to meet us?"

Ellen flushed. "She has nothing to hide. And if she did, we would discover it and ask her to leave the program. We screen everyone involved in this process very carefully. Nothing gets by us."

"We have complete confidence in you and the program." Kate squeezed his fingers in warning. "Don't we, sweetheart?"

"Complete confidence, of course. We're simply disappointed with her choice of a closed adoption."

Ellen inclined her head. "As I said before, this is an intensely emotional experience for these women. Some choose to distance themselves from it any way they can. Depersonalize it. Some change their minds when they realize the tactic doesn't work."

"Can you at least tell us her first name?" Kate asked. "What she looks like or how old she is?"

"At this point, she doesn't wish for you to know even her first name. I can tell you, however, that she's nineteen and quite attractive. In fact, her coloring and build is similar to yours, Kate. I know that doesn't quell your curiosity, but it's the best I can do right now."

Kate looked at Richard, then back at Ellen. "Could you talk to her? Tell her how eager we are to meet her?"

"I'll try," Ellen murmured, "but I don't think it'll do much good. She's a very determined young woman. From what I've observed about her, when she sets her mind on something, she can't be dissuaded."

"What she wants, she gets," Richard murmured.

Ellen smiled. "And in this case, she wants you."

Julianna moved to Mandeville to be near Richard and Kate. She found an apartment, half of what New Orleanians called a shotgun double. Small, shabbily furnished and more expensive than other, nicer apartments available in the area, she'd chosen it for its location-in old Mandeville, only six blocks from the Ryans'.

Renting in their neighborhood made perfect sense to Julianna. Living within blocks of them, it wouldn't be odd for her to be seen hanging out at the waterfront park, it wouldn't be unreasonable for her to walk or drive past their house several times a day, or to frequent the restaurants, shops and other places Richard and Kate enjoyed.

And frequent them she did. Julianna spent her days watching the Ryans. Following them.

She found doing so surprisingly easy. They came and went, blissfully unaware of her presence. She quickly learned their schedule, their likes and dislikes, who they associated with for work and who for pleasure. Richard enjoyed golf and Kate reading, most often mysteries. Richard ordered fish more than meat when out to dinner; Kate preferred shellfish and loved desserts. The list of Julianna's discoveries went on and on; each new fact she committed lovingly to memory, a sort of mental scrapbook or family album. Every so often, she would open the album and wallow in what she had learned, stroking and holding each fact, getting to know her new family, growing to love them more each day.

After the first two weeks, Julianna focused most of her attention on Kate. She studied her-the way she moved and gestured, how and when she laughed, her expressions. She discovered the scent she wore, the coffee she preferred, studied the cadence of her speech.

Julianna had gone to The Uncommon Bean, careful to choose times Kate was away, eavesdropping on conversations as she pretended to read, staying as long as she could without drawing attention to herself. She learned that the other woman was both liked and respected by her employees. She discovered she had a sense of humor and seemingly boundless energy, that she was an all-around nice person.

Everything about the other woman inspired Julianna. But of all her qualities, the one that impressed her most was Kate's artistic ability.

Her first time in The Uncommon Bean, Julianna had gazed in awe at the stained glass creations that hung in every window, dappling the café's interior with colored light.

Julianna had looked at the creations and ached with longing, with envy. Once upon a time, Julianna had fantasized about being an artist. She had fantasized about going to Paris or New York to study art. John had forced her to face the truth-she had neither the talent nor the discipline to succeed as an artist.

Kate did. Kate, it seemed to Julianna, had everything.

But not for long. February had become March, March became April. Dr. Samuel said she was close now, that it could happen anytime. She had begun to dilate, he'd said. The baby had dropped and was in position.

The baby was as ready as she, Julianna thought, standing before her bathroom mirror, naked save for her bra and panties. Her face was as naked as she, freshly scrubbed, devoid of expression. She turned this way and that, studying her reflection, studiously avoiding looking at her bulging belly, hating it.

Finally, she could ignore it no longer. Purposefully, she turned sideways and gazed at her body's profile. She splayed her hands over the tightly stretched flesh. It was smooth and hard, extended to its limit.

She smiled suddenly, taken aback by the sense of wonder that filled her. Maybe Kate could mold glass and lead into amazing images, beautiful things, but she couldn't do this. She couldn't create life.

Beneath her palms, the baby stirred, then kicked. Julianna laughed and pressed her hands closer, for the first time delighted with the discomfiting sensation, with her pregnancy.

Kate was smart and classy. Kate lived in a beautiful home and owned her own business. She had inspired the love of a wonderful man.

Julianna could be like her, she could have all those things. She would have them.

But the thing Kate longed for most, she couldn't do on her own. She needed Julianna for that.

Julianna laughed again. That made her feel good. Made her feel important. And special.

Time to get started.

Julianna closed her eyes and breathing deeply, cleared her mind and pictured Kate. She pictured her talking, then tipping her head back and laughing; she pictured her smiling at her husband or daydreaming when she thought no one was looking. Minutes passed; the Kate images filled her head, crowding out all others.

Julianna opened her eyes and smiled-Kate's smile. Quick, broad and warm. It transformed Julianna's face, changing it subtly. She did it once more, repeating the motion until it felt natural not forced, never letting go of the images in her head.

"Hi," Julianna said, "welcome to The Uncommon Bean. What can I get for you?"

That wasn't right, she realized, frowning. That wasn't the way Kate spoke. Kate had the habit of lifting her voice slightly on the consonants, lending it a musical quality.

Julianna said the words again. And again. She practiced tirelessly, working to mirror the other woman's speech pattern. As it became more natural to her, she added Kate's smile, her laugh; she tucked her hair behind her ear, as Kate was wont to do, she gestured with her hands, copying the other woman's small, fluid movements.