Oh, good Lord, what should I do? Daddy hadn’t committed the crime he’d been accused of. I knew he hadn’t. He’d been framed, which was why I was spending all my money trying to get him out of there.
And then there was Mom. Her nursing home bills were astronomical. I’d sold her house and until all the money from that ran out, I couldn’t get her on government assistance. Life was so unfair. Why had that horrible accident happened? She’d been so smart and vivacious. And then she’d had that seizure while she’d been driving, which had caused her to hit that stupid tree. Now her brain damage was so severe, the doctors said she would never recover. And she was only forty-eight years old. Every time I went to visit her, I broke down and cried. It was like visiting an adult baby.
Between Daddy’s legal fees and Mom’s medical bills, I wasn’t left with much to live on. If what Hugh offered was legit, it could be a way for me to get ahead in life. But who was I kidding? It would saddle me with a baby. And babies grew up to be kids. I would be tied down for life. Was I really ready for that kind of commitment?
Then the thought of snuggling a tiny bundle of joy nailed me in the heart and my maternal instincts flared to life. I’d never thought about it before, because frankly, I hadn’t had the time. Only now, with this idea planted in my brain, it began to take root. I could totally see myself pushing around a baby in a stroller, taking her to see her grandmother. Maybe it would bring a spark of light to my mom’s lifeless eyes again.
For the next two days, all I could think of was Hugh and his offer, though I hadn’t glanced at the card he left me, hoping to avoid the temptation to call him. I even imagined I heard a baby crying during one of those nights. I woke up and ran into my living room, checking to see where the sound came from. When I climbed back into my empty bed, the loneliness hit. And not just because Hugh wasn’t there. It was because there wasn’t a baby in the house. I was totally losing it. What the hell was wrong with me? I needed to see a shrink. The last thing I needed was a baby. I could barely take care of myself, along with everyone else on my plate.
When Chloe called, I kept all my feelings bottled up and brought up false cheer. “Hey, chickypoo, what’s going on? I got your text, but then I didn’t hear back. Tell me about this man you met.”
She groaned and I knew it wasn’t good news. “Ryan Witmore is a complete asshole, just like my jerkface boss, Hugh Hampton, the king of dickwads. Anyway, did you meet anyone?”
This was where I should have come clean. Instead, I said, “Uh, er—no one important. Tell me what happened.”
She told a tale that left me blinking. Chloe had had a one-nighter. No, actually, it was a one-weekender. He’d offered her a job after promising she could quit. There had to be more to the story, but I didn’t ask. I felt bad for keeping my secrets from her.
“And I’m currently drowning my anger in a large glass of vino,” she finished.
“Hmm. Looks like you’ve been on one wild rollercoaster ride.”
“You know it,” she said.
Though I didn’t want to tell her my tale, she was my best friend, and I would be there for her. “Want some sorrow-drowning company?”
“Molly, normally I would say yeah, but not tonight. I just want to hang and feel sorry for my own stupid butt for believing such bull. You know what I’m saying?”
I felt bad for being happy she didn’t want company. “I do. If you change your mind, you know where to find me. Oh, you never said if you liked the job though.”
“It has potential. It’s not true copy-editing, but it pays a hell of a lot better.”
“Well, at least you have that.”
“Truth.”
The next day at work, my mind was all over the place. The offer was so outlandish, I hadn’t even called Chloe to tell her. She didn’t know how deep in debt I was. She would never understand why I was even considering his offer.
“Hey, Molly. Did you know you missed the meeting this morning?” Joe asked.
Shit! “Yeah, I, uh, was under the weather and didn’t even think I was going to make it in. But I’m feeling much better.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“What did I miss?” I asked.
“We went over some things on the Martin case. I can bring you up to speed later,” Joe offered.
“Okay, thanks.”
He leaned against my desk and asked, “Hey, that was some party the other night, huh?”