Her Secret, His Child

Jamie shrugged, trying to find the words to explain what she herself still didn't comprehend. Not even sure how much she could bear to tell.

"My father ran out on my mom and me when I was just a baby." She hadn't intended to go that far

HER SECRET, HIS CHILD

back, but once started, the whole sordid tale tumbled out.

"The bastard!" Karen spat out when Jamie got to the night of her mother's funeral. "Oh, God," she said, her eyes filling with tears. "Tell me he didn't—"

Unable to speak for the fresh emotion clogging her throat, Jamie shook her head. She'd never imagined that telling someone about those years would result in anything but disgust. Karen's support was almost more than she could grasp.

She told Karen about running off that night, about the bit of money she'd had, taking a bus to Las Vegas, searching for a job, trying to get into school, find a place to live. And meeting Tom Webber.

"The bastard!" Karen cried again as soon as she mentioned Tom's name. "He put you to work! Just an innocent, frightened child! How could he?"

For the first time in what seemed like years, Jamie smiled. "No, he didn't."

"He didn't?"

"At least, not like you think."

She went on to explain her two-year relationship with her benefactor, the platonic first year, the support Tom had given her, the love.

"So what happened?" Karen's brow was furrowed as she gazed at Jamie.

' 'His wife found out about me. She showed up at my apartment."

"He was married?"

"Surprise, surprise."

"You didn't know."

TARA TAYLOR QUINN

Shaking her head, Jamie asked, "Can you believe I was so stupid? So naive? I actually thought he was going to marry me."

Karen reached for Jamie's hand and held it between her palms. "I'd have thought the same thing."

"No, you wouldn't." Jamie looked down at their clasped hands. "You'd have made the right choices everywhere I made the wrong ones."

"I haven't heard any wrong ones yet."

"The man was old enough to be my grandfather!"

"And he was the first person in your life who loved you!"

Jamie glanced back up at her friend. "My mother loved me."

Lips pursed, Karen said, "That's debatable."

"No, it isn't."

"Would you have stayed married to a man who was hurting Ashley?"

"No." No matter what. She'd give her life for her daughter. Jamie supposed that admission didn't reveal her own mother in a very good light.

/> "Sounds to me like she was too busy trying to cope with life herself to have anything left for you."