here.” He stared pointedly at Grandma Jenny. “Though I thought I was here to do odd jobs for a couple of weeks.”
Grandma Jenny shrugged. “I’d say being a mediator for the three of us fits that, wouldn’t you?”
“Just warn me ahead of time if I’m going to need a weapon or body armor,” he said dryly.
Kelsey noted that even her mother had to fight a grin at that. As she munched on a handful of Saltines she’d managed to find in a cupboard, the rest of them dove into dinner. A few minutes later, Kelsey risked a little mac and cheese, then a chicken wing.
She looked around the table and suddenly felt the knot in her stomach ease for the first time since she’d found out about the baby. Maybe, like dinner, her life was going to turn out okay, after all.
Suddenly, acid burned the back of her throat and she bolted from the table.
As she wiped her face with a damp cloth after throwing up her dinner, she corrected herself. She was going to spend nine months heaving her guts out, the baby was going toarrive, and then things were going to get complicated, especially if Jeff refused to back away from his demand that they get married and keep this baby. In no scenario she could imagine would her life ever be okay again.
5
L uke didn’t have to have a medical degree to know what was going on with Kelsey and why she’d come to Florida in the middle of the school year. She was pregnant. Hannah obviously knew it, which was why there’d been a pinched expression on her face when Kelsey had bolted for the bathroom for the second time since they’d arrived home from the airport. If Grandma Jenny knew, she wasn’t giving anything away. She just poured a glass of ginger ale, set it down on the table at Kelsey’s place and announced she was going to her room.
“Something tells me you and your daughter need to talk,” she said to Hannah, then looked pointedly at Luke. “They could probably use some privacy, too.”
Luke acknowledged the suggestion with a nod and stood up.
“That was subtle,” Hannah murmured after she’d gone. “Are you sure you want to stick around here after tonight? I told you it was going to get messy.”
“Do you want me to go?” he asked, studying Hannah’s expression. “I mean now. Earlier both you and Kelsey seemed anxious to have a buffer. Maybe an impartial third party could help.”
Hannah looked relieved. “To tell you the truth, I don’t want to get into any of this tonight and I imagine Kelsey would rather postpone it indefinitely. Stay, please.”
Luke acquiesced and sat back down, though not without some trepidation. “Does your grandmother know about the baby?”
“I haven’t told her, if that’s what you mean,” she said, not bothering to deny that her daughter was pregnant. “But she knows. I’m sure she noticed the handful of crackers that Kelsey grabbed earlier. That’s why she left that glass of ginger ale, too.”
“You okay?”
She gave him a wry look. “I’m not the one who’s still more than a year away from graduating from college and about to have a baby.”
“No, but you are the mother of a young woman who’s about to have one, and apparently without a husband, or am I wrong about that? Is there a wedding on the horizon?”
“Not that I’m aware of.” She regarded him sheepishly. “Then, again, apparently I’m the last to know a lot of things. I didn’t even know there was a man in her life.”
“Maybe there’s not,” he said, phrasing his words carefully.
“Oh, I’d say a man’s involved in this,” Hannah retorted.
He grinned at the evidence that she hadn’t entirely lost her sense of humor. “I meant anyone she’s serious about.”
“Are you suggesting she was just casually sleeping around?” she asked, her indignation stirring. “No way. I may not know much else, but I know that.” She sighed. “Truthfully, we haven’t broached the daddy factor yet. I just found out about this myself the night before last,
Grandma Jenny shrugged. “I’d say being a mediator for the three of us fits that, wouldn’t you?”
“Just warn me ahead of time if I’m going to need a weapon or body armor,” he said dryly.
Kelsey noted that even her mother had to fight a grin at that. As she munched on a handful of Saltines she’d managed to find in a cupboard, the rest of them dove into dinner. A few minutes later, Kelsey risked a little mac and cheese, then a chicken wing.
She looked around the table and suddenly felt the knot in her stomach ease for the first time since she’d found out about the baby. Maybe, like dinner, her life was going to turn out okay, after all.
Suddenly, acid burned the back of her throat and she bolted from the table.
As she wiped her face with a damp cloth after throwing up her dinner, she corrected herself. She was going to spend nine months heaving her guts out, the baby was going toarrive, and then things were going to get complicated, especially if Jeff refused to back away from his demand that they get married and keep this baby. In no scenario she could imagine would her life ever be okay again.
5
L uke didn’t have to have a medical degree to know what was going on with Kelsey and why she’d come to Florida in the middle of the school year. She was pregnant. Hannah obviously knew it, which was why there’d been a pinched expression on her face when Kelsey had bolted for the bathroom for the second time since they’d arrived home from the airport. If Grandma Jenny knew, she wasn’t giving anything away. She just poured a glass of ginger ale, set it down on the table at Kelsey’s place and announced she was going to her room.
“Something tells me you and your daughter need to talk,” she said to Hannah, then looked pointedly at Luke. “They could probably use some privacy, too.”
Luke acknowledged the suggestion with a nod and stood up.
“That was subtle,” Hannah murmured after she’d gone. “Are you sure you want to stick around here after tonight? I told you it was going to get messy.”
“Do you want me to go?” he asked, studying Hannah’s expression. “I mean now. Earlier both you and Kelsey seemed anxious to have a buffer. Maybe an impartial third party could help.”
Hannah looked relieved. “To tell you the truth, I don’t want to get into any of this tonight and I imagine Kelsey would rather postpone it indefinitely. Stay, please.”
Luke acquiesced and sat back down, though not without some trepidation. “Does your grandmother know about the baby?”
“I haven’t told her, if that’s what you mean,” she said, not bothering to deny that her daughter was pregnant. “But she knows. I’m sure she noticed the handful of crackers that Kelsey grabbed earlier. That’s why she left that glass of ginger ale, too.”
“You okay?”
She gave him a wry look. “I’m not the one who’s still more than a year away from graduating from college and about to have a baby.”
“No, but you are the mother of a young woman who’s about to have one, and apparently without a husband, or am I wrong about that? Is there a wedding on the horizon?”
“Not that I’m aware of.” She regarded him sheepishly. “Then, again, apparently I’m the last to know a lot of things. I didn’t even know there was a man in her life.”
“Maybe there’s not,” he said, phrasing his words carefully.
“Oh, I’d say a man’s involved in this,” Hannah retorted.
He grinned at the evidence that she hadn’t entirely lost her sense of humor. “I meant anyone she’s serious about.”
“Are you suggesting she was just casually sleeping around?” she asked, her indignation stirring. “No way. I may not know much else, but I know that.” She sighed. “Truthfully, we haven’t broached the daddy factor yet. I just found out about this myself the night before last,
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