A Million Little Things (Mischief Bay, #3)

Pam opened her mouth, then closed it. She realized that while she’d told Olimpia what was happening, she’d neglected to mention that she’d done more than simply listen. She’d hardly stayed neutral. She’d not only told Steven what to do, she’d fought with her daughter and ended things with Miguel. Or maybe he’d ended things with her. She wasn’t sure.

“Obviously Steven needs to break things off with Zoe.” Eugenia shrugged. “I don’t mean to sound harsh, but there’s no way he wants to take on another man’s baby. Not if Chad’s going to stay around.” She looked at Pam. “Is he?”

“That’s what I understand.”

Before she could thank her friend for seeing things so clearly, Olimpia spoke up.

“How can you say that?” Olimpia asked. “Break up with her? The pregnancy wasn’t her fault. It simply happened. And for that she should lose a wonderful man like Steven? Of course he’ll stay with her. If they care about each other, they’ll figure it out. Besides, he wasn’t raised to run from a problem like that. We all know Pam and what she believes. She’s an honest, fair, wonderful person. Steven has to be exactly the same. There’s no way he’s going to turn his back on Zoe.”

While Pam appreciated the compliment, she wasn’t sure she deserved it. According to her children, she wasn’t very nice these days.

Laura shifted in her seat. “Zoe did sleep with the ex. That’s kind of tacky.”

“Agreed,” Olimpia said. “But come on, it happens. And she thought she was protected. Nothing Zoe did was irresponsible. We all talk about raising our children to be good people. To look past the superficial to the person inside.”

“A baby isn’t superficial,” Eugenia pointed out. “It’s a life changer. Why would Steven want that?”

“Why wouldn’t he? He’s a good guy. Yes, a baby complicates things, but so what? Are you saying if he met someone who was divorced and had a couple of kids you would tell him to run? Why is this different?”

“She’s pregnant,” Laura said slowly. “I see your point and I get the divorced thing. How interesting that her being pregnant makes it seem like more of a complication. I can’t explain why.”

It was as if her friends had become the voices in her head, Pam realized. They were having the argument for her.

“My friend Shannon married a man with two children,” Pam said slowly. “There were adjustments but it’s working out.”

“See.” Olimpia sounded triumphant. “Did you tell her to run from him?”

“Of course not.” Pam remembered how difficult it had been for Shannon when she’d met Adam. Getting to know the children had been a challenge. But she’d gotten through it and now they were blissfully happy. Not to mention fostering five-year-old twin boys.

She smiled. “In fact, Shannon keeps Lulu for me when I travel. My little girl is in doggy heaven with a whole pack of kids to boss around.”

“Jen doesn’t...” Laura held up a hand. “Never mind. Until dogs come germfree and totally organic, she can’t have her around too much. I remember. My daughters would be so proud of her.”

The Bellinis arrived. They each took one and raised them as they toasted each other.

“To us,” Laura said. “And our wonderful trip.”

They touched glasses and took a drink. Laura put hers down.

“Do you think I’ll be able to find a pashmina anywhere we’re going? My black one is so tired. I would love something new and fresh.”

“We’ve got an extra day in Copenhagen,” Eugenia said. “We’ll shop after we see the sights.”

“I have a pale silver one I brought,” Pam told her. “You can borrow mine.”

Laura grinned. “I’d be careful, if I were you. If I love it, I might not want to give it back.”

They all laughed. Pam drew in a breath as she felt herself relaxing. These were her friends and they loved her. They had been there for her from the first day she’d met them. They supported her and trusted her. Only now she wasn’t completely sure that trust was warranted.

While she hadn’t meant to keep the whole story from them, it seemed she had. They knew the facts, but not her reaction to them, and she couldn’t help wondering if they would like her just a little bit less if they knew everything that had happened.

*

Jen backed out of the driveway. She told herself that she didn’t have to go through with this. That she could change her mind. Only she knew she couldn’t—not really. Jack still refused to talk to her. He was loving, eager, happy and totally silent. As he’d chatted with his dad, Lucas and even the mailman, she knew that she was the problem. Which meant she had to be the solution. If only she didn’t feel as if she were seconds from having a panic attack.

She ignored the tightness in her chest. Her medication should keep the symptoms at a manageable level, she told herself firmly. Which meant there was no reason not to move forward with her plan. Step one—get Jack into day care. To that end, she had an appointment with Rose. She would fill out the paperwork and get Jack enrolled.

“You okay?” Lucas asked from the passenger seat.

“No, but I will be.”

“It’s just day care.”

“Children have died in day care.”

“Exaggerate much?”

She glared at him. “It’s happened. I’ve seen stories on the news.”

“These are the same people who brought us alien landings, I’m sure.” He held up a hand. “Yes, it’s happened. Once, maybe twice. The odds are in your favor.” He grinned. “Actually I believe the correct phrase is may the odds be ever in your favor.” He chuckled at his own joke.

“Yes, yes, very funny. You’ve quoted The Hunger Games. Later you can recite some lines from The Godfather and we’ll all have a good laugh.”

“Someone’s a little high-strung this morning.”

She was and she didn’t need him pointing that out to her.

“I’m hungry,” Lucas said as she turned onto Choppy Avenue. “Let’s go to In-N-Out Burger. We have time.”

“Are you insane? A burger place? Do you know what they serve there?”

“Burgers?”

She really, really wanted to slap him. Hard. The problem was she had a bad feeling Lucas would slap her back. Not only would that change things, but it would be a bad thing for Jack to see.

She glanced in the rearview mirror and saw her son was calmly playing with his stuffed raccoon.

“Jack doesn’t eat fast food.”