by N L Hinkens
“Honey,” Liam said, in a tone brimming with caution. “You’re still hormonal. You’re not thinking straight. We haven’t even decided if we want to adopt or try another round of IVF.”
Jo sighed. “I’m tired, Liam, and we’re not getting any younger. And we both know how much you hate the whole IVF process. This is our chance to become parents—this year, not at some vague date in the future—and, at the same time, we’d be doing something good for a young woman about to embark on the rest of her life.”
Liam shook his head slowly. “That all sounds good in theory, but what about the father? What about his rights?”
“Do you really think some teenage boy Mia had a fling with is gonna want to be a dad right out of high school? Besides, Mia’s adamant she doesn’t want anyone to know she’s pregnant. She’s not interested in finding out who the father is.”
“But we’d have to lie to our friends and … our parents,” Liam said, the horror of it written all over his face.
“No, we wouldn’t,” Jo protested. “We can tell them it was a private adoption per the mother’s request.”
Liam reached for his glass and took a hefty swig of wine before setting it back down with a thunk that made Jo cringe.
“How far along is this girl anyway?” he asked abruptly.
“Seven or eight weeks, or so.”
The vintage ring tone of Liam’s phone interrupted them before he could respond.
Jo gritted her teeth in frustration at the bad timing. She was certain Liam had just begun to entertain the idea of adopting Mia’s baby—moving beyond throwing out objections to fact-finding.
“It’s the new clients. I need to take this.” He pushed out his chair and got to his feet, a relieved look flooding his face at the temporary reprieve.
Jo heard the sound of the door opening and then a murmured exchange, too low to make out. A moment later, Liam reappeared in the arched entrance from the kitchen to the dining room. “Their system’s gone down. I need to go in and reboot it. Don’t wait up for me.”
Jo remained seated until the front door slammed behind him, and then got to her feet with a sigh. She made her way back to the kitchen and started rinsing off the plates and loading them into the dishwasher. It was painfully obvious that she and Liam had very different priorities.
Her mood plummeted as she scrubbed the wok she had cooked the vegetables in. The despair she’d felt over the weekend roared back in like a tidal wave—filling the empty hole inside her with doubt. Maybe Liam wasn’t as deeply invested in becoming a parent as she was. Was he growing weary of a relationship that seemed to center around the issue of their childlessness?
She closed up the dishwasher and set it to run, then poured herself another half glass of wine before sitting down to scroll through her YouTube channel subscriptions, hoping to numb her pain with mindless consumption. Forty-five minutes went by before she caught herself and closed the app. Biting back tears of frustration, she retreated to the stairs to get ready for bed. The evening was shot. There was no point in waiting up for Liam—he’d be too cranky to discuss anything by the time he got home. She would finish her conversation with him tomorrow night. The clock was ticking, but there was still time to convince him they needed this baby.
5
After a restless night spent worrying about the best way to convince Liam that adopting Mia’s baby was the right thing to do, Jo rolled out of bed the next morning feeling shattered and running too late for a much-needed shot of coffee. At school, she struggled through her first appointment of the morning, stifling yawns and trying to make appropriately sympathetic sounds at regular intervals as a junior with a marooned pimple in the middle of her forehead ranted bitterly about her basketball coach’s bias against playing her. When the bell finally rang for morning break, Jo gratefully dismissed the student. Before she had a chance to take a bathroom break, her phone rang. She frowned at the unknown number before putting the phone to her ear. “Hello?”
“Mrs Murphy, this is Tory Allen … Mia’s mother. Do you have a minute? I can call back later if this isn’t a good time.”
“Not at all, I just finished up an appointment,” she sputtered, endeavoring to recover from her shock. “And please, call me Jo.”
“I should have scheduled a meeting, but it’s an emergency and I needed to talk to you as soon as possible.” Tory let out a sigh before adding. “Mia told me she met with you yesterday.”
“Did she tell you what we talked about?” Jo asked, her tone polite but guarded.
“Yes.” Tory let out an aggrieved breath. “I should have seen it coming. All those sleepovers at friends’ houses. She must have been with him the whole time.”
“By him, you mean Noah?” Jo prodded.
“Yes, they’ve been together for a while now.”
Jo chewed on her lip for a moment. She wished she’d had more time to prepare for this conversation. If she could win Mia’s mom over, it might help sway Mia’s decision, but she had to be careful not to overreach too soon. She had to make it feel like it was their decision. “Did you and Mia get a chance to discuss what she wanted to do about it?”
“That’s why I’m calling you. She said you offered to help her with the adoption process.”
“I did, and I meant it,” Jo assured her. “As her counselor, I’ll support her in any way I can.”
“The thing is, she doesn’t want Noah to find out—about the baby. For that matter, she doesn’t want anyone at school to know.” Tory hesitated. “Is that legal? I don’t want any of this coming back to haunt us. The Tomasellis are loaded, so if they sue me, I’m screwed.”
“There’s no legal requirement to notify Noah unless Mia intends to keep the baby and go after child support,” Jo answered.
“She doesn’t want to keep it. To be honest, I’m not in a position to help her raise a child anyway. I clean offices for a living.” Tory gave a hollow laugh. “I was only sixteen when I dropped out of school to have Mia. I want something better for her.”
“Then she can simply put father unknown on the birth certificate,” Jo explained, squirming under the prick of her conscience. Just because it was legal didn’t mean it was fair to the Tomaselli family. But then, nothing was fair when it came to the roulette wheel of conception and miscarriage either.
Tory blew out a perturbed breath. “I told Mia she’ll have to go and stay with her father after she graduates until the baby is born if she wants to keep the pregnancy a secret. This town’s too small.”
“Where does he live?” Jo asked.
“San Francisco. I imagine there are plenty of couples in a city that size who’d want to adopt a baby.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” Jo said, her stomach writhing at the thought of strangers adopting Mia’s baby. In her mind, she was already the chosen one. It was only a matter of sealing the deal. Sweat prickled beneath the bridge of her glasses and she pinched her nose between her thumb and forefinger, wiping it away. “Why don’t you and Mia make an appointment to come in to my office, and we’ll get the process started. I’m here from seven-thirty until four-thirty every day.”
“I guess. If I can get off work early,” Tory said, sounding dubious. “I work until four.”
Jo scrunched her eyes shut. She sensed that Tory Allen might never darken her door if she hung up without getting a firm commitment. It was time to take a risk, just a small one to begin with. “I’m happy to see you at my home after hours if that makes it easier for you. Or at your place if you prefer. Are you free any evening this week?”
“I have to work tonight. Wednesday or Thursday would suit. It would be easier if you came to our place.”
“Then let’s say Wednesday at five-thirty. Is your current address in Mia’s file?”
“Yes. Thank you. You’ve no idea how much I appreciate your help. It’s overwhelming to even think of tackling this on my own. It’s bad enough being a single parent on a regular day. When something like this come along, it feels like a t
sunami bearing down.”
Jo hung up the phone, flushed with success. This was going to work. She’d never been more certain of anything. Tory knew only too well the struggles of a young, unwed mother raising a baby alone. It could work in her favor if she played it right. She would put all the pieces in place and present her idea to Tory and Mia on Wednesday night, with Liam at her side. She just had to work on him before then and make sure he was fully committed. She didn’t want him showing any reluctance in Tory’s presence.
As she exited her office to head to the staff break room, shouts from the student locker area reached her ears. She broke into a jog in the direction of the disturbance. A group of students were waving fists and cheering someone on in their midst. Jo began elbowing her way through the crowd to get to the center of the ruckus. To her horror, a wild-eyed Mia was flailing her fists on Noah’s chest, yelling insults as he tried to fend her off.
“Don’t lie to me! You’ve been sleeping with someone else for months now,” Mia screamed at him, while several onlookers laughed and egged her on.
“You’re crazy,” Noah responded. “I’m not seeing anyone else. Get a grip. I don’t have to account for every minute of my day to you.”
“I have proof you’ve been cheating on me!” Mia spat back. “A photo!”
“Mia!” Jo called out.
Her head spun in Jo’s direction and a scowl settled on her face. “I don’t need a counselor right now. This has nothing to do with you.”
“Fair enough,” Jo responded. “But if you don’t break it up, I’m calling security.”
Mia balled her hands into fists and glared at Noah again, before turning on her heel and storming through the audience of students already snap-chatting the drama out to any friends who hadn’t been lucky enough to have a ringside seat.
“You all right, Noah?” Jo asked.
He opened his locker, grabbed an armful of books, and slammed the door shut before answering. “Fine. She’s been acting all crazy lately.”
A sliver of fear cut through Jo. Had Mia told Noah about the baby? She needed to do some damage control and find out exactly what was going on between them. She wasn’t about to let this chance to become a mother slip through her fingers. “I want to see you in my office tomorrow after break, Noah.”
“I wasn’t fighting,” he protested.
“No, you were assaulted, and several students recorded it. I need to take your statement. It’ll only take a few minutes.”
“I have an away game tomorrow,” he said, tossing his hair to one side.
Jo pressed her lips together. “Thursday then, first period after break.”
“Yeah, whatever.” He turned and swaggered off down the hallway with a fellow teammate. The crowd began to disperse, laughingly recounting the highlights of the brawl.
Jo walked back down the corridor, her pulse still quivering from the encounter. When she reached the seclusion of the staff break room, she poured herself a large coffee and sank down in a sagging lounge chair nursing her mug as she mused over what she’d witnessed. Mia had come across as somewhat dispassionate in Jo’s office, but she was obviously in a fragile emotional state. Jo had no idea whether or not her accusation about Noah cheating on her had any merit, but it might drive Mia to rethink the whole idea of giving up her baby for adoption. What if she decided to tell Noah she was pregnant in an effort to keep him? With the Tomaselli family involved, any hope of adopting the baby would be dashed.
“Hey you!” Sarah threw herself down in the chair next to Jo. “Why the long face?”
She gave a wry grin. “It’s the counselor in me, always worrying about my students. I just broke up a scuffle between the school heart throbs.”
“Mia and Noah?” Sarah arched a questioning brow.
“Yeah. Mia was really going at it, hammering on Noah with her fists. She accused him of cheating on her.”
Sarah grimaced. “I noticed Noah’s been rather stressed out in my class lately. And who gets stressed out in art class? I had to give him a bit of a pep talk the other day.”
Jo gave a vague nod, not wanting Sarah to dig any deeper. If she found out Mia had been in to see her, she’d be curious to know why. “Graduation flutters most likely. It’ll pass.”
Sarah lifted her green faux-leather purse onto her lap and rummaged through it, knocking a cell phone to the floor in the process.
Jo went to reach for it, but Sarah snatched it up and tossed it into her bag. “My mother’s. She left it in my car.”
“How’s she doing anyway?” Jo asked, seizing the opportunity to change the subject. Sarah’s mom, Barb Davidson, suffered from early onset Alzheimer’s and had moved into Brookdale Meadows, an expensive residential facility, several years earlier. She’d been a successful real estate investor in her day and thankfully had the funds to pay for her own care. Sarah visited her faithfully every Sunday afternoon and sometimes took her out for a short drive if Barb was up to it.
“No clue who I was, as usual.” Sarah gave a rueful grin. “She asked me if I was her doctor. Last week she thought I was the gardener, she buzzed security because she couldn’t understand what I was doing in her room.”
“Yikes! I’m sorry,” Jo said. “That must be hard.”
“Yeah, she’s been there almost five years now. I think she still enjoys my visits even though she doesn’t always recognize me.” Sarah pulled a handful of brochures out of her purse and waved them seductively in front of Jo. “On a brighter note, I brought these for you to look through. Thought it might convince you to shake things up a bit—book a couple of tickets and join us.”
Jo reached for the brochures and flipped through the top one on the pile. A smiling doll with blonde braids dressed in a black and red dirndl stared back at her from a shop window, eyes as startling blue as Mia’s. In the background, a picturesque Bavarian village replete with brightly-colored window baskets buzzed with activity. Sarah and Robbie could afford to splurge on trips like these thanks to a generous annual disbursement from Barb’s estate. Jo didn’t begrudge them their frequent trips away, but she remained laser-focused on channeling all her and Liam’s extra funds into their pursuit of parenthood. “Looks enticing,” she said, with a sigh of regret as she pushed her glasses back up her nose, “but I’m afraid Europe’s not in our budget this year.” She tugged at her hair self-consciously. “First thing on the agenda is getting these roots redone. I’m an embarrassment to myself.”
Sarah laughed. “I have an eleven o’clock at the beauty salon in the mall on Saturday for a haircut. Why don’t you come along? We can do lunch afterward.”
“Sounds good. But lunch is on me this time.”
“It’s a date. Keep the brochures in case you change your mind. I’ll probably bug you about it some more before I give up.” Sarah glanced at her watch. “Gotta run. I need to set up easels for my next class.”
Jo finished her coffee and stood to leave just as Robbie strode through the doorway. He grinned when he caught sight of her. “Ah, the counselor with superpowers.”
Jo wrinkled her brow. “What are you talking about?”
“My chem students told me you powered through a line of football players and single-handedly broke up a lover’s brawl,” he said with an elaborate wink.
“More like a spat,” Jo replied. “But I did have to weave my way through a labyrinth of sweaty bodies, and most of them had a good six inches on me.”
Robbie threw back his head and guffawed. “Wish I’d witnessed that play!”
Jo rolled her eyes. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, how have Mia and Noah been in chemistry class lately?”
“Noah’s been a bit withdrawn to tell you the truth.” A circumspect expression flitted across Robbie’s face. “Did you know Mia stormed off campus after you broke up their scuffle? She must be taking it very badly that Noah’s been two timing her.”
“Where did you hear that?” Jo asked.
“You mean apart from the chatter on the student grapev
ine, Snapchat, Instagram posts, and the scrawled messages of support on Mia’s locker?” Robbie chuckled. “It’s the number one news item on campus.”
“I’m sure it will all have blown over by tomorrow.” Jo waved the stash of brochures in front of Robbie before stuffing them into her purse. “Sarah’s trying to talk me and Liam into joining you on your trip to Europe. She’s hawking it as a communications cure for couples.”
A flicker of irritation crossed Robbie’s face. “That’s not a done deal yet. We’re still tossing around the idea.”
Jo shrugged, thrown off by his unusually cool response. “No worries, it’s not in our budget this year anyway.”
As she was pulling out of the school parking lot at the end of the day, Liam texted to say he was working late and wouldn’t make it home in time for dinner. Jo fought back her frustration as she messaged him back, telling him about the altercation between Noah and Mia, and reminding him that they needed to talk about the baby. As she drove home, she resigned herself to sitting up until whatever hour Liam came home at in order to finish their conversation. No matter how tired he was, she had to get his blessing before tomorrow.
After stashing the pork chops she’d bought for their dinner in the freezer, Jo made herself a quick sandwich and took it into the family room to catch the evening news. It occurred to her that it might be a good idea to swing by Mia’s house and check up on her. After all, she felt partly responsible that she’d stormed out of school early. Tory was at work so that meant Mia would be home alone, and there was no telling what she might do if she was upset enough. Jo debated texting first but decided against it in case Mia told her not to come.
She swallowed down the last bite of her sandwich, barely tasting it, and then logged into the school website on her phone and pulled up Mia’s file to get her address. She frowned at the familiar street name, Fairview Court, in the West Ridge district. What a coincidence. Mia and her mother lived in the same sub-division as Robbie and Sarah—they were just around the corner on Fairview Place.
