Prodigal Daughter

“I guess if I have a job, that’s a start.”

“That’s a good start, although a few things have changed at Hamilton Media that you should know about.”

“Like what? Besides Tim’s running the show now that Jeremy has left. You mentioned Ellen Manning was now the magazine’s ex-makeover expert. I never really liked her anyway. Don’t tell me the Gordons have retired?”

“I doubt you or I will live to see that day. No, Jeremy had to fire our accountant, Curtis Resnick.”

“You’re kidding. They’ve been friends for ages.”

“Curtis was embezzling from us. Because they had been such good friends, Jeremy fired him instead of turning him in to the police. That was really what sparked the dustup between Dad and Jeremy.”

“I see. Poor Jeremy. And poor Tim, to have to take over when things were in such an uproar. How is he handling things?”

“He was pretty tough on the staff, at first. They started calling him Typhoon Tim behind his back, but I have to admit he has found his stride. The business is doing well with him at the helm.”

“Anything else I need to know?”

Amy looked down at her teacup. “Not right at the moment.”

Melissa had the feeling there was more, but she didn’t want to pressure her sister.

Suddenly, Amy looked up and said, “Why don’t you move back home with Mom? The place is certainly big enough.”

The idea was tempting, but somehow Melissa knew that if she did, things were never going to change. She would let her well-meaning family take over more and more of her responsibilities instead of facing them herself. “I think I’d rather get a place of my own.”

“You’re welcome to stay here until you find something. I only have one bedroom, but you’re welcome to the sofa.”

“Thanks. I may have to stay for a little while.”

“Melissa, you haven’t said what you intend to do about the baby.”

“You noticed that?”

“Yes, I did.”

“I’ve been thinking about what I should do for months. I know I told you the baby belonged with me, but in my heart, I also know I’m not cut out to be a mother.”

“Have you thought about adoption?”

“I’ve thought about it a lot.”

“And?”

“I’m not sure. I mean—I may be the pits as a mother, but what if some weirdo gets her or him? You hear horror stories all the time.”

“There is someone at the paper you should talk to. She adopted a child not long ago. I think she might be able to put your mind at ease on that score. But there is something else you need to think about. Dean may be out of the picture as far as you’re concerned, but he has exactly the same rights to your baby as you do.”

“The guy is a jerk.”

“Granted, but jerk or not, he’s the baby’s father. He may have to surrender his rights the same way you will in order to place the child for adoption. Before you make any decisions you need to know where you stand legally. You need to talk to Richard McNeil.”

“Mr. McNeil can see you now, Miss Hamilton.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Woodrow.” Melissa rose from her chair in the reception area and followed Richard’s secretary down a mahogany-paneled hall to his office. Richard stood holding the door open and waiting for her.

“Hello again, Melissa. Come on in.” He indicated one of a pair of burgundy leather chairs that faced his desk. He was wearing another beautifully tailored suit, a dark blue pinstripe with a light blue dress shirt. This time a patterned tie completed the look. The outfit made his eyes seem darker, more intense. Perhaps it was only her imagination.

“I’m thankful you could see me on such short notice.” Melissa took a seat and plucked at the front of her wine-colored velvet tunic. It was another loose-fitting top that she hoped would hide her expanding waistline. She kept her handbag in her lap.

“You said it was important.” Instead of sitting behind the desk, he sat in the chair next to hers.

Melissa’s grip tightened on her handbag until her knuckles whitened. This would be the best thing for her child, but how did she go about telling someone who had known her all her life that she didn’t want her own baby? What would he think?

He leaned forward in the chair and laid a comforting hand over her tightly clenched ones. “Anything you say to me will be kept in the strictest confidence.”

She managed a weak smile. “I know that. After all, you never told anyone I was the culprit behind the Reindeer heists.”

He chuckled and sat back. “No. I never squealed on you. Although how you managed to steal nine of them in one night without getting caught remains a mystery to this day. You weren’t old enough to drive.”

“I borrowed some shopping carts from the Piggy Wiggly parking lot.”

“Ah! And how did you get the deer into the school and dressed in the basketball team’s jerseys?”

“They looked good, didn’t they? The Davis Landing Bucks weren’t winning any games that year. I thought we needed a whole new team. Getting into the building was a bit difficult. Getting them dressed wasn’t hard.”

“I always figured it was an inside job.”

“Remember the night watchman, Mr. Chapman?”

“Don’t tell me that he helped you, after all? I thought the reason you came to me was so that he wouldn’t lose his job.”

“He didn’t exactly help, but he did step out often for a smoke break. He’d leave the gym door propped open sometimes. Once we—I was inside, it was easy to wait until he left to make his rounds again. It didn’t seem fair of the school board to let him go because of my prank.”

“You did the right thing when you called me and confessed that you and Jennifer had stolen Rudolph and his team from the Christmas display in front of the Wilcox home.”

She tipped her head to the side. “I never told you Jennifer was the one who helped me.”

“You two were thick as thieves back then. Who else would have helped you pull off a stunt like that?”

“She always had the coolest ideas.”

“And you were the one who couldn’t let someone else take the blame. So what is this about, Melissa? Not more stolen reindeer, I hope?”

She looked down at her hands, not wanting to see the expression on his face. “I wish that was all. I came today because I need your help.”

“I’m listening.”

There was no way to beat around this bush. She gave up trying and blurted out, “I’m pregnant.”