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“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.”
Chapter Three
A long silence met Melissa’s declaration. She chanced a peek at Richard. She expected him to be stunned, but she was surprised to see that he looked…hurt and disappointed. The expression was fleeting. When he met her gaze, he smiled and said, “What kind of help can I give you?”
So far, so good. “I want to find out about adoption.”
“You want to place your baby for adoption?” He looked astounded.
She stared down at her handbag and began to open and close the clasp without noticing what she was doing. “I think it would be the best thing, don’t you?”
Click, click.
“Just because I’ve made a mess of my life is no reason to mess up my kid’s life. Right?”
Click, click.
“I mean, look at me. I’ve only got a job because my daddy owns the paper. I’m a college dropout. I don’t even have a place to live. I’m staying with Amy, but she only has one bedroom and her sofa isn’t that great to sleep on.”
She continued clicking her bag open and shut until Richard placed his large, warm hand over hers and held them still. “Melissa, are you sure about this?”
His touch was so gentle and comforting. She looked into his bright blue eyes filled with kindness and it was as if a dam broke inside her. Her words came out in a rush of emotion. “I’m not sure of anything. I have no idea what I should do. My father is always sure about everything. My mother is the same way. My brothers and my sisters, they all seem to know what they want in life. Even you! You knew you wanted to be a lawyer and that was that.
“What’s wrong with me that I can’t see my way? Why is my life such a fog when everyone around me sees things so clearly? Why am I so different? My family puts up with me because they love me, but I always disappoint them. I’m tired of forever making the wrong choices. I want to start making the right decisions. How do you do it?”
“I can’t answer that for you, Melissa. All I can say is that life isn’t about making one choice and then everything falls into place. I face tough choices all the time. I use my faith as a guide and I try to make the choices I believe God wants me to make. Sometimes I fail.”
“Then what do you do?”
“I try to take an honest look at why I made that decision. Then I try to fix what went wrong.”
“That’s what I want to do. I want to fix what I did wrong.”
“Have you discussed this with your parents?”
She raised her chin. “No. This has to be my decision.”
“That’s true, but this isn’t an easy task. It will require a strong commitment and you will need your family’s support. Have you been to see your father?”
“My sister, Amy, is helping me. I haven’t told anyone else. I’m certainly not ready to have Dad read me the riot act.”
“I think you’re misjudging him.”
“No, if there’s one thing I do know, it’s that Dad is going to be furious when he hears this. Oh, he won’t be surprised. He always said I’d come to no good if I didn’t mend my ways. I think that’s what I hate most about this. I ended up proving him right.”
“Nothing has to be decided today, Melissa. Here is what I want you to do. Sleep on this decision. If tomorrow you still feel this is what you want, call me and I’ll help find a suitable couple for the child.”
“But tomorrow is Saturday.”
“I have special hours for special clients. Call me. I’ll be here.”
“Amy mentioned that Dean has a right to the baby and that he could block the adoption.”
“That’s true. As the child’s father, he can.”
“Do we have to tell him about it? He told me to get rid of the baby. He doesn’t want anything to do with us.”
“Many people say things in the heat of the moment that they later regret. Either way, legally, we will need his consent. Do you know how to contact him?”
“I’ll give you the name of his band manager. He should be able to find Dean.”
“Good.” Richard stood and helped Melissa to her feet. Slipping his arm around her shoulder, he gave her a quick hug. “I’m not an adoption attorney, I do corporate law, but I have a good friend who runs an adoption clinic. With his help, I’ll take care of all the legal paperwork. Try not to worry. Everything will work out.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You aren’t the one who’s going to look like a hippo in three months.”
Chuckling, he placed a finger under her chin and tilted her face up. “Courage, Melissa.”
She took a deep breath. “If you insist, I’ll give it a try.”
After Melissa left his office, Richard sat in the black swivel chair behind his desk. Poor kid, she’d really done it this time. He, like most people, had considered her capricious and careless. To hear in her own words how lost and alone she felt pulled at his heartstrings.
She needed someone she could talk to. One of her own family members made the most sense, but he suspected the Hamilton family had just about all they could deal with at the moment. An idea began to form in the back of his mind.
He leaned forward and pressed the intercom. “Margaret, please get my sister on the phone. She should still be at her office at the university.”
“Yes, sir.”
He leaned back and waited. Melissa needed a place to stay and he had an extra bedroom at his home. If Angela and Dave didn’t have any objections, maybe Melissa could stay with them.
Before he got too far into his plan, Margaret buzzed him to let him know his sister was on the phone. He picked up line one. “Hi, Angela. I’m sorry to interrupt you at work. Are you busy? This could wait.”
“I’m swamped, but now is as good a time as any. I was getting ready to call and let you know I’m going to be late again tonight. Do you think the girls will mind pizza?”
“They’ll survive. Do you know what Dave has planned?”
“He said this morning that he would be working late at the house. He’s getting the rest of the electrical lines run tonight so the drywallers can start putting up Sheet-rock tomorrow. What did you need?”
“Do you remember Melissa Hamilton?”
“Certainly. I had her in my English 101 class last year. She was a bright student, but she never seemed to have much focus. Once she turned in the most amazing paper on women writers from the South, but her next piece was terrible. It was as if she didn’t want to succeed. Why do you ask about her?”
“She’s in a bit of trouble and she’s looking for a place to live. If you didn’t mind, I thought I’d offer to let her stay with us while you and Dave are there.”
“It’s your home, of course, but why can’t she stay with her mother? The Hamilton house is bigger than yours.”
“I’m not at liberty to discuss it, but she has her reasons. I only thought of it because you mentioned hiring someone to help with the kids until your workload lets up. I know that Dave is spending all his free time getting your house repaired. With Melissa living at our place, it might make things easier for you. It’s just an idea.”
“I did like her, and I certainly don’t mind helping someone out. I’ve received more than my fair share of help from friends and family since the fire. It would feel good to give back a little. You’re right, it might make things easier. I’ll talk it over with Dave and give you an answer in the morning.”
“Great. Thanks, sis.”
