Page 65 of His Best Friend's Baby

“Well, I’m sorry I seem to have forgotten.” She put a hand to her forehead. “My memory is not—”

“Cut the shit, Agnes,” she snapped. “You managed to give me every message for every job that didn’t want me.”

“Yes, well—” She shrugged.

Standing in her mother-in-law’s kitchen, wearing her bad polyester uniform, Julia realized that this wasn’t something she could change. She could confront Agnes with all of her anger. All of her rage and disappointment. She could try and try, beating her head against the wall, to get Agnes to admit she’d done something wrong. But it would never happen. And if Agnes did admit it, what would it change? Nothing.

Julia turned for the stairs.

“What are you doing?” Agnes asked.

“Packing,” Julia shouted over her shoulder while she stomped up the steps. She pushed open the door to the Mitch Museum she and Ben had been sleeping in.

She pulled her suitcase from under the bed and flopped it open.

“What are you talking about?” Agnes asked from the doorway. She looked panicked, sincerely worried. Julia steeled her heart.

“I’m taking Ben and we’re leaving,” she said clearly, so there would be no misunderstanding.

“Where will you go?”

Jesse’s. Her heart pinged and popped at the thought. But she couldn’t say that, not without starting World War Three. “I’ve made some friends here, Agnes. I will stay with them.”

“What about Ben?” she cried. “You’d just take Ben away from us?”

Julia sighed and braced herself as she wadded up clothes in her suitcase. “Of course not, Agnes. I am not leaving town. I am not running away.”

To join the army. Oh, Mitch, it all makes so much sense right now.

“It sure looks like it.”

Julia heaved a deep breath. “You lied to me.” She looked Agnes right in the eye. “I needed the support and stability of family and you used that need to make me totally dependent on you. You’ve made me feel guilty and like I’m the worst mother on the planet. I wanted that job at Holmes. I wanted it a lot and you almost cost me that.”

“Julia, I just forgot. Surely—”

Julia shook her head. Why did she even try?

“Ben and I are moving out. I will let you know where we are in a few days. Maybe a week. But I need to cool down. You will be allowed to see Ben, just not right now. Not when I am so mad.”

Agnes’s jaw went tight. “Ron is not going to like this.”

Ron can kiss my—

“I don’t much like it, either, but you’ve left me no choice.”

Julia grabbed the assortment of toys and sippy cups from the beside table and threw them on top of everything else in the suitcase.

She zipped up the beat-up bag and heaved it off the bed.

“Well, at least wait until he comes home and he can help you—”

“I’ve had enough of your help.” She stood nose-to-nose with Agnes in the doorway. “Let me go, Agnes, before you make things worse.”

Agnes didn’t move for a long second and Julia wondered if she was just going to have to shove her way out of this house. But finally, eyes on the floor, Agnes stepped back.

“You’re breaking our hearts,” she whispered and Julia felt herself waver, felt her strong resolve and anger flicker.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m so sorry things happened this way. But you are at fault, Agnes. Not me. You should think about that.”

She stumbled past Agnes with the diaper bag and her suitcase banging into her legs.

“Ben,” she called. She put the bags down by the front door.

“Swiper no swipping!” he called in response. She smiled despite the tension ratcheting up her back.

“Hey, buddy, we’re going on a walk.”

He ran out of the TV room, his dish towel bib all askew.

“Here, let me help you.” Julia reached for the towel and Ben jerked himself out of the way.

Oh no, please, buddy. Please let’s just go.

“No walk!” he said, his blue eyes suddenly mutinous.

“He doesn’t want to go,” Agnes whispered over Julia’s shoulder, her voice dripping with criticism and Julia felt her reserves drain. Tears pricked her eyes.

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