Page 141 of Sugarloaf Ridge Lies

I swallow around the giant-sized lump lodged in my throat. “Sure. Can I make you a tea? Coffee?”

“No,” she barks and looks down to my rounded belly, pausing before she meets my eyes again. “This won’t take long.”

Yeah, this won’t be a friendly chat.

“Um, okay.” I straighten my spine. By the scowl on her face, my suspicion seems correct.

“What lies have you spun to get Jerry to take you and a baby on?”

Heat floods to my face.Oh no she didn’t...

“Excuse me?”

“I need to know you’re not using my son. That you have the best of intentions.”

My skin prickles all over.Is she seriously asking me this?“Of course. Have I given you reason to think otherwise?”

She hooks a hand on her jean clad hip. “He wasn’t good enough for you before. You find out you’re pregnant and suddenly he is?”

My jaw drops. “I—It’s not like that.”

“It’s all happening very fast. Convenient for you.”

Is she fucking for real?I keep my mouth shut for fear of saying something I’ll regret. Clearly, she has something on her chest. I widen my eyes, coaxing her to continue.

“I don’t know your background,” she spits. “But you need to know I won’t stand by and see someone take advantage of him.”

Oh, lady. Penny doesn’t know me, and it seems she doesn’t trust her son’s instincts.Does she think her son is reckless?

“As any mother should, but you needn’t worry.” I don’t need to tell her that I gave Jerry an out. He didn’t take it.He pursued me, lady.But that’s in the past. Me breaking up with him was what I believed was best.

“And why is that?”

Not that I should have to justify it to you...“Because I love him. I’d never do anything to hurt Jerry.”

“But do you truly love him? Or are you just sayin’ that for his money? Bringing up a kid isn’t cheap.”

Anger bubbles and spits in my stomach.Keep it cool. She’s going to be in your life for the foreseeable future...

Breathe in one, two, three, breathe out one, two, three.

“I help him with his accounts. I know his position.” I won’t share what that is as I don’t know if this is something he’d like shared with her.

“Oh, you do, do you?”

“Yes. And Jerry could have all the money in the world or none and it wouldn’t matter. I can support myself, a childandJerry if it came to that.”Not that it’s any of your business.

She chews on the inside of her cheek and narrows her eyes, as if she’s trying to figure me out. “You have money.” It’s a statement laced with disbelief. “How do I know that’s true?”

Unbelievable. Her family has been living on a foundation of secrets for decades and yet she accuses me of lying.

“I’ve been honest with Jerry, about everything.” It’s the frankest I’ve been with anyone for a long time. “And Ilovehim. Whether you believe me or not, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t make it any less true.”

She tilts her head and focuses on my stomach. “People ’round town are talkin’. About whom the baby’s father is.”

I steel my jaw and try not to let it show how a part of me hurts with the insinuations that come with such talk. People will be cruel. Small towns thrive on gossip, but I won’t let it keep me up at night. It’s not healthy for me, or the baby.

“And how does that affect you?” I hook my hands on my hips.

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