asked her to meet for coffee.
Half an hour later, they were sitting across from each other.
"What's going on? What's this crazy news you have to tell me?" Alice asked impatiently.
Brandy sat down and sighed. "Well, I had a visitor today."
"Who was it? Kyle? Did you tell him about the baby?" she asked; a barrage of questions spilling from her.
"No," Brandy said, leaning closer to Alice. "It was his wife."
Alice's eyes grew enormous and she gasped. "His wife? How did she find out about you?"
Brandy sighed. "Kyle and I were away that weekend when we went to the island, and while we were there, one of Veronica's friends saw us together at an ice-cream parlor, and the friend went and told her about me. I have no idea how she found out my name or where I work, or any of that. Maybe she found it in Kyle's phone."
"What did she want?" Alice asked curiously.
Brandy shook her head. "She had a list of requests. The first is that she wants me to stop seeing Kyle and break up with him."
Alice shrugged. "So? You already did that. Did you tell her you already broke up with him?"
Brandy shook her head. "No, I didn't. I let her do all of the talking and I think it's a good thing that I did. She told me that if I don't break up with him, that she's going to go to my boss Hannah and tell her what happened between Kyle and me, and then she's going to try to get my licenses revoked. I have to have a job. I can't get fired or lose my licenses."
Alice made a face. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Well, it shouldn't be a problem then, because you already broke up with him."
"Well, I did break up with him, but now I am having his baby, and she doesn't ever want me to see him or talk to him ever again. She wants to pay me off. She said she's going to give me fifty thousand dollars and then she wants me to disappear and never ever come into contact with him again." Brandy sighed deeply.
Alice's eyes opened wide again. "A payoff! But you have the baby..."
Brandy nodded. "But I have the baby, and that means that if I take her offer, I can't ever let him know about his own child. I would have to take her money and leave and be on my own for the rest of my life. This child would never have a chance to know its father, and Kyle would never have a chance to know his own child. I would be taking that away from both of them for the price of fifty grand.
“If I do tell him, then he has a chance to make his own decisions about the baby, but then she's going to tell my boss and get me fired and cost me my career. I have to be able to afford to live and finish school."
Alice whistled low and sat back in her chair staring at her friend. "Wow. That's a tough spot to be in. I don't envy you what you're going through right now. I'm so sorry that it's happening. What do you think you're going to do?"
Brandy shrugged. "I have no idea what I'm going to do, but I have two days to make up my mind before she demands an answer."
Alice shook her head. "I have no idea how to help you on this one. I wish I could, but this time you're going to have to do what you feel is right, whatever that might be, and you'll have to stick with it. What a hard decision. I'm so sorry."
Brandy nodded. "It is a hard decision. I wish I knew the answer."
She and Alice spent the remainder of their time together talking about school and classes and Alice's new boyfriend, Harry. In the back of her mind, Brandy was constantly thinking about the decision that she had to make and what the best route would be for her to take; not only for herself, but for the baby and Kyle as well.
She went home after her visit with Alice and checked the mail. There in the stack of envelopes was a letter from the school.
She took a deep breath and opened it up. Inside was a letter from them that told her she had not risen above the grade point average she needed to reach for her academic suspension
Half an hour later, they were sitting across from each other.
"What's going on? What's this crazy news you have to tell me?" Alice asked impatiently.
Brandy sat down and sighed. "Well, I had a visitor today."
"Who was it? Kyle? Did you tell him about the baby?" she asked; a barrage of questions spilling from her.
"No," Brandy said, leaning closer to Alice. "It was his wife."
Alice's eyes grew enormous and she gasped. "His wife? How did she find out about you?"
Brandy sighed. "Kyle and I were away that weekend when we went to the island, and while we were there, one of Veronica's friends saw us together at an ice-cream parlor, and the friend went and told her about me. I have no idea how she found out my name or where I work, or any of that. Maybe she found it in Kyle's phone."
"What did she want?" Alice asked curiously.
Brandy shook her head. "She had a list of requests. The first is that she wants me to stop seeing Kyle and break up with him."
Alice shrugged. "So? You already did that. Did you tell her you already broke up with him?"
Brandy shook her head. "No, I didn't. I let her do all of the talking and I think it's a good thing that I did. She told me that if I don't break up with him, that she's going to go to my boss Hannah and tell her what happened between Kyle and me, and then she's going to try to get my licenses revoked. I have to have a job. I can't get fired or lose my licenses."
Alice made a face. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Well, it shouldn't be a problem then, because you already broke up with him."
"Well, I did break up with him, but now I am having his baby, and she doesn't ever want me to see him or talk to him ever again. She wants to pay me off. She said she's going to give me fifty thousand dollars and then she wants me to disappear and never ever come into contact with him again." Brandy sighed deeply.
Alice's eyes opened wide again. "A payoff! But you have the baby..."
Brandy nodded. "But I have the baby, and that means that if I take her offer, I can't ever let him know about his own child. I would have to take her money and leave and be on my own for the rest of my life. This child would never have a chance to know its father, and Kyle would never have a chance to know his own child. I would be taking that away from both of them for the price of fifty grand.
“If I do tell him, then he has a chance to make his own decisions about the baby, but then she's going to tell my boss and get me fired and cost me my career. I have to be able to afford to live and finish school."
Alice whistled low and sat back in her chair staring at her friend. "Wow. That's a tough spot to be in. I don't envy you what you're going through right now. I'm so sorry that it's happening. What do you think you're going to do?"
Brandy shrugged. "I have no idea what I'm going to do, but I have two days to make up my mind before she demands an answer."
Alice shook her head. "I have no idea how to help you on this one. I wish I could, but this time you're going to have to do what you feel is right, whatever that might be, and you'll have to stick with it. What a hard decision. I'm so sorry."
Brandy nodded. "It is a hard decision. I wish I knew the answer."
She and Alice spent the remainder of their time together talking about school and classes and Alice's new boyfriend, Harry. In the back of her mind, Brandy was constantly thinking about the decision that she had to make and what the best route would be for her to take; not only for herself, but for the baby and Kyle as well.
She went home after her visit with Alice and checked the mail. There in the stack of envelopes was a letter from the school.
She took a deep breath and opened it up. Inside was a letter from them that told her she had not risen above the grade point average she needed to reach for her academic suspension
Similar Books
infinities
Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Scott Nicholson, Garry Kilworth, Eric Brown, John Grant, Anna Tambour, Kaitlin Queen, Iain Rowan, Linda Nagata, Keith Brooke
