“Yes. He knows what he owes me, he just refuses to pay. If I take him to small claims court, it’ll cost me time and money that I don’t have.”
“How many clients do you have right now?”
She glanced his way. “Two. I’ve been so involved in back payments that I haven’t had time to drum up new business. Besides, my brain is a little wonky with hormones. I’m finding it hard to concentrate.”
He squeezed her hand. He wanted her to know that she wasn’t alone in all of this. “You don’t have a lot of expenses right now, so don’t fret so much.”
“I have a credit card bill that I need to pay off before this baby comes.”
He still held her hand. She hadn’t pulled it away. She was a fiercely independent woman and he hoped she could just take his help in the spirit it was meant. Then again, she probably couldn’t, so he’d have to help her without her knowing it. He’d have his lawyer talk to the guy. Threaten him with legal action. Amedeo bet the guy would cave.
High-priced lawyers came in handy.
“Can you pay more than the minimum?”
“Yes, but not much more.”
“Realize that your food and anything like that is paid for. I’ve got it covered,” he said. “You should be able to put all of your income toward the credit card. You don’t have a car.”
“I still have insurance since I have a license,” she said.
“Then insurance and your credit card bill should be all you have to worry about.”
If it came down to it, he’d pay that off also. What the Hell was he doing with the money anyway? He had a house, but he’d put a huge down payment on it so he wouldn’t have a large payment. He didn’t have any children yet and most of the time he worked far too much to spend the money he made.
He might as well make Violet’s life that much easier. He wanted her pregnancy to go smoothly. This was his child she was carrying, so he wanted the best for him or her. That meant making things good for the mother, Violet. Which wasn’t a hardship because he kind of liked her and enjoyed her in bed. Making things better for her wasn’t a stretch. He was enjoying that he could use his money that way.
“Yeah, I guess. Still, I could use that money to put away because I’m sure there will be recovery time after the baby.”
“Have you decided if you’re keeping the baby or not?”
“No, I haven’t. I’ll make that decision when I’m closer. I’m not sure it’s real yet in my brain. I think when I’m showing or feeling the baby move it will be more real.”
He could understand that. He wasn’t sure it was completely real for him either. He’d need to see the baby. Maybe seeing the ultrasound would help.
He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “It’ll all be okay, Violet. I promise.”
“I guess I’m never sure that it is.”
“Well, it is now. I’m here. I’m helping. We’ll get through this together.” He held her hand tighter. “Even if you give the baby up to me, Violet, I want the child to know you. I want you to be a part of his or her life. It’s important to me.”
She looked at him like he had horns growing out of his head. “You are being so sweet, Amedeo.”
He shrugged. “It’s just my nature.”
***
Violet wasn’t sure what to think when the check arrived in her post office box. Joseph Hill had paid her in full. He even included some interest. How had that happened? He’d even dropped the charges against her.
This all seemed too good to be true.
She had enough trouble accepting his charity when it came to the baby, but when it was her business, that she couldn’t abide by. She’d built s business as she stood on her own two feet. She wasn’t going to let any man take that away from her.
She leaned against the outside wall of the mailbox place. She shifted through the rest of her mail. No more bills. The credit card one wouldn’t come for a few days. She could pay it off now. She rested her head on the bricks. When had her life begun to spin out of control?
Was it when she met Amedeo and went to a hotel with him? Or when she saw that blue line on the pregnancy stick? Or had it been off the rails before that and the pregnancy was merely a symptom? She didn’t know.
Her life had always been chaotic. Her whole life. Her mother hadn’t provided any stability with the parade of men in and out of the apartment. The front door might as well have been revolving. She’d moved out of there when she was eighteen.
Her life on her own hadn’t boasted any more stability. Then her mother died and she was alone in the world. She’d kept everyone but Kalia at a distance. Violet thought about the one man who had captured her heart.