Callie leaned back in her chair. “I think you have the wrong idea, Erin. I’m here to help.”
“What kind of tea would you like, Ms. Haven?” Erin asked as the kettle started to whistle. “We have most kinds here, but I’m only drinking decaf.” Erin ran her hand over her stomach. Her baby bump was clearly visible on her otherwise thin frame. She poured two cups of hot water and carried them over to the table and sat down across from Callie. Callie felt uneasy in her presence. With most scandals, the expectant mother was a staffer or a mistress, someone who had a good idea of what was coming, women who would gladly take a check and walk away. Callie could tell that things wouldn’t be so easy with Erin.
Through some small miracle of persuasion, Callie had managed to get Logan and Luke to wait behind while she spent a few minutes talking to Erin. She hoped it would be enough time to talk some sense into her or at least get an idea of whether or not she could be trusted to keep her secret. She had run the whole thing through in her head on the ride over. She’d size her up while they talked, leading her on long enough to get an idea of what offer would best diffuse the situation. Now, she wished she had someone by her side so she wouldn’t have to handle this situation on her own.
“Whatever you’re having works for me,” Callie said, “but, please, let me get it for you.” Erin was pretty, and young. God, she looked so much younger than her age. If Callie had come across Erin and Luke on the street, there was no way she’d guess that he was younger.
Erin mustered a smile. “I’m pregnant, not infirm. Peppermint work for you?” Erin handed Callie a tea bag. She seemed like a genuinely warm person, a kind person, but Callie could tell that she was tired. Usually, this would be to Callie’s advantage, an indicator that Erin would take the money and sign an NDA, if only to end the whole ordeal, but today was different. Logan had brokered a different deal, and now Callie had to make it all work.
“How did it happen?” Callie asked. If the story was good enough, Callie could spin it somehow.
“We met one weekend at a coffee shop in Portsmouth. It was dumb luck. When he said he was a student, I thought he must have at least been in college, and he did nothing to correct my mistake. I mean you’ve seen him. He doesn’t look nineteen. He looks like he’s twenty-five. We started talking, and he was smart and funny, and I had just gone through a bad breakup.
“I didn’t even know Luke was a student at Cabot until we had already gone on a few dates. Despite our age difference, we had a few friends in common outside of the school, and we just clicked, you know? We ended up at the same parties together, and everything just felt so natural and so right. I had never felt that way with anyone before. He just made me feel more alive. When I found out he was a student, I tried to break things off. I convinced myself we could just be friends, that the feelings I had for him were somehow just a result of being lonely, but they weren’t.”
“When did things change?” Callie asked.
“Luke came to me early this spring, and he said he didn’t care what anyone thought. He said he had to be with me, that it was driving him mad knowing that I was so close and that he couldn’t have me. I let him into my apartment to talk, and well, things just kind of happened from there.” Erin blushed as she tried to find the ways to explain the rest.
“It happens,” Callie said.
“You’re being kind,” Erin said. “It doesn’t happen, and when it does, people get fired or go to jail. I’m four years older than him. I should have known better. I had a responsibility. I feel like such and idiot, and yet, I can’t stop thinking about him.”
“Do you know what I do for a living?” Callie asked.
“You make problems go away.” Erin said. “I’m not dumb. I know why you’re here. From the moment I realized that I was pregnant, I knew what I was in for. People were bound to find out, and when they did, Cabot was more than willing to toss me aside. Luke’s the one who threatened to go public on my behalf.”
“He what?” Callie asked.#p#分页标题#e#
“He’s trying to protect me.”
“What do you mean he’s trying to protect you?”
“If I lose my job and get cut off from Luke, I’ll be an unemployed single mother. He’s trying to make sure I have enough to live a good life. This is his child, too.”
“Then why don’t you take the money? You’ll be set for life.”
“Luke’s the one who pushed going public. Because I don’t want something that’s good enough. I want something more. I want to spend the rest of my life with the man I love. Luke may only be nineteen, but I know the kind of man he is. He’s smart, and he’s kind, and he will make a great father some day. I didn’t want it to be now, but I can’t undo what we’ve done.”