Vice(19)

"I'm sorry, do you have a problem with the offer or with the person  making it?" I'd caught the quick flash of disdain in her eyes when she'd  placed me, the subtle lifting of her chin, the faint edge of ice which  crept in to her voice. I'd been prepared to ignore them because Kitty  was Tammy's friend and I already knew my oldest niece didn't have many  friend but I'd be damned if I let this woman with her pretensions at  superiority look down her nose at me. "Because unless I'm mistaken, I'm  the one with a business and a house and you're the one clipping  coupons."

"Having nice things doesn't make you a nice person." She sniffed and I  finally understood where my niece had picked up the disgusting habit.  "Everybody in this town knows what kind of person you are, Jeannie  Jackson."

"First, I can promise you almost nobody in this town knows the kind of  person I am." I mirrored her position, leaning forward and lowering my  voice. "And second, even if I was the kind of person people think I am,  I'm also the kind of person who knows treating a teenage girl who was  unlucky enough to get pregnant like she's trash is not only bad  parenting it's a fucking disgrace to humanity."

"How dare you." Her cheeks went ice white before ugly red color rushed  back in to them. "You come in to my house and insult me? Curse at me?"

"If you knew as much about me as you thought you did, you'd know I'd  curse God Himself if I thought He was being a dick." I turned to Kitty,  sitting and watching the entire scene play out with her mouth hanging  open. "I'll ask this once and I expect a straight answer-do you want  this baby?"         

     



 

"I don't know." She widened her eyes, shaking her head wildly. "Nobody ever asked me before."

"Why am I not shocked?" I reached over, resting one hand on her shoulder  and squeezing tight. "If you do, you can come stay with me and the kids  and we'll figure this out together. If you don't, I've got a lawyer who  probably knows someone who specializes in adoptions and can get one  squared away in less than eight weeks."

"She can't do either of those things." Mrs. Haverty lifted her chin even  higher, curling her mouth in a sneer. "She's under eighteen and needs  parental consent."

"First, in case you missed the memo, it's her body and she can do what  she wants with it, which includes giving a baby up for adoption." I  stood, pulling Kitty up with me, something which took more than a little  effort. "Second, I'm going to guess you've also never heard of a little  thing called ‘emancipation of a minor'. Normally it would take a month  or so to push things through but I've got enough money to grease enough  wheels I can probably make it happen in two or three weeks." Even as I  threw down the gauntlet, I wondered what the hell I was doing. The last  thing I needed or wanted was one or two more kids in an already bursting  at the seams household.

But my conscience, the little bastard, was standing on a soapbox and  railing in my ear about doing the right thing even when it was  inconvenient and I didn't have the wherewithal to find a reason or a way  to shut him up.

"I can stay with you?" If Kitty's wide eyes and fluttering hands hadn't  convinced me, her tentative question, with hope ripe around the edges,  would have done me in. "While I decide? And after?"

"You can stay as long as you want." I nudged her toward what I assumed  was the direction of the bedrooms, my gaze on her quietly fuming mother.  "Go get whatever you want out of your bedroom. Make it quick."

Kitty had barely waddled out of earshot before her mother said, "If she  leaves this house, she won't be welcome back here ever again."

"Something tells me she hasn't been all that welcome here for a while so  it probably isn't too much of a loss." I pressed my palms on the table  and leaned down until our faces were inches apart. "I'm curious, because  it's been a while since I was in Cotton Creek and I'm wondering if it's  still as backwoods and misogynist as ever. The boy, whoever he was-how  much crap is he taking for getting his girlfriend pregnant?" I waited  for her to answer, not surprised when she remained silent. "Let me  guess-he's living life like nothing ever happened while everybody  whispers and talks about your daughter like she somehow managed to get  pregnant all by herself?" When she still didn't answer, I nodded and  straightened. "Yeah. Some things in this town never change."





CHAPTER FOURTEEN





Later that night, I looked up from my laptop and frowned, glancing over at Tammy. "Did you hear that?"

"It's the doorbell, Aunt Jeannie." Tammy rolled her eyes, shooting Kitty  a look which probably had something to do with my utter lack of  coolness or awareness. She passed the ball of yarn to Kitty and stood,  brushing her skirt down. "I'll get it."

"Yeah, you do that." I turned my attention back to my screen, scanning  the email and making notes on the legal pad next to me. So far all the  new hires were working out beautifully, far better than I would have  imagined, which wasn't shocking considering I'd been certain they'd all  crash and burn right away. Not because they weren't skilled-I wouldn't  have hired them if they weren't-but because I was demanding and exacting  and not a little neurotic where it concerned my baby. So when Tammy  pointedly cleared her throat, I threw my pen down and huffed out a  breath. "What?"

"Evening, Jeannie."

Now I looked up, meeting Sheriff Underwood's gaze without flinching.  "Sheriff. I'd ask to what do I owe the pleasure but I'm guessing this  isn't a social call."

"Well, I don't know rightly what it can be called." He nodded at Tammy  and then Kitty, who'd lost all the color in her face. "Miss Jackson.  Miss Haverty. You're looking well. Not much longer, hmm?"

"About eight weeks." She flicked her tongue over her lips and reached  one shaking hand for her water. "Give or take. The doctor said first  babies have a tendency to be late."

"I remember our first was about two weeks late." His hangdog features  softened even further, his lips curving in a smile. "Mrs. Underwood was  ready to pull the boy out herself if he didn't come that day."         

     



 

"What's the problem, Sheriff?" I stood, shoving my hands in my back  pockets and rocking on my heels. "Because in case you missed the  obvious, you're scaring the shit out of the girls and it's not making me  all that happy."

"Now, see, I just came from over at the Havertys' and I'd say they're  none too happy, either." He hooked his thumbs in the front loops of his  pants, sucking air through his teeth. "Mrs. Haverty is saying you  kidnapped her daughter and Mr. Haverty is saying you threatened his  wife."

"Sheriff, you know me. Do you think I would do either of those things?"

"Well, not without great provocation and having shared a meal or two  with the Havertys I would believe it wouldn't take too much to get you  worked up where you might shoot your mouth out without thinking about  the consequences." He fingered the brim of his hat, his lips twitching  in a smirk. "They're not the easiest people to get along with, the  Havertys, but they're still citizens of the county and I have to listen  to their complaints and investigate them."

"That's just stupid." Tammy bit the words out and I couldn't say who was  more shocked by her outburst, me or the Sheriff. She crossed her arms,  her brows drawing together as she frowned at the Sheriff. "Mr. and Mrs.  Haverty are horrible parents and everybody knows it but nobody said  anything and now they're mad because somebody did." She flung an arm  toward Kitty, sitting and watching the show with the sort of fascination  usually reserved for firework displays. "They haven't bought anything  for the baby, not one thing, and they wouldn't let anybody give Kitty  anything, either. I had to sneak her Mama's old clothes from when she  was pregnant with Conway. And they said she couldn't go back to school,  even when Mama and Mrs. Neal and Mrs. Underwood all said they would  babysit for free. They're horrible people who just want to make Kitty's  life miserable and that's wrong."

"Well, now." Sheriff Underwood blinked a few times before taking off his  hat and scratching his head, clearly struggling for words. If the red  tips of his ears were any indication, he was also more than a little  embarrassed at being yelled at by a teenager. "I can't disagree with you  about those things being morally wrong and decidedly un-Christian but  Tammy, honey, legally they're not doing anything wrong."

"It's abuse." Tammy crossed her arms again, nodding her head firmly, and  I had a sudden flashback of Loretta doing the same thing any time she  was certain she was right. I fought back the quick stab of grief,  rubbing away the ache in my chest as she said, "It's mental and  emotional abuse and that is wrong, legally."