Reese frowned as she pulled at the lower part of her bulky jacket. Even her biggest, loosest articles of clothing were feeling tight and clingy. Even though she could tell she was gaining weight, she wasn't sure anyone else noticed yet and if they had, they surely wouldn't have guessed the cause. She was starting to wonder though, how long she would be able to hide her changing figure and how long it would take for other people to notice her expanding waistline.
She knew there was no way she could hide her pregnancy for the full nine months. When people started to ask questions, she didn't know what she was going to say. How could she explain to everyone why she didn't have a baby when the pregnancy was over? There was no easy way to handle this situation. No easy way to pull this off without it impacting her life and her career, which was a main part of the reason why she hadn't wanted to have a baby in the first place.
Reese's thoughts were interrupted by the buzz of the intercom.
"Reese, Lucy Sexton here to see you. She doesn't have an appointment, but she wanted to see if she could discuss a legal matter with you."
Reese was curious. "I can see her. Send her in."
When the receptionist escorted Lucy into the office, Reese was startled by the change in Lucy's figure. For a moment she wondered if she was hallucinating, if her own condition was weighing so heavily on her mind that she was starting to see pregnant bellies everywhere she looked, but a second glance assured her it wasn't just in her head. She shook her head and tried to focus.
"Have a seat, Mrs. Sexton. What brings you here today?"
Lucy sighed. If only that question was a simple as it sounded. How did things get to this point? "I need your help. I'm getting a divorce from my husband and I need a lawyer. Can you represent me?"
"Well, I'm not really a divorce lawyer. That's not the kind of thing I usually do."
"I know, but I was hoping you would be able to do it anyway. Since you've worked for my father's company for awhile, I know you're a good lawyer and I know I can trust you and I really need someone I can trust on my side right now."
"I'm flattered, really," Reese said sincerely. She wasn't just being humble. She hadn't been feeling very trustworthy lately. "If you're sure you want me to represent you, I can give it a try."
"Thank you. I appreciate it so much. The last thing I want right now is to try to hunt for a good, trustworthy lawyer when I feel like my whole life is at stake."
"I'll do my best," Reese promised as she opened her notepad. "How long were you married?"
"It's been three years."
"What assets do you have? What did each of you bring to the marriage? What did you accumulate while you were married?"
"I had the house, the country club, some company stocks my dad left me, which I had to sell, and we both had some cash. That's all Craig had really. He's made some money from his music, but not a lot and I haven't really worked since we got married."
"Did you have a prenuptial agreement?"
"No, we didn't."
"What about custody or child support issues? You have children together, right?"
Lucy blinked and tried not to tear up as she thought about her children, especially Stuart. "We have a son, Stuart. He's two and a half and I'm expecting another baby, but . . . well, it's complicated."
"Complicated how? I won't be able to help you unless I know everything."
"The new baby, it's not Craig's and he knows that it's not his. I've been trying - I've been trying to get a hold of the real father, but I haven't been able to. He's left town without a forwarding address and he has no idea that I'm pregnant."
"I'm sorry," Reese said quietly.
"I'm not sure if you needed to know that, but I guess I needed to say it. I haven't had anyone to talk to about what I'm going through," Lucy explained. "What else do you need to know?"
"Oh," Reese said as she tried to get her mind back on the task at hand. Hearing about Lucy's situation only brought her back to her own dilemma and reminded her of questions she wished she didn't have to answer.
Blaine walked down the sidewalk alone and aimlessly. He was tired of sitting at home, mulling over everything that had happened recently, but when he thought about going out, he realized he had no where to go. Since graduation most of his friends had left town and they hadn't kept in close touch. He didn't realize how much he relied on Reese and Cassandra for company. They were really the only friends he had lately.
He was really starting to think that Zara had been right. He had been relying on Cassie without realizing it and he had been taking their friendship for granted. He wasn't going to keep hanging around Cassie if doing so would give her the wrong impression when he hadn't sorted his feelings out yet. Reese wasn't answering his calls or returning his messages, so any chance of a friendship between them wasn't looking promising either.
If Reese didn't want to be with him, that was fine. He could accept that they weren't together anymore. But it was the friendship, with both girls, that he found he really missed.
Blaine looked up as he walked past a brick building with moving vans parked out front and slowed his pace to check out what was going on.
James, who was standing outside instructing the moving men, called out when he saw Blaine and motioned him to come over. "Blaine, how are you doing, man?"
"Alright. Just taking a walk. What's going on here?"
"I'm finally moving in to my new club. Want to come in and take a look?"
"Sure," Blaine readily agreed. He was eager for the company.
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