The Secret Child. Jamie Denton Ann
give me a few minutes, okay?”
“Okay, Mom.” Jenna smiled brightly. As if the entire situation threatening their lives no longer held importance, she bounded out of the room, Arlo at her heels. In a matter of seconds the pair would be ensconced on the old sofa in the den, the phone glued to Jenna‘s ear as she chatted with Denise, no doubt informing her friend of the exciting turn of events.
Marni entered the bathroom and filled the sink with cold water. The wonder of youth, she thought while splashing the icy water on her face. If only she could share the same resilience as her daughter. But Marni was a realist and knew she had no choice but to face her problem with Cole. For a fleeting moment she thought of packing Jenna up in the car and driving away, destination unknown. When they found a place they liked, they could stop. Marni could wait tables if she had to, just to keep Jenna with her. But life wasn‘t quite so simple.
She drained the water out of the sink and flipped off the light. Walking over to the night table, she opened the drawer and sat down on the floral bedspread. Marni reached beneath an array of silk scarves until she found what she was looking for.
The cheap gold frame was cracked and peeled and nearly as old as the photographs behind the protective glass. Marni looked at the four small snapshots of herself and Cole. The pictures had been taken in a photo booth a few days before she‘d left for California. She ran her hand over the glass, outlining Cole‘s firm jaw, tracing her finger over his full lower lip. Precious memories of a short time in her life when she‘d been truly happy.
Regardless of her reasons for ending her relationship with Cole, no matter what her motivation for coming to California, Marni knew in her heart her adorable, precocious daughter was a product of the love she had once shared with Cole. A love that would now turn to hatred, since she, like Elizabeth, had denied him the choice of being a father.
* * *
COLE GLANCED AT THE CLOCK on the VCR and downed the remains of the whiskey, the soda he‘d opened earlier neglected in favor of something stronger. He tried Marni‘s number again only to receive the irritating buzz indicating the line was busy. She‘d taken the phone off the hook.
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