Love and Secrets - Kit Morgan Page 0,15

bed, went to the closet and took in the mess. Boxes and shoes were strewn all over the bedroom. She’d have to put them away eventually, but she wasn’t done figuring out what to keep and what to get rid of. She knew this was going to be a daunting task. Now it was worse with her time about to be taken up by an eight-month-old. Not to mention the eight-month-old’s father. “Zane Brody. How do you get yourself into these things?”

She left the bedroom, sat on the couch and took in her bright and cheery living room. She loved her little apartment. It was decorated just the way she wanted it. Her friends called it her girl palace. Feminine to the T. Any man that set foot inside quickly did an about-face. It was too girly for them.

“I bet Sophie would love it,” she sighed. “Maybe if she was five.” She thought of getting some ice cream but was getting low and wanted to save it for when she was stressed out. “Should I be stressed-out? I bet Zane is. No wonder he acted the way he did in the grocery store.” This explained why Beatrice acted the way she did Sunday morning. But why on earth would Zane ask Beatrice to watch Sophie for him? She was one of the biggest gossips in town!

But she was also a staunch supporter of the church and loved the Brody’s, Holly reminded herself. Naturally she’d want to help Zane. She treated him like a son.

One of Holly’s legs began to bounce up and down, a nervous tic. She wanted to call Katie but didn’t dare. This was Zane’s private business, and he’d entrusted her with it. She’d watch Sophie tomorrow afternoon, find out how Zane’s meeting with his parents went, and take things from there.

She switched on the TV. Maybe a sitcom would calm her down. But how could she remain calm when Zane was in the situation he was? It was nice he wanted to do the right thing and tell the other set of grandparents about Sophie and all that. But from the sounds of it, they weren’t very nice people. The hoity-toity kind that thought they were better than everybody else. However, there were always two sides to every story.

Holly’s mind began to race with all kinds of different scenarios. Was Sophie’s mother really gone? Had she staged her own death? She rolled her eyes. “I’ve been reading way too many mystery novels.”

She watched whatever the TV was tuned into, but had a hard time concentrating on the show. The look on Zane’s face when he nodded at his sleeping daughter for the first time. Then her reaction when she saw what lay upon the bed. Did she have to gasp like that? She hoped it didn’t make him feel bad, but shock was shock. And for crying out loud, what was his mother going to do? Janet Brody was prone to excitability. The woman had the most generous heart of anyone. But what was she going to say about this? Was she going to give her son an earful about irresponsibility?

Holly thought a moment. Zane had immediately taken responsibility when Tricia showed up with Sophie on his doorstep. So, points to him. “Wow. Just wow.” She couldn’t stop saying it. She was still in shock. Then she thought of something else.

“He brought her to Clear Creek to raise her …”

She shut off the TV. Poor Zane, there were people in town that wouldn’t make things easy for him. Katie’s aunt Vicki for one. Though no one had seen much of her since John and Crystal’s wedding, she’d made life hard for Crystal when she first returned to Clear Creek to work at Katie’s shop. She couldn’t stand the thought of Crystal and John getting back together and did everything in her power to make sure they didn’t. Ha! Like that worked out for her. Holly hoped the newlyweds sent her a postcard from Paris.

But she shouldn’t hold a grudge against Victoria Turner. The woman was a jealous gold digger who figured if she couldn’t have a rich man in Clear Creek, then no one else should have one either.

But this was different. This was a man with a baby he had no idea he had, a deceased mother, and a possible battle for the poor little tyke should he tell the mother’s parents about her.

Holly let loose a low whistle. “This is the stuff of soap operas.”