was only stressing his full knowledge of the situation.
But then he rubbed the back of his neck, thinking things over. Perhaps sifting through options.
“Ellis, there must be something we can do.”
He raised a shoulder, meeting her eyes. “If I thought it would help, heck, I’d pay the legal fees myself. But to take this on, any lawyer worth his salt would have to believe there’s even a remote chance of winning.”
“So, we’ll build a stronger case.”
This caused him to smile, and she noted how naive she appeared.
Maybe in some ways she was, because she absolutely had to believe a solution existed, that the powerful bond inherent between a mother and child could surmount any obstacle separating them. And yet, Lily had also learned how the support of another person, even unexpectedly, could prove far more vital.
Geraldine needed their help, more than she knew. Ellis couldn’t deny this fact once given a glimpse through Lily’s perspective.
“If I deserved a second chance,” she told him, “so does Geraldine.”
He tilted his head, just a fraction, but his attention was fully captured.
For the first time to anyone but family, she would tell her story.
Not all of it, mind you. But enough.
“The summer before my senior year,” she began, “I was staying at the shore with a friend and her family. And I met a boy. He was charming and handsome, and the way he’d look at me…I thought for certain it was love. Of course, I discovered how foolish I’d been when he stepped out with another girl. But it was too late by then…to reverse what I’d done.”
She let the implication dangle, unwilling to recount the evenings of sweet whispers and strolls on the beach, of chills and hand-holding and kisses that led to more.
“I was young and terrified. I knew the scandal it could bring my family…and the baby. So, I agreed to give him up.” The reference to Samuel needed no clarification. Ellis’s nod made clear he understood, inviting her to go on.
“It was the most logical decision in the world. I even wrote a letter for him to read one day, explaining it all.” No message could have been harder to draft, yet she had persisted for everyone’s benefit. “Then he was born, and I took one look at this beautiful, perfect child that was actually part of me, and I couldn’t do it. The papers were already signed, but I begged and pleaded anyway. If my father hadn’t stood up for me, and for Samuel, the adoption agency would have taken him. And I’d have made the biggest mistake of my life.”
In the darkness, Lily could still see the scenes playing out. They were silent images, like a Chaplin picture projected on a screen. As they blurred and faded, she dragged her gaze back to Ellis, her sudden dread of judgment akin to Geraldine’s.
Thus, the acceptance she found—in the depth of his eyes, in his whole bearing—meant more than he could have imagined. “So, you understand now?”
He affirmed as much by the tenderness of his smile. “I do.”
A sense that he was coming around buoyed her hopes. “The Dillards belong together, Ellis.”
“And…to make that happen, they’ll need help,” he finished.
“Precisely.”
In that way, they were no different from a family like the Lindberghs, she realized. Only, for Geraldine, there was no bloodhound team of officers and agents working day and night. No hefty savings to offer as a reward or to entice a trade. No prominent name to incite national headlines. All she had was Lily and Ellis and the truth of what was just.
If at all within their power, how could they not try?
Chapter 25
“Mr. Reed, a moment.” Mr. Walker’s thin drawl didn’t do much to soften his ominous tone.
Like the rest of the group, Dutch was breaking from the daily news meeting, but he paused to flash his clenched teeth at Ellis. The gesture surely meant Hang in there, buddy—though it felt more like Pal, you’re in for it.
Probably because that was just what Ellis was telling himself.
When Mr. Walker had skipped over him while asking for updates around the circle, Ellis was relieved at first, as he still had no big project in the works. Not one for the public anyway. But then he’d caught a smirk from Mr. Tate, indicating that bypassing Ellis wasn’t an oversight.
“Follow me.” Mr. Walker now led Ellis through the standard chitter of the city room and into the privacy of the meeting room. The space was limited to a plain, rectangular