way. She couldn’t be pregnant. It couldn’t be true.
Okay, okay, breathe deeply. Don’t panic, you’re lost if you panic. Relax. Think more clearly.
Maybe the stress of the past few weeks had spun her body out of whack. She’d read somewhere that a woman hadn’t menstruated for over a year after her parents had been killed in a car crash.
Charli needed proof. Grabbing her purse and car keys, she left the house for the nearest pharmacy.
• • •
Charli couldn’t take her eyes from the pregnancy test. It only took a couple of minutes, yet to her it seemed hours. “Please, please, please show minus.” Then, under her distressed and anxious eyes, came the dreaded plus sign.
Charli slumped onto the toilet, head cradled in her hands. It couldn’t be. Oh dear God, she was pregnant. Her first instinct was to race around the bathroom like a chicken with its head cut off. Don’t panic, whatever you do, don’t panic.
She moved from the bathroom to the kitchen and put on the kettle. She had no job, no prospects. How could she raise a child?
Tears stung, she blinked them back. She’d go to the farm with her dad. Except her dad wouldn’t understand why she was pregnant in the first place and where was the father, and why wasn’t he marrying her? If she raved on about love, her dad would toss that aside with a growl, and tell her the most important thing was the protection and care of the baby.
It would destroy her dad more, and he was so darn low trying to get over her mum’s passing.
She had two choices. Abort or keep the baby.
She had one choice and she knew it. No way could she abort her child, it wasn’t a thing she could do.
The telephone rang. “Hello?”
“Hi, it’s me. Wanna meet for lunch?”
“Judy. Can you come here and I’ll make us some toasted cheese?”
“Aww, I was thinking grilled fish and salad.”
“Then you bring lunch here.”
“Something wrong?”
“Just get here quick.”
• • •
They’d finished lunch and having their coffee when Judy said, “What’s up, kiddo? You look down in the dumps.”
“I’m pregnant,” Charli blurted and burst into a flood of tears.
Her friend raced around and threw her arms around Charli’s shoulders. “Oh hell, you poor duck.” She moved a little away, patting Charli’s hand. “Who’s the bastard responsible?”
Charli took a tissue from her pocket and blew her nose. “He was just a one-night stand.”
“Even so, you must have at least known his name.”
“I — it’s not important.”
“Not important? What are you, the sacrificial victim of the year? Now ’fess up, who’s the daddy?”
“Will.”
“Will who?”
“The boss, Will, that’s who.”
Judy’s mouth gaped open. “William Knight? He’s the father? Bloody hell. How did it happen?”
“What do you mean, how did it happen? The way it always happens. We had sex.”
“Yeah, I know that, I meant how did it happen between you and Will? You don’t even like the bloke.”
“It just happened. We didn’t plan it.”
Judy scratched her head. “I’m totally confused. I mean did you go to a hotel? What? Where? How?”
“Old Mr. Knight left me some money, and Will came over to talk about it. One minute we were talking about this and that and the next he was in my bed.”
“Oh, shit. So what are you going to do about it?”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t be daft. The man’s loaded. He had his fun now, he’s gotta pay the price.”
“He doesn’t give a rat’s arse about me or the baby. I haven’t spoken to him since that night.” That wasn’t altogether a lie — after all, she’d refused to speak to him. Her conscience got the better of her. “Well, he did try a couple of times to speak to me.”
“Why wouldn’t you speak to him?”
“I didn’t want to, that’s why. There’s nothing between us that’s stable, or even the tiniest bit romantic.”
“So what? Bugger that. He’s got to face his responsibilities. It’s not as if
Okay, okay, breathe deeply. Don’t panic, you’re lost if you panic. Relax. Think more clearly.
Maybe the stress of the past few weeks had spun her body out of whack. She’d read somewhere that a woman hadn’t menstruated for over a year after her parents had been killed in a car crash.
Charli needed proof. Grabbing her purse and car keys, she left the house for the nearest pharmacy.
• • •
Charli couldn’t take her eyes from the pregnancy test. It only took a couple of minutes, yet to her it seemed hours. “Please, please, please show minus.” Then, under her distressed and anxious eyes, came the dreaded plus sign.
Charli slumped onto the toilet, head cradled in her hands. It couldn’t be. Oh dear God, she was pregnant. Her first instinct was to race around the bathroom like a chicken with its head cut off. Don’t panic, whatever you do, don’t panic.
She moved from the bathroom to the kitchen and put on the kettle. She had no job, no prospects. How could she raise a child?
Tears stung, she blinked them back. She’d go to the farm with her dad. Except her dad wouldn’t understand why she was pregnant in the first place and where was the father, and why wasn’t he marrying her? If she raved on about love, her dad would toss that aside with a growl, and tell her the most important thing was the protection and care of the baby.
It would destroy her dad more, and he was so darn low trying to get over her mum’s passing.
She had two choices. Abort or keep the baby.
She had one choice and she knew it. No way could she abort her child, it wasn’t a thing she could do.
The telephone rang. “Hello?”
“Hi, it’s me. Wanna meet for lunch?”
“Judy. Can you come here and I’ll make us some toasted cheese?”
“Aww, I was thinking grilled fish and salad.”
“Then you bring lunch here.”
“Something wrong?”
“Just get here quick.”
• • •
They’d finished lunch and having their coffee when Judy said, “What’s up, kiddo? You look down in the dumps.”
“I’m pregnant,” Charli blurted and burst into a flood of tears.
Her friend raced around and threw her arms around Charli’s shoulders. “Oh hell, you poor duck.” She moved a little away, patting Charli’s hand. “Who’s the bastard responsible?”
Charli took a tissue from her pocket and blew her nose. “He was just a one-night stand.”
“Even so, you must have at least known his name.”
“I — it’s not important.”
“Not important? What are you, the sacrificial victim of the year? Now ’fess up, who’s the daddy?”
“Will.”
“Will who?”
“The boss, Will, that’s who.”
Judy’s mouth gaped open. “William Knight? He’s the father? Bloody hell. How did it happen?”
“What do you mean, how did it happen? The way it always happens. We had sex.”
“Yeah, I know that, I meant how did it happen between you and Will? You don’t even like the bloke.”
“It just happened. We didn’t plan it.”
Judy scratched her head. “I’m totally confused. I mean did you go to a hotel? What? Where? How?”
“Old Mr. Knight left me some money, and Will came over to talk about it. One minute we were talking about this and that and the next he was in my bed.”
“Oh, shit. So what are you going to do about it?”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t be daft. The man’s loaded. He had his fun now, he’s gotta pay the price.”
“He doesn’t give a rat’s arse about me or the baby. I haven’t spoken to him since that night.” That wasn’t altogether a lie — after all, she’d refused to speak to him. Her conscience got the better of her. “Well, he did try a couple of times to speak to me.”
“Why wouldn’t you speak to him?”
“I didn’t want to, that’s why. There’s nothing between us that’s stable, or even the tiniest bit romantic.”
“So what? Bugger that. He’s got to face his responsibilities. It’s not as if
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