Foxy Roxy Part 23

To himself, Henry muttered, "I wish there was a way to prove Quentin killed his brother."

Kensington gave a declamatory snort and tossed his head.

Henry said, "And he's setting her up for a murder charge."

And what the h.e.l.l was Arden doing back in town? What role did she play in Quentin's plan?

The horse must have decided to throw in with Quentin, too, because he suddenly yanked the reins out of Henry's hand, spun around on his haunches, and took off running across the lawn. Before he disappeared from sight, the horse kicked his heels in Henry's direction-as if he were making a final editorial comment on the situation.

Henry watched the animal gallop away-probably a quarter million dollars on the hoof. At least he was headed for the stable. Didn't all horses have some kind of homing instinct?

Henry stood for a moment, weighing his options.

That d.a.m.n statue. If he could lay his hands on it, a lot of things would fall into place. Long enough, perhaps, for him to help Monica inherit Julius's share of his mother's fortune. And maybe need a younger man for a husband.

His best lead was still Roxy Abruzzo. He reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out her necklace. Smiling, he watched her crucifix glint in the sunshine. Perhaps she had bested him once. But Henry had a flare for comebacks.

16.

After her refreshing recreational hour with the college kid, Roxy had driven to Loretta's place. She'd let herself into the silent house with her key and taken a shower before crashing on the sofa for a few hours. When she woke-way too early-she smelled coffee and something delicious.

She followed the murmur of voices and pushed through the kitchen door to find Sage at the kitchen table, talking with none other than Patrick Flynn. Sage was looking teary-eyed, but she was smiling.

But her smile faded when Roxy appeared wearing the rumpled clothes she'd slept in. Sage blew an exasperated sigh. "Mom, couldn't you at least comb your hair? We've got company."

Flynn eased back in his chair. He looked freshly showered and annoyingly relaxed in a black fleece pullover and jeans. "You look more rested than you did when I saw you last. What happened?"

"None of your business," Roxy said. "I hope you're here to make breakfast."

He tipped his head to indicate the cast-iron skillet on the stove. "Frittata. We saved you the crispy edges."

Roxy peeked into the skillet and used her fingers to pluck out a shard of cheese. Half the frittata remained in the pan, br.i.m.m.i.n.g with veggies and fluffy eggs. The cheese melted on her tongue, and Roxy closed her eyes to savor the taste. It sure beat Pop-Tarts for breakfast. "You can stay."

"I brought fresh coffee, too. But Sage tells me Loretta only uses instant."

Sage said, "I think she says that so I won't want to try it. She says coffee will stunt my growth."

Roxy tugged the quilted cover off one of the many small kitchen appliances on the counter-all items Loretta had purchased on QVC. The existence of an expensive chrome version with an espresso feature indicated that Loretta-like all women of their ethnic background-knew exactly how to brew an excellent cup of coffee.

"I see the light," Flynn said, and he got up to make a pot with the bag of freshly ground beans he'd brought. He said, "Pretend you don't see what I'm doing, Sage. You're not supposed to be drinking caffeine now anyway, right? Just in case? I mean, it's bad for the baby, isn't it?"

Stopped in the act of cutting herself a large wedge of the frittata, Roxy turned on her daughter. "You told him?"

"Why not?" Sage bristled. "Aunt Loretta's been crying in her bedroom since I told her last night. And you weren't exactly supportive when I broke the news."

Since Flynn's return to town, Sage had steadily been getting used to the idea of having a father. They all were. But Sage had a continuous pink blush whenever Flynn came around, which Roxy found both kinda cute and extremely annoying.

Sage also exhibited signs that she thought her mother was an idiot not to marry Flynn immediately and make them one big happy family.

Sage said, "Did you buy me a home test, by the way?"

"I did, but Nooch sat on it," Roxy snapped. "I'll pick up another one."

"Thanks heaps." Sage matched her tone.

Flynn said, "Take it easy, the both of you. Either way, it's good news, right? Babies are good news."

Sage looked unconvinced, and Roxy knew her own face wasn't exactly reflecting joy.

"Okay, so it might be happening a little earlier than you'd like." Flynn poured water into the coffeemaker. "But, c'mon, it could be fun."

"Fun?" Roxy couldn't stop herself and turned on him. "Exactly how many times did you host the birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese? Wash the sheets in the middle of the night during the stomach flu from h.e.l.l? Dodging bullets in Afghanistan is a h.e.l.l of a lot easier than-"

"Mom," Sage warned.

Flynn didn't need anyone coming to his defense. "You were the one who wanted to prove you could handle everything on your own. You threw me out of your life, remember? So eat your breakfast," he said to Roxy. "It'll improve your mood."

Roxy grabbed a fork from the drawer, plunked her plate on the table, and straddled a chair. She cursed herself for going to see him last night. Stupid move. And now here was Sage with stars in her eyes.

Stabbing her food, she said, "So I guess all the important decisions have been made?"

"What decisions?" Flynn asked.

"Like whether or not she's really going through with this. If she's really..."

"Pregnant," Sage said. "You can say the word."

"If you are," Roxy said, "there are other options."

"Dear G.o.d." Flynn sat down at the table and stared. "Are you kidding?"

"There's adoption." Roxy ignored Flynn.

"Okay."

"Or you could go for a clean slate, Sage. Forget this ever happened. I'll help you and stand by you, if that's what you want."

Flynn was flabbergasted. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Shut up. It's easy for you to judge, Mr. I'm Gonna Join the Marines and See the World. She's the one who'll have a person depending on her for the rest of her life. She could have an abortion."

Sage said, "If I'm having a baby, I'm not getting rid of it."

"You sure?"

"No adoption, no abortion. No way." Sage lifted her chin.

Roxy remembered how it felt to finally have something of her own after both her parents essentially disappeared from her life. She had something that gave her purpose against the world. It hadn't been just the lessons taught at St. Dominic's that gave her the conviction to hang on to her baby.

"Okay, okay. I get it. I did the same thing, in case you didn't notice."

"I noticed," Sage replied, with a little less heat. "Look, I know this isn't going to be easy. But I can handle it."

Flynn took a deep breath to calm down. "You're going to need help. That means your mom and Loretta."

Sage shot him an unsure look. "I have to ask their permission to go through with this?"

"No, that's your decision. But if you want them to pitch in once in a while-well, it's only polite to ask."

Roxy was starting to get really annoyed by Flynn's presence. If not for the fragrance of life-giving coffee brewing on the countertop, she'd kick him out the door. "We don't need you to play referee."

"Maybe we do," Sage snapped. "It's kind of a novelty to have a voice of reason around."

Roxy forked another large chunk of frittata and ate it. "What about Zack?" she asked around her mouthful. "What's his opinion on all this? Or are you keeping it a secret until you know for sure?"

Again, Sage sent a glance at Flynn-an appeal for help.

He said, "We were just talking about the best way to break it to him."

Sage reached for the gla.s.s of milk in front of her. "I think he should know. It's not fair keeping it a secret. He should have a say. But it's tricky right now."

"What's so tricky about it?"

"Zack," Flynn said carefully, "may not be the monogamous type."

Roxy dropped her fork. "He's s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g other girls? Oh, that's great, Sage. You get pregnant by a jagoff who-"

"Let's try to keep this discussion productive," Flynn said. "Name-calling isn't helpful."

Roxy slammed the table. "I'm sick of this! Since when did you get to be the boss all of a sudden?"

"Mom-"

"How come you're here, anyway? Did Sage call you?"

Flynn remained unruffled. "I dropped by after going to the market this morning. She was pouring herself a bowl of cold cereal when I came to the back door. And she was crying. So I came in and made breakfast."

"I had to tell him why I was crying," Sage said, fighting down another blush. "About the baby. He said congratulations right off, by the way, which is a h.e.l.l of a lot nicer than the reaction you gave me."

"I just don't see why we need him b.u.t.ting into our-"

"I could use a male perspective! Flynn thinks I should tell Zack now. Right away. Not months from now when I'm all-you know, puffy. Maybe I should invite him over for dinner."

"Alone," Flynn clarified. "Without having your mother or Loretta around."

Roxy rolled her eyes. "What are you going to do, Sage? Sedate him with pizza before you break the news? You think giving him dinner will make him suddenly want to marry you? Haven't you learned anything by living in this neighborhood?"

"It could happen!"

"Sage, it should be obvious to you that a onetime donation of sperm doesn't magically turn a guy into a devoted father."

Sage was suddenly fighting tears. "Do you have to be so negative?"

"I'm being realistic! In my experience, a young guy is not going to jump for joy when he hears he's going to be a baby daddy before he can legally buy himself a beer."

"Well, your experience is extensive," Sage shot back. "So I guess you're the expert."

Flynn reached out with one hand and pinned Roxy to her chair before she could jump up and explode. He said, "Okay, so I was a jerk. Let's not a.s.sume everybody is. Maybe Zack is more mature than you think. He wants to be a cop, for one thing. Surely that means he's got a sense of responsibility."

"Or he's a cowboy who wants to carry a gun."

"Roxy-"

"All right! But if you plan to ask him about child support, Sage, don't get your hopes up."

"I'm not asking him for any kind of support! I'll get a job."

"An after-school job?" Roxy couldn't believe her ears. "No way! This is your senior year. You've got to focus on your grades and those college applications. You're not going to spend your life making more babies and taking welfare to raise them-not while I'm still kicking."

"How am I going to pay for everything?" Sage cried. "Doctors cost money-even at the clinic!"

"I've got it covered," Roxy said. "Don't worry about money right now."

Both Sage and Flynn looked at her with surprise.

Roxy couldn't keep the defensive note out of her voice. "I've got options. So don't worry about paying for things." She sent a glare at Flynn.

But Sage said, "Thank you. So can I invite Zack over for dinner?"

"You'd better ask Loretta. It's her house."

Sage picked at the tablecloth with her fingernail.

"Okay, okay," Roxy said, getting the message. "I'll talk to her for you. I know she can get emotional sometimes."

Flynn got up to pour coffee, but he wisely kept his mouth shut.

Roxy punched his arm. "Cut her some of that frittata. And pour plenty of coffee. I'll take some upstairs to Loretta."

Sage got up from the table and gave Roxy a noisy smooch on the cheek. "Thanks, Mom."