Detective Wade Jackson Mystery - 01 - The Sex Club (43 page)

“Nathan looks like you,” Danette said, as she sat down.

Kera smiled. “How did you meet him?”

“At a party.” Danette laughed. “Where else?”

Danette took a moment to order a glass of orange juice from their waitress, then continued. “I was in Eugene for the weekend visiting friends. Nathan and I hit it off.” She shrugged. “We saw each other on weekends for a while, then he told me he was shipping out to Iraq in three days.”

“August 3rd.” Kera would never forget the day.

“I was so upset.” Danette shook her head. “I was pissed that he hadn’t told me up front and pissed that the first guy I really liked was going off to get killed.” As soon as she said it, Danette looked horrified. Her hand flew to her mouth. “I am so sorry. That was completely insensitive.”

“It’s okay.” Kera knew their encounter would be an emotional challenge, and she had steeled herself for it. “When did you find out you were pregnant?”

“About a month ago. I’d written to Nathan once and never heard back from him. I figured I was just a pre-deployment fling. I didn’t blame him for that.” Danette paused and seemed introspective. “I never expected him to respond to my second letter either. I think I wrote it mostly to ease my own conscience. To tell myself that I had tried to let him know about the baby and give him a voice in the decision.”

Kera figured this was the right moment. “I can’t speak for Nathan. If he had lived, I don’t know what he would have wanted. This decision would have been difficult for him too.” Tears came to her eyes and Kera fought to stay in control. “But as the child’s grandparent, I would like the chance to know and love this person.” Kera reached out and touched Danette’s hand. “If you choose to keep the baby, I will help you in any way I can. You can even stay in my home if you’d like. I’m willing to adopt the baby once it’s born if you don’t feel ready to be a parent.” Kera met her eyes. “I’m a good person, and I’d be a good mother to your child.”

Danette smiled sadly. “I know. Nathan thought the world of you. That’s partly why I liked him so much.”

There was a long moment of silence.

Finally, Kera forced herself to say, “But there is no pressure from me. It’s your decision. And I will support it, whatever you choose.”

“I appreciate that.” Danette took a long drink of her juice and seemed far away for a moment. “This is so hard. I want to finish college and get a job teaching math to seventh graders. I get so scared when I think about having this baby.” Now Danette fought back tears. “And I get so sad when I think about aborting it. But your offer changes things. I will seriously consider it. That’s all I can promise right now. Let me think about it.”

“Of course.”

Kera closed her eyes and mentally let go of her desire to affect and control this situation. She felt herself relax for the first time in weeks. She sipped her coffee—it was fresh ground the way she liked it—and thought that her life and her future would be good with or without this grandchild. She had to believe that.

L.J. Sellers
is an award-winning journalist and the author of the bestselling Detective Jackson mystery/suspense series:

Secrets to Die For

Thrilled to Death

Passions of the Dead

Dying for Justice

Liars, Cheaters & Thieves

She also has four standalone thrillers:

The Sex Club

The Baby Thief

The Arranger

The Suicide Effect

When not plotting murders, L.J. enjoys performing standup comedy, cycling, social networking, and attending mystery conferences. She’s also been known to jump out of airplanes.

Thanks for reading my novel. If you enjoyed it, please leave a review or rating online. Find out more about my work at ljsellers.com, where you can sign up to hear about new releases. —L.J.