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Anne’s mind was already whirling with possibilities. Josh and Olivia obviously needed her help. They just didn’t know to ask for it. She could still help solve their problems, but she’d have to be careful not to be discovered. A sigh slipped out. “Why does life have to be so complicated?”
“I know,” said Steven. “This is insane. We should write a book about it.”
“SO MOM,” EMILY SAID, with a quick glance to assure no one could overhear their conversation in the break room at Gherring Inc. “It’s really interesting about Josh and Olivia, isn’t it?” She suspected her mother might know about Olivia’s pregnancy.
“Uhmm... Yes. It’s really interesting.”
“I mean. You know. How they’re planning to get married so quickly?”
“Yes.” Her mother’s eyes were wide with surprise. “You know about that?”
“I know why Josh wants them to get married. Do you know why?”
“I know why, but I just found out. And I thought you didn’t know. And I’ve been warned not to talk about it.”
“Well, Josh talked to Spencer on Monday. How did you find out?”
“He talked to Steven last night. But Steven didn’t think you knew about it.”
“Josh probably didn’t want us to talk to each other about it. He’s probably afraid someone will hear about it. Olivia hasn’t even told her sisters or her parents, has she?”
“No, I don’t think so,” said Anne. “You know, Steven told me not to interfere, but I can’t just sit back and do nothing. I figure this needs to go one of two ways. Either we need to get those two to fall madly in love with each other, or we need to talk them out of getting married.”
“I couldn’t agree more. I can’t believe Olivia’s even considering marrying Josh with plans to end the marriage in a year.”
“I know. Right?”
“It’s stupid. There are plenty of single parents out there. I don’t understand why they’re even considering getting married when they don’t love each other.”
“Yes. If only the grandparents weren’t fighting for custody,” said Anne.
Emily gasped. “Whose parents?”
“His parents. That’s the whole reason Josh wants to get married. It’s the only way he can be sure the grandparents won’t win custody.”
“How awful to have such terrible family relationships. No wonder Josh never talked about his family or his past.” Emily legs felt weak, and she sank into her chair. Josh’s parents were trying to win custody of Olivia’s baby? It was unbelievable. Surely the courts would never rule in their favor. “This is ridiculous. There has to be some other way. I don’t think Olivia should marry him like this, but now I can see why he’s so adamant about it.”
“He’s been told he and Olivia have to be married to be certain they’ll get custody. But Steven wants to help Josh try to reason with them. Right now, Josh is so angry he says he’d lose his temper if he talked to them.”
“I’d be angry, too, if I were him. When are they going to tell Olivia’s parents?”
“I don’t know. If you ask me, they should be upfront about it. I think Olivia’s trying to protect Josh. She probably thinks her parents will be pretty upset.”
“When I talked to her, she didn’t tell me about the whole custody battle thing,” said Emily. “That’s totally bizarre.”
“Well, Steven’s doing everything he can. He knows some pretty good attorneys who may be able to help,” said Anne. “I’m glad you talked to Olivia. I was worried about her. How’s she handling everything? Is she feeling a lot of pressure?”
“I think so. She said she was glad to be able to talk to someone. And I’m afraid she’s not taking good care of herself right now. She’s working double shifts to earn extra money.”
“I’m so glad we talked about this.” Her mother grinned. “I’m gonna make sure she gets pampered on the ski trip.”
“Yes, and we’ll be sure she gets plenty of sleep as well.”
“Does Charlie know?” asked Anne.
“I don’t know, but I don’t think so. You know, Mom... Despite what she says, I think Charlie still has a thing for Josh. I’m afraid she’s gonna be really hurt when all of this comes out.”
“If Charlie had moved here six months ago, it’s possible all of this would have been happening with Josh and Charlie instead of Josh and Olivia,” Anne remarked.
