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He sneered. “So. You have a baby here. Out of all the things going on, I have to admit, that’s thelastthing I expected. Whose is it, huh? Go on, spill the beans.”
I panicked. We were caught. All of our care and planning was for nothing.
Derek and I shared a look. There was nothing to do but tell him, now. What other choice did we have?”
Derek picked up the baby and held him in his arms. “Billy. I’ll explain everything. But I hope, once you hear what’s going on, that you’ll…”
He trailed off as Clara walked into the station.
Billy raked his eyes over her in a way that made mefurious. I felt my right hand ball into a fist. In that moment, there was nothing in the world I wanted more than to sink my fist into his stupid face.
“What do we have here?” he asked her.
Clara froze. She was just as shocked as we were. But then she did something crazy.
Somethingamazing.
“Thank you so much for helping me,” she suddenly said. She took the baby out of Derek’s arms and cradled him against her shoulder. “When my poor boy started coughing in the car, I justpanicked. I thought he was choking. I didn’t know what to do! Thank goodness I was driving by the fire station when it happened. And thankyoufor giving him CPR, Captain… Dahlkemper, is it?”
I glanced at Taylor.Holy shit. She thought of a plausible excuse. The three of us had frozen when caught, but she came up with a way out on the spot.
Billy looked at her, then at each of us. Then he wagged a finger at Clara. “You almost had me. That’s a great story! But I saw what you did. You parked behind the station for a few minutes, then drove down the street and walked back. Your baby wasn’t choking at all. You don’t want anyone to know you’re here.”
Shit. The story probably would have worked if the three of us didn’t look so guilty.
Derek frowned at Billy. “You were watching the firehouse?”
“No, no, no,” Billy lectured. “Don’t try to turn this around on me. You were hidingthisthing.” He pointed at the baby. “What’s going on?”
Clara sighed. “Okay. You caught me. I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone.”
Billy narrowed his beady eyes at her. “I’ll decide that once I’ve heard what you have to say.”
Clara hefted Baby Anthony and kissed him on the head. “I had him out of wedlock. I was able to hide the pregnancy for a while, but there’s no concealing a baby bump. When my mom found out, she wasfurious. Called me every name in the book. When I finally had the baby, she kicked me out. I have nowhere else to go, so…”
Derek suddenly stood up a little straighter as he seized on the story. “There’s precedent for using public facilities, such as fire stations and police stations, as shelters for those in need. It’s at the Captain’s discretion. So I’m allowing her to remain here until she finds a place to stay.”
Billy sneered at each of us. “Which one of you knocked her up, then?” He looked at the baby. “Dark hair. Couldn’t be yours, Taylor Swift. So he must be one of yours…”
He swung his finger between me and Derek.
“None of us is the father,” I said. It was easy to sound convincing because it was true. “We’re just helping someone who is embarrassed by her situation, and has nowhere else to go.”
Billy’s sneer faded.Holy shit. He might actually believe the story, I thought.
“You’re the pizza girl, right?” Billy asked. “Didn’t know you’d been knocked up. Can’t remember the last time I was at Tony’s, though…”
I could see him doing the mental math. Clara had been back in Riverville a full year. The baby was a few months old. It was possible that he hadn’t seen her at the restaurant in a while.
Billy sneered at Derek. “Iknewthe station smelled like baby shit. How long’s she staying here?”
“However long she needs,” Derek said firmly. “We have the room for her and the baby.”
“I don’t like the firehouse turning into a hostel.” Billy’s face twisted with smugness. “Not sure the higher-ups would, either.”
Derek took a step forward and aimed a finger at the smaller man. “She’s here looking for shelter. She’shelpless, and has nobody else. Put aside your own animosity toward me and think about that, Billy.”
“I could do that, I think,” Billy replied. “If I get something in return, of course.”
