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A loud thump outside made me jump nearly out of my skin and Victoria’s little lip trembled as her gaze darted to the window.
Yeah, not sure staying here was a good idea either but I’d already tried to find a different motel but everything was booked.
So it was either stay at the “Lame Duck” and risk getting mugged or stay with a stranger that seemed nice enough but could be a serial killer for all they knew.
At the end of the day, I knew we couldn’t stay here so I finished packing, checked out and called Victor.
Within thirty minutes he was there in a black, shiny SUV with chrome wheels shined to perfection. I handed him the travel carseat and after a few false starts, he managed to get it installed safely in the backseat and then he watched keenly as I buckled Victoria in.
“Lots of buckles and straps,” he noted with a serious expression. “Back in the day, my mom’s idea of car safety was her arm across my chest during an unexpected brake check.”
“Yeah, lots has changed since then,” I said, climbing into the front seat. The SUV was pure luxury, which was a big difference from the lifestyle she and Jessica had been used to living. Not that they were poor, per se, but by California standards, it was a month-to-month situation with the bills.
Plus, adding an infant to the mix had been a huge adjustment to their monthly budget. I’d wanted to go the natural route with diapers but the diaper service for cloth diapers was outside of our budget. We agonized over switching to disposable diapers but tried to mitigate our carbon footprint in other ways.
A sidelong glance at Victor made me realize he probably wouldn’t have had to make that sacrifice.
Victoria would definitely enjoy a different standard of living with Victor as her dad, which should’ve made me happy but I was sad because Jessica had tried so hard to give Victoria the best life that was more about people than things.
Would that change with Victor in the picture?
“Tell me more about Jessica’s life before she died,” he said, curious. “What was she like? Did she stay with the job she was training for?”
I cleared my throat, realizing he needed to know more about Jessica if he was going to be a good dad to Victoria. Kids needed to know things about their parents and if the one living parent didn’t know jack shit about the other, well, that was likely to mess the kid up. “Um, yeah, she did. She worked for an IT center that managed several big Bay Area companies. She really geeked out over all that computer stuff. I mean, she was real smart and had plans to work up the chain. Eventually, she would’ve gotten to where she wanted to be.” I nodded, mostly to myself. “Yeah, Jessica was always motivated to improve herself.”
“What happened when she found out she was pregnant?” he asked.
“Um, well, there was the initial freak-out, of course, like anyone would. It’s not as if the baby was planned for either of you but she never once considered not keeping the baby. She decided to do it on her own and then, she did it. Of course, I was there for her every step of the way but it’s not quite the same as having a partner.”
“Why didn’t she tell me?”
I shrugged, not sure. “I don’t know. Maybe she didn’t want to try and figure out the complications of visitation and whatever. She wasn’t going to ask for your money so why ask for your input? But I’m just guessing to be honest, because I never even knew that she’d put you down as the secondary legal guardian in the event of her death. That was a shocker to me, too.”
He nodded, hearing the hurt in my voice even as I tried to mask it. “Maybe she thought you would need help,” he suggested.
“I can handle Victoria on my own,” I returned with a touch of defensiveness. “I’ve been there since the day she was born. I was in the delivery room. I’ve been the best auntie that kid could ever want.”
“I believe you,” he said, soothing my ruffled feathers. I shouldn’t be so touchy but my grief and confusion were a hard mix. “I’m sure whatever her reasons, she just wanted the best for the baby.”
“Yeah, that goes without saying,” I said, glancing out the window to watch the scenery whiz by. I couldn’t even appreciate the beauty of the seaside community because my nerves were strung taut. The more I thought about it, the more I wished I’d ignored the paperwork that listed Victor and just raised Victoria by myself.
I knew that wasn’t fair to Victor but how was any of this fair to anyone?
Before going to Victor’s house, he pulled into the testing facility where the DNA test would be done. I appreciated that he took care of the details quickly and quietly, and within minutes the test was done.
“Gotta love technology,” I murmured.
“We should have an answer within 24 hours. I asked for a rush on the job,” he said.
“I guess it helps to know people,” I quipped. The test facility Jessica had found would’ve taken weeks to get the results.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
“I could eat,” I said, mentally calculating how much cash I had on me. I wasn’t much of a budgeter, Jessica had always been much better in that department, but since becoming the sole provider for Victoria, I’d been militant about my spending.
That in itself was a huge change. Let’s just say, before Jessica died, I was more free-spirited in my pursuit of the all-mighty dollar.
I mostly paid my bills on time but Jessica had definitely filled in the gaps and made sure our power was never shut off.
