Shaking her head to clear it, Kiley rose from the couch and wandered into the spare bedroom she used for an office. Sitting down at the desk, she booted up her laptop and brought up a website that she hoped would prove that she’d lost her mind.
A half hour later, Kiley stared off into space as the gravity of her findings sank in. She had calculated everything twice and there was no way to deny it. There was a very real possibility that, instead of her ex-husband, Josh Gordon was Emmie’s father.
* * *
Kiley waited until the following morning to call her sister back. She was still trying to come to terms with the probability of Josh being Emmie’s father. But the more she thought about it, the more it explained.
Emmie looked absolutely nothing like Mark. He had an olive complexion, black hair and a distinct Roman nose. Nothing like her daughter’s facial features. And then there were the numbers that added up against Mark being her father.
Kiley had always thought she became pregnant a few weeks later, when she and Mark patched things up after that night in her sister’s apartment. But the more she thought about it, the less likely that was the date she had conceived. If she calculated Emmie’s birth by that, Emmie had been born three weeks early. But when she calculated it by the night she and Josh made love, Emmie had arrived right on time.
She knew that wasn’t conclusive proof. Only a DNA test would be proof positive. But everything added up to suggest that Josh was more likely Emmie’s father than Mark.
Deciding that she would end up completely overwhelmed by it all if she didn’t distract herself, she dialed her sister’s number. “Hi, Lori,” Kiley said when her sister answered the phone. “I’m sorry I missed your call last night. I was…um, busy.”
“No problem,” Lori said cheerfully. “I figured you were probably having trouble getting my adorable niece tucked in for the night.”
“Saturday nights are easy. Emmie always falls asleep during the movie and it’s just a matter of carrying her to bed,” Kiley said, wondering how she was going to bring up the subject of Lori’s relationship with Josh. From what he had said about Lori being a great girl, it didn’t sound like the breakup had been as disastrous as her sister had described at the time.
“I tried calling yesterday afternoon to see if you wanted to go help me start my Christmas shopping, but you weren’t home.” Lori laughed. “You know me. I always wait until the last minute to buy gifts for everyone and I need your opinion. Otherwise, I go into panic mode and buy something completely inappropriate for everyone.” It was so typical of Lori. She had procrastination down to an art form.
“I put all of the gifts I’m giving into layaway this past fall.” Kiley smiled. “It doesn’t feel as expensive when I pay a little out of each paycheck and I’m able to put a little more thought into what I’m giving.”
“You always were the smart one of the Miller girls,” Lori said, laughing.
“There are only two of us,” Kiley reminded.
“Just ask Mom and Dad, they’ll tell you I’m not the brightest bulb in the chandelier,” Lori said. “Especially when it comes to men.”
“Did you break up with your latest boyfriend?” Kiley asked, not at all surprised. Lori’s relationships never seemed to last more than a few months.
“No, Sean and I are actually doing quite well,” Lori said, sounding amazed. “We’ve even started talking about moving in together.”
“Maybe he’s Mr. Right,” Kiley said, hoping her sister could find someone who loved her in spite of her flightiness.
“I’m actually thinking he might be,” Lori said, sounding extremely hopeful.
“By the way, you’ll never guess who I’ve been having to work with on funding for the day care center,” Kiley said, hoping Lori would volunteer some information about her breakup with Josh.
“Who?” Lori asked, her interest obviously piqued.
“Josh Gordon,” Kiley stated, awaiting her sister’s reaction.
“Oh, Josh is very nice,” Lori said, sounding sincere. She laughed suddenly. “In fact, he’s one of Royal’s most eligible bachelors. I think the two of you should get together. You’d make a really great couple and you need to start dating again.”
“I’m not in the market to be part of a couple now or in the future,” Kiley said, shaking her head. She knew her sister was teasing her, but she wasn’t in the mood.
“That’s a shame, because Josh really is a terrific guy,” Lori stated.