09 Into the Lion’s Den

(Winona)

When I got back to the hotel, my daughter greeted me with the most adorable smile and ran up for a hug.

“Mommy!”

“Hi sweety. Are you having fun?”

“Puppy,” she says, holding up her favorite teddy.

“Puppy is so cute.”

She wriggles and I put her down. Someone rings the doorbell. Must be housekeeping. Abby clings to my leg.

When I open the door, I find Ashlyn staring at me angrily. Abby is quite shy, so she runs off to probably go find Anne. Thank goodness, Ashlyn wouldn’t have gotten a good look at her face. I step outside and shut the door behind me.

“Why are you here? Did you follow me?” I say and watch her eyebrows raise as she has seen a child and she must guess I’m now a mother.

She pushes up closer. She is shaking, with anger or nervousness, I don’t know. But she is definitely upset. “You told me you weren’t pregnant.”

“And I wasn’t. But I met a man and we went into business together and then started dating. Abby is the result of that. Not that it’s any of your business.