The Swallow's Nest by Emilie Richards

Author:Emilie Richards
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MIRA
Published: 2017-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

25

Marina was rarely confused. As a child she’d figured out that doing anything was better than doing nothing, and acting as if she’d made the right decision was nearly as helpful as making one.

This evening, though, she was off her game. After lunch with Ellen, she was light years from making a decision. On the surface the other woman’s offer was golden. Marina wouldn’t have to find a job, and she would only be a part-time mother. Ellen might have a lot to say about raising Toby, but Marina’s name would be on the custody documents.

Of course the offer seemed golden, but it might be, at best, gold-plated. Problems rimmed the horizon. Blake might not agree to any of this, and Marina would have to deal with Ellen until Toby was an adult.

Finally? If Lilia lost custody now, would she be willing to resume it in the future if she was needed?

The last seemed unlikely. As sad as it was, Graham and Lilia had provided a safety net, but who would be her safety net if Ellen died or lost interest in her grandson? With the passing of time, wasn’t it likely Lilia would move on to a different life, and Toby would become a stranger she was no longer invested in?

Marina had known Graham’s parents were wealthy, although she’d also known they were estranged. This afternoon, though, she’d done a little online research, and she had been blown away by exactly how wealthy the Randolphs were. In fact Douglas Randolph seemed to be ruthlessly focused on accumulating property and power, and wildly successful at both. Obviously Ellen could afford what she was proposing. And in the future, if Toby didn’t blow his chances—the way his father obviously had—Toby might be a wealthy young man indeed.

With a headache and too many possibilities, she made her way to the kitchen to open another bottle of wine, having already finished part of one from the refrigerator. Blake wasn’t yet home. He usually remembered to text her to say when he would arrive, but it was almost seven, and she hadn’t heard from him all day. If he arrived at some point, ready to eat, she had leftovers she could warm. But even though she’d barely picked at her salad this afternoon, she wasn’t hungry.

She was cursing the wine cork, which had broken off before she could get it out, when Blake walked in. She noticed he forgot to lock the door behind him.

“I apologize for being so late.”

She watched him hang up his coat by the front door and waited until he joined her in the kitchen. “Have you eaten?”

He took a moment to answer, as if that required focus. “I had a late lunch. I’m not really hungry. I hope you didn’t go to a lot of trouble.”

“When I didn’t hear from you I thought we’d just have leftovers.”

“Good. Want me to get things out of the fridge?”

Normally she would have said no, but now, teaching him to share the kitchen chores made sense.

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