Free His Best Friend's Baby by Molly O'Keefe Page A

about anything. Dental hygienist, legal secretary, teacher’s aide. Anything.”
    All of those things sounded terrible. Dentalhygienist? Julia would rather go back to waiting tables.
    “Look, Agnes, I’m not sure—”
    “You don’t have to pick your courses right now. Just fill out the early application form and then you can take your time looking at the pamphlet. That way you can get acceptance out of the way and later talk to some counselors to help you make a decision.”
    “But—” This wasn’t what she wanted. Her future was a murky at best, but she knew it didn’t include school. “I know Mitch told you I wanted to get a degree, but I am a terrible student—”
    “Well, who isn’t as a kid? Mitch was such a poor student, if it hadn’t been for sports I don’t know that he would have even graduated.”
    “Up!” Instinctively Julia bent in answer to her son’s cry, but he wasn’t standing in front of her with his arms up demanding to be held. He stood in front of Agnes.
    “Up, Nana.”
    “Well, good morning, little boy,” Agnes cooed and lifted the heavy baby into her arms. “Are you hungry?” she asked and when Ben nodded, she smiled. “Of course you are. Let’s go see what Nana’s got to eat.” Ben patted Agnes’s face.
    “Morning, Nana,” he said and Agnes turned to kiss his hand. Ben’s hair stood up in an airy blond cloud and his grandmother slowly patted it down, stroking his head and face as she did it.
    Finally she turned to Julia. “Just fill out the application. You still have plenty of time to make the decision. It would mean a lot to us to be able to help you get your degree.”
    Julia nodded, words deserting her.
    What would it hurt? she thought and tried to swallow the sickly sweet taste of gratitude and obligation from the back of her throat. She’d come to New Springs to give Ben a family and for the love that Agnes gave Ben, so Julia would fill out a million applications.
    She uncapped the pen that had been left beside the papers and sat to fill out the paperwork for another dream that wasn’t hers.
       
    A FTER A BREAKFAST of yogurt and fruit, Julia loaded her son into the old stroller. He had to practically kiss his knees to sit in it he was so big, but she didn’t have the money for a new one, yet. She prayed the screws, worn out wheels and cheap fabric would hold out just a little bit more.
    “You gonna do some sight-seeing?” Ronasked, lowering the newspaper from in front of his face. The envelope with her completed application stuck out of his shirt pocket. He’d insisted on delivering it himself, as if it would change the inevitable outcome. Even if accepted, she had little intention of attending. But she’d cross that bridge when she got to it.
    “I’m going to look for a job.”
    “What?” Agnes asked, her voice and eyes sharp. “Why?”
    Julia was taken aback by Agnes’s sudden tone.
    “You’ve been so generous, but Ben and I have to make some effort to be independent.” She tried to make it a joke but Ron and Agnes didn’t laugh. “I’d feel better if I was working at least part-time. Saving up some money so we could get our own place.”
    “Why?” Agnes asked. “Why do you want to leave?” Clearly the woman took this personally, something Julia had not expected at all. She’d expected some halfhearted protestations and reassurances that they were welcome to stay as long as they liked, but the deeply wounded look on Agnes’s weathered face surprised the heck out of her.
    “It’s not that I want to leave—”
    “Then why do it? You and Ben can stay here. We’re happy to help you out in any way. Besides with you going to school what would be the point?”
    Julia looked between the two, but they shared the same stern expression. It was as if her not wanting to be a burden was an insult to them, as if she were throwing their hospitality in their face. She hadn’t anticipated the costs of being a family with the Adamses.
    Julia