Free Off the Grid by Karyn Good Page A

name with him.”
    Sophie was right. Squishy, cheesy Disney moment. Her insides did another little flip. Just how skilled was he at the whole Prince Charming act? And it had to be an act. How often did he use it? She pulled mugs down from the cupboard. Caleb continued to beguile Kellie. Her head came up and she straightened in her chair. She told a cute little Quinn story from earlier in the day. A different person emerged without Marnie around. They all relaxed.
    Sophie let the guilt slide away. Marnie would come back. For no other reason than Kellie was here. For some reason she was deeply attached to her. Sophie wanted to know why. The answers might contain the elusive key to her sister she’d searched for her whole life.
    ****
    Caleb slid the plate of cookies closer to Kellie then picked one for himself. It was the perfect time to ask a few questions. They’d see what Kellie had to say without her shadow around. “You and Marnie are pretty close?”
    “Close as sisters.” She smiled than realized what she’d said. She shot guilty look in Sophie’s direction. “Kind of like it anyway.”
    “How long have you known each other?”
    “Her and my dad used to hook up sometimes.” She picked at her fingernails. “Long time ago.”
    “Is he in the picture now? Your father?”
    “No.” She shook her head. “I don’t where he is. He’s like that, you know? Here one minute, then something comes up.”
    “It must be hard?” Caleb couldn’t imagine a life free of parental intrusion. His parents had quarreled over every detail of his young life. Loud, bitter arguments over where he went, who he went with, how he got there.
    “I guess.” Kellie shrugged. Her head went down. She rubbed the palms of her hands over her sweatpants. “Anyways, I should get back to Quinn.” She held up the blanket. “Thanks.”
    “You’re welcome.” Caleb smiled to ease the tension. She didn’t return it. “Why don’t you sit for a little longer? So we can talk. The sooner we get things settled for Quinn the better.”
    “I think I should wait for Marnie.”
    Caleb leaned forward. He kept his voice low, soft. “You can talk things over with her when she gets back. It’s not going to hurt to talk to Sophie and I. We’re here to help.”
    Kellie hesitated. “I should really wait for Marnie.”
    Sophie reached over and refilled her mug with tea. She pulled up a chair, ran a hand over Kellie’s back. “Marnie will be back. But the sooner we know what you want, the sooner we can work on making it happen.”
    Caleb rested his forearms on the table and clasped his hands around his cup. “This is my job. This is what I do. I help people through these kinds of situations. And I can help you, but you have to tell me what you want.”
    Still she wavered.
    “As your lawyer I’m bound by solicitor-client privilege. What you disclose is protected information. This way I can do the best possible job for you. You can trust me.”
    Tears filled her eyes and she whispered, “I want to keep my baby.”
    “It comes to this. You had no legal relationship with the father. Unless there is a court order to the contrary, the mother is presumed to have sole guardianship of the child, and the parent presumed to have custody of the child is the parent with whom the child usually lives. That’s you.”
    “What…what happens if I want him to pay me money? You know? Like child support?”
    “Then contact will be made with Jason Drummond. He’ll involve his lawyers. The first thing his lawyer will do is request a paternity test. So I’m going to ask you one more time and then I’ll drop it. Is there any possibility at all Jason Drummond is not Quinn’s father?”
    The tip of her ponytail swung back and forth. Her cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink. Caleb’s gut squeezed and his hand tightened around his mug. The idea of a grown man, someone he called friend, taking advantage of her repulsed him on every level.
    Caleb tried to relax,