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But it was too late. The other woman had pulled him into her arms and rose with a graceful movement Allison could only envy.
“Not to worry. Clothes wash.” She nodded at her daughter. “Help your stepmother. I’ll get this one changed.”
Allison found herself pulled to her feet. She moved with all the ease of a mud-bound hippo. Summer collected a washcloth and a clean T-shirt.
“Why is Jackson sick? Was he feeling okay after day care? I wonder if they gave him cheese sticks for his snack. Sometimes that really messes with his tummy.”
Allison tried to appreciate the concern, but she was out of answers and low on patience.
“Could we not talk about that now?” she asked. “Please. I just need to get through this.”
Summer stared at her. “Okay. Are you mad?”
“No, just stretched really, really thin.”
Summer’s shoulders slumped. “I’ll wait with my mom.”
She left, closing the door behind her. Allison went into the small attached bath, telling herself she would deal with her stepdaughter’s trampled feelings later. She cleaned up as best she could, replacing the soiled blouse with a slightly too small T-shirt.
As she quickly brushed her hair, she saw the dark circles under her eyes and the blotches on her cheeks. She looked awful and felt worse. And now she got to face someone who defined perfect.
“Why am I being punished?”
But there was no answer. Just the faint sound of conversation from the other room.
She braced herself for what she knew would be an uncomfortable half hour, then went into the living room. Erica sat on the sofa with Jackson. He held her chunky necklace in his small hands. He was studying the stones and the metal, turning it over and over, before putting it in his mouth.
Allison nearly shrieked as she lunged for him. Erica waved her back.
“It’s fine. The piece is just back from the jeweler. A stone had fallen out. They made sure everything was secure and then they steam cleaned it. He can’t hurt it and the materials are perfectly safe for him.” She smiled. “I’m not suggesting it should be in a line of toys, but for the moment, it’s okay.”
Allison eyed the necklace, not sure how much it had cost. If it was real—gold and semiprecious gemstones—then possibly more than her car. Without meaning to, she looked around the small living room, wondering how Erica must see it. The furniture was inexpensive and a little worn. The paint was relatively fresh, and the hardwood floors were nice, but the window covers were the cheap blinds landlords favored and there wasn’t any artwork on the wall. Just a few photographs of the family, with an emphasis on Jackson.
“Thanks for changing his shirt,” she said, settling in one of the club chairs.
“Of course. His room is so cute. I love all the stuffed animals.” Erica smiled at her daughter. “Remember that lion you loved so much? You wouldn’t go to sleep without it.”
Her daughter grinned. “That was like twelve years ago, Mom. But yes, I remember.”
“Is your room on the other side of the house?”
At first Allison didn’t understand what Erica was asking. What room? Then she got it—Erica wanted to know where her daughter slept.
Summer shook her head. “I don’t have my own room. That cabinet across from the crib is a Murphy bed. It pulls down.”
“You sleep in the same room as Jackson?”
Erica sounded faintly outraged. Her gaze slipped between the toddler and the teen.
“It’s fine,” Summer told her. “Once he’s out, he’s out. Plus when I’m here, I take care of him in the morning so Dad and Allison get to sleep in.”
“I see.”
Allison had no idea what Erica was thinking, but it couldn’t be good. Worse was her faint sense of guilt, which she tried to ignore. The house was small and they were doing the best they could with what they had. Maybe if Erica hadn’t taken every single dollar she could in divorce, she and Peter wouldn’t be in such dire financial circumstances. He hadn’t gotten a penny from the house and she’d ripped away her business, all the while bad-mouthing him to his other clients. She was evil, Allison reminded herself. An awful person.
Only she wasn’t particularly awful with Jackson. She deftly distracted him with a large teddy bear and when he dropped the necklace, she casually slid it into her bag.
“When are you due?” Erica asked her.
