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She held up her phone. “The judge is going to find this very interesting.”
JoJo and I were kissing.
The photo was damning, but we could request a date stamp to prove it was after Alma filed for divorce.
“Don’t do this,” JoJo pleaded.
Showing fear to Alma was a mistake. Rolling over whenever she wanted was too. Mistakes littered the last two decades of our relationship.
I’d helped create this monster.
“You know how to fix it, sister dear.” She disappeared, leaving a cloud of her choking perfume.
JoJo trembled as she stared at the spot her sister had vacated.
“I don’t know that woman,” she whispered.
“She’s been alive and well for a very long time.”
“She can’t really come after me and say I stole her baby, can she?”
“No, of course she can’t. She’d have to have evidence that she changed her mind. She’d have to show that she tried to reach out to you, to Penelope, and given she’s not seen her in how many years?”
“Since she was born. She never wanted to see her. If we met up, she always wanted it to just be us.”
“Given she hasn’t seen Penelope since birth, and can’t produce any evidence to suggest she wanted her, not to mention her many affairs—that I kept records of—she hasn’t got anything.” But how I hated her even more for the pain she was now inflicting on JoJo.
“She’ll tell Penelope the truth.” She begged me with her eyes to do something.
“We needed to tell her at some point anyway.” I didn’t want to. I’d rather Penelope have nothing to do with Alma.
JoJo clasped my arm. “It will hurt her.”
“I know. But it would be better for her to hear it from us.”
JoJo shook her head. “I’m not ready. I can’t.”
“Are you going to fork over the money?”
Her eyes widened. “Do you think I should?”
“Hell, no. I’ve been down this road. Give her an inch and she’ll take a mile.”
She sank back on the sofa. “I thought I was doing the right thing,” she said to herself. “I’ve made such a mess.”
“You’ve made a beautiful, smart young woman. Can you imagine who she’d be if Alma and I had raised her?” I sat on the coffee table in front of her and took her hands.
“You wouldn’t have let Alma taint her.”
I’d wanted someone to have faith in me. JoJo did.
“I won’t let her do it now either.” I pressed my lips together. “We need to talk to Nancy about this. She’ll know what to do.”
“What if we don’t have time?”
“Barn, I’ve figured out that shit is going to happen when it happens. The best thing to do is deal with it as it comes.”
Her fingers were cold in mine. “You’re calling me Barn a lot.”
