Circle of Friends Complete Collection Read online

  A good speech, she thought, hoping he couldn’t tell how much she shook as she gave it. What she hadn’t mentioned was the mind-numbing terror at the thought of actually having to take care of a baby by herself. He’d been right before. How would she pay for things? When would she have time to work and go to school? She was fairly confident her parents wouldn’t toss her out onto the street, but their small house was already jammed full. Where would they put a baby?

  He studied her. “You’re not what I imagined,” he admitted. “Most of Jimmy’s girlfriends have been...”

  “Airheads?” she asked lightly.

  He grinned. “Exactly.”

  “I know. He told me. He said dating me was a sign of his willingness to grow up. I think it was more the whole ‘bad boy, good girl’ thing. Opposites attract and all that.”

  “As a good girl, you had a thing for bad boys?”

  Noelle hesitated. Something about this topic felt strange. Maybe it was discussing her dating habits with a man who’d just proposed, however businesslike he’d meant it.

  “I was always curious,” she admitted. “But I’d never dated one until Jimmy.” She wrinkled her nose. “Everyone in high school knew who my father was, so guys were wary about messing with a pastor’s daughter. The guys who did ask me out were always well-behaved.” And she hadn’t minded. It had made life easy.

  “Until Jimmy,” Dev said.

  “Right.”

  He moved from the desk to the chair next to hers. After pulling it around so it faced her, he sat down and reached for her hand.

  “Noelle, I want you to seriously consider my offer. I could simply give you money, but you’re going to need more than that. I have a large house with plenty of room for you and the baby. If you’re married, you won’t have to deal with awkward questions.” He shrugged. “I don’t know what Jimmy told you about me, but I’m not such a bad guy. My vices are all pretty boring and I will take care of you and the baby. In a couple of years, or whenever you’re ready, we’ll divorce. You’ll be financially stable and no longer dealing with a newborn.”

  She was as caught up in the fact that he was holding her hand as in what he was saying. His touch was gentle, yet firm. His skin warm. There was nothing sexual or romantic in the contact, but she was still very aware of him sitting so close to her.

  She liked his determination. Her father had always said to look for a man who wouldn’t give up. He was—

  Wait a minute, she thought. Was she seriously considering his proposal? Was she thinking she would marry a man she barely knew simply to take his name and his money?

  “I’m not like that,” she said, pulling her hand free and standing. “I’m not mercenary.”

  Dev rose as well. “No one is saying you are. Noelle, if Jimmy were still alive, wouldn’t you expect him to marry you?”

  She didn’t want to answer that. In this century, in this society, who really got married because of a baby? But in her heart, she knew she would have expected it. And she would have accepted, despite any misgivings about the future of their relationship.

  “But you’re not Jimmy.”

  “Think of me as standing in for him. Doing what he would have done.”

  Would Jimmy have married her? She honestly wasn’t sure.

  “It’s two years,” Dev said. “Trust me, time moves quickly. Did your parents know you were dating Jimmy?”

  “What?” The change in subject startled her. “Um, they knew I was seeing someone from work, but that’s all.”

  “Then for all they know, it could be me.”

  She blinked at him. Of course there had been times when she’d kept the truth from her parents, or squeaked around the actual facts, but to lie like this felt wrong on too many levels. Yet she was tempted.

  The baby existed and she would have to deal with that. Dev was offering her a way to minimize the damage with her family, while allowing her to be a single mother and still pursue her dreams. It was almost too good to be true.

  “What do you get out of all this?” she asked.

  “Jimmy’s child gets the family name. I get to be a part of his or her life.”

  “You can have both of those without marrying me.”

  “I want to make this right,” he told her. “I can’t take back what was done, but I can do my best to help. You don’t know me, Noelle, but you’re going to have to trust me on that.”

  She wasn’t sure much trust would be required. Devlin Hunter was the kind of man to get everything in writing. Which meant there would be paperwork.

  “I don’t want what Jimmy would have inherited,” she said. “That’s too much.” Dev’s company, Hunter Manufacturing was a massive, multimillion dollar business. “Maybe some child support and a house.” She winced. Even that sounded too greedy. “Just the child support,” she amended. “Jimmy would have paid that anyway.”

  Dev shoved his hands into his slacks pockets and smiled at her. “You’re saying yes.”

  “Oh.” She turned the idea over in her mind. “I guess I am.” When had she decided this was what she wanted to do? Did it matter? Dev was right. Accepting his proposal made her life much easier.

  She still wasn’t sure what he got out of the deal. Unless it was to be part of a family again, even for a little while. But was that even important to him?

  “I don’t know you at all,” she said.

  “We’ll change that,” he promised. “Let’s have dinner tonight. We can work out the logistics, set up a timetable and move forward.”

  That made it sound as if they were closing a business deal rather than discussing a marriage. And when she thought about it, she realized it was true.

  “All right,” she agreed. “Where do you want to meet?”

  “My house.” He moved around the desk and grabbed a piece of paper. After writing the address, he handed it to her. “Six-thirty?”

  She took the paper and nodded. “Okay. I guess I should, uh, get back to work.”

  “You’re not due in for another couple of hours.”

  “I know, but I’m already here.” She walked to the door, then glanced back at him. “Thanks for everything.”

  “Thank you, Noelle,” he said. “Don’t worry more than you have to. We’ll get this worked out. Everything will be fine.”

  She smiled and left. Fine? She was pregnant with her late boyfriend’s child, she had just agreed to temporary marriage with a man she didn’t know, for a bunch of reasons she couldn’t remember, and she had big plans to lie about the whole thing to her family.

  Fine didn’t really cover it.

  CHAPTER TWO

  NOELLE LEFT WORK shortly before noon. She’d already put in more than her usual amount of hours and cleared out her in-basket, which felt good. She’d been efficient, determined and focused. It had been the only way to get through the hours. If she allowed herself to stop moving, she would think about what had happened that morning. She would think about being pregnant and Dev’s impossible proposal and she would lose it. Not something she wanted to do in front of all the women in the office.

  So she kept a smile on her face and her mind on her work until she could escape to her car and drive home, where she knew she would find her mother. Funny how at nineteen, all she wanted was to run to her mom and be comforted. Maybe that need never went away. Yet in about eight months, she would have her own child to think about.

  “Impossible,” Noelle murmured as she drove out of the Hunter Manufacturing parking lot. “The entire situation is impossible.”

  How could she be pregnant? How could she consider marrying Devlin Hunter? While she couldn’t change the former, she could work the latter. She’d been crazy to accept his proposal. Taking the easy way out was never smart, she reminded herself. She’d jumped at what he’d offered because it smoo
thed things over, but she knew better. And that was why she was so determined to get home. Her mother always left the church office for a couple of hours in the middle of the day. They would sit down and Noelle would confess everything. Then her mother would tell her how to get out of her fake engagement with her boss.

  Noelle knew that Dev would probably push back. He was that sort of man. But in time he would come to see that he could still be a part of his brother’s child’s life without going to the extreme of marrying her. While she would welcome child support, she wasn’t going to insist on it. Somehow she would get by.

  “Hey, Mom,” she called as she walked in the back door of the two-story house she’d lived in since she was a kid. The place was old and a little run-down but homey and comfortable. She moved from the laundry room into the kitchen, where she found her mother sitting at the table.

  “Hi, honey,” the older woman said with a smile that didn’t seem quite right. “I didn’t expect you home for lunch.”

  “I got to work really early, so I finished early,” Noelle said as she took a seat and smiled at her mother. It was only then that she noticed the other woman seemed to be brushing away tears. “Mom? Are you all right.”

  Her mother sighed. “I’m fine.” She sniffed. “Okay, I’m a little weepy, but it’s no big deal. Your father and I...” She swallowed. “We had a fight. We don’t do it very often, so we’re not good at it. Maybe we should take a class on the twenty-seven best ways to argue.”

  Her attempt at humor fell flat. Noelle touched her arm. “We never hear you and Dad fight. You get crabby from time to time, but not real arguments. Is everything okay?”

  “It’s fine. I told your father I’m tired of working in the church office. I want to do more. Meet other people. We’re so insulated.”

  Noelle didn’t know what to say. Her mother loved working in the church office. At least that’s what she’d always said. For as long as Noelle could remember, her mother had talked about how lucky she was to work with great people and be part of a caring community.

  “I thought it was what you wanted,” she said at last.

  “Well, it’s not.” Fresh tears filled her mother’s eyes, then spilled down her cheeks. “Oh, I hate getting emotional. I need to do this. It’s important.”

  “Why?” Noelle asked.

  “Because... Because...” She drew in a breath, then shoved her hand into a pile of envelopes. “Because of these. Your father is so stubborn. He says the Lord will provide, and He does. Sort of. But there is also reality and helping one’s self. I’ve always had to be the practical one in the relationship and I don’t mind that. It’s just when he makes things more difficult...”

  Noelle bit her lower lip, but didn’t say anything. Her mother had never talked to her like this before—as if she were an adult.

  “There’s not enough money,” her mother said flatly. “There are too many bills. Your college hasn’t been very much and when you transfer to UC Riverside, we’ll be able to spring that, but Lily’s going to that private Christian university. Of course we’re delighted she was accepted and they will provide some financial aid, but still... Then there was her graduation car.”

  A family tradition, Noelle thought, suddenly feeling guilty about the car she’d received the previous June when she’d graduated from high school.

  “It adds up,” her mother said quietly.

  Noelle looked at the stack of bills. The corner of one caught her eye. “Is this from the hospital?” she asked as she pulled that envelope from the pile. “From my accident?”

  Her mother took the bill and tucked it under the others. “Don’t worry about it.”

  Noelle stared at her. “But we have insurance.”

  “It doesn’t cover everything. I’m making payments. Believe me, that’s the least of our financial problems.”

  Noelle wasn’t so sure. “What about the physical therapy place? Are you still paying them?”

  Her mother stood and crossed to the refrigerator. “What do you want for lunch? There’s some lunch meat. We could make sandwiches.”

  Noelle felt her stomach tighten. She’d had no idea her parents were still paying for an accident that had happened nearly two years ago. How much had those bills been?

  “Are you leaving your job in the church office to get a better-paying one?” she asked.

  Her mother leaned against the counter. Jane had married at nineteen, given birth to her first daughter at twenty and had just turned forty the previous March. She looked much younger and strangers frequently expressed surprise that she could really have a daughter in college.

  “The regular business not only pays more, the benefits will supplement the insurance we already have. I’ve been asking around and I have a couple of really good offers. I’m deciding which one to take. Unfortunately, your father sees this as some kind of defection.”

  Noelle wasn’t so sure. “Maybe he’s just sad he can’t provide for his family the way he’d like.”

  “That, too,” her mother admitted. “The male ego is a fragile organ.” She frowned. “But it’s not really an organ, is it? An instrument? An entity?” She gave a wry smile. “I don’t even know what the male ego is and yet it is currently dominating my life.”

  “Daddy loves you. He wants you to be happy.”

  “I am happy,” her mother said. “He’s the most wonderful man. I wouldn’t want to hurt him for anything. But we need to get a handle on the bills. Sometimes I think if there’s one more unexpected expense, I’m going to run screaming into the night.” She paused. “Is this too much, Noelle? I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t be sharing this with you. It’s just lately you seem so grown-up and responsible. I feel as much like your friend as your mother.”

  Noelle stood and crossed to her mother. “It’s fine,” she said. “I’m glad you can talk to me. Everyone needs to be able to talk to someone.”

  They embraced. As her mother hugged her, Noelle fought tears of her own. Her secrets pressed upon her but she couldn’t say anything now. Her mom didn’t need one more thing to worry about.

  “So—sandwiches?” her mother asked as she stepped back.

  “Sounds great.”

  They worked side by side, then sat down to have lunch. Noelle chatted about work and her friends and was careful not to say anything about being pregnant or the deal she’d made with Dev. Now that she understood the financial situation at home, there was no way she could add a baby to the mix. Not with Lily going off to college this fall and Summer graduating from high school next year. Her parents couldn’t possibly afford a baby and if Noelle tried to handle things on her own, they would only insist on helping.

  She might not be happy about the deal Dev had offered, but right now it seemed the only way out.

  * * *

  “THANKS FOR MEETING me on such short notice,” Dev said as he walked into the office of Andrew Hart, his attorney for the past ten years. Andrew had been Dev’s grandfather’s attorney for several years before that, ever since the elder Hart had passed away. A Hart lawyer had handled Hunter business since the company began, shortly after the end of the Second World War.

  Andrew motioned to a leather sofa against the wall and walked to a wet bar in the corner. “What can I get you?” he asked.

  “Nothing for me.”

  “All right.” Andrew took the club chair across from the sofa. “What can I do for you?”

  “I’m getting married.”

  Dev said the words aloud, but he had trouble believing them. Married. This time yesterday the biggest social event on his agenda had been thinking it was time to start dating again. He’d been between women for a few months and was feeling a definite itch. But any scratching was about to go on a very long hold, he thought grimly. Everything in his life would change as soon as he married Noelle.

&nbs
p; “Congratulations,” Andrew said, sounding a little surprised. “I didn’t know you were seeing anyone seriously. I assume you want a prenuptial agreement.”

  Andrew was several years older than Dev, but still a friend. Dev wasn’t about to keep the truth from him.

  “Actually I want the opposite,” Dev said. “We’re only going to be married a couple of years. When we divorce, I want her to have an excellent settlement.”

  Dev paused, then laughed when he saw Andrew’s shocked expression.

  “I’m not crazy,” Dev added. “Nor am I marrying for the usual reasons.”

  He explained about Noelle dating Jimmy and the subsequent pregnancy.

  “No offense, but you are crazy,” his lawyer told him. “Give her some money. Set up a trust fund for the kid. You don’t have to marry the girl.”

  “I want Jimmy’s son or daughter to have the family name,” Dev said stubbornly. “I want to make sure Noelle is taken care of. She’s not even twenty yet and her father’s a minister. It was her first time and Jimmy talked her into bed by claiming he wanted to marry her.”

  “That was Jimmy, not you. As your attorney, I have to insist that you—”

  Dev shook his head. “Talk to me as a friend, not an attorney.”

  “Then I still think you’re crazy,” Andrew said with a sigh. “But I’m not even surprised you want to do this.”

  “I’m doing what Jimmy would have done when he found out Noelle was pregnant.”

  “As your friend,” Andrew said, “I doubt Jimmy would have been willing to go through with a quickie wedding.”

  Dev agreed with Andrew, but Jimmy wasn’t here to prove either of them right or wrong. And Jimmy not being here was Dev’s fault.

  Dev had tried to do the right thing where his brother was concerned. Had tried and obviously failed. The baby gave him a second chance.