It’s us or the cops.” “Jesus! No need to go that far.” Melanie sniffed into her tissue. “Yes there is,” Cassandra said. “There’s a child involved.” Melanie glanced up through the soggy tissue. Realizing she was outplayed she sat up straight, knees together for once. She adjusted her chiffon pussycat bow and said, “Well, okay then, so Asia is not my daughter. I was only doing this to help someone out. She wouldn’t do it herself and she needed help. I mean this is James’s daughter.” Caroline felt the sigh that escaped her had been held in from the moment she had first seen Asia, with her blackberry eyes and olive skin, and her “lostness.” “Poor baby,” she murmured. Cassandra said, “Well, at least now we know that truth.” “If Melanie ever speaks the truth,” Jim reminded them. She gave him an indignant glare. “I am not a liar. I only did this to help.” “You mean you only lied to help.” Cassandra never let anybody off the hook. Caroline was thinking oh my God this means Issy really has a little sister—well a half sister.
