Amelia’s catlike movements and sounds came to the fore when she was on edge. She was the opposite of approachable. If I were able to see inside her mouth, I was sure I would have seen her biting her tongue so hard that she was drawing blood.

I noticed a silver ring on Lucia’s right middle finger that I hadn’t seen before. Perhaps it was a promise ring. She was too young to know how meaningless a promise ring was.

“He loves me. Ron knows what he wants.” Lucia appeared to feel less vulnerable than the last time I saw her. Obviously, she believed that she had an ally in Ron. And maybe she did.

“Sweetheart.” Amelia smiled broadly, showing her teeth. The smile was an attempt at friendliness but veered toward a grimace. She took a large sip of her wine. “I believe he’s in love with you. Who wouldn’t be? But it’s a lot of pressure to put on your relationship. Financial and emotional pressure.” She studied Lucia’s face, as if looking for agreement. I noticed Lucia’s jaw tighten. Amelia smoothed her blouse down, then meticulously rolled up her sleeves. “What do you think, Delta?” she said amiably. There was a right answer and a wrong answer to the question.

“I think that you and Ron should be together,” I said to Lucia.

Amelia’s body stiffened.

“But you’re very young to have a baby,” I said.

“Ron wants to be a father,” Lucia said.

“In a few years, of course,” Amelia said calmly, “when you’ve finished school and have a job. There’s time for everything.” She spoke as if she had some real authority over the girl, as if Lucia were obliged to follow her directions. Amelia was so accustomed to her demands being acceded. She considered herself wiser than everyone in the room and thought others ought to be grateful for her superior opinion. I wondered if her demeanor was a strategy, developed in order to get her own way. In this case, the strategy looked to be backfiring.

“Ron loves our baby.” Lucia put her hand on her belly. “This baby.” I saw the almost imperceptible smile on Lucia’s face as she touched the baby and I knew that Amelia’s chances had diminished. Lucia had allowed herself to fall in love with her child. Even if Ron didn’t stick around, the adoption prospects didn’t look strong for Amelia.

I doubted that Amelia saw what I did. Maybe she chose not to. She was focused on Lucia’s words. “Sweetheart, he disappeared for six months.” She continued to speak in a calm, slow, and deliberate voice, but I could tell that it was an effort to do so.

“He was struggling,” Lucia said.

“Drugs?” Amelia licked her lips twice.

Lucia shrugged.

“Addiction issues?”

Lucia moved her head very slightly. I wasn’t positive if she was nodding or just looking down.