"What?" Amanda Lynn's expression changed. "Melody," she said in disbelief, "are you joking with Mom? How could your Uncle Paul..."
"Why couldn't he?" Michelle Fuller couldn't help but snap at her. "Because you trusted some bullshit best friend you've known for thirty years, your daughter almost paid the price!"
"I..." Amanda Lynn frowned, her heart filled with unease. Her voice trembled as she asked, "What... what exactly happened?"
"What happened is what I told you on the phone last night," Renee Jennings said flatly. "Your good friend of thirty years wanted to ruin your daughter."
Amanda Lynn's face turned deathly pale. Her eyes widened in terror as she looked desperately at her daughter. "Melody, is this true? You all must be joking with me, right?"
Melody Marsh frowned. She was just now realizing that Renee Jennings had told her mother about this yesterday, but her mother hadn't believed her.
