Page 88 of A Lifetime of Afters
“Lou, it was a tragic accident. It wasn’t his fault.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Of course, it wasn’t his fault! I’m not mad at him for that. My heart breaks for him for that! I’m mad at him for leaving you in the state you’re in. I’m mad at him for being gone so long. I’m furious he’s left us all in the dark about what he’s doing.”
“The state I’m in?”
Lou’s chin dropped to her chest, and she studied me over the rim of her glasses. “Yes. The state you’re in.”
Stalling for time, I walked around my desk to sit in my chair. “I’ve decided I want to stay on as the event planner if you’ll have me.”
“If I’ll have you,” she repeated.
“And, um, I’m going to start looking for a condo… so you can start renting the cabin. I, uh, know you haven’t been taking anything from my pay.”
She tilted her head to the side. “I think it’s best you stay close to us for now. At least until the spring. Maybe even through the summer. What do you think?”
Probably better to be closer to family. With Dan and Lou on the premises so much of the time, and Dad five minutes away, it made sense to stay. I nodded my agreement.
She smiled. “I’m not mad at him anymore.”
My eyes skittered up to meet hers, then darted away. If compartmentalizing was an Olympic sport, I’d be a gold medalist.
“Are you taking your vitamins?” she asked gently.
I met her eyes and admitted, “I picked some up last week.”
She nodded. “Have you seen a doctor?”
“I have an appointment tomorrow,” I felt my face flush. If she thought I was pregnant, I really must be. “How did you know?”
Walking around to perch on the edge of my desk, she stroked the dark patches that appeared on my face over the past week. “Your mother got these marks with both you and Max.” She searched my face. “Do you want me to go with you?”
Tears came to my eyes. “Yes.”
My pregnancy turned out to be the world’s worst-kept secret.
Lou suspected a week before I told her, and she told Dan.
My dad approached Lou the day after that and asked her to talk to me woman to woman.
Harley went to her mom two days ago to tell her she suspected I was pregnant.
Max had called Dad just that morning.
And they all showed up in my office after my doctor’s appointment.
My time as an ostrich had come to an end.
I stopped, shocked, when I saw all of them and then laughed. “Three months,” I answered their unspoken question.
They all began talking at once. Asking their questions. Smiling. Laughing. Rejoicing.
“Three months?” Harley tilted her head to the side. Lifting her hand up, she counted back. Her mouth dropped open, and she whooped, “Why, you dirty whore!”
I covered my quickly reddening face with my hands, put my forehead down on my desk, and groaned. “Harley.”
“Right,” Dan clipped. “That’s my cue to leave.” He cleared his throat. “If you need anything, honey, just call me.”
“For fuck’s sake, Harley,” Max whined as he stalked toward the door then stopped. “I’m happy for you, Noelle,” he said, his voice tight.
