“No worries…you okay?”
Now Gwen was standing in front of her, a worried frown on her face as she handed Lily a cup of steaming hot coffee. Uh oh. Coffee. What was the coffee limit for pregnancy? “Uh, thanks,” she said, taking the cup and a small sip. She was not pregnant. She was not. “Is this the organic brew?”
Gwen’s eyes narrowed on hers, and she felt heat slowly seep through her. God, her BFF was a total shark. “We are only serving organic, remember?”
She shut her eyes briefly. Wasn’t it too early for mommy-brain? It wasn’t mommy brain; it was panic brain. Terror brain. She couldn’t go down this path again. “Right, right. So what’s up for today?”
“We’re good. Our storefront sign is being delivered and installed this morning. Jack stayed late last night and finished painting all the shelving so we can work on our displays this afternoon. So maybe this morning let’s have a quick meeting and then get to baking? Oh, um,” she said over her shoulder as she walked towards the kitchen, “Jack will be by later to take a look at the leaky faucet.”
God, no. She couldn’t deal with him again. “Can’t we call a plumber?”
“Jack is free and he knows all about that kind of stuff.”
“Right.” She forced a stupid smile on her face. “Great.”
Gwen laughed. “Obviously it’s not great. Look, I know that you’re still pissed at him, and believe me, I get it. But he’s trying. Really trying. And I know he misses you so much, Lil. Whenever your name is mentioned he gets this look on his face…” Her friend sighed dramatically.
“I’m glad you guys are working things out, and I’m happy for your parents, too. I think it’s great he’s settling down in Shadow Creek, but that doesn’t mean I can trust him. So much has happened,” she said, looking out the large window. No one knew what she had been through. Sure, he’d left her, but there was so much more that she’d kept secret from her best friend. It was why she’d gone away for a few months. She knew there would be no way she’d be able to keep it from Jack’s family. But this time…she couldn’t just take off. She had a business to run. And this time, Jack was here. There would be no hiding from anyone—not that she would. If and when she found out her suspicions were right, she’d have to tell him.
Gwen didn’t move, just watched her. Oh dear, these Baileys had the whole silent stare thing down pat. How was she going to get out of this? Her mind was spinning as she pretended to keep drinking the coffee. She lifted the cup to her lips and pretended to swallow while she tried to come up with a lie that wasn’t technically a lie.
“Why are you fake drinking?”
She quickly chugged a very obvious sip. “What are you talking about?”
Gwen leaned forward, waving her index finger around. “I’m sensing something, Lil. Something that might be big. You’re distracted.”
Her friend was like Nancy Drew. Play it cool, Lil. “What is that supposed to mean?” She searched her brain frantically for some evidence of being distracted and came up blank. Other than this morning. This morning she was distracted.
“Yesterday.”
“What happened yesterday?”
“You forgot your phone. Then you forgot your purse. Then you forgot to lock the door.”
Heat washed over her. She had done all those things. Things were not looking good for her at the moment. How was she going to get through this entire day, pretending like her entire life might be taking a crazy, unplanned turn? She crossed her arms. “That’s just exhaustion, we’ve been working nonstop. Things happen to you all the time.”
Gwen was shaking her head. “No, this is more than the usual forgetfulness. I think you’re distracted…by Jack.”
Oh, that was actually perfect. A lie that wasn’t a lie. She crossed her arms. “Why are you asking me this, and why are you asking me in such a way that makes me think you want me to still have feelings for him?”
Her friend picked up a cloth and began frantically wiping the already clean countertop. “Of course I wouldn’t do that. I don’t want to influence your judgment toward Jack at all.”
She rested her forearms on the counter and leaned forward. “That’s funny because last week you were perfectly fine influencing my feelings toward him, in the opposite direction!”
Gwen stopped wiping abruptly. “Fine. You’re right, Lil. I’m sorry. I had a heart to heart with Jack the other night and I feel like maybe…he deserves another chance.”
Lily pulled back. “I knew this was going to be awkward, because he’s your brother and you want the best for him.”
“And you, too!”
Lily forced a small smile. “I know. Really. I just…can’t go there again with him.”
“I know something happened after he left, Lily. When you took off. Whatever happened? Did you go looking for him?”
Lily shook her head, trying not to panic. She needed space. Time. A private washroom with a pregnancy test. “Nothing. I was visiting my cousin. It was a good time to leave.”
Gwen started wiping the counter again, and Lily decided it was time to change the subject. “So, um, exactly when did you say Jack will be coming by?”
The banging on the front door caused her to jump. They both turned toward the door to see Jack standing there, snowflakes gently falling around him, some landing on his dark hair, some on his dark leather jacket, looking like all her dreams come true. Damn it. This day was going from bad to worse. Now she was going to have to try and look normal avoiding him.
Gwen made her way to the door. “I guess I’ll get it, because you don’t look like you want to let him in. But that’s okay, I’m not judging,” she said, holding up her hand.
“Morning, ladies,” he said, making eye contact with her.
Hm. Her mind was like a movie reel of their night together. Nope. That kind of chemistry was not a common thing—it was a Jack thing. Damn him for knowing that. Even standing here in front of her, she could smell that outdoorsy-woodsy-whatever-it-was Jack smell. She quickly grabbed the dishcloth, at this point the counter beyond gleaming. She hated that her heart was beating ridiculously fast and that she had been checking him out. Bad. Bad. Bad. “Good morning.” She forced an extra chipper voice and smile then ducked behind the counter. “I’ll just be out here folding boxes, Gwen.” Thankfully she’d spotted the pink and red retail boxes, and it gave her the prefect mindless job to do.
“Great. Jack, follow me,” Gwen said. Lily didn’t breathe until she heard the door to the kitchen swing back and forth a few times. She let out a long sigh and sank to the ground. She couldn’t do the pregnancy test now, not with Jack in the vicinity. If she took the test and it was positive, she wouldn’t be able to face him and act like everything was fine. She needed alone time. From all the Baileys. How was she going to get through the entire day without knowing?
…
A few hours later, Lily was admiring her handiwork at the front of the store. The painted white display shelves now housed some prepackaged truffles, some of the gourmet coffee they decided to carry, and some adorable mugs for sale. All in all it had been another productive day, especially after Jack left mid-morning.
She had been trying to cope with the idea of an unexpected pregnancy and what that would mean. Of course, she’d have to tell Jack. But where would that leave them? She couldn’t start a life with a man she didn’t trust. Marriage was all about trust and knowing your partner had your back, no matter how rough life got. The more she thought about it as the hours passed, the more she realized she would have to do this on her own. She would insist on it. He would, of course, be part of the baby’s life, but not in the way he would probably insist on. She also didn’t want this baby to become a tactic to get her back.
“Wow, I am not feeling well,” Gwen said, emerging from the kitchen, holding her stomach.
Lily turned to look at her, frowning. Gwen was never sick. Oh, maybe that meant they were both sick. So…not pregnant? Maybe they were both coming down with a stomach bug, exc
ept her nausea was now gone and she was actually starving. “Do you think it was all the chocolate we binged on this afternoon?”
Gwen moaned. “I don’t know. I’ve never had a reaction to a chocolate binge before. I’ve built up quick a tolerance to the copious amounts, so that seems rather unlikely…” Her voice trailed off, and she walked rather slowly to a table at the front. They had gotten a lot accomplished this week, but it was still crunch time if they wanted to open in time to capitalize on Valentine’s sales next month.
Lily sat down across from her friend, feeling exhausted. “How about a cup of tea? We just got that shipment of organic herbal teas in. I haven’t even unpacked it yet, but I know I ordered ginger tea—that has to help.”
Gwen shook her head. “No. I really feel like I need to lie down.”
Lily took in her friend’s appearance. She did look a tad pale. “Maybe you should go home and sleep. We’ve been putting in crazy hours.” She didn’t want to let her panic show, but the last thing she needed was Gwen going home right now. They had promised the core of downtown businesses chocolate samples tomorrow. It was their attempt at advertising and hopefully snagging some commercial business to give them a little sales boost. There was no way she’d be able to do the finishing touches and then package and deliver everything if Gwen was out of commission. She was already struggling to keep up with these twelve hour days. If they didn’t do it, they wouldn’t look reliable. They would also be losing out on an important source of revenue, and making as much as they could as fast as they could was imperative so they wouldn’t sink further into debt.
“I can’t leave you here, Lil. This is not a one-person job. It’s not even a two-person job.”
“Yeah, I’ll manage. I’ll…stay here as long as I have to tonight.” It just occurred to her that if Gwen was coming down with some kind of stomach bug and not a chocolate overdose, she could be contagious. She placed her hands over her abdomen for a half second. If she was being given a second chance at motherhood, she didn’t want anything jeopardizing that.
Gwen slowly stood. “Well, I’ll figure out a way to get you some help,” she said, grabbing her coat from the stack of boxes in front of the bay window.
“Don’t worry about it. Seriously, I’m totally fine.” She really wasn’t, but she’d have to figure it out.
“No, no, I’m not leaving you hanging.”
“Don’t worry about it! I’m fine,” she said, shooing Gwen toward the door but careful not to touch her. “There is no one willing to come here during a snowstorm on a Friday night anyway, so don’t waste your time trying.”
…
Of course he’d go through a snowstorm to help Lily.
Jack pounded on the shop door for the tenth time, ready to go around back, when the lights turned on and he spotted Lily standing in front of him. Her hair was up in some sort of crazy pile on top of her head and she looked wiped. She also may have looked pissed that it was him at the door.
He motioned to the lock when she just stood there looking like she wanted to kill him.
Finally she opened it. Warmth blasted over him as he entered the shop.
“What are you doing here, Jack?”
“I’m saving you.”
She made some kind of noise that told him exactly what she thought about his ability to save her. “What are you talking about?”
“Gwen came home and told me you needed help ASAP, so I hauled ass and got over here.”
She shut her eyes briefly and sighed. “She didn’t.”
“She did.”
She pursed her lips. “Well, thank you for offering to help, but I’ve got everything under control.”
The fire alarm went off and she looked slightly panicked. “I’m sure it’s nothing,” she said.
Except it kept going and the shop smelled faintly like smoke.
Jack ran to the kitchen, and she followed. Smoke was coming out of the oven. He threw open the oven door, and Lily handed him an oven mitt as he pulled out something that was now black and smoldering. He tossed it in the sink and then waved the oven mitt over the fire alarm. After a second, the alarm stopped.
Lily was leaning against the sink, rubbing her temples. “Ugh, I forgot I put food in the oven.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I came by,” he said. Clearly, she didn’t have anything under control, but he wasn’t going to mention that because it would only piss her off. He needed to learn how to act around the women in his life again. Too much time with rough guys the last five years, he’d forgotten that women didn’t exactly want to know the truth.
Her eyes were all squinty. “This is your fault, Jack.”
“My fault?”
She nodded spastically. “Yes. If you hadn’t shown up, I wouldn’t have forgotten…the…um, food.”
He inhaled the pungent scent. “What the hell were you cooking anyway? I’ve never smelled chocolate like that.”
She lifted her chin. “It wasn’t chocolate. It was my dinner.”
“What the hell was it?”
She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t matter.”
He glanced at the black specks on the pan in the sink and grimaced. “It looks…smells like…hell, I don’t know.” He poked it with his finger and goo escaped. “It looks like olives and chocolates.”
He turned back to her, and her face was as bright as the Valentine’s cinnamon hearts on the counter. “Well, whatever.”
“You were going to eat a tray of chocolates and olives?”
She turned on the sink faucet and picked up a soap dispenser, squeezing dish soap all over the full sink and not looking at him. “I was hungry.”
“Why didn’t you order takeout?”
Long pause. Then banging around pots and trays. “I didn’t think anyone would be open in the snowstorm.”
“This is Montana, not California. No one shuts down for a little snow. Why don’t I order a Luigi’s pizza…with olives?”
She looked up suddenly, her eyes strangely shiny. “Okay…great.”
He hadn’t expected her to agree. “I’ll order, then go pick it up.”
“Perfect. You go do that. Drop it off and then you can go home.”
He walked up to her and pried the droopy sponge out of her hand. She glared at him. “So I haul my ass out here tonight to help you, I put out a fire, now I’m ordering and picking up a pizza, and then you’re kicking me out?”
She tapped her chin and nodded. “Yup.”
“Lil, I know you’re still mad at me.”
“It’s the least you could do, Jack.”
Hell, okay that was true, but after New Year’s he thought maybe they still had a chance. And the way she looked at him and said it was the least he could do made him feel like they were talking about something else. Like he was in trouble for something new.
“I’m really hungry. Now that my dinner was burned, I really need to eat.” He actually heard her stomach growl. She obviously did too, because she quickly moved away from him and pretended like nothing happened.
Keep your mouth shut, Jack.
“Right. The dinner of truffles and olives. I’ll be back.”
She snatched the sponge back, picked up a bottle of countertop spray, and started spritzing madly. Some of it wafted his way. Not an accident.
He sighed. He’d get the stupid pizza, but she wasn’t getting rid of him.
Chapter Six
Lily didn’t even pretend to look like she wasn’t a famished crazy person when Jack sauntered back in. She didn’t even remind him to leave. Instead, she swung open the cardboard lid as soon as he placed the box on the counter in the kitchen, and grabbed a slice of the double olive pizza.
It was only until she polished off that first piece that she was aware he was sitting there watching her. She self-consciously wiped her mouth. “Thanks,” she said, eying the remaining pizza. She noticed the other half of the pizza was pepperoni only.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” she
asked, grabbing another slice, this time with a little more…calm and…grace. Yes, graceful.
“I didn’t know I was allowed,” he said, his eyes twinkling. They both knew he wasn’t a guy who could be told what to do.
“Well, clearly you intended on eating the pizza, because you got half of it with pepperoni,” she said, finishing off her second slice. God, the olives were good. She quickly popped a truffle in her mouth when he looked the other way. She had to sit down, suddenly dizzy with…something wonderful.
“What’s with the new truffle and olive obsession?”
She wiped her mouth and took a drink of water. “You don’t know anything about me, Jack. I’ve changed in five years.” She was so stupid. That was the best that she could come up with? What? In five years she’d suddenly developed some kind of olive and truffle combination fetish? So much so that she baked them altogether in the oven? This day needed to end. She’d have to postpone her trip to Walmart until the snow died down. First thing tomorrow morning she would have an answer.
He grinned, a slow, easy, know-it-all grin that made her heart race. “You haven’t changed a bit, Lil.”
Her cell phone rang, and Ben Easton’s picture came up on the display. She immediately looked at Jack, his grin now replaced by a scowl. “I should grab that.”
He made a sweeping gesture with his hand and leaned back in the bar stool, grabbing a slice of pizza on his way.
“Hi, Ben,” she said answering the call. Jack was watching her intensely. She hung up the phone, confirming that the fire alarm had indeed been false. She liked Ben, but they were just friends. They had never had a romantic connection, even though they’d gone out for a while.
“What, nothing else to do at the fire station? They call after every false alarm?”
She glared at Jack, who now looked rumpled and disgruntled. And jealous. It was kind of a good look for him, not that she’d ever let on. “No, of course not. He was checking up on me.”
The Baby Bombshell (Shadow Creek, Montana) Page 6
