by Lynne Silver
“No, man. What the fuck does it matter who I’m talking to? Fact is, I’m on the phone, so cut the motors until I’m done.”
He sighed. “It matters because, if it’s a work call that’s earning you money to pay for this nice house, then we’ll find some quieter work to do for a while. Otherwise, you’re keeping us from earning our money.”
The little punk stepped closer to Danny, obviously hoping for intimidation, but he’d been threatened by much scarier people than rich little spoiled brats. “You got ten,” Danny said abruptly. “We’ll take a water break. Is ten minutes enough to finish your call?” There. A reasonable compromise.
But no, the jerk couldn’t back down. “It’s my fucking house and I’ll talk on the phone as long as I goddamn want.”
“Stop being an asshole, Jamie,” bikini girl called. “Ask Ricky if he can get us into OCXA tonight, then hang up.”
Danny continued the stare down, confident in his ability to win. “You want in at OCXA tonight?”
Jamie scoffed. “So?”
“I can get you in.” He leaned in close. “Or I can make a call and you’ll never get in there again.”
“Like you’ve even heard of OCXA.” The phone was clutched in his hand, the all-important conversation forgotten.
“My brother-in-law owns the place,” he said and took a step back, turning as if the conversation was done.
The kid was suddenly his best friend. “I’ve never seen you there.”
He shrugged, not about to tell a stranger he didn’t go near clubs or bars anymore. “You’ll have seen my sister. The short, cute blonde. Often found dancing on the bar.”
The kid grinned. “Yeah. I’ve seen her. Can you get us a table tonight?”
He inspected the rim of the leaf blower. “Depends. You done with your conversation and ready to let us work in peace?”
“VIP table,” he countered.
It was a big ask, and Ian was going to kill him, but, “Fine.”
The kid grinned and held up his hand for a high five, which Danny ignored. “We’ll finish up here. Go write your names down and leave it on the table for me. I’ll make the call after work.”
“You won’t forget?” he asked, all eager beaver, ready to please now.
“No.”
Finally he and his crew were left alone to finish the job which took a little over an hour.
On the way out, he grabbed the slip of paper with the kid’s name and stuck it in his pocket. And then he fucking forgot.
Tuesday at lunch, Amy was sitting on a too-narrow chair waiting for the nurse to call her name. Danny was at her side, reading one of the many pamphlets scattered on tiny tables around the waiting room.
He wasn’t the only guy here. Another man in a suit was pacing, on his cell phone, oblivious to his heavily pregnant wife. He kept whispering into his phone, but his whisper was loud enough that Amy could hear every word he said.
They’d been waiting around ten minutes, and glancing at the time on her phone every fifty seconds wasn’t making the time go any faster. Things had been tense at the store this morning, Cat not ready to warm to the idea of her friend and brother having a baby yet. But she’d come through, covering for Amy at lunchtime. Still, she didn’t want to push her luck by taking hours at the doctor away from the store.
“Amy Stern.” A tall African American nurse stood in the doorway, clipboard in hand, calling names. Danny jumped up and pulled Amy to her feet. He followed her back to the exam rooms, Amy feeling his presence heavily.
“We’re going to get your vitals first,” the nurse said and stopped at a scale.
She glanced at the scale, then at Danny. This was a bad idea. He was going to see that she outweighed him and run for the hills.
“You can leave your shoes on if you want, ma’am,” the nurse said, misconstruing her reticence.
Slowly, she toed her shoes off and stepped on the scale, heels hanging off.
“All the way on,” Nurse Clueless said loudly.
“Turn around,” she hissed at Danny.
“Amy. It’s a number. I don’t give a shit,” he said. “Sorry for cursing,” he said to the nurse.
She raised an amused brow. “I’ve heard worse.”
Nevertheless, Danny turned around, giving her privacy as she stepped fully on the scale and thought thin thoughts. It had been a long while since she’d stepped on a scale so she didn’t know what number to expect, given the pregnancy.
She watched as the nurse slid the metal blocks around to get an accurate read. The number on the scale was less than her remembered weight.
“Holy shit,” she announced. “I’ve lost weight.”
The nurse looked at her sharply. “Lost?”
“Yeah. I guess it’s because of all the vomiting.”
The nurse pursed her lips and wrote something on the clipboard, then gestured to the chair. They got through the rest of the vitals, and every step of the way, she was hyper aware of Danny’s presence. “The doctor will talk to you about the nausea. Losing weight is not a goal at this stage.”
“Oh,” she whispered. Gosh darn it. The one time she’d actually lost weight, and it was a bad thing.
It wasn’t as if she enjoyed going to the gynecologist, and doing it with a guy with whom she’d had sex was as weird as if Baroness Von Fancy started barking and demanding to be walked on a leash.
In the exam room, while they waited for the doctor, she pulled the paper gown tighter around her body, and as usual it ripped. Danny was looking around the room with interest. “Where do you put your feet?”
“Huh?”
“You know, like they talk about on TV shows. The horse things so the doctor can examine you?”
“You mean stirrups?” She kicked at one with her heel. “Right here.” Oh, crappola. What happened at a pregnancy appointment? Would she have to put her feet up, legs spread with Danny in the room? “Danny, I don’t think this…” She was about to tell him his presence wasn’t a great idea, and he should head out to the waiting room, or better yet, go back to work. But the dang doctor walked in before she could kick him out. And then everything went on surreal hyper-speed. A Japanese bullet train with no brakes.
“Hello, Ms. Stern. Says here you got yourself a bun in the oven.” Doctor Millares strode in, all curves, confidence, and radiant brown skin.
“Uh…”
“You did a home pregnancy test?”
“Yes. My friend is a nurse,” she said, as if that fact validated the test results more than any moron peeing on a stick.
“And the urine test you did here confirmed the pregnancy. Mazel Tov.” She turned to Danny. “You’re the dad?”
He rose and held out a hand. “Daniel Ross.”
As they shook hands, Amy saw for the first time, that Danny’s skin was pale and sweat stains marked his T-shirt. Given that it was quite cold in the office, she realized he was nervous. What was he nervous about? She was the one who was about to house and grow a child in her belly. It wasn’t so much the growing part she was nervous about; it was the removal of said child and everything that came after.
“Shall we get started?” Doctor Millares asked, and turned from Danny back to her, and then the exam became unlike any visit Amy had at the doctor before, and it started to feel like a test she was failing.
Date of her last menstrual period?
“I don’t really keep exact records,” she said.
It got worse from there. She had no idea how far along she was, but was able to give the exact date of conception. She didn’t dare meet Danny’s gaze, realizing they’d created a child in one bout of angry sex. A lifetime consequence for a momentary lapse.
Except when Doctor Millares set up a little device to listen to the baby’s heartbeat and let Amy and Danny listen, it didn’t feel like a consequence at all, but a blessing.
“Amy,” Danny whispered, grabbing her hand and giving her a tight squeeze. She squeezed back.
“There’s a baby. Inside m
e.” She was giggling and crying at once. Conceptually she’d always known there was a baby inside a pregnant woman, but it was entirely different when it was your own body.
When Doctor Millares finished with the exam, she turned the visit to questioning them about past health issues and any other genetics she’d need to know about. It was here Amy learned why Danny was nervous about the visit.
“I was a drug addict,” he said bluntly. “And I’m scared out of my mind what effect it might have on the baby.”
She sat up on the table, wishing she weren’t still in the paper gown or she’d go to him and try to offer some comfort.
Luckily, the doctor was very matter-of-fact and simply took notes, offering no judgment, and simply said they’d be doing prenatal testing in addition to the Zika virus and other testing today’s urine specimen had covered.
They turned to Amy’s health thus far and she was surprised that her extreme nausea and vomiting wasn’t normal. “I thought all pregnant women had morning sickness.”
Doctor Millares smiled. “Every woman is different. Some never vomit the entire pregnancy, and some vomit every day. What isn’t good is being so sick you’re losing weight and feeling extreme exhaustion.”
She recommended some diet changes, some special lollipops to curb the nausea, and to do her best to get more rest.
“I’ll do my best, but I’m a small business owner,” she said. “I only have one other employee.”
“See what you can do about hiring an additional person,” the doctor said. “And I love your store.” She unbuttoned her white lab coat to reveal a silky pale blue wrap dress underneath that Amy recognized.
“That’s from my store.”
“Yep.
Amy grinned. “You made my day.”
She returned the smile and then turned businesslike. “I want to see you back in four weeks, and call the office if the nausea isn’t subsiding. Next visit, we’ll start talking more comprehensive pre-natal testing. Today is just blood work.”
On that scary note, she exited.
Amy and Danny were silent for a second, both relieved and stunned it was over. Though the exam had seemed to be endless, it had only been thirty minutes, which she learned when getting dressed and glancing at her phone. Danny had been kind enough to discreetly leave, telling her he’d wait outside.
When she went to check out, he stood nearby watching her hand over her credit card, looking upset.
“I want to cover this,” he said, as soon as they left the office and were waiting on the elevator.
“Cover what?” she asked, her mind already on work and having to see Cat.
“The medical expenses. Having a baby isn’t cheap, right?”
The elevator arrived but was crowded when they stepped in so there was no chance for more private conversation. She waited until they were in the parking structure and walking to her car before answering.
“I have health insurance,” she said.
“Yeah, but it’s a hit,” he said. “Sounds like a lot of doctor’s visits coming up. Don’t know what your co-pay is, but it wasn’t in your budget, I bet.”
“You’d bet right, but it’s okay. Really.” She put a hand on his arm as they arrived at her car. “This baby was my choice. My decision. I’ll cover the medical expenses.”
He frowned.
She jumped in before he could speak. “My medical bills are only a small piece, Danny. This little baby is going to need a lot of stuff. A crib, diapers, stroller, clothes, and much more, I don’t even know. That’s what you should pitch in for. Your kid, your responsibility. I’m not. I’m not your wife or even your girlfriend, so covering my medical expenses is a bit extreme, don’t you think?”
She got in the driver’s side in time to hear him say, “No. I don’t. You’re the one putting up a wall between us.”
What to say to his valid point? Since she had no response, she turned the car on and pulled out of the spot. “Where to?” she asked. “I have time to drive you to work as long as it’s close.”
She kept her gaze dead ahead, pretending she didn’t feel his intense stare. He wasn’t happy, but neither was she. Finally he looked away. “Not sure where the job site is today.” He glanced at his phone to check and then cursed violently, startling her.
She nearly slammed into the car in front of her on the line on the way out of the garage. “What happened? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He shoved the phone in his pocket.
It was their turn to hand over their validated parking ticket, and as soon as that business was complete, she turned back to him. “Something happened, Danny.”
“Work thing. No biggie.”
Except his jaw was tight and he wouldn’t meet her gaze. It was an awkward situation, because she’d been the one telling him she didn’t want a romantic relationship with him. Which meant, she couldn’t start pushing him to confess what was on his mind. Even with her pregnancy-addled brain, she realized it was irrational and not fair.
Therefore, she was surprised when he muttered, “Work thing. Forgot to do something. Now have missed calls and texts from Joe.”
“What’d you forget to do?” she asked, expecting something about tree trimming or mowing.
Instead, he said, “I forgot to call Ian and get someone on the VIP list.”
In her confusion, she made a bad turn, pulling her rear tire up and over the curb. “Shit.”
The car banged back to street level. She was acting as if she’d never driven a car before today. Totally embarrassing.
Danny glanced behind him. “The city of Miami likes its street signs. Try not to knock them down.”
“Don’t mock me. I’m pregnant.”
She was glad when he found a smile. “Are you going to use that a lot?
“Absolutely. In fact, I’m going to use it right now. Worry isn’t good for the baby. You should tell me what happened at work, or I’ll be worried.”
“I told you,” he said. “Two kids of lawn care customers wanted VIP spots, and I forgot to call it in. They got pissed, probably told Mommy and Daddy some made-up bullshit about the job I did yesterday, and now they called Joe. I’ll explain to Joe what happened, and he’ll be cool.”
“I hope so,” she said, making another turn—this time without incident—into the alley behind her store to maneuver into her rarely used parking spot. She pulled in behind Cat’s new little coupe and took a breath knowing the afternoon was going to be less fun from here.
“What are we doing here?” Danny asked.
“I have to go back to work. You didn’t tell me where to take you, so I figured you could walk home from here or grab a bus. Or you can come see my store.” She turned hopefully in her seat to face him. “You’ve never seen it.”
He unclipped his seatbelt. “First of all, I have been here. And you want buffer from my sister.”
“Yes,” she admitted. “I’m horrible.”
“No. You’re honest. And my sister is being a bitch. I’ll walk you in, get you settled, then take a bus to Joe. He’s not expecting me for another hour.”
“All right,” she said, pleased to have backup when returning to work. She hadn’t been sleeping well since Sunday when Cat had verbally attacked her. She understood where Cat was coming from. In her mind, Amy was dating Mitch, and merely friends with Danny. Hearing that she’d slept with Cat’s brother had to have been a shock. However, it wasn’t as if she’d set out to seduce Danny. They were two adults living in close quarters. Shit happened, and Cat needed to be a friend.
Or at least, Amy desperately wanted her to be a friend. They’d settled into their new friendship quickly and easily; it was hard to believe it had been little over a year. It would be devastating to consider things falling apart so soon. Not only that, Cat would be her baby’s aunt, and this baby needed all the family she could get.
They were getting out of the car when the back door of Kym’s shop opened and the Dance Diva herself walked out.
Amy kept her gaze on the ground, hoping to avoid any conversation with her, but luck was not on her side.
“Amy,” Kym called. “Late start today?”
She looked over. “I had a doctor’s appointment.” Why was she explaining herself?
Kym sidled over, giving Danny a thorough examination with her eyes. She held out a hand. “Hi. I’m Kym. I own this place,” she said, making it sound as if she owned the whole dang block and not her little piece of it.
“Hi. I’m Danny.”
Kym kept hold of his hand, giving him a smile that would make any red-blooded man know she was interested. “How do you know Amy?” she asked.
Amy watched, mentally counting the seconds Kym had hold of Danny’s hand. Why wasn’t he pulling away? Did he think Kym was attractive? She guessed, with her long blonde hair, spray tanned skin and dancer’s body with the surgically enhanced D-cups, she was most men’s wet dream.
“I’m her roommate,” he answered. “I’m also Cat’s brother.”
Kym looked entirely too pleased at this answer, which pissed Amy off. To be fair, what would she have wanted Danny to say? She’d put the kibosh on a romantic relationship, and she would’ve been really annoyed if he’d outed her pregnancy to Kym. So, yeah, roommate was the correct thing to say. Still, she was irrationally annoyed.
“Danny, I have to…” She gave a head gesture toward her store, but Kym shot her a look.
“So go to work, Amy. No one’s stopping you.” Kym clung to Danny and did something with her shoulders that made her cleavage look ten times more prominent.
Don’t look, don’t look, Amy mentally begged Danny. Damn it. He looked. She couldn’t blame him. Even she’d looked. But it hurt.
“Listen, Danny,” Kym said in a throaty voice. “I know we met a few seconds ago, but one of my friends literally just called to offer me her tickets to the Heat game tomorrow night. I used to be dancer for them, you know, and anyway, I didn’t know who to invite, and here you are. Like it’s fate. Right?”
Holy shit. The woman was good. Even a tiny sliver of Amy’s brain was almost rooting for Danny to say yes, but the majority of her did invisible cartwheels when Danny politely rebuffed her.
