“Anywhere but here.”
She laughs. “That doesn’t really narrow it down for me.”
“How about the cheapest flight to a decent-sized city?”
The woman types into her computer. “How about Las Vegas? We have a flight that leaves in an hour.”
I nod without thinking.
Las Vegas is the last place I want to go. But then it might give me a chance to run into Sean again. And, as much as I have tried to get over him this past week, the thought of a chance encounter gets me more than a little excited.
Present
* * *
I’ve spent a week in Las Vegas, and I haven’t had my chance encounter with Sean. Not that I was really expecting to run into him in a city with thousands of people, but I was hoping. It also helps that I walk by his office building every morning on my way to the small building that I got a loan to turn into a bakery.
But, every morning, when I walk by his building, I think about going inside. I think about trying to talk to him.
But I don’t. Not because I’m scared, but because I don’t want to destroy his life or make it more complicated.
So, instead, I just walk by. It’s the best and worst part of my day. I love walking by his building. I get to think about Sean. I get to feel my heart beating rapidly in my chest again, and I get to know that there is a chance every day that the love of my life could come back into my life.
But then, every day I walk past it, I know that chance is over.
It’s torture really.
I shouldn’t have bought a place in Las Vegas where I’m going to have to deal with thoughts of him every single day. But I couldn’t help it. It felt like destiny when I walked down the strip the first night I was in Las Vegas and found this tiny little space that wa
s available at the far end of the strip.
In my wildest dreams, I didn’t think I could get a loan for the space, but I did. Now, the only thing between me and owning my own successful bakery is a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck.
I suck in a breath as I walk past the last section of his building, like he is going to be waiting just around the corner for me. But, as I walk past the building, I know it’s another day where I won’t see him.
I should change my walk from where the bus drops me off over a block so that I won’t have to walk past his building, but I just can’t force my legs to walk a different route. Maybe after I’ve been here a while, I will be able to walk in this city without thinking about Sean.
I stop by my bakery shop to make sure the construction inside is going well. There isn’t much that needs to happen to the space to make my bakery a reality, but a few things are needed, like a basic counter, restroom, and new flooring, before I can start operating out of it. When I am confident that everything is going well, I glance at my watch and realize it’s time for my doctor’s appointment.
I feel unsure about my appointment. Maybe because, once a doctor tells me I’m pregnant, then it is going to feel more real. Or maybe it’s because I’m going to the appointment alone.
Keri and Jamie offered to go to my first appointment with me. But I turned them both down. It didn’t seem right to go with them. This is about my journey, and I’m going to be doing this alone. So, I might as well get used to it.
I take an Uber to the doctor’s office, and then I walk into the building alone. I check in and then take a seat, trying to get excited about the possibility of seeing my baby on an ultrasound.
I pull out my phone, planning on getting a head start on reading about what to expect while I’m pregnant since I have no idea what to do.
“I’m sorry,” I hear a low voice next to me as someone bumps into me while taking a seat next to me.
I frown. I can’t believe someone sat next to me when there are half a dozen empty seats in the waiting room.
I look up to try to figure out a reason to move when I see Sean sitting next to me with a hint of a grin.
“I’m sorry,” he says again.
“For what?” I ask.
“For not telling you this sooner. I love you, Olive. I realize that I never actually said those words to you before. That’s probably why it was so easy for you to believe that I could be in love with a woman other than you. But I can’t. I only love you, Olive. Crazy, goofy, gorgeous you.”