Chasing Carly (Holiday Cove 3)

I dressed quickly, snapped a leash on Lady, and set off for The Siren. When I pulled into the lot there was still half an hour until official business hours started. I tucked Lady under my arm and went up to the front doors and peeked inside. There was no sign of Carly, but the lights were on. I went around the side of the building and knocked on the back door.

The door flew open seconds later, and I watched Carly’s face go from irritation to surprise, her eyebrows shooting halfway up her forehead. Her blonde and pink hair was tied up in a high ponytail, covered by a navy blue bandanna. “What are you doing here?” Her eyes dropped to the squirming pup in my arms. “She can’t be back here.”

“Good morning to you too, sunshine,” I quipped.

She ignored me and patted Lady on the head. She licked Carly’s hand and wriggled even more in my hold. “Are you returning her?”

“No. I thought I could come and help you get through the morning shift.”

Her brows dropped and fell together. “What? Why?”

“Damn, Carly. What’s with the third degree? I’m trying to be nice and help you out.”

She pressed her eyes closed and took a deep breath. “Sorry,” she said, her eyes fluttering open again. “I’m not trying to be a bitch. I’m just working on very little sleep and a helluva lot of stress and it’s just so frustrating.”

“I figured you had a long night and might need an extra set of hands to get through the day. Aaron’s off at an auction and told me to take the morning off.”

Carly nodded. “Okay.”

“So, can we come inside?” I asked, holding up the puppy.

Carly smiled at Lady. “You can. She can’t. However, I happen to know someone who would be very happy to see her…” her lips quirked and I thought I caught a glimmer of tears forming in her eyes before she reached for the puppy and took her gently from my arms. “If you’ll watch the ovens and take out the scones when that timer goes off, I’ll run her over to see Alesha.”

She backed up a step to let me inside and we switched places, leaving me inside the kitchen and her with her hand braced on the door handle. “How is she?” I asked, absently locating the timer Carly had mentioned.

Carly’s eyes filled with tears as she nodded. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she struggled for control.

“What’s wrong?” I reached for her and she sagged into my chest, clutching Lady in between us. “Hey, you’re okay. Is she sick? What did the doctors say?”

“She’s pregnant, Nick.”

I heard her, but the words didn’t register at first. I hadn’t expected that. Granted, Alesha looked a lot older than her seventeen years, but still…after getting to know her over the past few weeks, it was hard to wrap my mind around the idea of her being a mother.

“I didn’t tell you last night because I didn’t think I should say anything. It’s not my news after all. But, I have to tell someone before I explode! My mind has been racing ever since I found out. I couldn’t sleep last night. I’m terrified for her.”

I held her as tightly as I could without squashing Lady. “Wow.”

Carly giggled into my shoulder at my baffled response. “Yeah.”

“Who’s the…uhm…father?”

“I don’t know for sure, but she broke up with a guy back home before coming here for the summer. I don’t know a lot about him, other than his first name and that he’s in his first year of college. I don’t even know where.” Carly paused to heave a long sigh. She backed out of my embrace and used her free hand to wipe away the tears from her eyes. “I should know. That’s all I keep thinking. I’m her sister, for fuck’s sake. I should know who she’s dating, what she’s up to. I mean, it’s not like we really even have a mother at this point. I should’ve been there for her.”

“Carly, you can’t blame this on yourself,” I told her, knowing it was probably wasted breath.

She shook her head. “When our mom left, Alesha was barely in school, and I had to take over as a mom in so many ways. Our dad worked a ton and I cooked, cleaned, and since I had a license, I took her to and from her friends’ houses and school activities. I mean, really, I practically was her mom for those years. Then, when I got sick of it, I ran away and dove into the complete opposite end of the responsibility pool.”

Her eyes drifted sadly to the wall behind me, and I knew that nothing I could say would reach her ears.

“I just should have stayed…”

A loud beep interrupted both of our thoughts and I jumped at the loud sound, spinning on my heels toward the source. My chest heaved as I realized it was the kitchen timer. “Fuck, that thing’s like a foghorn!” I crossed the kitchen space in three brisk steps to turn the damn thing off. “You baking muffins back here or trying to wake the dead?”