Pit Stop: Baby! (Crescent Cove 4)

She peered at my cup. “Why does mine say hot chocolate?”

“I guess Macy is up on this baby stuff. No coffee.”

“None?” Her jaw fell open.

“Pretty limited, from what I’ve heard from Dare. Guess you’ll be able to talk to your sister about it.”

“How am I going to tell my parents I’m having a baby and I lost my job in the same week?”

“One step at a time.”

“Right.” She nodded and went through the door ahead of me.

“I can take care of us.”

She glanced back at me. “I don’t need you to take care of me. Of us.”

“I know.”

“I lost my job, but I have savings.”

I circled her wrist gently to stop her from walking ahead. “I think you’re the most capable woman I know.”

“We’ve established you don’t know me all that well.” She shook me off and folded both hands around her cup. If I wasn’t mistaken, her fingers were trembling.

“And I’ll continue to get to know you, but I’m used to strong women. I wouldn’t be attracted to you if you weren’t.” When she wrinkled her nose at me, I knew I had her. “No argument there, huh?”

She started walking and I lengthened my stride to match hers. “Mine’s the dark gray one.”

“A dick car?” She frowned at me. “I know for a fact you aren’t lacking in that department.”

“Thanks. Somehow you know just how to make a compliment sound like an insult.”

“It’s a gift.”

I held the door open for her. “More like Chevys are comfortable for me.”

She got in and looked up at me. “I don’t remember race cars looking like this.”

“Well,

I still like a good motor.” I grinned, then shut the door. The Stingray was an indulgence. I was still driving a rental since my Camaro had died a pathetic death in Colorado. Evidently, I would have to start thinking about something more in tune with my future. I got in on the driver’s side. “It’s a rental.”

She looked around at the tight quarters. “Can’t deny the hotness factor.”

I revved the engine. “No, ma’am.”

She let out a surprised laugh when I pulled out onto Main. I had to keep it under thirty, but when I got to the turnoff for the next town over, I opened it up a little.

It felt good to drive again, but I was also conscious of precious cargo for the first time in my life.

I was a very good driver—one of the safest in the industry—but for once, I wasn’t looking to impress someone with my skills. I wanted to make sure I got us safely where we needed to go.

There were a few towns surrounding Crescent Cove. I didn’t really want to head into my old stomping grounds either.

It was bad enough people knew me on sight. I could walk into a room and usually no one could place me, but at the same time, I was noticed. And all it took was one whisper. I didn’t want the tabloids screaming about me and a woman getting a pregnancy test when we hadn’t even brought up the subject with our families.

A few minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot of a small CVS. “So, there’s just one problem.”