I nodded and dropped my head into my hands. “I’m already embarrassed enough Eva, please.” I just closed my eyes and fell right asleep for more than thirty minutes. Like an old person. “I’m exhausted all the time. The book said it’ll pass eventually and then things will be back to normal.”
Sophie tilted her head to the side and flashed a sympathetic smile. “Things aren’t going back to normal, Olive. You’re having a baby and that means life will change for you.”
I shook my head, reluctant to hear her rational words. “Of course life is gonna change, I know that. I just…hell, I didn’t expect to already be too tired to keep my eyes open! It’s humiliating!”
“It’s natural,” Eva said and ran a soothing hand up and down my back. “But if it makes you feel better, we were only anxious because we want to know how your date with Liam went.”
I gasped and sat back in my seat, my gaze bounced from Eva to Sophie and back to Eva. “Who told you? And it wasn’t a date.”
Eva shrugged. “You know how it is around here, somebody saw your car turning down his drive. Somebody else saw you two laughing together on his newly stained deck. Watching the sunset.” She batted her thick lack lashes, hands clasped together like the romantic she was.
The romantic we all were.
“It was fine. He’s a good cook and the conversation was…good.”
Sophie groaned. “That’s not what we want to know. Are the sparks still there?”
Sparks? “No! Of course not, it wasn’t about sparks. It was about us getting to know one another. That’s all.”
“And did you?”
I smiled. “We did. I am hopeful moving forward.”
“No sparks,” Eva asked again. “Not even one teeny, tiny little flicker of electricity?”
I shrugged, unsure how to answer her. “We get along and he’s charming, and I think that will help us co-parent.” If he decided that’s what he wanted once the reality of having a baby settled in.
“Is this a private party or can anyone join?” Stone stood beside the table wearing an adorable smile on his face, a platter of nachos in his hand.
“Well since you brought nachos, you can join,” Eva told him and motioned for him to sit where he belonged, beside Sophie. “Jalapenos on the side! You can definitely stay Stone.”
“Thanks,” he said with a grin and dug into the nachos just as a waitress came with drinks for everyone.
“And a virgin strawberry margarita for you.” The waitress smiled and winked, because she knew. Of course she did. By now, the whole damn town knew that Olive Jensen was pregnant.
Pregnant and alone.
“Thanks.”
More food arrived at the table, along with Tara, Ben and Oliver. Conversation flowed and, thankfully, none of it was about me. Tara shared stories of traffic stops and calls she responded to around town to the ‘quirky locals’ as she fondly called them. “I swear, those two should just get a room instead of calling me every time they have a problem.”
“Solves so many of life’s problems,” Eva said with a laugh and raised her glass in the air. “To Pilgrim’s finest. Thanks for your hard work.”
Tara lifted her beer mug and took a long, fortifying sip which she punctuated with a loud smack of her lips. “Thanks for not being one of the people making my job hard.”
“Hey, what am I over here, chopped liver?” Ben Rutherford was the high school principal, which in my mind, made him a bigger hero because…teenagers.
“Yeah, yeah Rutherford, you’re pretty and wonderful and we all love you too,” Eva said with a grin and lifted her glass once again. “To Rutherford!”
Oliver and Stone raised their glasses high in the and barked loudly in unison, “To Rutherford!”
Ben flipped them both off with a laugh and I sighed. This was what life was all about, have a good time with good friends after a long, productive day at the office.
But the emphasis for me was on the long part of the day as another yawn nearly snapped my jaw in half. “Sorry. Long day plus too much greasy food means it’s time for me to head home. To bed.”
“Need a ride?”
“I’m good, Tara. Thanks.” Maybe the walk would give me enough energy to get an hour of work done, maybe update the mixer schedule for the next few months. “Good night, everyone.” Another yawn came as I pushed out of The Mayflower and sucked in a lungful of cool night air.
“Not safe out here for an exhausted woman all alone.”
“Not a normal one, no. But how about a tired pregnant lady skilled in the art of kickboxing?” I turned with a smile for Liam, who laughed.
“Well it might be safe. But only if she can keep her eyes open long enough for the walk home. How about a ride?”
My shoulders slumped in relief. “Yes please.” The thought of walking home was suddenly more exhausting than the walk itself.