Pregnant By My Stepbrother

He nods, looking serious.

“Did you miss Prescott?”

I smile genuinely.

“Very much so. Texas is amazing, but it’s so hot and humid during the summers. I felt like I was melting sometimes, so Wyoming is a welcome change. Have you lived here long?” I ask innocently. Of course, I already know his whole life story, but I pretend. Besides, I am interested in hearing him tell it. I’d love to know more, from the man’s own lips.

He grins, flashing even white teeth.

“Yeah, I’ve been in Prescott my whole life. The whole born and raised thing, and I’ll probably die here too. But I like it. Small town life suits me well, and I’ve never wanted to leave.”

I nod with understanding. “Not even to go to college?”

He grins. “I’m not much of a college type. I’ve always liked to read, but actually hitting the books in order to get good grades? That’s not my thing. So I started as a volunteer EMT when I was still in high school, and got all the certifications within a year or two of graduation. It’s my calling, and I love it. I take my job seriously.”

I nod.

“You must be very good,” I say in a soft voice. “Being an EMT is stressful, and I can’t imagine it’s easy.”

He nods.

“It wears you down, with the long hours and endless emergencies, but I like it. I’ve got more than enough adrenaline, let’s just put it that way. How about you, sweetheart? Did you come back to Prescott to …?”

I take a sip of my wine before finishing for him.

“To strip?” I ask archly.

He nods, blue eyes warm. “I’m not judging you honey. Your body is beautiful and you’re great on stage. But what drew you back to Wyoming?”

I throw my head back and laugh a little.

“Well, it definitely wasn’t the Krazy Kat, that’s for sure.” The intimacy is overwhelming, and suddenly, I want to tell him everything. I want him to know who I am and the important role he’s played in my life. I want to be upfront, so that if he decides to storm out in anger, at least I won’t have invested too much. But something stops me, and I gnaw on my lip. Tim reads the situation and slips his big hand over mine.

“If it’s too painful, you don’t have to—”

“No, no. It’s nothing like that.” I flip my palm up so that our fingers are interlocked and squeeze a bit. “Actually, I didn’t move to Wyoming to be a stripper. I moved here to open a flower shop called Amazing Blooms.”

He jerks in surprise. “No kidding. I think I’ve seen it before. You’re right off the corner of Oak and Lamar, aren’t you? With the wood paneling and the red and white striped awning?”

I smile happily.

“That’s the one,” I say in a gentle voice. “I’ve wanted to be a florist for a long time, so I saved up a bunch doing odd jobs back home. I figured I’d open my first store in Texas but then a friend of a friend of a friend mentioned that the owner of Amazing Blooms was looking to sell her business so that she could retire. If I put a little down, I could buy everything, and not only that, but I’d be grandfathered into her current lease, which is stunningly low. So I did it,” I say in simple tone. “I threw my life savings into this project, and moved up here as soon as things were finalized.”

He nods.

“You get a lot of business, right? I see people going in and out a lot.”

I shake my head.

“Sort of, but a lot of people are just looking. I have a lot of window shoppers, and a lot of people who are interested in gardening, but not yet ready to make the commitment. So I haven’t actually sold much, which is problematic.”

Tim looks thoughtful, before nodding.

“So thus, Krazy Kat.”

“Yes, Krazy Kat,” I agree. “It works. It’s not what I’d anticipated, but when you have a bunch of bills staring at you in the face, you’ll do what it takes. They seem nice enough, and you know that Krazy Kat is in Mystic, so hopefully the good people of Prescott never realize that I dance there during the nights.”

He grins.

“Very smart. The schedule and location are perfect.”

I smile back.

“Thanks. That’s what I thought too!”

“But have you danced before, honey?”

I shake my head, looking down at the table.

“No, never. I mean, I’ve always been good at shaking my ass, don’t get me wrong, but stripping was never something I’d considered as a job. You can imagine my surprise when I got the position on the spot,” I giggle. “I guess they were desperate for new dancers. Plus, the girls taught me a few moves on the pole, and the rest is history. Now I work there once or twice a week, and the tips are good. Enough for what I need.”