The Moment of Truth

This time, her fingers were shaking so much she couldn’t reply.

* * *

JOSH WAS AT HIS DESK just after two on Monday afternoon, getting through a pile of paperwork in preparation for a series of meetings he was planning, while he waited to hear about Dana’s lease.

He’d set her number to a specified text notification so he’d always know it was her and not miss any communication. Even when he was in meetings. The woman was pregnant with his child and all kinds of things could go wrong. He’d only just begun reading up on pregnancy the night before so he wasn’t an expert yet by any means, but he’d set the ringtone before he’d gone to bed.

I need to be able to take care of myself.

Yes.

Just so you understand.

???

You can’t do everything for me.

Can’t do much of anything but doing what I can.

What aren’t you doing?

Growing baby. Birthing it.

Damn, he’d called the kid “it” again.

Oh.

They needed to talk about baby stuff—he wasn’t sure what items she’d want, but from the brief cyber stroll he’d taken the night before of the children’s store that had the highest rating on Wall Street, he’d been able to add up well over two thousand dollars in items that appeared to be necessary and he’d only gotten as far as the first couple of pages into the website. He was going to have to buy a house sooner than he thought. He couldn’t afford to keep throwing money away on rent. He’d need the equity in the home to use as collateral in case he needed a line of credit.

Don’t forget the lease.

He was at a standstill until she got back to him.

Unfortunately, she didn’t reply.

* * *

JEROME WAS COMING OVER that night to do laundry. He’d missed Saturday to attend an all-day gaming play-off in the student union  . And before that, she had to stop by Lillie and Jon’s place. They wanted her to see Harrison’s new bed. She needed to convince Lillie that she was fine. At least until she and Josh discussed when and how they were going to let people know about that baby.

Next, she was going to visit Amy and Ian and Skyline. Dana texted Josh to let him know that she’d be busy all evening.

She took Lindy Lu with her. As it turned out, Lillie wasn’t even home—there had been an emergency at the clinic—so Dana didn’t have to fight her urge to break down and tell her new friend everything. She also didn’t stay long. Then she spent half an hour in the second couple’s home, mostly watching the dog. Ian wasn’t home from work yet and it was obvious to Dana that Amy was already the rescue dog’s “mom.”

“You’re a natural,” she said to Amy, who stood holding the big girl. “Are you still certain that you want to keep her?”

“I’m certain,” Amy said without hesitation. “She slept in the bed with us last night. She’s ours.”

They talked as they watched the dog. She found out that Amy worked as a nurse on the surgical ward at a Phoenix hospital. That she and Ian had both grown up in Shelter Valley, attended Montford together and had been married for four years. Amy wanted children.

“Ian doesn’t?” Dana asked, honing in on the one subject she was trying so desperately to avoid thinking about.

“Ian says he doesn’t want to have to share me,” Amy said. “I’m hoping Skyline will change his mind.”

“Sharing you with a dog won’t be like sharing you with a baby,” she said. Amy and Ian had a lovely home and, by all appearances, a lovely marriage. There were pictures of the couple laughing together everywhere she looked.

They seemed like perfect parent material.

“I know. I hope he’ll relax about the whole thing.”

And what if he didn’t?

“We set Josh up with a friend of mine.”

The words fell like rocks on her toes. “That’s nice,” she said.

He’d told her he would remain celibate. That he wouldn’t humiliate her.

“We double-dated,” Amy said. “Olivia really liked him....”

Clearly Josh had given Ian and Amy the impression that Dana was just the person he got his dog from, or just a friend. Amy didn’t strike her at all as a cruel woman. “What does Olivia do?” she asked, to be polite. To prove to Amy that she didn’t care.

“She’s a licensed architect but focuses more on interior design. We all went to high school together. Olivia was the head cheerleader and I was the one who helped wrap sprains and rub down sore muscles.”

Lindsey and Rebecca had both been cheerleaders. And dated guys like Josh.