Page 106 of All In
After only a week on the market, I’d sold my house for $93,000 dollars to a young woman who worked in the hospitality industry. Teddy’s father had been right—even with the minimal renovations I’d done, I’d accrued some serious equity in only a few months.
I smiled and went to my kitchen. I wrinkled my nose as it seemed like my entire kitchen had been drenched in orange juice. In the bowl on the counter was one lone orange that had gone bad—a fuzzy bruise of green and purple on its side.
“Just you making all this stink?”
I chucked the orange in the trash and checked my calendar, taped to the fridge. Only four days left before I flew back to Las Vegas for good. Four days until I had to say goodbye to Yvonne.
That’s going to hurt.
Four days and then Theo and I could begin to build life together. I smiled at that and at the gold star marked on another day. Much to the joy and celebration of the Olsens, I signed the Sony contract without a tour addendum. A little thrill—an echo of the first big thrill—shot down my spine to think about it. I was on the brink of having the career I’d always envisioned, without a grueling tour to keep me on the road, or alcohol to make it bearable.
I cocked my head at the calendar, a niggling feeling telling me something was missing. I double-checked what I’d written there.
A reminder to take cable and power services out of my name. The day we’d probably going to close escrow. A going away party with friends at Le Chacal. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Where are my little red X’s?
Since I was a teenager, I’d kept track of my period by marking a calendar with red pen. Now, I tore the calendar off the fridge and flipped it back a page. I gaped at what I saw. The last red X was almost a month and a half ago.
I felt the color drain from my face. I’d been so busy and so much had happened I’d completely lost track.
“Oh, shit.”
I can smell everything. How long had that been happening?
“Oh. Shit.”
I woke up feeling nauseated yesterday but chalked it up to nerves from all these Big Somethings in my life happening one after the other.
This might be a Big Something. The biggest Big Something of all.
I swiveled around and went to the kitchen window and threw it open so hard it slammed in its frame.
“Yvonne!”
“Yeah, honey?”
“I’m late.”
“For what?”
“Yvonne,” I said, gripping the ledge. “I’mlate.”
My friend appeared at her window like a target at a shooting range. “How late is late?”
“A lot. Three weeks.”
“Oh, shit.”
I nodded vaguely. “My thoughts exactly.”
An hour later, I brought three different brands of pregnancy tests into the bathroom, took all three, and then sat on the couch clutching Yvonne’s hands for ten agonizing minutes. The timer I’d set on my phone went off and we both jumped.
“Okay here I go.”
I started to get up. Sat back down.
“Almost made it,” Yvonne observed.
