Page 44 of Shine: Sins of the Father
Don’t panic.Maybe I’m just coming down with something.
I’m so nervous, I need someone for emotional support. In a normal world, I’d be calling the possible father to take the test with me, but I don’t have that luxury. So, I call the next best person.
“Don’t tell me you want to start painting. I just left there thirty minutes ago,” Janey grumbles into the phone.
“No, I need you to buy a pregnancy test and talk me off the cliff.”
The squeal of her tires carries through the phone. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Nervously, I pace back and forth by the front windows of the shop until I see her Miata speed up the road and swerve into a spot.
She jumps from the car, a drug store bag swinging from her hand.
I quickly unlock the door and usher her over the threshold. She’s barely inside before she pulls me into a hug and I burst into tears.
“It’s going to be okay,” she whispers.
I step away, nod, and wipe my eyes.
“Here,” she passes me the bag, and I retreat to take the test.
“Are you almost done in there?” She yells from the other side of the door.
I set the test on the counter and then quickly cover it with toilet paper, not wanting to face whatever truth it’s about to be revealed just yet.
“Done.”
She’s through the door in a microsecond. She glances from me to where the test lies hidden under the toilet paper. “Have you looked?”
“No.” I shake my head. “It said to wait five minutes.”
“That’s for the birds,” she scoffs, pulling the toilet paper off and leaning to inspect the test. After a moment, she straightens.
“Well?” I grimace.
“There are two lines.”
“What?” I grab the test from the counter and inspect it. “I barely see the second line, though.”
“First off…” She snatches the test out of my hand. “The line is getting darker as we speak. Second, it doesn’t matter if the line is barely there. Two lines means pregnant.”
She hands the test back to me, and I just stare at it. Finally, looking up, I mutter, “What am I going to do?”
“You’re going to be a kickass business woman, who is pregnant and adorable and gets to eat all her delicious creations because now she has an excuse. And when the baby comes, you’re going to be a kickass mom, too.”
I smile at her weakly. Leave it to her to have more faith in me than I have in myself.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Fiona—
The prospects show up at 9am ready to work, just like my father promised. I’ve got coffees waiting on my new sales counter, which is an old antique piece that Janey and I found and painted cream. I love how it came out. I’ve got a pretty glass case on top of half of it for all my cupcakes and treats. It will be so exciting to fill it.
It doesn’t take the guys half as long as I expect, and before I know it, they’re packing up the drop cloths and hauling out the empty paint cans, trays and brushes.
I have to admit, they did a wonderful job. The place looks amazing in a soft pale pink that goes beautifully with the cream I chose.
As the guys prepare to leave, Cody, Jake’s son, who’s been prospecting for almost a year now approaches, slipping into his leather cut with the prospect rocker on the back. He points at the wall behind me, where I’ve taped off a large square and told them not to touch.
