The Bookstore on the Beach - Brenda Novak Page 0,116

But Taylor wasn’t smiling once Mary released her. Tears were swimming in her eyes as she said, “Don’t say you’re proud of me.”

“Why not? It’s true.”

“You don’t know everything yet.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked, instantly concerned.

“I have to tell you and Mom something. I wanted to wait until the end of the summer, but I can’t keep it to myself any longer. It’s getting to where I feel sick and worried and anxious all the time. I need help.”

Mary glanced over her shoulder at the window she’d just been peering out. They couldn’t barge in on Autumn right now. “What are you talking about? Your mother’s fine with whomever you choose to love. So am I.”

“This isn’t about that. It—it’s worse.”

“Tay?” Caden lifted his head from where he was on the couch. “You’re going to tell them now?”

“I have to,” she said. “I have to decide what to do and can’t manage that all by myself.” She started toward the French doors that would let her out, so she could cross the yard to the garage, but Mary cut her off.

“Then let’s call your mom and have her come in. There’s no need for us to go traipsing out to the garage.”

“I already tried to call her,” Taylor said. “She’s not answering.”

Taylor obviously assumed her mother was asleep, but Mary knew better. “Why don’t you make some hot chocolate while I go get her, then? We’ll sit down as a family, since Caden already knows what’s going on, anyway. We’re here for you. Whatever it is, we’ll work it out.”

“I don’t want any hot chocolate. I just want my mom,” she said with a fresh downpour of tears, and slipped around Mary to go get Autumn herself.

* * *

Taylor was relieved to see that there was a light on in the apartment over the garage. Maybe her mother wasn’t paying attention to her phone, but at least she wasn’t asleep.

Although the door to the garage was locked, Taylor knew where to find the Hide-A-Key. It’d been under the glass frog in the planter ever since she could remember.

She sniffed as she opened the case and let herself in. She couldn’t believe she was going to tell her mom about the baby. But she couldn’t keep going as she was, even if the summer wasn’t over. Oliver wouldn’t leave her alone. He called and texted her over and over, begging her to have an abortion.

She couldn’t take the constant pressure. Just before bed, she’d received a nasty text from his older brother, telling her she’d better not ruin Oliver’s life, which proved he hadn’t kept his word. He’d told one person, at a minimum. And if he’d told his brother, there could be others—or soon would be.

She had to talk to someone. Someone she trusted. Sierra made it possible for her to feel almost normal during the day. She could shove the pregnancy out of her mind and carry on as usual, pretend it didn’t exist. But at night, it was an entirely different story. After Sierra was asleep and the house fell quiet, the walls seemed to close in on her. Tonight the panic had been so intense she’d been frozen in her bed for the past hour.

If revealing her sexuality today had taught her anything, it was that telling the truth brought relief. So she was going to face what she’d been dreading and get it over with. Maybe then she could have someone on her side, an adult like Oliver did, while she decided what to do about the baby.

Breathe, she told herself. Although she dreaded what she had to do, at the same time, she suddenly couldn’t wait. She wanted to spill it all, drop the heavy burden she’d been carrying into her mother’s capable arms.

The door to the apartment was closed, which was unusual. Taylor tried to walk in—but it wasn’t only closed, it was locked.

“Mom?” she said with a knock.

There was a thump and then some movement.

“Mom?” Taylor called louder, trying to peer through the misted glass panels in the door. She thought she saw someone, but then the light went off.

“Hey, what’s going on?” she asked.

“Coming!” her mother replied.

When the door opened, her mother was wearing a robe, from what Taylor could tell. Her hair seemed mussed, too, but Autumn left the light off so it was difficult to see very clearly. “It’s after one, Taylor,” she said. “What’s going on?”

Taylor started to cry—not just cry but bawl like she hadn’t since