His Off Limits Best Friend - Vivian Wood Page 0,70

you feel up to it on Monday, come in. Otherwise, I’m sure you have a few more sick days remaining.” Mrs. Whiteworth turned on her heels and walked away. Jenny widened her eyes at Sam.

When Sam got home, she grabbed her oversized crocheted blanket and curled up on the couch with a cup of chicken broth. Mindless daytime television, specifically the Bravo network, was sure to distract her.

Her phone buzzed on the couch. If this is Connor again, I swear to God—

But it was Ellie on Facetime. “Hey,” Sam said as she answered. She wished Ellie would just use the regular call feature, but it would look weird if she didn’t answer.

“Hey! I wasn’t sure if you’d answer, but I thought this was your lunch break. Where, um, where are you?” Ellie asked. “Are you at home?” She could see her friend as she tried to make out Sam’s background.

“Yeah, I’m a little sick,” Sam said. “Just going to binge some trashy reality TV and ride it out.”

“Sick, huh?” Ellie said suspiciously. “You’re never sick. And you never miss work.”

Sam sighed. She should have known Ellie wouldn’t accept such an excuse. “I know,” she said. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me! I feel like I have the flu, but every time I take my temperature it’s just barely elevated. I think the thermometer’s broken.”

“You feel like you have the flu?” Ellie asked. “How so? Just hot? Or …”

“Hot, tired. No, exhausted, actually. And I—I threw up at work. Like, in front of my boss.”

“Oh, God,” Ellie said. “I’m sorry. But, um, Sam? I don’t think you’re sick…”

“What do you mean?” she asked. She sipped the broth from her faded university mug.

“Babe, it sounds like… you’re pregnant,” Ellie said.

“Pregnant?” Sam laughed. “That’s ridiculous! How could I be—”

Oh, fuck. I’m a goddamned idiot. All those times. We hadn’t used protection any of those times. Why is this just now occurring to me?

“Sam?” Ellie asked.

“Oh, God. Oh, God, shit, Ellie. What have I done?”

“It’s okay! Hey, it’s okay. You don’t know anything for certain right now. You just need to take a test to be certain that’s all. I mean, I barely know what I’m talking about.”

“No,” Sam said. “You do.” She remembered Ellie’s ectopic pregnancy. She hadn’t told many people—in fact, Sam was one of just two people outside Ellie or Henry’s family who knew. “How did you… how did you know? When you were pregnant?”

Ellie sighed. “I took a test,” she said. “But, honestly? I also just kind of knew.”

“Yeah,” Sam said. “I know what you mean.” The thought hadn’t occurred to her before, but as soon as Ellie said it she knew she might be right. “Where are you?” she asked Ellie.

“Getting on a plane at LAX in three hours,” Ellie said. “I’m coming. Don’t worry. Go to Aunt Mary’s for now, I’ll meet you there. There’s a direct flight, I’ll be there by early evening. Actually,” Ellie leaned closer to the phone and whispered. “I think I have some pregnancy tests still stashed away at Aunt Mary’s, too. Check in the bottom center drawer of Henry’s old bathroom.”

“Okay,” Sam said. She’d started to sniffle. “Those don’t, like, go bad or anything, do they?”

Ellie laughed. “I’m not an expert. But probably not within a year, no.”

“Good,” Sam said. “Because the last thing I need right now is to go into a store and buy one of those things.”

“I’ll call Aunt Mary and tell her what’s going on,” Ellie said.

“Thanks, E,” Sam said. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” It was true. And it was a great comfort to have that kind of support in her life.

“Don’t be weird,” Ellie said. “Love you, see you soon.”

Sam was on autopilot as she drove toward Aunt Mary’s. She hadn’t even changed out of the yoga pants and thin t-shirt she’d put on when she got home. Braless and in flip-flops, she drove like hell toward what she thought of as her last sanctuary.

“Sam, dear,” Aunt Mary said as she opened the door and held her tight. “I made you some cookies.”

Sam laughed into the older woman’s hair. Somehow, yes, cookies sounded like they could fix everything. “Oatmeal raisin?” she asked.

“Snickerdoodle,” she said.

Sam wiped the last of the tears from the corners of her eyes. “How much… how much did Ellie tell you?” she asked.

“I think quite a bit, dear,” Aunt Mary said. “Don’t you worry. Everything will be okay. No matter what.”

Sam followed her into the tiny kitchen and sat