If for Any Reason (Nantucket Love Story #1) - Courtney Walsh Page 0,85
“I will, but there’s something I need to do first.”
She raced out, trying not to look as terrified as she felt, and found her mom in the waiting room. It was a miracle Eliza hadn’t come into the exam room with her in the first place, but after Isabelle said she could hardly get in trouble in the doctor’s office and could her mother at least let her do this one thing on her own, the woman finally relented.
Thank goodness she had.
“Everything okay?” her mom asked as Isabelle approached.
“Yep. All good.”
“Well, do you have mono?”
“No,” she said. “I guess I just need more sleep.”
Her mother laser-focused her gaze on her daughter. “Maybe I should go talk to the doctor, Isabelle.”
“Mom, I promise there’s absolutely nothing you can do,” Isabelle said. “Maybe I’ll go home and take a nap on the beach.”
Her mother held her position for several seconds, then finally shook her head. “Well, all right, let’s go.”
Half an hour later, Isabelle was dressed in her bathing suit, carrying a beach bag and looking every bit like a person who was going to spend the day lying in the sun.
“Is it okay if I head down toward Lydia’s beach?” Isabelle asked.
Her mom gave her a sideways glance.
“Mom, please,” Isabelle said. “I’ve basically been a prisoner all summer. Haven’t I proven that I can be trusted?”
The words practically smacked her in the face. What a liar!
But how was she supposed to escape her mother’s watchful eye? She absolutely had to see JD.
“Isabelle, if I find out you’re deceiving me again—”
“I’m not, Mom. I swear.”
“I have a meeting at the arts center, but I will know if you’re lying. I have friends everywhere.”
No, Mother, only in the places where rich people go.
Isabelle hurried off on her bike, praying her mom didn’t find out the truth about where she was headed and then quickly realizing the irony. Once her mother found out the truth about her condition, a bike ride to the yacht club would be a most welcome deception.
She rushed toward the staff entrance, dropping her bike on the lawn out front and running inside.
JD would likely be in the restaurant, waiting tables, and she didn’t want to get him in trouble—but was that as important as what she needed to tell him?
She stood off to the side near a doorway and tried to remain inconspicuous. Finally—finally—JD looked her way, his expression running a wide range until finally it landed on the right one: concern.
She motioned for him to meet her in the staff area, and she walked into the employee locker room and waited for him.
A few minutes later, he came through the door. She raced into his arms, clinging to him as if she had to hold tightly or she might not survive.
And she might not.
“Bella, what’s going on? Are you okay?”
“I need to talk to you,” she said.
He opened the door to the men’s changing room and peered inside. “There’s no one in here.”
She followed him in and paced back and forth as he sat on one of the benches.
“Okay, Isabelle, you’re freaking me out.”
“I don’t even know how to say this.”
“What is it? Are you sick? Are your parents leaving early? It can’t be that bad. Just tell me.”
She faced him. “JD, I’m pregnant.”
There. It was out. Unable to be taken back. And now she’d deal with the aftermath as best she could.
“You’re what?”
She felt a lump swell in her throat. “Pregnant.” The word came out in a whisper.
He stood up in front of her and stopped her from moving. “But we only—”
“Did it once? Yeah, I know.”
He looked stunned. Or maybe terrified. Or completely freaked out. Or all of the above. Exactly the way she felt.
“I guess once really is all it takes.”
“Okay,” he said. “First of all, are you okay?”
“My parents are going to kill me.” Her voice broke and she started to cry, falling into his arms again. He held her and they cried together because what else did two kids do when they found out news like this?
She pulled away. “I’m scared, JD.”
He ran his hand through his hair and met her eyes. “Okay, but you’re not alone. I’m not going anywhere. Maybe . . .” He seemed to be searching his mind, but what possible solution would he find? “Maybe we get married. You move to Boston and go to school there?”
“And you finish college with a wife and a baby?”
“For you, I’d do that,” he said. “It’s not perfect, but it’s what