She waited for the inevitable snicker, and Bart didn’t disappoint. “When do you start?”
“Next Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.”
“And when does the cast come off?”
“December first.” She rapped her knuckles against the cast a couple of times. “Hallelujah.”
Bart pulled some cords from the box and studied their tips for a few seconds. “Have you heard anything from Chance lately?”
The mention of the name brought on another bout of queasiness. She shook her head. “Not since the hospital.”
Bart placed the DVD player on the shelf and the TV on top of it. “I don’t understand it. That night at Max’s, he was drinking you in more than the beer. And I noticed the way you tried not to look at him. It definitely seemed like love to me.” He pulled some more cords out of the box and began attaching one end of them to the TV and one end to the DVD player. The umbilical symbolism wasn’t lost on Kyndal, and she vowed not to stay here in her mom’s house too long. “I thought y’all would be picking out china by Christmas.”
“Nope. We really have moved on.”
The back door closed and Rick appeared holding sacks from Starnes Barbecue. “Your favorite, I believe.”
He pitched one to Kyndal and she held it to her nose, breathing in the spicy aroma of hickory smoke and pork shoulder that never failed to make her mouth water. The nausea had passed and she was ravenous.
They all three scrambled to the table and dug into the feast Rick had brought.
Kyndal was halfway through her sandwich and the men were each on their second when Jaci returned. She disappeared into Kyndal’s room before coming into the kitchen.
“Where’ve you been, shug?” Bart pulled her in for a kiss before she sat down.
“Needed feminine supplies.” She batted her eyes at him. He groaned and abruptly let her go.
Kyndal noticed Rick blushed slightly at Jaci’s comment. He’d been around them all so much lately, he felt like family. She sometimes forgot he was a relative newcomer to the group. “Jaci keeps no secrets,” she warned.
“I’ve noticed.” He gave Jaci a wink as he wadded up his sandwich wrappers and tossed them into the sack. “Okay, y’all, I need some advice. I’m going to Arkansas for Thanksgiving.”
“Oh, I’ll bet your mom’s glad to have you home for a few days.” Jaci gave his back an affectionate pat before she sat down.
The mention of mom caused the bite Kyndal had just taken to catch in her throat. Her mother wouldn’t be home for Thanksgiving. She’d called last week and said she and Lloyd had gotten jobs at a motel on Route 66. He worked as the handyman and she as the maid. She sounded thrilled that the perk was a free room. The horror in her voice as Kyndal recounted the cave saga had been genuine, but apparently her daughter’s near-death experience wasn’t enough to bring her home.
But it had given Kyndal the go-ahead to move back to Paducah rent-free.
“So Denise and I have been dating a month. Is that long enough to invite her to Thanksgiving dinner with my parents?”
“No,” Bart answered.
Jaci snarled at him and raised her eyebrows. “Yes,” she said to Rick.
Kyndal shrugged. “Maybe.”
Rick shook his head with a laugh. “Well, hell-pee-roo, forget I asked.”
The men wolfed down the rest of the food and headed to Rusky’s Sports Bar to catch the Kentucky game in high-def.
As soon as they were out of sight, Jaci ran into Kyndal’s bedroom and returned holding a small sack. Her usual smile was gone, her expression serious and a bit pained.
Kyndal’s stomach tightened. This wasn’t like Jaci. “What’s wrong?”
“Kyn, you’ve been sick a lot lately. You hardly touched Mom’s chicken and dumplings last Sunday. You didn’t eat any pecan pie.” She thrust the bag into Kyndal’s hand. “I don’t think it’s from anxiety or the surgery or bat dung flu.”
Kyndal’s hand shook as she pulled the box out and read it. “A pregnancy test?”
“I want you to go pee on that stick. Then I want you to come back in here and tell me the whole truth about what happened in that cave.”
* * *
PREGNANT.
Kyndal stared at the word. This wasn’t one of those plus or minus deals that might be iffy depending on your perspective. This home test spelled it out with no uncertainty.
“It never entered my mind.” She raised her eyes to Jaci. “How did you know?”