wanted to hear, to escape the accusation inherent in that question—or maybe it was just Nick’s disappointment and her guilt that made her feel so reluctant. Her husband had obviously suffered trying to help Ukraine, and while he’d been doing that, she’d fallen in love with another man.
But what was the use of lying? She wouldn’t be able to hide the truth for long. “No.”
* * *
Taylor nibbled nervously on her bottom lip. Her parents had been talking for a while now. What were they saying? When would they finally come back in? Was her mother telling her father about the baby? That she was in a relationship with another girl? That Caden wouldn’t finish high school in Tampa, because they were moving to Sable Beach?
Or would her father’s reappearance change all that? Would they be going back to Tampa, after all? And what about Quinn? Her mother must feel terrible! What could Autumn possibly say about the man who’d been planning to move in with them after the house closed?
“Everything’s going to be okay,” Mimi said, but her words were far from convincing. She looked worried herself.
“What’s going to happen?” Caden asked.
“I have no idea,” she replied. “But both of your parents love you very much. They will do what’s best for you.”
“What if that’s not what’s best for them?” Taylor asked.
Mimi kept fidgeting and looking out the window. “They’ll figure it all out,” she mumbled.
“Do you think we’ll go back to Tampa?” Caden asked.
“That’s where Dad’s job is—if he still has a job,” Taylor replied. “But I don’t want to live there. I don’t want to leave Sierra, and I don’t want to face Oliver and his friends—or my old friends, either.” Fortunately, none of her friends had messaged her, shocked to hear that she was pregnant. Oliver and his family seemed to be able to keep a secret. Thank goodness keeping their mouths shut was in Oliver’s best interest, too.
Caden didn’t say whether he preferred to stay in Sable Beach or return to Tampa. He just jiggled his leg and stared at the TV, even though she could tell he wasn’t really watching the movie Mimi had put on.
“This is terrible,” Taylor said and began to rub her stomach. She’d been experiencing some morning sickness lately, and being this nervous was making it worse, especially after eating such a big meal.
“Are you okay?” Mimi asked.
“Yeah.” She hoped that was true, but only a few minutes later, she had to bolt into the bathroom, where she lost her dinner.
Mimi came to hold her hair back as she leaned over the toilet. “You need to calm down,” she said.
“I’m trying!” Taylor responded. “I don’t know how.”
She got up and rinsed out her mouth and then stared at herself in the mirror. Her world had once again been turned upside down. “What about Quinn?” she said to Mimi, whom she could see in the mirror, hovering behind her.
“What’s his number? It’s getting late, so I imagine he’ll be off work soon. I’d better let him know not to swing by on his way home. I think we’ve had enough surprises for one night, don’t you?”
Taylor wiped her face and hands. “I’ll tell him,” she said and slipped into her bedroom to make the call.
* * *
Quinn was wiping down the grill, the last thing he did each night before leaving the restaurant, when his phone went off. He would’ve ignored it in favor of finishing up. But assuming Autumn was wondering what time he’d be over, he decided to answer.
The caller wasn’t her, though—it was Taylor. He had her number because they’d been texting each other funny memes about pregnancy for a week or more. The last one he’d sent her was a picture of a glass of milk and some Oreo cookies with the words, “I’m pregnant. This morning I told my friend to put the Oreos somewhere I couldn’t reach them... She put them on the floor.” And she’d responded with a picture of a woman in the hospital, about to have a baby, and the words, “The pain of labor is so great a woman can almost imagine what a man feels when he has a fever.”
“Is that your mom?” his father asked, seeing him pick up his phone.
“No, it’s Taylor.” Happy that Autumn’s daughter would feel comfortable enough to call him, he clicked the accept button. “Hey, don’t tell me you’re getting a craving for ice cream or something after everything you ate at the restaurant