in front of my desk, both hands clutching the armrests like it was going to come alive and buck her out of it.
“Tell me why you moved to Boston?” I asked. Her throat bobbed, nervously.
“I wanted a fresh start, and I like the history of Massachusetts.”
“Did you want a fresh start in general, or did you want a fresh start from someone?” Her eyebrows rose and her large eyes seemed to get even larger, reminding me of an owl.
“I wanted a fresh start in a new place with no reminders of my past,” she candidly answered.
I nodded my head and spun my pen from finger to finger as I studied her face. “Is your past going to come looking for you?” I needed to know if she was running from some dude. I planned on hiring her and wanted to be prepared.
“No, I’m only running from what’s in here.” She tapped the side of her head. I couldn’t fault her for that. I was no stranger to running from the demons in my head.
Chapter Two
Janny
“Whoo!” I cringe as Elle screams right next to my ear. The guys on stage all have chiseled abs and stellar dance moves, but my stomach has been churning wildly for the past thirty minutes and if I don’t get to the bathroom I’m going to lose my dinner in front of the entire audience.
When I stand, my chair scrapes the floor. Elle’s head swings in my direction, but I don’t look at her. I rush to the ladies’ room clutching my stomach as if that’s going to help the wave of nausea that’s rising. The stall door slams against the frame as everything I’ve eaten today spews out. Gross, I hate to vomit. It keeps coming until there’s nothing left. My gags echo in the empty bathroom. I rise and balance on my shaky legs. I’m hot and sweaty. My damp hair clings to my sweat soaked forehead. I place the side of my head against the cool metal of the side wall and catch my breath.
I stand there for a few minutes, until I regain my strength. When I step out, Elle is waiting, arms crossed, leaning back against the sink.
I hesitate for a moment and then walk over to the one next to her. Avoiding her knowing gaze, I wash my hands and rinse out my mouth. Once I’ve dried my hands, I know I can’t put this off any longer.
“How long have you known?” she asks in a frosty tone. My eyes stare into her brown unyielding ones begging her to understand. Why can’t she make this easy for me?
“I took a test yesterday morning. Kyle was at work, and it said the results were the most accurate when you first wake up.” I bite on my bottom lip. “He doesn’t know yet. I’m scared to tell him.”
My eyes fill with tears even though I try to fight them off. “What if he doesn’t want this baby? We talked about having a family someday, but not yet. We’ve had to deal with so much already. I’m afraid this is too much too soon.” I wipe away the tear that rolls down my cheek.
Elle steps toward me and pulls me into her arms. “He’s not going to be upset. He loves you, and he’ll love this baby as soon as you tell him.” She pats my back, and I continue to cry out my worry. “But you need to tell him Janny.” I nod my head and step back.
I walk over to the mirror to clean the tears and makeup from my cheeks. When I’ve done as much as I can, I turn around to face Elle. “Thanks for being you. You always say what I need to hear.”
Elle rolls her eyes and grabs my hand. “Come on, there are hot, wet, half naked men on stage. I need some new spank bank material.”
The dancing guys on stage keep my mind off my impending conversation with Kyle. It’s only as we’re leaving the building and I see him standing on the sidewalk with Derek and Josh that the nerves hit me again. He always seems larger than life to me with his impressive height and broad shoulders. A large smile breaks out across his handsome face when he sees me. My stomach flutters from a combination of happiness and worry. I send a smile his way and hope he can’t see that something’s off. He’s relentless when he thinks I’m hiding something from