and was for anything she needed. Her brother insisted that money was the number one way people trying to keep a low profile were discovered. She had her own funds, but accessing her bank account might lead to someone ascertaining her whereabouts.
The reality of her situation came home to roost right then and there. She wasn’t imagining the danger around her. Something about the baby she carried unleashed a whole lot of crazy. Anyone willing to casually hand over fifty thousand dollars like it was nothing was not going to back down or go away just because Summer refused to play along.
Her long inhale and sighing exhale summed up how she felt about the efficient underground safety net for hiding and keeping safe countless women and children who had to disappear for one perilous reason or another. It hurt her heart that such a thing was necessary. Needing the help herself nearly killed her soul.
My god. She was running from heaven only knew what, pregnant, scared, and without a concrete life plan for the first time in her adult life.
“Good times,” she snarled.
She nibbled on a corner of the toast. With morning sickness continuing to be a problem, it was one of the few things she could eat.
“Ooh,” she hissed and pressed a hand to her side. Tinker Belly was active today. It felt like a soccer match going on inside her.
Carrying a baby wasn’t anything like she imagined. Each trimester was a full bag of surprises. The view from her third term showed her looking at the finish line with excited nervousness. Doing this thing alone was the hardest thing she’d ever faced.
“Knock, knock, Summer dear. Are you decent?”
Summer’s head swung, and she looked toward the front door. Her landlady, Lynda, was closing it behind her. “I’ve brought babka,” she gleefully announced while holding up a pink bakery box tied with twine.
“Don’t tell Bud,” Lynda sniggered.
“Why?” Summer asked. “Is he doing keto again?”
Lynda’s deep laugh had a mocking quality. The longtime married couple was so adorable Summer thought they should have a sitcom or a web show.
“Oh, pfft. No. He just doesn’t need to know what else I picked up when I went to the bakery for tonight’s challah.”
Bustling around the kitchen running the length of a long wall, Lynda opened and closed a drawer and a cabinet. Then she marched into the living room and put everything in front of Summer on the table.
Before she did anything else, Lynda bent over and spoke to the baby bump.
“Good morning Tinker Belly. Knowing how much your mother loves sugar and cinnamon, I’ve brought you two some babka. It’s the food of my people,” she added with a laugh. “When you get here, I’m going to teach you the proper way to nosh.”
Summer laughed and patted her belly. “What would we do without you, bubelah?”
Lynda’s hand came forward and touched Summer’s cheek. “You look tired. Are you sleeping okay?”
She rolled a shoulder. “I guess. It’s hard to get comfy, and when I do, it’s not long before I have to change position.”
“Motherhood.” The kind stranger who welcomed her in the middle of the night with open arms chuckled. “Not the journey you imagined, eh?”
“The next person who acts like gestating a baby human is a walk in the park is going to get my foot up their ass.”
“Hear, hear,” Lynda drawled. “Now, how about some babka?”
“A small piece, please. Don’t want to waste my brown sugar toast.”
“I wonder if Tink has a sweet tooth. What do you think? I remember craving salad when I was pregnant with Brigit. Big green salads with every add-on I could find in the kitchen. It never seemed like a big deal until fifteen years later when my daughter decided her preferred diet was vegetarian. That was fun,” Lynda sniggered. “The girl literally came home from school one day and announced she was going meat-free. I thought Bud would stroke out because you know him—the grill king of Sherman Oaks wouldn’t know what to do with himself if he couldn’t throw ribs and burgers on the barbie.”
“Are you suggesting Tinker Belly might become a chocolatier or a female Willy Wonka?” She snorted with laughter. “Strangely enough, I can see it.”
They sat quietly, enjoying the tasty doughy treat. Lynda was the person to be around when you just want to be chill. She didn’t fidget or crowd every second with chatter.