more, she decided she would make another trip to the pharmacy. She followed their instructions to the letter. Once done, she lined them back up on the bathroom counter, and she went downstairs to the kitchen. She dug out a packet of saltines and a cold can of ginger ale from the refrigerator. It wasn’t lost on her that her one-night stand with Colton had theoretically produced a pregnancy.
The last three times she had been pregnant, she had felt terrific. There had been no morning sickness. She had had energy and a strong appetite.
I have the flu. That’s all.
She had not spoken to Elaine in the last five weeks, but Elaine had begun to email her pictures of Olivia and Woodmont. Libby supposed that was Elaine’s idea of a soft sell.
Sipping the ginger ale, she climbed the steps to the bathroom and stood at the threshold, staring at the three white tests lined up on the counter. “It’s the flu.”
But a glance into the little windows said otherwise. Three bright-pink plus signs stared back at her. She picked each up and held them to the light.
“This is wrong,” she muttered. “They are false positives. I can’t get pregnant,” she said to each stick. “The doctors said it was such a low chance that it was unlikely.”
Immediately, Libby listed off diseases that might mimic pregnancy. Hormonal imbalances. Massive tumors. Or maybe it was cancer like Elaine’s. Her worst-case list was more comforting than the idea of another lost pregnancy.
A hard pounding on her front door wrestled Libby’s attention back to the moment. The pounding grew louder.
She tossed the sticks in the trash can and went downstairs. Sipping her ginger ale, she glanced toward the front door and saw the outline of a man. She crossed to the door and opened it. Colton was standing on her front steps. Talk about timing.
“Colton.” Apologies rushed to the tip of her tongue, but all sounded lame, so she did not bother. “What are you doing here?”
He studied her a long beat, but it was impossible to decide if he looked mad, upset, or relieved. “Elaine tried to call you, but you didn’t answer your phone.”
“Elaine?” She glanced at her phone and saw two missed calls from Elaine. “Why? Is she all right?”
“Lofton has been arrested.”
“Lofton. Why should that have anything to do with me?”
“That’s what I asked Elaine, and she said you would know.”
“How did you even know I was back in town?”
“I saw Sierra at her jobsite this morning. She said your car was back.”
There was no sneaking back into Bluestone. “Does Elaine want me to bail her out?”
“No, Lofton is in the hospital, but she’s headed to jail once the doctors release her. She wrapped her car around a tree. She’s lucky to be alive.”
“And where is Elaine?”
“New York. She’s trying to get a flight back.”
Libby gathered her purse, keys, ginger ale, and a sleeve of saltine crackers from the kitchen. “Great. Can’t pick your family, right?”
“What’s that mean?”
“It’s a long story. I’ll go now.”
“I’ll drive you.”
“You don’t have to. Seriously. I’ve been MIA all summer, and I’m honestly amazed you’re even here now.”
“So am I. And while I drive, you’re going to tell me about your vanishing act over the last five weeks.”
She would have argued if she did not feel like she was going to throw up on his shoes. “Fine. Drive.”
He followed her down the front steps and to his truck. She slid into the passenger seat and hooked her seat belt.
After starting the truck, he pulled onto the quiet street and wasted no time getting to the heart of his irritation. “Where have you been?”
“Working. Vacation.”
“You said you’d explain it all when you returned. You have returned.”
“Obviously, I have had some stuff to deal with,” she said. “And if you know me for more than five minutes, you’ll realize I don’t handle loss well.”
“What did you lose?”
“My identity, the life I thought I knew,” she said.
He was quiet for a moment, but his jaw was tight and pulsing at the joint. “Does all this have to do with Elaine?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Want to talk about it?”
She rested her head against the seat. “Turns out she’s my birth mother.”
He shot a glance at her, his expression shocked and a little relieved. “What?”
“Yeah, it’s a shocker, isn’t it? Could have knocked me over with a feather.” Her stomach tumbled, and she nibbled on a cracker.
“Are you sure?”
“Oh yes. When I go AWOL, it’s usually for a good reason. I found a letter