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Six
“Hey Char—oh girl!” Jase entered Charla’s office with a startled cry and went to her. “What are you doing asleep in the middle of the day, and more importantly can we make afternoon naps a thing now?”
Charla blinked and pushed off the desk. “What? Why are you here?”
He rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically. “We’re supposed to meet for lunch but you left me hanging.”
Blinking again she scanned the room for her phone or any other indication of the time. Squinting at the computer she gasped. “It’s three in the afternoon! How did…oh crap.” She’d completely slept through her staff meeting today, but even after sleeping the afternoon away Charla still felt exhausted.
“Is everything alright Char?” Jase’s eyes were wide and shimmering with worry.
“Yep,” she cleared her throat and tried again. “Yeah, I guess I was just more exhausted than I thought.” She had never fallen asleep at work, not even in those years after high school when she worked three jobs just to get by. A yawn flew out instead of the assurance she’d meant to give her friend.
“Seriously, what’s going on? I called you last night at eight and you didn’t answer your phone.”
“I was sleeping,” she explained, realizing too late, that in itself was odd.
“Alone?” There was a sparkle in his eyes that Charla didn’t like.
“Of course. I fell asleep right on the sofa, woke up this morning with the worst crick in my neck.” Last night she’d been worn out from a long day that included a leak in one of the sauna rooms, haggling with a vendor and filling in for a few wax jobs, so she hadn’t thought anything of it. But all week she had been feeling rundown. At first she wanted to chalk it up to working too hard but she knew part of it was some kind of depression. Every time she closed her eyes or had a moment of peace all she could hear were Kasim’s ugly words. Viper. Someone like you. So she’d been running herself ragged just to avoid hearing those words.
Jase grabbed her shoulders and turned her until they were face to face. “Sweetie you went to bed at eight last night, woke up at seven or eight this morning and you’re still tired? Something is definitely wrong with you.”
Charla waved him off. “It’s probably a bug. It’s getting colder outside and all that jazz, plus I haven’t been taking great care of myself. I’ll stop at the drugstore on my way home. Don’t worry.”
She indulged him for a moment, letting Jase feel her forehead to check for a fever. “If you were having sex with someone I’d ask if you were pregnant.”
Even in her sleepy haze Jase’s words penetrated her brain and she froze. No, impossible! She refused to entertain the notion. They’d been so careful, hell she’d been so careful with her birth control and making sure Kasim always had his end covered too. The last thing she wanted to be was alone and knocked up. Just like Mama.
“Charla? Are you keeping secrets? Sleeping with someone?” He squealed, rocking Charla back and forth excitedly. “Who, you have to tell me everything woman!”
But Charla couldn’t say a word as the nausea bubbled up in her throat and she pushed Jase away, running to the bathroom before she lost her stomach all over the brand new sea green carpet. Her solitude was short-lived though because Jase strolled in behind her and squatted to rub her back in gentle circles. “Please just leave me alone. I just need to be sick by myself.”
“No way! Char, you need to go home and relax. I’ll pop by with a few things…like a pregnancy test, perhaps?”
Rinsing her mouth she shook her head. “No that’s not necessary. I need to eat, grab some seltzer water and get back to work. I’ve already missed most of the day.” She ignored another concerned look from her friend and checked her calendar. “Don’t you have an ad campaign to put together or something? Holidays are coming up and all the snow bunnies will want to be buffed and waxed to perfection.” Charla smiled, that was the perfect distraction for Jase. A marketing whiz, the man could entice a lumberjack to come in for a spa. And then he would seduce him.
“Already done,” he grinned smugly, sticking his tongue out when she arched a caramel brown brow his way. Shaking his head in frustration Jase went on and Charla stared at her calendar in search of a way to salvage her day.
Not seeing the answer she wanted, Charla frowned and turned to him. “I guess you’re getting your wish after all. I can’t focus on anything so I’m going to head to the drugstore and then home.” She would hedge her bets, grabbing over the counter cold meds and a pregnancy test. Or five.
By the time she finished up what little she could concentrate on it was late afternoon and the drugstore stop had zapped the last of her energy. Instead of taking the pregnancy test or tossing back cold pills, Charla changed into flannel pants and an oversized sweater, sank down on her sofa and promptly fell asleep.
The light from the early morning sun pulled her from sleep and the low buzz of the television alerted her that she’d fallen asleep—yet again—on her sofa. “I might as well move my bedroom down here,” she grumbled and made her way to the kitchen for a much needed cup of coffee. “Bad idea,” she muttered upon opening the tin of ground coffee, feeling the nausea roil violently inside of her.
She made it to the bathroom just in time to empty her stomach and the truth sank in.
It was time to take that pregnancy test.
* * *
“What is up with you man? You’ve been walking around like a grumpy zombie for weeks now and the staff are getting worried.” Jax strolled into Kasim’s office wearing a smug grin and flung himself into the large leather chair.
Kasim stared at his best friend, suppressing the urge to smack that grin off his face. “Nothing is up and I don’t care what the staff think. I pay them to work, not think.”
Jax laughed. “Yeah well if you keep snapping at them you might not have very many willing to stick around. Is this about that pink haired hottie?”
What did he know? Kasim frowned at his desk and looked up into friendly brown eyes. “I don’t know what you mean.”
