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But I hold out my hand, flicking my fingers. “Come on. Gimme your phone. I’ll put my number in there.”
She makes me wait it out, eyeing me up like I’m the most untrustworthy guy on the planet.
But I stand my ground, and eventually she rummages in her bag, then slaps her phone into the palm of my hand.
“Thank you,” I mutter, programming my number in.
She snatches it back, still looking doubtful as her thumbs fly over the screen. My phone buzzes, and I snicker at her text before spinning the screen to show her.
“Yes, this is really my number.”
A soft snort comes out her nose before she starts texting again.
Her second message makes me cringe.
It’s Caroline here. Not Karen. Not Catherine. Not Kelly. Caroline!
Ca-ro-line.
You might want to remember that.
“Yeah, I will. I swear.” I force out a laugh, trying to lighten the moment, but she just rolls her eyes and spins away from me.
“Can I give you a ride home?”
“Nope, I can walk.”
“How far is it?”
“I don’t know. Half an hour?” She throws her hands up, like the question is annoying.
“That’s a long way in this cold. Come on, let me drive you.”
“No, thanks.” She’s still walking away from me, and it’s frustrating as hell.
“But what about the baby?” I shout. “Are you supposed to overexert yourself?”
She jerks to a stop, then whips around to face me. Her eyes are bulging, her cheeks going red as she storms back, closing the space between us in record time. It’s like staring down a high-speed train as she thunders toward me, then stops just inches from my face. “Are you fucking kidding me?” She jabs her finger into my chest. “For one, it’s a half-hour walk, which is hardly overexerting myself.”
“It’s still kinda cold,” I try to argue, but she talks over me.
“And two… and probably way more importantly!” Her voice pitches before she leans in close and starts whisper-barking in my face. “I may have announced this nightmare in your house because Mikayla promised me it wouldn’t leave those walls, but that doesn’t mean I want the world knowing! So don’t start yelling shit about babies in the street, okay?”
I glance up and look around. The sidewalks are empty, but… “Sorry,” I mutter.
“Just keep your mouth shut about this. And make sure your friends do too!” She closes her eyes, her hand shaking as she pinches the bridge of her nose. “Shit, I never should have told you.”
I take her hand, pulling it away from her face. Her eyes glance over me, and I try to hold her gaze as I squeeze her icy fingers. “You did the right thing. I don’t want you dealing with this alone.”
She snatches her hand back, shoving it into her coat pocket. “What do you care?”
“I do.”
With a skeptical headshake, she gives me a sad frown, then turns and starts walking again. “Just keep your mouth shut.” She throws the warning over her shoulder one last time before picking up her pace.
I stand there, watching those red curls bounce around her shoulders and trying not to remember how good they felt twisted through my fingers.
Shit.
