“I guess that’s what you mean by taking me like an animal, huh?” I say in a shaky, amused voice.
He doesn’t respond, just pulls me to him and kisses me. I hear his heart hammering in his chest.
Slowly we get ourselves together, knowing we have to get back out there. Finish the night, deal with our lives, and as he straightens his pants and pushes my strap back over my shoulder my eyes land on my mother’s desk. I gasp and reach for the light, hoping the dark is playing tricks on me.
“Oh my god,” I say, blinking at the sudden burst of light.
“What? What am I looking at?” Whit asks, following my line of vision.
I didn’t see it in the dark or in the midst of our heated passion, but now I do and my stomach rolls out of fear. In the center of my mother’s desk is a vase filled with yellow flowers.
48
Summer
“Babe, what’s wrong?”
“I need to talk to my mom.”
Pushing past Whit, I reach for the door with shaking hands. God, what am I doing? Hooking up with Whit when I knew my mother was in danger? Who makes a choice like that?
It takes me a few tries but I unlatch the lock and rush into the hallway. It’s hard to see my mom through the thick crowd of people but I do manage to catch Shay’s eye. I wave at her to meet me but it’s not easy in the small, clustered shop.
A hand wraps around my arm and Whit says again, “Summer, what’s going on?”
“There’s been some threats…I thought it was just crazy fan mail, but now…”
My words are cut off by a scream.
It came from the signing area and the sound is gobbled up by the reaction of the crowd. People start to move toward and away from the table and I dart away from Whit to get to my mother. When I push through the crowd she’s standing, arm aroundAnita. Anita’s eyes are wide and cast downward. A stain seeps across her coral pink skirt.
“Nothing to see here,” she says in a wobbly voice. “Just my water breaking.”
My heart’s stuck in my throat and I’m frozen as Bobby and Justin rush forward and I barely hear my mother announce that due to the miracle of birth, we’re ending the signing early. I catch a glimpse of Isabel and Jessica across the room—a scowl of disgust on Isabel’s pretty face. Ms. Dorothy has a look of concern and Avery is slouched against the wall. A shoulder brushes against mine and look over and see Shay with a wide smile on her face.
“Is this early?”
“A few weeks,” I reply. “I hope everything’s okay.”
“That’s not too, bad. My first was eight days late. This is way better.”
I watch as the crowd parts to let the pregnant lady pass through. Anita stops and ask, “Can you stay and close up?”
“Of course.” I grip her hand and pull her into a hug. “Good luck and I’ll be there as soon as possible.”
My mother rushes behind her with her phone to her ear. “Richard and I will head to your mom’s house to take care of Sibley. They’ll meet you at the hospital.” She glances at me. “Summer, you’ll be okay?”
“Of course. Go. I’ll close up here.”
“Alright people, clear the way,” Bobby shouts. Anita rolls her eyes but she also has her hands clenched around her stomach.
“Good luck, cousin.” I give her a quick hug before her husband whisks her off.
Justin stops and says, “I’m going to drive them. The last thing we need is Bobby driving into a ditch.”
“Good idea.”
He kisses me and then darts after his brother.
