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During her lunch break Allie drove into Destin and stopped by the Target store. She picked out the sexiest pair of white panties she could find, and tried not blush when the cashier rung them up. On her way out the store, she decided to call Tom at his job.
“Ace Hardware,” answered Dell, Tom’s boss.
“Hey, Mr. Kutchens, it’s Allie Grant. Is Tom available?”
“Well, hey there, Allie. Sorry, hon, but Tom called in sick today.”
“Oh, okay, sorry to bother you.”
She immediately called Tom’s house. His mother answered. Geez! Talk about embarrassing. Allie hoped there was nothing in her voice that would make Betsy Donalan suspicious. “Hi, Mrs. Donalan, it’s Allie. Is Tom all right?”
“Allie?” she said it like Allie was the last person on Earth she’d expect to be calling. Considering that Allie had been dating her son all summer… Okay. His mother was definitely acting weird. Oh God. Allie hoped she hadn’t found the condoms Tom was supposed to buy for tonight. “Um, how are you, dear?”
Whew. That was more normal. “Oh, I’m great.”
“Tom is…he’s not able to come to the phone right now.”
“Can you please tell him I called? And that I hope he’s feeling all right.”
Allie drove back to work and finished the rest of her shift. By eight, she still hadn’t heard from Tom, which was definitely not like him. Maybe he was so sick he couldn’t even come to the phone. Should she drive by his house? It seemed like the logical thing to do. But when she rang the doorbell, no one answered. Allie could hear Brandy, the Donalans’ beagle barking from the back of the house. She rang the bell a second time, just for good measure, then got back in her car.
Her only option was to go back home. Or she could go to Zeke’s and wait. Just in case. So she drove to her brother’s and let herself in with the spare key he had given her. She tried not to feel guilty, but she knew Zeke wouldn’t be thrilled to know that his baby sister was planning on using his house as her own personal love shack.
An hour went by and no Tom. Confused (and more than just a little worried), Allie went to lock up, when the house phone rang. She checked the caller I.D. It was Tom!
“Oh, thank God! What’s going on? Are you okay?” she said, rushing through all the words.
“I’m okay,” he said, but he sounded even weirder than his mother had this afternoon.
“I went by your house but there was no one there. I was afraid they had to take you to the hospital.”
“Allie…can you meet me by the bridge?”
“Now?”
“Um, yeah, there’s something really important I have to tell you.”
“Okay, I can be there in ten minutes.” She locked up the house and jumped in her car. Tom wanted to meet her by the bridge. It was their favorite parking spot. The place where he’d shown her his acceptance letter to the University of Florida. Where they’d shared almost everything about each other. But why meet her there now?
Allie’s hands began to tremble. She gripped the steering wheel and tried her hardest to drive within the speed limit, but she was nearly giddy with anticipation. There could only be one reason Tom had canceled their date to meet her at the bridge. It was the perfect place to tell her that he loved her, too!
It was dark, but she could still make out his car overlooking the water. She parked her car next to his and ran out to hug him. “I was so freaked out when I heard you were sick!”
He held onto her tightly. Too tightly.
“Um, Tom, you’re kind of squishing me here.” She disentangled herself from his arms and looked him over. His eyes looked hollow and there was a strange expression on his face that made Allie’s heart leap to her throat. “Oh, God, you are sick. Should you be out? Shouldn’t you be—”
“Allie, I’m getting married.”
Her heart came sliding back into her chest. She laughed with relief. “Okay, so that’s kind of funny, but—”
He caught her hand. “I’m serious. Lauren’s pregnant…and I’m the father, and…” He shrugged.
Her heart shifted around again. Only this time it began to fall south. “This is a joke, right? I mean, you do know you have to have sex to get pregnant.”
He wouldn’t look her in the eye. “I’m sorry, Allie. I’m so damn sorry, but…I have to do the right thing here.” His voice cracked.
“The right thing? Are you friggin’ kidding me?” Allie pulled her hand from his grasp. She began pacing the grassy strip next to the water. This didn’t make any sense! She stopped and whirled around to face him. “How far along is she?”
