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“Well, I think we all want something more substantial, right?” A woman with a high red ponytail glanced at the brunette woman beside her and laughed. “At least for a couple of hours. Then bye.”
I laughed awkwardly, though inside I wasn’t all that amused. Sure, I’d made jokes like that too. It was natural when you were on the search for some extra seasoning in your egg salad. I just didn’t think it was necessarily right to treat the guys we were talking to as a commodity. We wouldn’t appreciate such treatment ourselves.
But I’d leave that discussion for later. Right now, I was pretty sure we had attracted some gawkers and drive-by types, so a few minutes of discussion about the realities of searching for a man to have a child with should weed out the ones who weren’t serious.
I turned toward Jodi as she and Clara approached, pads in hand. “Thanks, ladies. I really appreciate your help with this.”
“No problem.” Jodi bit her lip and glanced around. “These are all your friends?”
“Not exactly. We’re just working together on a common problem.”
I didn’t really want to advertise what we were doing, since this was a place of business and people in town tended to gossip early and often. Though it would come out soon enough if this meeting took off. Everything seemed to rapidly become common knowledge.
Jodi nodded, her pencil poised over her pad. “What would you like to eat and drink?”
I pressed a hand to my jumpy belly. “Oh, I couldn’t eat a thing. I’m all—”
“Oh my God, you’re pregnant already?” Jodi’s voice carried far more than I wished. “Wow, girl, you work fast. Go you!”
Before I knew what had happened, seventeen women and a good segment of the café patrons swarmed around me, talking and laughing excitedly. More than one of them groped my not flat belly as if they were probing for aliens.
It wasn’t fun.
“Hey now, personal space, please.” I tried to laugh and found it got caught in my throat. “I hate to break it to all of you, but I’m not pregnant yet. The only thing in my belly right now is what’s left of a quesadilla bowl I had at lunch.”
I should’ve been surprised Murphy picked that moment to stroll in. I mean, why not? It had only happened multiple times at the worst possible instant. That this was later than he normally showed up didn’t seem to matter. Somehow when I said awkward things, he got the message to arrive.
This time, he didn’t even pretend not to stare at me across the café. And at the women still clustered around me, focused on my belly as if they didn’t quite believe what I’d said.
For God’s sake, it had only been a little more than two weeks since I’d posted on Facebook. How fast did they think I worked?
“Just a second,” I muttered, breaking free of the crowd to run to Murphy like he was a lifeline.
It didn’t make sense. I’d practically driven him out of here a few days ago and he’d been scarce since. Why should I think he’d help save me in this situation? And what did I have to be saved from anyway, except the weight of everyone’s expectations? Ones I’d helped put in place.
That of course I’d find someone who wanted to knock me up.
That of course we’d have good chemistry and sex would happen easily and naturally.
That of course I’d get pregnant first try.
As if it was all that easy. And maybe I’d been naïve enough to not really think it all through and think something similar.
I was getting schooled in reality now.
“Save me,” I said in an undertone as I reached Murphy and grabbed his arm. Such a solid, sturdy arm. One that would make the woman lucky enough to have them around her feel so safe and protected.
And possibly more than a little turned on, if that woman was me.
“You’re pregnant.” His voice was utterly flat. “Congratulations.”
“No. God, no.” The laugh that left me was dazed and on the verge of hysteria. “I haven’t even been with any—there’s no one—holy corn!” I let out a yelp as something furry poked out of Murphy’s hoodie pocket and swiped his tongue over my wrist, right above my tattoo of two crossed whisks.
It might’ve been the insanity of the moment, but those big brown eyes locked onto mine and I fell deeply, irrevocably in love.
“You were supposed to stay hidden while we were in here, bud.”
The puppy paid Murphy no mind. Right then, I didn’t either. All my focus was for the tiny ball of excited fur.
