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“Everyone gettin’ fat around here but you. You next?”
“Maybe! It will be our secret, okay? I don’t want Justin to hear from someone else if it’s true!”
He winked at her, holding out his hand to help her navigate the last rung.
“I won’t be long,” she said, trying to be flippant, like her heart wasn’t trying to escape her chest, her stomach in knots.
Every month since Annie found out she was pregnant and Katrina soon after, Maggie dreaded finding out her period had come. In disbelief that she would feel so strongly about it now, the guilt that she had dreaded being pregnant again was overwhelming.
The morning was already warm, the streets dusty and quiet. They needed a good rainstorm to clean things up. Even Bayou Cottage was drier than it had ever been, a little sandy beach emerging as the water receded, even at high tide. She loved Cypress Cove and what it had meant to her, how it had protected her. She still felt safe.
Katrina had said she would pick up Maggie from the dock but she wanted to walk, wanted the chance to clear her head at the last minute. She needed to acquiesce to Justin and see an infertility specialist soon. If. If the test was negative.
Her phone beeped a block away from Creole Cottage. It was Justin.
“Hey, what’s up? I ran home to get drug samples from the clinic that I needed here and you were gone.”
“Aw, Justy, it’s a surprise. Can I tell you later? I promise I’m safe.”
There was a pause before he spoke again. “Okay. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. I promise. I’ll call you back in a few, okay?”
“Okay. Love you, babe.”
“Love you, too, Justin.”
Now she had to tell him. With Tina, the night she told Justin, she dressed up in a dress and heels and got a cake with a plastic baby on it. With this one, she’d just call him with the news. Second baby syndrome.
Katrina’s house, Creole Cottage, came into view. Annie was going to meet her there, too. Annie and Katrina were positive women who balanced Maggie’s acerbic pessimism. They’d make the day okay no matter what the test showed.
“How was your boat ride?” Katrina asked at the door, giving her a one-armed hug.
“Wonderful, as usual. I need to get out on the water more often.”
“Do you want to do your test right away?” Annie asked, waving the test box at her.
“Do I? I’m scared. For a few hours I’ve felt hopeful. If it’s negative, I’ll have to start all over again trying to talk myself out of despair. And I never wanted to be a mother in the first place. I blame this place.”
“Okay, move,” Katrina said. “Take this and go into the bathroom and pee on the stick. My bathroom has taken the place of Walmart where all other pregnancy reveals have taken place!”
“Not me,” Annie said. “I did mine at Target in Pensacola.”
“Pensacola! I remember that place,” Maggie said, trying to slap Katrina’s hands away.
“Go. I can’t stand the suspense. I want you pregnant and I want to know now.”
“Okay. Can you guys move away from the bathroom door?”
“Why?” Katrina asked.
“Because I might poop, too. You guys are upsetting me. My stomach is in knots.”
Annie and Katrina nodded at each other, giving an all-knowing look. “She’s pregnant,” they chorused.
“Get away,” Maggie snapped.
Annie handed her the box and reluctantly walked away, dragging Katrina along.
