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“Don’t bullshit a bullshitter, Lily.” Trina grins. “From Jen and Fallon to you and Rudy, this summer is shaping up to be a lot of fun.”
“There’s nothing going on between me and Rudy. I’ll prove it to you. Look.” I pull out my phone from my purse. The movement sends part of my brochure collection spilling out of my bag, but I hold them back with a hand while I unlock and hand over my phone. “See? Books.”
Trina reads the texts with an arched brow as I try stuffing my crumpled brochures back into my purse. When Trina passes my phone back, she catches a little square of cardboard as it slips off the arm of my chair.
Before I can snatch it back, Trina pulls the business card toward her. “Dr. Melissa Gardner,” she reads. “Perinatal psychiatry.” Her eyes widen as her head whips around toward me. “Lily…”
I extend a hand. “Give it back.”
“Is this why you came back? Are you…?” Trina lets the word hang. Her eyes drift down to my stomach, but I know I’m not showing yet.
I clench my hands into fists to stop myself gripping my middle. The last thing I need is the game of Heart’s Cove Gossip Telephone to start about me. “Give it back, Trina.” My words tremble, and I stare into my sister’s eyes when she meets my gaze again.
She says nothing as she hands the business card back to me.
I stuff it back into the depths of my purse and shake my head. “It’s nothing.”
Trina stays quiet for a few long minutes. We finish our pedicure in silence and when I stand up to leave, I jerk my thumb over my shoulder. “I’m going to go to the bookstore. I’ll see you around.”
Trina opens her mouth to say something, but reconsiders. Finally, she just nods. “Okay. And Lily?”
“Yeah?”
“You know you can come over whenever you want, right? I can ask Mac to watch the kids or get a sitter or whatever. We can grab dinner or just go for a walk. I’m always here. I won’t tell anyone about the business card.”
My throat is tight and I manage to nod. “Okay. Thanks.”
It’s not until I’m down the street and out of sight that I manage to take a full breath.
CHAPTER 2
Lily
When I enter the bookstore, Agnes, the silver-haired owner, has her hands on her hips, her face screwed up into a frown. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why—until I look at the back of the store.
She’s staring at a dozen children aged three to seven sitting in a semi-circle around a soft leather chair.
And in the chair is Rudy, holding a picture book out to face the children so they can see the illustrations. He puts on a scratchy voice and pretends to be an evil witch, and a little girl squeals and claps her hands over her face in fear. From the far side of the chair, Rudy pulls out a toy sword and brandishes it out as the knight in the story comes riding to the rescue. The same little girl thrusts her arm in the air, mirroring his motion with a triumphant giggle.
It’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
Then my gaze turns to Rudy.
I only just manage to stay standing as my knees turn wobbly.
This has got to be pregnancy-related, right? Seeing an attractive man in charge of a room full of children must send some instinctive signal to the cavewoman in me. Things went horribly wrong with the father of my unborn child, and now my hindbrain is looking for someone to fill his shoes.
Someone who might be sitting in a leather chair, captivating a dozen children with nothing more than his beautifully deep voice and a plastic prop.
I squeeze my eyes shut and suck in a deep breath. I need to get a grip. I’m here for a book—nothing more.
“Oh, not you too,” Agnes says with a huff. I open my eyes to see her scowling at me. “I’ve got enough women falling over themselves to come watch my grandson read picture books.”
I blink, then notice the crowd of mothers standing along the edges of the bookstore. Oh dear.
“I’m here for a book,” I explain. “Rudy texted me earlier.”
Agnes’s eyes narrow. “You’re Lottie’s daughter.”
