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She nodded, finally giving in to the exhaustion she’d been feeling. “Thank you,” she called to him as he walked out of the room and she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Thirty-Two
When Blythe awoke, she was surprised to see the room was still empty. Finn hadn’t returned. She looked over at the clock on the bedside table, the movement causing her stomach to turn. It had been just two hours since he left, but she expected him back by now.
She stood from the bed slowly, holding her stomach as if it would make a difference.Don’t get sick. Don’t get sick,she willed herself. She opened the door, squinting in the bright afternoon sun. The parking lot held just one other truck, the one that she’d learned was Blake’s from the amount of time he’d been spending at the motel. She wasn’t sure where Hank was, but she suspected Blake’s presence had a little more to do with AnnaBeth than work.
She spied her phone lying on the desk to her left and picked it up. There were no missed calls from Finn, so she found his name in her contacts and selected it, holding the phone to her ear. The line rang three times before going to his voicemail. She left him a short message asking him to call and check in before sliding the phone into her pants pocket.
Her shoes were laying beside the door, and she slid them on her feet, hobbling out over the gravel and toward the office.
A little girl stood behind the counter. She couldn’t have been more than three or four.
“Hello there,” Blythe greeted her. “Who are you?”
“I’m two!” the girl announced happily, holding up her fingers to show her.
Blythe giggled but felt confusion fill her. AnnaBeth was a year older than her, but as far as Blythe knew, she didn’t have any children. She had two older sisters, though, so she guessed it was possible the little girl could’ve been her niece.
Before she could ponder the thought anymore, the front door opened and Blake stepped into the room. “Sorry!” he announced, rushing over to move the girl from the stool behind the counter. “Little Bit, what did Daddy tell you about staying on the floor?” He carried her a bit farther back where Blythe noticed a few toys and a mat laying on the floor. “Sorry,” he apologized again, finally looking up at Blythe with a sigh. “I just stepped away for a second, and I must’ve missed you. Is everything okay?”
“I was just looking for Finn. Have you seen him?” She watched the girl playing with a stuffed reindeer behind his back.
“No, I haven’t,” he said. “Sorry. Did you try to call him?”
“Yeah,” she said, biting her lip.
“Well, AnnaBeth just ran to town. I’m happy to text her and see if she has seen him around?”
“That would be great,” she said, starting to feel a little worried. Just what had that phone call been about earlier? Things had seemed fine, but was she just too preoccupied with her sickness to notice? She leaned against the counter as Blake typed up a message.
“Sent.”
“Thanks,” she said. “So…is she your only one?” Blake looked her age, so in a small town, she wasn’t surprised to discover he had children. She wondered if he was married, though he wore no ring. Wouldn’t AnnaBeth be disappointed if so?
“Yeah,” he said, “that’s Tuesday. She’s two.”
“So she told me,” Blythe said. “That’s a unique name.”
He rolled his eyes slightly. “Yeah, it was her mother’s choice. It grows on you.”
“She’s adorable.”
“Thanks,” he said. “Do you have any?”
“No,” she said quickly. “Way too early for that. I want to be married and settled before I ever even think about kids.” The words left her mouth before she realized what she was saying. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I didn’t mean anything if you aren’t…”
He smiled. “No worries. Iwasmarried, though not settled. Tuesday’s mom passed away when she was six months old.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said again. “That’s terrible.”
“Thank you,” he said. “Tuesday was a bit of a shock, but she’s the best thing either of us has ever done.” He looked back at the girl fondly. His phone buzzed and his cheeks flushed red as he picked it up quickly. “AnnaBeth says he was at the market ten minutes ago.”
Blythe felt her shoulders fall with relief. “Thank you.” She placed a hand on her chest.
“No problem,” he assured her. “I’m happy to help. Anything else I can do for you?”
“Will you let AnnaBeth know we’re going to be staying an extra night?”
