AllFreeNovel
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Once she’s done, her eyes are damp, and her lips are downturned in a heartbreaking frown. I hand her a paper towel and then return to the sink to get her a few more, wetting one for her brow.
She drags herself from the stall, her feet barely trudging the four steps to the counter.
“I can’t have peanut butter anymore,” she sobs into the paper towels, tears streaming freely. “It’s one of my four favorite things on earth, and I can’t have it. Every time I eat peanut butter, I throw up. Now I have only three favorite things, and I hate that number. If I’d have known I’d lose my ability to put peanut butter on everything,” she sniffles and wipes a tear, “I’d have never gotten pregnant.”
Her face freezes, her eyes like turquoise saucers. She covers her mouth with one hand, then the other, creating a double-popping sound.
The smile beaming across my face tugs my cheeks so wide it’s slightly uncomfortable. Not only is she preciously pregnant— which is fantastic news— but I didn’t know she was pregnant.Old Miawould never be caught off guard by something like this.New Miais pleasantly surprised.
Take that, pimp.
I rub my palms along her upper arms soothingly. “I promise I won’t tell anyone.”
“You promise?”
Grinning softly, I attempt to reassure her. “I’m great at keeping secrets. I have loads of them.”
“Thank you.”
“Although, after running out of the meeting like that, your secret might not be safe for long. If anyone asks, we’ll tell them you had some bad sushi.”
“Bad sushi. Let’s go with that. I’m a terrible liar, though. But I’ll try.”
She washes her face and rinses her mouth again.
When she’s done, I ask, “Is Leo happy about it?”
Her face warms into a dopey smile, and my heart melts. “Yeah. He cried when I showed him the positive test.”
Another look of dread ices over her face. Recognizing it immediately, I halt her panic in its tracks. “I promise I won’t tell anyone he cried either.”
“Two secrets for you to keep. That’s a good number.” She facepalms. “I’m so weird. Ignore the number stuff.”
“You’re not weird. And if you are, then I like weird.”
“Leo says that too.”
“I have a confession to make since we’re sharing secrets.”
She leans against the sink and crosses her arms. Instead of speaking, she patiently waits for me to come clean.
“Before I came to Redleg, I sort of… uh… spied on everyone who works here. Including you. I’m so sorry for invading your privacy.”
She squints her cunning eyes at me, but she doesn’t respond.
“I worked for the CIA before coming here— don’t tell anyone that— but digging up intel on everyone around me has been a necessity to stay safe.”
Her face and lack of response give nothing away.
But I continue with my freeing confession. A few pounds of pressure float away with every sentence. “Not only that, but I’ve been snooping ever since something tragic happened to my sister when I was young.”
“Is she okay? Your sister?”
Sweet woman.
“She is now. She wasn’t at the time. But back to you and this incredibly long apology.” My shoulders rise and fall with my giant breath. “I knew your family called you Susie Q, which is why I accidentally called you that on my first day. I’m so sorry. I won’t ever do anything so shitty again. I’ve given up all the snooping. I’m a changed woman.”
“Do you promise?” Her voice is flat and monotone, making her sound a bit like Tomer.
