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“You okay?” Huck asked behind me as he waved a small butane torch over the tops of the tarts to slightly toast them.
My voice wouldn’t work. I managed a jerky nod and flipped the pages again. There was no way.No freaking way.
I wanted to scream. To run. I wanted to melt into a puddle or hide behind a rock and never come out.
My boss came up beside me as I stared at the calendar. “If you’re not feeling well, we can cover here.”
I swallowed. “No. I’m fine. Rebecca stepped out but she’ll be back. I’m fine.”
I was very muchnot fine.
Hastily, I typed out a text to MJ, begging her to meet me at the house after her nursing shift was done.
MJ
I’m going to Fireside tonight! Aren’t you coming?
I paled. Everyone in town looked forward to Outtatowner’s annual welcoming of autumn. Tourists enjoyed tents with snacks, crafters, and food, plus beer and wine tastings. As the evening wore on, the beach was dotted with bonfires and music.
It was one of my favorite nights of the year.
Sorry, I forgot. Yeah, I’ll be there.
Forgot? Are you okay?
I ignored her text and slipped my phone into my pocket. I had to be overreacting. There were a thousand reasons my period could be late.
I gotthrough the rest of my shift at the Sugar Bowl like a dead-eyed robot. My head was swimming with possibilities, and I did everything I could to remain calm. I needed to be sure. I needed facts. I needed a clear sign that I was overreacting and definitelynotpregnant with Duke Sullivan’s baby.
It had been a month since our secret island date. We had agreed to keep our friendship hidden and hadn’t met in secret again since that day on the beach.
I scanned the roadway before crossing and hustling toward the general store. The street around me was already buzzing with excited energy. Storefronts were capitalizing on the Fireside Flannel Festival by offering discounts, hanging plaid banners, and setting up small tables on the sidewalks to catch passersby. Chalkboard signs pointing people toward the waterfront were strewn throughout the town, and far in the distance I could see tents and commotion as the festival got underway.
The general store owner, some distant King cousin, greeted me as I wove through the aisles of the store. Customers were already decked out in flannel for the festival. Their happy, carefree smiles were a stark contrast to the sinking feeling in my gut.
I was always careful. I hadneverhad unprotected sex.
We used a condom, for fuck’s sake!
I was officially spiraling.
I rounded the corner to the feminine care aisle but came up short when I nearly crashed into a hard wall of a man. My brother Royal’s hard features split into a goofy grin when he realized it was me. “Jesus, Syl. Where’s the fire?”
I looked into my brother’s eyes.
Oh god, what would he say if he knew I thought I was pregnant with a Sullivan’s baby? Would he eventryto understand?
Of all my brothers, Royal was the softest. His hard tattooed exterior was in opposition to the sensitive soul he worked to keep hidden. He was also the brother that loved to poke and dig at the Sullivans. He was a big reason the pranks and rivalry had continued for so long. He was happy to retaliate any chance he got.
“Hey, what are you doing?” I tried to sound casual and calm but failed miserably.
Royal’s eyes narrowed at me. “What areyoudoing?”
Covering my own ass, I reached around him and grabbed the first box of tampons my hand touched, and I held them up to him. “I needed these. Why? You want to buy them for me?”
Unfazed, Royal chuckled. “Why would buying tampons bother me? I’ve been buying them for you since we were teenagers.”
Damn it. My stupid progressive brother and his stupid progressive ideas about gender equality.
