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And again.
To the point I thought it might actually turn my body inside out.
But eventually, the nausea faded away, leaving me sweaty-faced, clammy, and exhausted when I emerged from the stall, only to find Kate leaning against the sink with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Thought you might need one of these,” she said, offering me one of the hand towels. “And also someone to talk to.”
My stomach dropped again, and this time it wasn’t because of too many aromatics.
“What’s going on?” Kate demanded.
I leaned over to wash my hands and splash my face with water. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Frankie, come on. You were about as green as a lima bean out there. I thought you were going to hurl all over the table.”
I gazed at my reflection in the mirror. Sweat gleamed around my brow line, and deep circles were pressed under my eyes, but my makeup wasn’t too badly ruined. My green eyes were a bit brighter than before, but at least they matched the color of my dress.
“I almost did,” I admitted.
“Yeah, I can see that.” Kate checked her updo in the mirror, then her sleek black dress, which was almost certainly vintage, as if making sure I hadn’t splattered on it through the door. “That’s the third time I’ve seen you sprint for the bathroom today. Please tell me it’s just a virus. Or maybe food poisoning. Because the last time you were like this, you were…” She trailed off, clearly cut off by the look on my face. “Ah, shit.”
I gulped and managed to stand up straight so I could look myself over. There was no use hiding it from her. Not when she knew me better than anyone else. Unfortunately, this also meant the cat was out of the bag. Kate was reasonably discreet, but there was no way this was going to stay a secret for long now.
I turned from side to side. I wasn’t showing yet. Not really. The hunter-green dress I wore wasn’t exactly form-fitting, and the only other discernible difference was my boobs, which were more than filling out the bust. Before, I could write it off as weight gain in Europe. Too many scones, not enough fresh air.
I sighed, then grabbed one of the complimentary bottles of water on the counter to swish around and cleanse my mouth. “Don’t tell anyone, Kate. Please. I don’t want to mess up Mattie and Nina’s special day.”
My sister just looked me over, pity written across her delicate features. We looked so much alike, but Kate was always the stronger of the two of us. Taller, of course, but it was more than that. She had the no-nonsense sensibility of someone who had never lived in the throes of an existential crisis. She’d always known exactly who she was.
I sank onto an upholstered bench in the corner to wait for my face to return to a normal hue. Kate sat down with me and rubbed my leg.
“Is it bad?” she wondered.
I shrugged. “About like last time. My boobs are pretty tender, and the nausea comes and goes throughout the day. Most of the time it’s all right, but now and then, it hits me, and…”
I trailed off. No need to explainthat.
Kate glanced down, obviously looking for a bump. “Does he know?”
I didn’t have to ask whom she was talking about.
I sighed. “I sent Xavier an email a few days ago. He hasn’t responded yet. He must have read it, though. He checks his email like once an hour. Or at least Elsie does. His assistant, I mean.”
My chest squeezed again at the thought of the kind, middle-aged woman who had taken Sofia and me under her wing all summer. In a way, she’d become a part of our little family too. England hadn’t been all bad…
And for maybe the hundredth time since I’d gotten on that plane, I wondered again if I’d left too soon.
Right before I remembered Xavier’s lips on someone else’s.
Nausea struck again for an entirely different reason.
Kate grimaced, like she knew exactly how hard this was for me. Life was certainly repeating itself in the worst possible ways.
Once again, I’d fallen deeply in love with Xavier Parker over the course of a few weeks.
Once again, he’d broken my heart with his involvement with another woman.
Once again, I was left single and pregnant.
