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“I better go.” Percy pivots toward the door as it swings open.
Oliver walks into the library, eyes laser-focused on me. His face is pale, and his hair sticks out in all directions like he was pulling at the ends.
Simply looking at him causes an uncomfortable pinch where my heart is. We barely got started and yet I feel our future slipping away like sand through my fingers. Fast and fleeting.
Hands outstretched, he approaches the desk. “Wren, let me explain.”
Chapter8
Oliver
Percy pops her hip to one side, puts her hand on it, and glares at me. “You better explain. I’d like to hear what you have to say.”
Wren gently touches her sister’s shoulder. “Perce, this is between Oliver and me.”
Her younger sister huffs and reluctantly tears her eyes from me. “Fine. Call me.”
She pulls Wren in for a hug, then stomps out of the library without affording me so much as a glance. There’s no doubt, she’s ticked at me and wants me to know it.
“Wren…” I advance toward her and she holds up a hand in a sign to stop.
Before she can utter a word, Mrs. Parker interrupts, “Congratulations, Oliver. I heard the wonderful news.”
When I’d rushed in, I hadn’t noticed anyone but Wren and Percy. Although, truth be told, I wasn’t looking for anyone or anything other than Wren.
Shit. Mrs. Parker. She was at the Grill earlier. I blankly stare at her and remain mute, not knowing what to say. I won’t accept thanks—the baby isn’t mine—and cringe inwardly, imagining how quickly she must have made her way down Main Street like a town crier, eager to share the latest gossip.
Wren must already know. A sickening dread washes over me. I wanted a chance to explain, for her to hear it from me first.
Dammit. Damn Dot.
The older woman approaches the front desk, squinting at me, likely perplexed by my silence.
Wren slides in next to me, brushing my shoulder, and peers down at the lady. “Um, Mrs. Parker, if you’ll excuse us. Oliver doesn’t have a lot of time and I’ve asked him to help me with something.”
A hint of fresh flowers wafts over me, and I’m dizzy from Wren’s scent. The nearness of her. Nothing else matters when she’s close. I don’t care if Ada Parker thinks I’m rude or an idiot.
“Oh. Okay then.” The woman nods.
Wren tugs at the sleeve of my coat while still looking at Mrs. Parker. “Are you all right here? We’ll be upstairs for a little bit.”
The elderly lady fastens the last button on her coat and smiles up at Wren. “Oh, I’m done. I’ll get going.” She ambles to the door. “Please call me when that book comes in.”
“I will, Mrs. Parker. Have a nice day.” She beckons for me to follow her to the staircase and waits until we’re alone. “We’ll talk here. This way I can see the door.”
She’s all matter-of-fact, refusing to look me in the eyes. I reach for her and she flinches, squeezes her eyes shut, and inhales deeply.
“Why is Dot telling the whole town she’s pregnant with your baby?” Now she looks up at me, eyes glassy but grave. “You told me you haven’t been together for two years. That you’re over.”
“There’s no easy way to make sense of this.”
She immediately deflates and looks away, pinching her lips together. That’s when I realize my poor choice of words. “God, Wren, no. The baby isn’t mine. I just can’t explain why Dot would say it other than she doesn’t like to lose. I told her about us this morning and about wanting the Nest, and she didn’t take it well. I’m guessing this is retaliation.”
“So what, in the heat of the moment, Dot decides to say she’s pregnant?” Her disbelief rings in my ears. “I know she isn’t above doing something like this. She’s ruthless and unpredictable but this…this…” She struggles for the word. “This lie…she has to know that she’ll be called out eventually. You can only fake a pregnancy for so long.”
“I know it sounds crazy, and like I said, I can’t explain it.”
She leans against the banister and twists her lips in contemplation. “Oliver, if you slept with her… I don’t have to like it, but we weren’t together. I understand how or why something like that could happen. Living in close quarters with someone you used to love…”
