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Reese thought Daria was about to pass out from the shock. “You’re pregnant?”
“I just found out a few days ago. I’m processing it all. It was unexpected. I’ve told Grady, obviously, and Cam is happy for me. I haven’t told John or Marnie yet, but I’m meeting them tonight to tell them. I suppose it will come as quite a shock. But our families are happy for us, and that’s what is important.”
“Are the two of you going to get married?” Daria asked, her voice barely a whisper.
“I don’t know yet. We want to keep it quiet until I reach the end of my first trimester. Anyway, keep this on the down-low until then. I’ve already told way too many people.”
“Of course. You know you can trust me.”
“Thank you for being such a good friend.”
Reese went back to her office, and Daria went to her desk. Now Reese had to wait.
* * *
She was sitting in bed reading two nights later when she got theLowdownnotification. Her finger hovered over the link, and she prayed she wouldn’t see her name. She tapped the app and it opened to the headline:
Reese and Grady Love Baby!
She bit her lip to keep herself from crying. She then picked up her phone and thought to text Grady but stopped herself. No, he’d made his position clear, and she wasn’t going to bother him again.
* * *
Reese went to work the next morning and called Daria into her office. Always pleasant, Daria stood by Reese’s desk.
“What can I do for you this lovely morning? How are you feeling? Any morning sickness? My sister was sick her entire first trimester. She used to drink a lot of ginger tea. I got you a box on my way in.”
“I’m fine. Just a little upset. I saw theLowdownlast night.”
Daria frowned in sympathy. “Yeah, I saw that too. How awful that your news was spoiled.”
Reese wasn’t going to prolong this. “Why did you do it?”
“Do what?” Daria asked, maintaining her phony smile.
“TheLowdown? Why would you do this to me? To Cam and Grady? To my family? To Cam’s family?”
Daria feigned shock. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I’m not pregnant, Daria! And you are the only person I told that lie to. It was a test, and you failed it miserably.”
She blinked rapidly. “I didn’t talk to them,” she said, her voice hitching up.
“Are you suggesting that someone else happened to come up with the same lie? Why, Daria? I trusted you!”
A tear slipped down Daria’s face, and it only enraged Reese.
“I trusted you with every part of my life. You were someone I depended on! And you ratted me out for a few bucks?”
“It’s not like that! I was helping you!”
“No, you were hurting me and all the important people in my life! Why?”
Her face was blotchy and she was vibrating with energy. “None of them were good enough for you! I wanted people to know you were important. Better than some washed-up figure skater, or some hockey player who was going to cheat on you! The world needed to know how awful your parents were and how you rose above it.”
“No, they didn’t! And if I wanted people to know, I’d tell them myself.”
“I was doing it for you!”
