Chapter 8 Cat and Alejandro
CAT AND ALEJANDRO
“Ican’t believe you’re all here!” Cat cried as she hugged her friends again.
Immy yawned tiredly but gave her a happy smile. They’d gotten here late last night.
“We’re glad we’re here too,” Maeve told her. “But I have a question.”
“Yes?” she asked as she sat on the floor. At least she was sitting okay today.
She’d noticed that Immy was sitting rather gingerly.
Hmm.
She’d also noticed that Maeve was looking slightly nauseous. What was that about? If she wasn’t well, why had Gray let her out of bed?
Although all the men seemed to have gotten up early to work out in the massive gym. That’s where they were right now while she was holding her Little symposium. Subject matter: Death to the elf traitor.
“Why are we in your closet?” Maeve asked, glancing around in confusion.
“It’s so the evil elf doesn’t find us,” she confessed.
Immy’s eyes grew wide and she sat up straight with a wince. Yep. Someone had definitely gotten her bottom warmed.
“You have an evil elf?” Immy asked.
“You’ve been spanked recently,” Cat accused, pointing at Immy who went bright red.
“Cat, don’t embarrass Immy. But, yeah, you have, right?”
“Yes, but it wasn’t my fault!” Immy cried.
“It’s never our fault,” Cat informed her.
Maeve just looked more ill.
“Maeve? Are you . . .” Cat trailed off as Maeve rushed through the closet and into the bathroom. The bathroom door slammed shut behind her, but Cat could easily hear that she was vomiting.
“Oh no,” Immy said worriedly as they both stood on the other side of the door. “She doesn’t sound good. Should we go in there? Should I go get Jenner? What do we do?”
“Don’t worry, Maeve. We’ll go get your Daddy or my Papi,” Cat told her. That’s who she’d want if she wasn’t feeling well.
“No, don’t!” Maeve cried, surprising her.
Cat shared a look with Immy. “Don’t?”
“No, don’t, I’m . . . um. I’m fine now. Must have been something I ate.”
Uh-huh. Sure.
Cat winced as she heard Maeve throw up again. Immy rocked her weight from side to side.
“What about someone else? You want Sampson? Jenner? Abe?” Immy asked.
“No one! Please.”
“Are you sure you’re not lying to us?” Cat asked as she vomited again.
“I don’t know,” Maeve said miserably.
As soon as Cat heard the toilet flush, she opened the door and marched in.
“Cat, we shouldn’t go in,” Immy told her. “Bathroom time is private time.”
“Not between friends.” Cat sighed as she took in Maeve.
She looked utterly miserable sitting on the floor, pale and shaky.
Cat grabbed a cloth and wet it before crouching to wipe Maeve’s face. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” Maeve said croakily. “The day before yesterday I felt ill, I vomited and then I felt better. Bit tired but otherwise fine. Yesterday, I was fine. Okay, a little nauseous but I didn’t vomit. Then this morning, bam! Sick again.”
“Hmm, that sounds odd,” Cat said.
“Can I get you anything?” Immy asked. “Gatorade?”
“No thanks, I’m fine,” Maeve said tiredly.
Cat shared a look with Immy. “Maeve, does Gray know any of this?”
She had a feeling she already knew the answer . . .
“No!” Maeve said, shaking her head. “No way! I am not spending my Christmas in bed.” She grimaced. “I didn’t tell him because I thought he’d make me stay at home. And I wasn’t missing out on Christmas with you guys. But if he finds out, he’ll make me stay in bed. Which just isn’t fair!”
Cat frowned. “Wait. You’re only sick sometimes? And you’ve been tired?”
“Uh-huh.”
Cat glanced at Immy again. “Babe, what are the chances that you’re pregnant?”
Because Cat was thinking they were pretty high.
“I can’t be. I always use birth control.”
“I mean sometimes people get pregnant on birth control, right?” Immy asked.
“And weren’t you on antibiotics a while ago?” Cat asked.
“But we didn’t have sex until a few days after I finished the antibiotics . . . do you think . . .”
“Maybe?” Cat shrugged. “Worth taking a pregnancy test to find out, right?”
“I suppose,” Maeve said as the color started to return to her face. “But how will we get the test?”
“Hmm. That is an issue.” Cat tapped her finger against her chin. “We could order one, not sure how quickly they’d deliver at this time of year, though.”
Hmm, yeah, it wouldn’t get there today.
“We’re going to have to go into town and get one,” she said.
“How?” Maeve asked. “We’d need an excuse to leave and at least one guy is going to come with us and ask why we’re going to the pharmacy.”
“What if we take Rafael and the Scot,” Cat suggested. “We’ll tell the guys that one of us forgot a gift. Who shall we say forgot?”
“You,” Maeve and Immy told her.
“Rude, but accurate. And we’ll go to the pharmacy, I’ll create a diversion, the Scot and Rafael will look at me and Immy will grab the pregnancy test. There, it’s a full-proof plan.”
“But how will we keep our guys from coming with us?” Immy asked. “I mean, whose present are you going to say you forgot to buy?”
“Um, all of them?” Cat said.
Immy and Maeve shot her looks.
“Oh, I know! Alejandro was talking about a poker game. I just have to get him to start it early. Then they’ll all be too busy.”
There! That was definitely foolproof. She glanced around suspiciously.
“What are you looking for?” Immy asked, peering around as well.
“Evil Elfie.”
“Wait, you said that before,” Immy said with alarm. “You really have an evil elf?”
“Uh-huh and I’m just making sure he’s not spying on me.
That’s why we were meeting in the closet before.
So he couldn’t listen in on our conversations.
He sends everything back to Santa, you know.
Papi thinks I might get coal in my stocking this year.
” Cat sniffled. That was so mean. Surely Santa wouldn’t do that?
“Have you been that naughty?” Immy asked with alarm.
“Of course not! And none of it was my fault.”
“Of course not,” Maeve agreed. “And we have to be careful that Santa doesn’t hear what we’re up to. None of us want coal in our stockings. I’m glad I don’t have an evil elf.”
“That would be terrible,” Immy said. “I asked Santa for a unicorn. I hope he brings it.”
“I asked for some new shoes,” Maeve said.
“I asked him for a jet pack and a ticket on a rocket ship to the moon,” Cat told them.
They both gaped at her.
“It’s gonna happen.”
She had faith in the jolly old, white-bearded man.