6. Sawyer #2
“I’m glad it’s not so hot anymore,” I said, adjusting my purse strap.
“Yeah,” Olivia said, slowing her steps. “It’s been a rough few months, huh?”
She didn’t know the half of it. “August was the worst. Thank god most of the tourists are gone, huh? Things can finally get back to normal.”
Pinecrest had its fair share of foot traffic when the seasons changed, but there was a blessed few months of peace after summer before they came in droves to see the white winterland they couldn’t get in California.
Olivia stopped near the front of my car as I made my way to the driver’s side door and opened it.
“Thanks for this,” I said, holding up the bar.
It didn’t look appetizing, and the flavor was some generic berry combination that made my stomach turn.
There was no way in hell it was going anywhere near my mouth, but I wasn’t going to tell her that. “I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Of course.” I’d just turned over the ignition when Olivia stepped up to my window and knocked.
“Sawyer, I know it may not be my place, but…” She looked nervous all of a sudden, taking a deep breath before continuing.
“I could barely keep anything down during my first trimester with Charlie. The little brat didn’t like anything.
It made the first few months of my pregnancy pretty rough. ”
We both stared at one another, unblinking.
Why was she telling me this? She didn’t think that was what was happening, did she?
“Oh, I’m not pregnant,” I chuckled nervously.
The last thing I needed was everyone believing that the town charity case was knocked up.
That’d spread like wildfire. “Grams hasn’t been feeling well lately.
Between her doctor appointments and my work schedule, things have just been more stressful than I’m used to. ”
And that was the truth of it. My grandma, Maeve, had been struggling after a minor procedure, and I’d been forced to take every available shift I could get my hands on.
Our raised rent prices went into effect next month, and I’d worked my ass off to save up enough to accommodate the increase.
My budget was going to be a hell of a lot tighter until I could get some of our debt paid down, but what other option did I have?
Olivia’s smile faltered. “Right. Of course. Don’t mind me, then! Get home safe, Sawyer.”
“You, too,” I mumbled.
My car was silent as I pulled out of the parking lot and drove home. There was no way I was pregnant. I’d only had sex with one person, and we’d used a condom. My luck wasn’t that terrible.
Right?
Whatever was happening was just stress. I wouldn’t know how to ask for help if someone handed me step-by-step instructions, so I tackled problems head-on and alone. That’s it.
But as I came to a stop at one of approximately three traffic lights in Pinecrest, I couldn’t get Olivia’s words out of my head.
I could barely keep anything down during my first trimester with Charlie.
It made the first few months of my pregnancy pretty rough.
Glancing around, I put my car into park in the middle of the road and grabbed my phone. I didn’t track my period in an app because I didn’t trust any company with that kind of information, but I marked the days on the calendar with a red X emoji so I could calculate myself.
Okay, so my last period was at the beginning of August, and it was currently the middle of October. Skipping a cycle wasn’t entirely suspicious for me. I’d never been regular, much to my dismay. However, skipping a period when I’d had sex only a few weeks after the last one was cause for concern.
No, no, no. There was no way. I couldn’t be…
Even thinking about it made me sicker. Quickly, I opened my door and heaved. Nothing of substance came out, thanks to my stomach being completely empty, yet I felt like I somehow had my answer.
Before I could overthink everything, I put my car in drive and headed over to the brand new gas station ten minutes out of my way. It was just off the highway, and was supposed to draw people to Pinecrest as a pit-stop from their travels, but it was completely empty as I parked.
I got out of my car and headed inside, keeping my head down as the cashier mumbled a less-than-enthusiastic greeting, scanning the small aisles until I found what I was looking for.
A pregnancy test.
I wasn’t sure how I thought this moment would go, but it sure as hell wasn’t standing in a convenience store at half past midnight, scared out of my mind. It felt more like a cautionary tale than a happy one.
My fingers shook as I reached out and grabbed one of the boxes. There was only one brand, thankfully, so I didn’t have to waste precious time trying to figure out the merits of each one.
I tucked it beneath my arm, ready to head for the cashier, when I stopped. Maybe I should grab a couple more. False positives and negatives happened sometimes. I’d rather take multiple tests to make sure the answer was correct. You know, for science or whatever.
Grabbing the other three on the shelf, I made my way back to the cashier. Thankfully, I didn’t know the girl. That was good. I wouldn’t have to worry about this getting around town by morning.
“Is this all?” she asked. Her voice sounded as bored as she looked.
“Yup. That’s it. Just me and my pregnancy tests.” I closed my eyes, internally cringing at how awkward I was being. I just needed to shut up so I could leave.
“Cool. That’ll be $55.17.”
I cringed as I handed the girl my emergency credit card.
This was definitely an emergency, but lately bills had piled up and I’d had to use a good chunk of my credit limit to have Gram’s Camry fixed.
Again. I waited not-so-patiently while she rang up the total and slowly bagged everything.
As she held it out to me, I quickly pulled it from her grasp and was out the door before she could mumble a half-assed goodbye.