21. Chloe
Chapter twenty-one
Chloe
S taring blankly at my computer screen, I struggle to focus on my work. Thankfully, today, I’m only expected to work a half-day, so I don’t have to struggle for long. Still, I don’t know why I can’t seem to keep my attention on the file of listings I’ve been scrolling through. It’s been a couple of days since the disastrous reunion between Parker and his sister, and I’ve been so busy that I haven’t been able to see him again.
If I’m being honest, I miss him. Maybe I should call him later and see if he’s free to hang out…
The door to the office suddenly opens, and Lauren strolls inside. She stops and looks around, and when she spots me, she grins and hurries over to my little desk.
“Hey, Chloe!” she exclaims. “You’re off at noon, right?”
I nod. “Yep, I am.”
“Want to get lunch?”
“Sure!”
She claps her hands together and says, “Great! I’ll just go sit over there and wait for you.” She points toward the waiting area on the opposite side of the room. I check my phone and see that it’s about fifteen minutes until noon.
“I won’t be long,” I assure her.
Lauren turns, crosses the room, and settles into one of the cushioned chairs. I spend the next fifteen minutes wrapping up as much of my work as I can, and when it’s time to clock out, I don’t hesitate to do so.
Standing, I grab my purse and say, “All right, Lauren. I’m ready.”
She hops up and hurries over to me, hooking her arm through mine. “Great! Want to go to Harry’s? I’m craving clam chowder.”
“Sounds good.”
The restaurant is within walking distance of the real estate office, so we make our way down the sidewalk together. We reach Harry’s and sit at our usual table in the corner by one of the large windows. Lauren orders her clam chowder, one of her usuals when we come here, but when I look through the menu, there isn’t much that actually sounds appealing. It’s weird, because I love this place, but my stomach is feeling off.
In the end, I settle for the club sandwich, though I’m not sure I’ll actually be able to finish it.
As we wait for our food, Lauren says, “Hey, so we haven’t actually had a chance to really talk since my parents’ house.”
I nod, and guilt rushes through me. “I know. I’m sorry. I’ve just been so busy…”
“No, it’s okay, no need to apologize,” she assures me. “Actually, I wanted to apologize to you. I shouldn’t have put you in that situation. That was really awkward for you, I’m sure.”
I wince and shrug. “Well, it wasn’t the most comfortable situation I’ve ever been in.”
“I also wanted to thank you for following Parker,” she continues. “I should have been the one to support him, but I’m glad you stepped in when I didn’t.”
I swallow hard around a sudden lump in my throat. Anxiety bubbles up in my stomach. “Oh, it was nothing. I just knew he needed someone in his corner.”
Lauren gives me a steady look before saying, “And you were willing to be there for him. That was really great of you. Really selfless.”
Crap, the way she’s staring at me and the way she’s talking is starting to make me worry that she knows we went back to Parker’s that night and he screwed my brains out.
I chuckle nervously. “Like I said, it was nothing.”
Thankfully, our food arrives and interrupts the conversation. The waitress sets my sandwich down, then Lauren’s chowder, and leaves us alone again. I pick up my sandwich, but I get a sudden whiff of Lauren’s chowder, and my stomach seems to flip. I set my sandwich back down with a grimace.
Lauren frowns at me. “Are you okay? You got really pale all of a sudden.”
I swallow and murmur, “I’m just feeling a little nauseous. I don’t know, the chowder is kind of setting me off.”
“That’s weird,” Lauren says. “Has it ever bothered you before?”
I shake my head. “Nope, never.”
“Huh.” She shrugs and looks down at her chowder. “Maybe you’re pregnant.”
The off-handed comment makes me laugh. “No, there’s no chance…”
Wait, when was my last period? I think back and realize I’m late. Really late.
Oh, shit.
Before I can stop myself, I gasp. “Oh, my God.”
Lauren jerks her head up and stares at me, her eyes going wide. “Wait, are you?”
My heart is racing, and I think I’m going to be sick right there and then.
“I-I think I need to go to the store,” I mutter.
“Chloe,” Lauren hisses, “is there an actual chance that you’re pregnant?”
I swallow, panicking but knowing she needs a response before she goes crazy. “I-I don’t know. I guess…”
“You guess?” She takes a deep breath and speaks in an even tone. “Chloe, have you had sex with someone who could have possibly gotten you pregnant in the last month or so?”
I lick my lips and want nothing more than for the floor to open beneath me and swallow me whole.
“Yes,” I whisper.
“I knew it!” she exclaims. “I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!”
“Shut up!” I snap, looking around to see if anyone is watching this little scene unfold.
Ignoring me, Lauren waves her hand to bring our waitress back over.
“I’m sorry, could you box our meals up to go?” she asks in a hurried voice. “Something’s come up, and we actually have to leave.”
The waitress nods and hurries off to get us to-go boxes.
“What are you doing?”
Lauren levels me with a loaded stare. “What do you think? We need to get you a pregnancy test right now!”
Oh, shit. Oh, shit, oh, shit, oh, shit.
Once we’ve got the boxes for our food, we pack up everything and head out of the restaurant. We hurry back to our cars and each drive to the nearest pharmacy. Once we’ve bought the pregnancy tests, we hurry home, arriving at nearly the same time. Once parked, I grab the plastic bag with the tests inside and hurry into the house with Lauren close on my heels.
“Do two tests!” she advises as we reach the bathroom.
“What? Why two?”
“So you know it’s not a false positive or something,” she says with a shrug, like it should be obvious.
Standing in the doorway of the bathroom, I blink at her. “Oh, okay.”
“I’ll be right out here,” she tells me while giving me two thumbs up.
I nod and close the door behind me. It takes me a few minutes to unwrap the tests and pee on them, but then, I set them on the counter, wash my hands, and open the door again.
Lauren is standing right where I left her, waiting with an expectant look on her face.
“Now we wait,” I say.
The next few minutes seem to crawl by. I pace up and down the hall, fighting down the panic attack that’s threatening to take me over. Lauren is leaning against the bathroom doorway, watching me freak out, a worried expression on her own face. I know there are probably a million questions running through her head, but thankfully, she’s not asking them. I don’t think I’d be able to handle an interrogation right now.
When my phone’s alarm goes off, indicating it’s time to check the tests, I freeze.
“Chloe?” Lauren gently says when I don’t move for several moments. “Are you okay?”
“I-I don’t know,” I answer honestly.
“Do you want me to look?”
While the offer is tempting, I need to know for myself. Releasing a long breath, I shake my head. “No, no, I’ll look.”
She steps out of my way as I move to the bathroom door. I cross to the counter and look down at the tests.
Two pink lines in each of them.
I’m pregnant.
“Well?” Lauren urges from the hallway. “What do they say?”
Stunned, I turn to face her and answer, “They're positive. I’m pregnant.”
Her jaw drops, and she stares at me in obvious shock. Snapping her mouth shut, she shakes her head and puts her hands on her hips when she meets my gaze again. “Okay, I think I know how this happened, but you really, really need to start talking.”