Chapter eight #2
She waves me off. “Anyway, just know that I’m here if you need anything, including sweet treats.” Pointing to the display case, she bounces her eyebrows. “I’ve got a little bit of everything. What is the baby in the mood for this morning?”
I’m trying to regain speech after her reaction, but I don’t get a chance to respond before the chime above the door rings out. A striking blonde woman waltzes in, looking like she just stepped off the cover of a magazine in her business attire and heels.
“Willow! This is Scottie,” Astrid announces to the woman, whose eyes immediately widen.
Willow’s expression mimics Astrid’s, and suddenly I’m very aware that far more people know about me and my situation than I anticipated. Turning to me, she plasters a smile on her face and then reaches out to shake my hand. “Oh my gosh! It’s so nice to meet you.”
I reciprocate her gesture as I stare between the two of them. “Likewise, although I’m sure you already knew who I was based on your reaction.”
Astrid bumps her shoulder against Willow’s. “I told her I knew about the baby.”
Willow sighs, rolling her eyes. “You have to forgive my friend here, Scottie. Astrid is one of my best friends, but she is insanely excited about becoming an aunt. I haven’t heard her talk about anything else since she found out on Sunday.”
“My brother came to my daughter’s birthday party looking like he hadn’t slept and told us what happened with your son and…” She drops her eyes to my stomach.
My hand moves there instinctively. “Oh.”
“We’re not judging you,” Willow interjects. “Believe me. I swear, just looking at Dallas could get me pregnant, so I can imagine how hard it was to resist Grady.”
Astrid smacks Willow’s arm. “Ew, that’s my brother!”
Willow shrugs, still looking at me. “Sorry, girl, but the men in this town…” she tsks.
“There must be something in the water in Carrington Cove.” I fold in my lips to hide my smile.
I can’t speak for their men, but I know the second I saw Grady that night, all grown up and far more muscular than he was in high school, my ovaries started dry humping the air.
Astrid pushes Willow aside and glances back at the bakery case. “Anyway, what can I get for you this morning? Any cravings?”
“Actually, yeah. That’s why I stopped in. Those apple fritters look delicious. I’ll take two please.” Each one is nearly as big as my head, but I don’t want to risk not having enough.
Astrid nods, moves back to the other side of the counter and grabs a bag, reaching for the fritters and sliding them inside while Willow pulls my attention to her again. “So, you just moved back here, Scottie?”
“Yeah. I’ve lived in Georgia for the past fifteen years, but I got a job opportunity I couldn’t pass up, so my son and I moved here.”
“Your mom and grandma come in here all the time,” Astrid adds as she moves to the register. “In fact, weren’t you here with them back in December?”
“Yes, I was.”
“I thought so.” I hand her my card, but she waves it away. “Nope. Your money is no good here. These are for my future niece or nephew, so it’s on me.”
“Astrid, that’s not necessary.”
Willow places her hand on my arm. “Just let her. Trust me, you don’t want to argue with her. You won’t win.”
Astrid plasters an award-winning smile on her face and hands me the bag with my goodies. “She’s right.”
Sighing, I take the bag from her. “Well, thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know, but it’s my business so I can do whatever I want.
” Her eyes soften. “And I want you to know that I’m here if you need anything.
I know that we don’t really know each other, but I remember how close you and my brother were, and I know he’s taking this seriously, Scottie.
Grady isn’t the type of man to walk away from his responsibilities, okay? ”
“I know that.”
“And you can trust him. Hell, I’d trust him with my life.”
I want to trust Grady. I want to believe that this will all work out easily, but my past has proven otherwise. “I appreciate that. In fact, could I get his phone number from you by chance? We haven’t exchanged that information yet. Our last two conversations were a little strained.”
She pulls her phone from her back pocket and sends me Grady’s number via text after I give her mine. “And now I have yours too.”
“Thank you.” I make a mental note to text him later and then check the time. “I need to get going. Work calls, you know?”
Willow and Astrid nod. “It was really nice to meet you, Scottie,” Willow says.
“Likewise.”
“And I’m serious. Reach out if you need anything. We take care of each other around here and you’re practically family now,” Astrid says.
“If you don’t reach out, she will probably hunt you down and insert herself in your life anyway,” Willow adds. “That’s what she did to me when I moved to town.”
“Hey! Don’t act like you didn’t appreciate my offer of friendship,” Astrid admonishes, making me laugh. “And I’m pretty sure you were the one with the addiction to blueberry muffins, so you hunted me down first.”
Willow walks over to her and pulls her in for a hug. “I’m just kidding. Of course I did, Astrid. It’s because of you, and Dallas too of course, that Carrington Cove started to feel like home.”
This town hasn’t been my home in years, but being back here again, seeing how people interact, and being surrounded by family has reminded me of what home should feel like.
Georgia never felt like that. Sure, we had friends and coworkers we hung out with, but Andrew’s family was never truly welcoming, and as our marriage dissolved, I felt more and more alone.
“Thank you. Both of you. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.
” With a nod of my head, I exit the bakery feeling overwhelmed by my reality.
Astrid seems genuine and she and Willow obviously have a strong friendship, but my focus right now needs to be on how to navigate my relationship with Grady.
Oh, and telling my boss that the employee she just hired will be going on maternity leave in roughly six months.
On the drive to work, I inhale one of the apple fritters, moaning with every bite. My stomach is finally happy, but my nerves are still going haywire. Let’s just hope today goes by quickly and smoothly without any other surprises for me. I don’t think I could take any more at this point.
***
“Okay, well…”
“I’m sorry, Alaina.”
My new boss shakes her head at me, tapping the desk in front of her.
“Don’t you dare apologize. You’re having a child and should be celebrating that.
Hell, at least you’re dating. I can’t remember the last time I spent a few hours alone with a man.
” Her eyes bug out. “Oh god, I can’t believe I just said that. That was unprofessional, wasn’t it?”
“Not at all. I get it. That’s how I ended up in this situation, unfortunately. The father and I…we’re not romantically involved. It was just…unexpected, obviously.”
“I see.” She brushes her bangs from her eyes.
“Well, it’s okay. We can work around this.
You’re not due until September, so we’ll just start the new year in August with someone to fill in for you temporarily, and then you can return later in the fall.
” She brushes her hands in the air. “See? No big deal.”
Hearing her talk about the future that’s only a matter of months away just reminds me of all the decisions I need to make and haven’t even begun to think about yet.
“That sounds agreeable.”
“Of course. In the meantime, business will operate as usual. Just let me know if you’re not feeling well or need a break, and we can work around that too.”
Standing from the chair opposite her desk, I reach out to shake her hand.
“Thank you for being understanding about this. The last thing I wanted to tell you after you just hired me is that I’ll be leaving again in a few months.
” Shrugging, I say, “I guess I won’t be employee of the year any time soon. ”
Alaina ignores my outstretched hand as she laughs, rounds her desk, and pulls me in for a hug. “Scottie, you’re having a baby. It’s a beautiful thing and all that matters right now is that you take care of yourself.”
Inhaling deeply, I say, “I’m trying.”
She releases me and nods. “Good. Okay, we have that parent meeting in an hour, and then I have a few observations to complete today, so I’m going to get back at it.”
“See you soon,” I tell her before exiting her office and heading back to my own. When I close the door behind me and pick up my phone from my desk, I notice a text from an unknown number.
Unknown: Hey. It’s Grady. We need to talk.
Jesus, I haven’t even texted him yet, so this is a surprise.
Me: How did you get my number?
Unknown: My sister.
Astrid. Duh. I knew this was coming, but something about his message just makes my anxiety spike for the tenth time this morning.
Me: Okay, I agree we need to talk, but I’m at work right now.
While waiting for his reply, I program his number into my phone, instantly being teleported back in time when I did this the first time. Seems we’ve both secured new cell phone numbers since then.
Grady: Can we talk tonight then? I have a bunch of questions and my head is spinning. I need to know how this is going to work, Scottie.
Me: Tonight is fine. Can you come over to my house though so I don’t have to leave Chase?
I know my son can fend for himself, but since his breaking and entering incident, he does not have any privacy or trust from me.
Grady: Absolutely. Send me your address. I’ll bring dinner.
Me: You don’t need to do that. My address is really easy. I’m renting the house right next to my mom’s. Apparently, you remember where she lives.
Grady: Yeah, I do. What time works best for you?
Me: Six?
Grady: See ya then.