“I would never cause a scene.”
Another contraction, a smaller one, caught hold of her. She was able to straighten up in only a minute or so.
Jack’s face was a mask of horror. “Are you in labor? You can’t have that baby in here.”
“I would never!” Cordy was shocked—she had much better professional courtesy than that. “But I need to find Chance.”
Jack shook his head. “I’ve seen a lot of shit in this bar—had a lot of women come in looking for husbands or boyfriends or baby daddies—but never one about to give birth. This will be a hell of a story.”
He lifted his hand and lazily pointed to a corner booth shrouded in darkness. “Over there. And I’ll turn up the lights because this’ll be good.”
When the overhead fluorescents came on, Cordy almost gagged. This place was not meant to be seen in any light, much less the unflinching glare of office lighting. The carpet was dirt gray, the walls covered with scuffs, and several panels were missing from the ceiling. It was like someone had trashed an empty building and then decided to set up a bar inside.
With effort, she choked down her instinctive revulsion. It would be rude to sneer at someone else’s establishment, even if this bar should be burned to the ground.
Everyone was staring at her. But she didn’t care because she wasn’t here for them.
Cordy was here for the man watching her from under heavy, hooded eyes.
There was no one in the booth next to Chance. No one laughing at his jokes or rubbing up against him. No one listening to his stories or gazing up at him seductively. No one but himself.
A tall, ice-filled glass sat in front of him. Cordy immediately clocked it as water.
So Chance had hauled himself to this dump to sit by himself and drinkwater? Somehow, that made Cordy even madder than if he’d had three women draped over him and was drunk as a skunk.
Oh no, he was definitely not getting away with this.
She set her fists on her hips and faced him down. “The sex worked!”
A gasp rippled through the crowd.
“Oh honey,” said one woman, “you should have told him that months ago.”
Chance stared back at her, his expression blank. It was like she wasn’t even there.
Well, too damn bad if he was feeling scared. Cordy squared her shoulders. He’d promised to be with her. He’d answered her ad. She’d hired him for a job, and he was damn well going to do it.
“I’m in labor. It worked.” She swallowed hard, fear suddenly seizing her chest and squeezing tight. She was going to have a baby.It was finally happening. Her voice splintered. “I’m scared. And you promised to be with me.”
“I know what I said.” His mouth was grim. “I remember everything.”
Was that a crack about last night? About how he’d finally let his guard down with her and regretted it?
You might not want me in your mess,she wanted to yell,but we’re both in deep, and it’s too late to back out!
But that wasn’t true.
Chance had a choice here. He could stay in this bar and keep doing his stupid, safe one-night stand rule.
Or he could keep his promise and meet Cordy at the hospital. It was all up to him. She’d talked big about dragging him out, butin the end, only Chance could drag himself out of the hole he’d made.
“Ruby’s driving me to the hospital now. If you’re coming, then come. I won’t ask you again.” Cordy lifted her chin. “Either I see you at the hospital, or I don’t.”
Then she turned and left, pretending to be brave when she was more terrified than she’d ever been in her life.
twenty-three
Chance had gone searchingfor escape in the Red Dog. There were no memories of Cordy there, so it had seemed the perfect choice.
