Page 81 of Always Be Mine
“And Craig?”
“He’s a really great dad.”
“He is.” Charli looked between them in question. “Is there something?—”
“No.”
“Nothing.”
Kat and Lucy spoke at the same time.
Oh yeah. Shedefinitelyknew there was something going on between them. At least, if she did suspect something, she wasn’t saying anything.
“Right.” Annie drew out the word and shook her head. “I’m too tired for this.”
“Me too,” Charli agreed. “And honestly, as long as nothing is going on between the two of you, that’s a good thing.”
Charli’s choice of words struck her. Fortunately, Annie asked the question she didn’t have to. “Why is that a good thing?”
The smile slipped from Charli’s pretty face and was replaced with a serious frown. “Look, I’m not saying that under any other circumstances it wouldn’t be awesome if Lucy and Craig…you know….” Her finger danced back and forth.
They all knew what she meant.
“But not in this situation,” Charli continued. “Not with everything on the line the way?—”
“I don’t think we need to go into details.” Kat jumped up and put a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “And it doesn’t matter anyway, because Lucy said there’s nothing going on.”
“There’s not.” She hated lying to them, especially now that they were all becoming friends. But it would only be for a little bit longer. Things were going so well between them, and now that Meri was six, and Craig had committed to talking to her about her birth mother, it was only a matter of time before they would tell her, and the rest of the family, about their relationship.
But what had Charli meant about everything being on the line? She wanted to ask, but the conversation quickly turned, and the women were soon talking about Charli’s latest OB appointment. Lucy half listened while she continually scanned the pool and the kids who were thankfully still playing really well together. The other girl’s parents would be by in about thirty minutes to pick them up, so they still had a few more minutes before Lucy had to start the process of getting them dried off and changed.
She let her gaze drift around to the edge of the pool room where Craig was in conversation with a man she’d never met, but knew to be a family friend, Steven Larson. The man handed Craig an envelope, but he didn’t even look at it before he folded it in half and stuffed it in his back pocket.
“What do you think, Lucy?”
She spun her attention back to the women. “About what?”
“Baby shower before or after the baby is born?” Annie asked. “I say, before.”
“Nope.” Kat shook her head. “It’s bad luck.”
“It isnotbad luck. It’s practical.”
“Just because it’s practical doesn’t mean you should risk it.”
Charli’s head swung back and forth between them as they debated the issue. “Lucy? Please help.”
“Well…” She bit her bottom lip. “I don’t think it’s bad luck to have the shower before the baby is born. But—” she added quickly before Kat could protest. “I do know a lady who had two baby showers before her little girl was born. She got heaps of dresses, and pink blankets, for baby Samantha. And then she had a boy.” Lucy shrugged to make her point. “So, there’s that.”
“No way? That did not happen.”
“It sure did,” she told Annie.
“Well, that won’t matter to me anyway.” Charli rested her hand on her belly. “Because I’m not finding out either way. We want to be surprised.”
“I still don’t think it’s a good idea.” Kat shook her head. “But I guess it’s not my choice.” She crossed her arms over her chest, and Charli laughed.
“What is the problem with you today? Seriously.”
