Page 14 of Can't Win 'Em All
“You were sweating like a madwoman.”
“Yes, I was hot. It wasn’t fever hot, though.”
Timidly, Olivia reached out and pressed her hand to my forehead. “You don’t feel warm,” she acknowledged after a few seconds. “A little clammy maybe. You’re not burning up, though.” She looked me over. “Do you think it’s food poisoning?”
“Doesn’t it take more than twenty minutes for food poisoning to hit you?”
“I would think so.” She nodded. “How were you feeling when you woke up this morning?”
“Fine. I felt … fine.” That was true. I’d actually felt energized when I woke up this morning, which wasn’t my way. I was the sort of person who had to ease into a morning. “I had a lot of energy. I didn’t even need to drink a pot of coffee to get it.”
“What’s your secret?” she teased, her lips curving.
I shrugged and glanced at my reflection. “I’ve looked better.”
She waved off my comment. “Don’t worry about that. You’re always pretty.”
“Oh, thank you.” I beamed at her.
She laughed. “Now you’re supposed to say that I’m always pretty too.”
“Oh, I don’t go in for reciprocal comments.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” She shook her head. “If it’s not food poisoning, what is it?”
“I have no idea. Maybe I’ve grown violently allergic to my father.” I brightened at the possibility. “That could actually work in my favor.”
She shook her head. “As much as we would all like to come down with that affliction, I don’t think that’s a real thing.”
“Right.” I blew out a sigh. “Maybe it’s just one of those little medical mysteries that will never be solved. I already feel better.”
“That’s good.” Olivia looked me over. “Although … is it possible you’re pregnant?”
On the face of it, the question made me laugh. “I’m on the shot.”
“Okay, but no birth control is a hundred percent effective. Well, except for abstinence. Have you been practicing that?”
“Yes.” That was mostly true. I’d been keeping to myself for months at this point. Well, except for that one night. That one night with Olivia’s brother. A night where we hadn’t been careful.
Still, I was on the shot. It was fine. There was no way I was pregnant. “I think it’s just a mild bout of food poisoning,” I assured her. “I bet I’m fine tomorrow.”
“Well, you should lie down for today. You know, just to make sure.”
I nodded, even though I had zero intention of lying down. “I think that sounds like a fabulous idea.”
I WENT TO A PHARMACY OFF THEcasino grounds. There was a CVS in front of Horseshoe. It saw heavy foot traffic, so I didn’t have to worry about anybody paying close attention to me. Once inside, I headed straight for the feminine hygiene aisle and grabbed the first pregnancy test I saw. Then, because I was determined to make sure there were no errors, I grabbed three more.
The clerk at the checkout barely raised an eyebrow when I dropped my haul on the counter. Even when I added a container of Tic-Tacs to the pile she didn’t flinch. “That will be eighty-five seventy-two,” she drawled when she was done ringing them up.
“For four pregnancy tests and a thing of Tic-Tacs?” I was incensed. “That’s highway robbery.”
The clerk shrugged. “You can put them back on the shelf if you don’t want them.”
I grumbled under my breath and swiped my debit card. I made her double bag the tests so nobody could read the labels through the flimsy bag, and then hurried back to the casino.
Rex was by the door when I strode through it. Despite my worries that we wouldn’t be able to get back to our easygoing friendship, I’d been wrong. Right on schedule, a week after we’d made our stupid mistake, we were back to joshing with one another on a friendly basis. There was nothing weird about it.
“Hey.” He lit up when he saw me. “I heard you puked all over your father today. That was a nice move.” He reached out to fist bump me, but I avoided it.
