It almost had already.
30
Scarlett
I sank to my knees for the third time this morning. There wasn’t anything left in my stomach to empty, but it was revolting, nonetheless. I hadn’t had that much to drink the other night at Harpoon’s Halloween party, but when I was ill the next morning, I figured I just couldn’t hang like I used to despite still being in my twenties.
Now that it was Sunday and more than twenty-four hours had passed, I was rethinking my theory. I hoped that whatever this bug was that I’d caught would pass quickly.
It was weird though. Besides the frequent trips to the bathroom, I was actually feeling pretty good. Maeve, Claire, and I had a breakfast at Downtown Diner planned for this morning, so I hauled myself off the bathroom floor and finished getting ready. Luke had left for work a few hours ago, so it was just me in the house.
It hit me how long it had been since I’d stayed at my own place. I was paying my rent mostly through my savings still. I hadn’t spent much time over the past few weeks looking to fill the days I wasn’t at Daisy’s with a second job, but I reallyneeded to get my butt in gear and figure it out.
Downtown Diner was noisy and full this morning. Luckily, Maeve had snagged us a booth in the back already. I joined her table, and a minute later, Claire sidled up next to me, as well.
“Morning, besties. No kids today?” I asked Maeve.
“Nope. Wyatt’s got them. He’s been working like crazy now that Jackson is in school and can’t help out as much,” she said. Her brother had started working in Wyatt’s garage as an apprentice mechanic, but he was completing his coursework to be officially certified. “He hates missing out on time with the girls, so he insisted on a daddy-daughter’s day today.” A sparkle gleamed in her eyes as she talked about her family.
“Have you talked to Daisy yet?” Claire asked. Maeve hadn’t been at the Halloween party, so we filled her in on how the night ended.
“I talked to her yesterday. She’s okay. She said she was more scared than anything.”
“It’s so crazy what’s happening in this town. The break-ins… assaulting a woman in a bar… poor Alana…” Maeve said, her eyes downcast as she listed the events of the past six months.
“You ladies talking about the other night?” Sheila came up to our table to take our orders. “I heard that she was lucky Luke showed up when he did.”
“And Wes. They both went to check out the scream that they heard. Wes chased after the guy while Luke stayed with Daisy.”
“I wouldn’t want to see Wes gunning after me, that’s for sure. A gentle giant, that man, but I imagine he instills quite the fright,” she said.
We placed our orders, and Sheila dropped them off just a few minutes later.
I shoveled the food into my mouth, ravenous after losing my contents over the past day. I sat back and took a breath, filling my lungs, a fullness settling in my belly.
“Ugh, I’m so bloated,” I complained. “I feel like I’ve been PMSing for a week. I wish my period would just start already.”
“Did you say that you’ve been excessively tired lately too?” Claire asked, her pancakes dripping with syrup on her fork.
“Yeah. I didn’t expect the flower shop to be so exhausting. I’m dead on my feet by the end of the day. Even on my days off, I still feel tired.”
Maeve and Claire caught eyes from across the table. I didn’t like that look. Those silent conversations were never any good. I would know. I had been part of them plenty of times.
“And you’ve been throwing up the last few days?” Claire asked.
“Yes,” I replied slowly.
“And how long have you and Luke been, you know… together?” Maeve asked.
“No.” I was already shaking my head. That line of questioning was only leading to one place. “Nope. Not possible.”
“Even with protection, anything is possible,” Maeve added. My nose crinkled, and I pulled my lips into a tight line. “You do use protection, right?”
“Scarlett…” Claire prodded.
“Sometimes.” My teeth sank into my bottom lip. “I mean, the first time, it just sort of… happened. And after that, it kind of felt like, what was the point? You know.”
“This, Scarlett. This is the point,” Maeve whisper-hissed. “Are you on birth control, at least?”
