Chapter Twelve

It had started raining after all, and Lauren spent the afternoon in her bedroom. She did a little work and also a little reading. Currently, she was devouring an article in a magazine she picked up in town called Pregnant Women Monthly.

Today, she was learning about how her body was going to change over the coming months. She couldn’t deny that there was a lot of gross stuff in here. Mucus plug? No thank you.

She flipped through the rest of the pages, stopping on a collage with sleeping newborns. She almost sighed as she took in the angelic little faces. She ran her fingers over the page, imagining that she would be having her own little bundle of joy.

“What’s that?”

Lauren jumped a mile at Grams’s voice. She quickly covered the magazine.

“Scare a person to death, Grams. Jeez.”

Grams narrowed her eyes in that way she had. She was like a velociraptor trying to figure out her next meal choice. Not for the first time in her life, Lauren was thrilled that Grams couldn’t read her mind. Because she definitely wouldn’t take kindly to being compared to a ferocious dinosaur.

Actually, she probably would.

“Heard you and your sister had quite the morning,” Grams said, leaning against the doorjamb.

“Mine wasn’t too eventful, but Brooke’s certainly was interesting,” she said with a wry smile.

“Heard she got run down by an enormous dog.”

Relaxing, Lauren laughed. “You heard right.”

“I’m sure all of Maine heard, since she’s been bitching about her dress since she got home. I believe she’s at the drycleaners right now.”

Lauren and Grams both rolled their eyes.

“A tragic day in the life of Brooke,” Lauren said. “Getting dirt on her dress while an adorable dog named Princess licked her.”

“Princess?” Grams closed her eyes while she thought about that. “That would be Kai’s dog.”

Interested, Lauren sat up. “You know him?”

Grams shook her head. “I haven’t met him yet. But the whole town is abuzz with his arrival. You know how gossipy they are about a new person.”

They weren’t the only ones. Grams was probably the conductor on this gossip train.

“Peggy and Wendy told me he was hot.”

“Oh yeah. He’s definitely hot. Do you think…”

She trailed off, wondering if she should broach this subject with Grams. Especially when she didn’t have all the information yet. Brooke would no doubt kill her for even thinking it. Despite how much Brooke annoyed the shit out of her, she was her sister, and there was no way she wanted to see her in a bad, unhealthy relationship.

“Spit it out, girl,” Grams said, an impatient tone to her voice.

“Never mind,” Lauren said, shaking her head.

“Do I think what?” Grams prodded.

Lauren scooted forward on the bed. “Do you think Brooke and Lucas’s relationship is healthy?”

“Of course it’s not healthy,” Grams said. “They met at work. I told her not to date a coworker, but did she listen? I swear, that one with her head in the clouds and romance on the brain. Not to mention that Lucas’s snobby parents own the company. There’s nothing healthy about that. It’s dangerous.”

Lauren hated when she and Grams agreed. It wasn’t natural. “I told her the same thing.”

“See?” Grams wagged a finger from the doorway. “Doesn’t listen.”

“Their relationship just seems so…unbalanced,” Lauren decided. “I’m a little worried.”

“Well, stop,” Grams said, finally coming into the room. Immediately, she went to a pile of Lauren’s laundry and started refolding a shirt on top.

“What are you doing? I just folded that.”

“You folded it wrong.”

Lauren growled under her breath. “There is nothing wrong with the way I do laundry. And anyway, they’re my clothes.” She reached for the shirt, but Grams ignored her.

“As I was saying,” Grams continued, “you have your own shit to worry about.”

Lauren froze. What was she talking about? Did Grams know about the baby? “What do you mean?” she asked cautiously.

“Everyone saw you and Ethan fighting near the docks this morning.”

Lauren relaxed, but only a little. “We were not fighting. We were talking. There’s a difference.”

“What were you talking about?” Grams studied a pair of shorts in the laundry pile before putting it aside. Apparently, it was folded adequately now.

“We were discussing how nosy my grandmother is,” Lauren said.

“Cute. Anyway, you should seriously consider not seeing that boy.”

Lauren peered at her grandmother. “I’m thirty-three years old. Are you telling me I can’t see someone?”

“It’s not that you can’t date Ethan. It’s that you shouldn’t date him.”

“Grams!” Lauren fell back against her pillows. “You need to chill.”

She snapped a finger in front of Lauren’s face. “You are supposed to be here to help your sister. How are you doing that when you’re so busy prancing around town with Ethan?”

“I don’t prance.” Lauren chewed on her lip. Grams had a point.

“Your sister is downstairs now. Why don’t you go talk with her?”

Pregnancy brain must be a real thing. For the second time today, she agreed with Grams.

…

“I hate you,” Gabby said. “You know that, right?”

Lauren tapped her pen against her laptop. “Insulting me will not end this session of ‘help Gabby learn how to manage money.’”

“I know how to manage money.” Gabby’s face fell. “Just not well.”

“Exactly. You’ve always been bad with money.”

Gabby slumped down in her chair, which pulled at something in Lauren’s heart.

They’d been reviewing Gabby’s personal finances for over an hour. Her criminal roommate had done a real number on her miniscule savings account. But Gabby wasn’t helping matters with her lackadaisical spending.

They’d set up shop in the dining room, one of the rooms that was rarely used, since Grams always preferred to eat at the large, and much less formal, kitchen table. But Lauren had always liked this room, even though the wallpaper was old and there was a stuffy-looking Persian rug sitting on top of the wood floors.

Grams had a beautiful oak table that extended to fit twelve people. On one wall she had this really ornate China cabinet where she displayed her mother’s dishes, which were a delicate pearl color with tiny rosebuds on the rim. Lauren had never eaten off them, and she didn’t think she’d ever seen Grams use them, either.

On the other wall was an absolutely gorgeous stained-glass window. The center design had a trio of roses. When they were little, Lauren told her sisters that there was a rose for each of them and that’s why there were three. That had been a lie, of course, since the window had been installed in the early twentieth century.

“Listen, Gabs, everyone goes through bad financial times at some point.”

Gabby frowned. “I’m kind of at an all-time low.”

“Which means there’s nowhere to go but up.” Lauren made a few more notes. “And you’re doing something about it. We’ll get you back on track.”

“Maybe you should have been a financial advisor,” Gabby said.

No, Lauren knew without a doubt she’d chosen the right career path. Not that she’d set out to be a social media strategist. How could she when that career hadn’t existed when she was growing up?

She’d majored in communications in college, not really knowing what she was going to do with that degree. She liked to write and thought about different avenues in that area. But after falling into a low-level job in a large marketing firm after graduation, she ended up gaining experience and moving up the ladder into different positions until she found social media.

“I’m good where I am,” she said, peering at the spreadsheet she’d created with Gabby’s finances. She pointed at something on the screen. “What about this expense? If you’re really leaving New York, it can go away.”

“I’m definitely leaving.” Gabby sat back in her seat, twisting a piece of hair around her finger as she stared at the computer screen.

“What about your taxes?” Lauren asked. “Did you do them this year? Turn them in on time?”

Gabby nodded, and Lauren tried not to make her relief too obvious. She didn’t want to offend her.

“What about marriage?” Gabby asked.

Lauren turned. “What about it?”

“What if—hypothetically, mind you—you had to file taxes and you were married? You know, like, in the future? Don’t you have to file jointly?”

“I think you can file separately. Why?”

“Just wondered. I, uh, had a friend who got married this year. I was thinking about her earlier.” She coughed. “Anyway, maybe you and Ethan will get married someday. High school sweethearts.”

Lauren rolled her eyes. “First of all, we weren’t high school sweethearts. We could barely stand each other back then.”

“You were together all the time. I remember.” Gabby took a sip of the tall glass of iced tea Grams had brought in earlier.

“We were friends. But friends who didn’t like each other. And anyway, I’m not going to marry Ethan or anyone else.”

Gabby’s eyes widened. “Why not?”

She shrugged. “I don’t really want to get married.”

“Stop,” Gabby said dramatically. “You don’t want to get married? Like, ever?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so.” She tapped the pen against her lips. “I want to be in a long-term, committed relationship. I guess I just don’t think you need a piece of paper for that to happen.”

Gabby let out a short laugh. “I have one sister who does nothing but think of weddings. My other sister doesn’t want to get married at all. Where does that leave me?”

“Somewhere in the middle,” Lauren suggested. “Speaking of, you haven’t talked about a relationship in a while.”

Gabby squirmed, suddenly very interested in the papers in front of her. Interesting. There must be someone in her life.

“Are you seeing someone?”

Gabby made a pained face. “Nothing like that. No. Definitely not.”

She doth protest too much.

Lauren practically bounced in her seat. “Gabbykins. Who is it?”

Gabby pushed away from the table abruptly, making her glass of iced tea wobble. Lauren righted it before it could spill onto her laptop.

“Sorry,” Gabby said. “I’m going to grab a snack. Want anything?”

Yes—answers. A look into what was going on in Gabby’s life. “I’m good.”

She watched Gabby walk into the kitchen, haunted by her reaction. Lauren had a feeling they were nearing the end of their session together. As she began to tidy up the space, her thoughts went from Gabby to relationships to marriage.

Was it weird that she wasn’t into the idea? It didn’t take a therapist to figure out that her issues were directly related to watching her mom and dad. Or maybe even something to do with control, which Lauren liked having at all times. Marriage seemed unpredictable to her. Another person was thrown into the mix, and you had to navigate things together. No thank you.

Even being a bride never appealed to her. Seemed like a lot of stress. She’d never really fantasized about a wedding like other people she knew. Sure, it would be cool to wear a fancy dress, and she’d definitely be into cake tasting. But she’d watched perfectly rational, levelheaded friends lose their cool while planning their weddings.

Lauren heard the sound of very heavy footsteps on the old wooden floors right before Ethan appeared around the corner and asked, “Whatcha doin’?”

“How did you get in?”

He grinned. “The front door.”

“Cute,” she said. “What are you doing here?”

“Yes, what are you doing here?” Grams asked as she walked into the dining room, wearing an apron, with a towel also slung over her shoulder. She had a rolling pin, which she was hitting against her other hand. “Didn’t you just see her this morning? Are the two of you that codependent already?”

“Honestly, Grams.”

Ethan leaned over and swiped a quick kiss over Lauren’s mouth, which fell open in shock. “I missed her,” he said to Grams. “How are you doing, Mrs. Josephs?”

Grams peered at him for a full minute. “You want some iced tea?”

“Sure,” Ethan said jovially. Grams went back into the kitchen and then returned with iced tea. Lauren noticed that Ethan’s glass had a lemon wedge and a straw. Not to mention a little plate piled with homemade cookies. Interesting. Grams must like Ethan. The rest of them never got such treatment.

“What’s your real reason for coming over?” she asked.

“I did miss you.”

He looked around the room, and Lauren followed his gaze. They were alone. Good thing, too, since this time he framed her face with his hands and kissed the hell out of her.

“I brought your sunglasses back.”

“Huh?” she asked, dazed from that kiss. Hands down, Ethan was the best kisser.

“The reason I’m here. I brought your sunglasses.” He produced them from his back pocket. “You left them on the bench near the water.”

“Oh my god. Thank you. I can’t believe I did that. I tell you. My brain has been so muddled since—” Lauren cut herself off.

Of course, Grams chose that moment to reenter the room. “Since what?” she asked.

“Since, since…” Lauren stumbled.

“Since you had that big online conference thing for work.” Ethan sat next to her. “I have to admit that I still don’t get everything about your job, but I know you must have really worked your butt off.”

She grinned at Ethan.

“Hey, Daddy!” Gabby said gleefully to Ethan as she sauntered back into the room. Lauren’s heart fell as Grams perked up, looking over at Gabby.

“Oooo,” Gabby dragged out. “Hey, Daddy-o. What’s shakin’?”

“Are we in a movie from the fifties right now?” Grams asked. “I was already there once. I don’t need to live it again.” With that, Grams once again left the room.

Lauren let out a long breath of relief. “Daddy-o? Seriously?”

Gabby grimaced. “Sorry.”

Ethan’s smile had never faltered. He took a moment to look at everything laid out on the table. “What’s all this?”

“Well,” Gabby began, “my lovely sister here has taken it upon herself to make me her next project.”

Lauren shook her head. “You’re way more than a project, Gabs.”

“She’s helping me get my life together,” Gabby amended. “Now that I’m moving back here from New York. I just have to decide what I want to do. What I can actually do. Where I should live. Here with Grams or get my own place. How to afford my own place. Where I want to be in five years.”

“So, just some light decisions,” Ethan said.

“Exactly.” Gabby pointed at him. “What do you think I should do, Ethan?”

He ran a hand over his chin. “Well, I know you’re a really good actress.”

“How do you know that?” Gabby asked. Lauren had to wonder the same thing.

“I remember some of your middle school plays. But also, people talk about it at the bar. Seaside Cove is proud of their very own Meryl Streep.”

Gabby smiled shyly. “That’s nice to hear.”

“However,” Ethan continued, “it seems like you’ve been there, tried that.”

“Yes.” Gabby sat up straighter.

“Ready to try something new and different?”

Lauren batted Ethan’s arm. “Don’t tell her that.”

“Why not? Anyone can see it.”

“You’ve talked to her for a whole thirty seconds. What do you know about what she wants to do?”

“In that thirty seconds, I was able to ascertain that she isn’t happy with acting anymore. Mainly because she didn’t mention it at all.”

“She has years invested into her craft,” Lauren countered. “Classes and workshops and headshots and an impressive résumé.”

“And lions and tigers and bears,” Gabby added.

“Plus, she was on Broadway,” Ethan continued. “She did her thing. Now she wants something different.”

“Do I get a say?” Gabby asked.

“Shh,” Lauren said, staring daggers at Ethan.

“This is the time for you to try new things,” Ethan said to Gabby. “Get out there and explore.”

“Yes, exactly.” Gabby was nodding.

“No, no, no,” Lauren said, waving her hands. “She is not going to explore. She needs to repair her finances and her life. She could teach acting, singing, or dancing.”

“I really don’t want to teach.”

Lauren ignored her sister. “She could talk to different agents up here. Get some local work. Maybe try out for a play at the community theater.”

“You’re not listening to me, Lauren,” Gabby said.

“No, you’re not listening to her,” Ethan agreed. “It’s easier to try new things when you’re younger and have fewer responsibilities.”

Lauren froze. She looked from Ethan to her stomach. “Is this about the baby?”

Ethan threw his hands up. “There’s a big leap.”

“You didn’t answer the question.”

“Because it’s a ridiculous question.”

She was going to puke. Ethan and his stupid adventures. Of course he thought Gabby should just wander off and go wherever the wind took her. Without a plan, without fear of consequences.

She opened her mouth to really give him a piece of her mind when she felt something. Oh no. It wasn’t just figurative puke. It was very real nausea. She covered her mouth a second before she shot up and ran to the bathroom. She barely made it there before she emptied her stomach.

When she was done heaving, she sat back, realizing that Ethan was behind her, holding her hair away from her face.

“Feel better?” he asked softly.

“Ugh. Kill me now. I hate throwing up.”

“Not on my list of favorites, either.”

She stood up, a little wobbly. Ethan reached out to steady her. She held on to the sink for just a minute, gathering herself. “Thanks.” She rinsed her mouth out before splashing water on her face.

“Why do they call it morning sickness when it can happen at any time of the day or night? That’s some bad branding.”

“Did you just get sick?” Grams said from the hallway.

“No. Yes. Just a little.”

“How do you get a little sick? Either you threw up or you didn’t.”

Gabby joined them in the hallway as well. Her face was filled with panic.

“I did, but I’m fine now.”

Grams stood back and crossed her arms. “Oh really. What made you sick in the first place?”

“It was probably…” Gabby began, but then looked off into the distance.

“Yes?” Grams asked.

“I think it was…” Ethan chimed in but also had nothing to save her.

“Food poisoning,” Lauren said as the thought popped into her mind.

“Food poisoning?” Grams repeated. “From what? You ate at my café this morning. Don’t you tell me that I gave you food poisoning.”

“No, you didn’t. Of course not,” she said, desperate to fix this.

Lauren thought back to high school. She remembered the time her friend Danielle, who was a vegetarian, had drank too much at a party and gotten sick. They told Danielle’s mother that she’d eaten meat. Her mom bought it.

“I gave up red meat,” she said, inspired by her memory.

“What?” Ethan and Grams asked at the same time.

“That’s right. I don’t eat red meat anymore. Earlier today, Ethan gave me a hamburger.”

Grams hit Lauren in the arm. “Why in the hell would you eat a hamburger if you gave up red meat?”

“That’s a good question. I guess because I didn’t want Ethan to feel bad. Which was wrong. Because that’s why I got sick.”

“That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. You expect me to believe that?” Grams put her hands on her hips.

This was it. They were done for. Their secret was about to be out.

Grams leaned forward and peered at her. “No one in their right mind would give up red meat. What is wrong with you?”

Lauren just shrugged.

As Grams turned and walked back into the kitchen with Gabby, Lauren heard her mumbling about vegetarians and “hippy-dippy, oaty-crunchy people who couldn’t enjoy a damn burger.”

Lauren and Ethan looked at each other.

“Crisis averted,” he said.

“For now.”

Lauren knew she wasn’t going to have much time before Grams found out about the baby. Then, everything would change.