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“I’m dying, darling. You have no idea how hot it is here. Who the hell goes to Florida in June?”
I chuckled and dropped my purse on the kitchen table. “The answer would be you, Mom.”
She sighed heavily. “Well, I’m an idiot. But not as big of one as Christy for planning this godforsaken trip.”
Christy shouted in the background.
“I may be getting paid, but there isn’t enough money in the world for me to put this much baby powder between my legs,” Mom grumbled.
“Other than melting, how is it going?” I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and twisted off the cap.
“The only saving grace about this trip is Christy has amazing taste in food. She took me to this place in Cape Canaveral called Rusty’s. Best seafood I have ever had in my life.”
It was almost as if I could hear her salivating through the phone. “Well, there is your silver lining, Mama.”
“It’s only a silver lining if she takes me there every day.”
“We can't eat at the same damn place every day, Susan,” Christy hollered. “We’ve been here for three days, and you’ve made me eat there four times already.”
“I think she’s finally understanding my love for good food.”
“Other than the food, there has to be something else you like.” I took a swig of the water and walked over to the pantry. I was starving and ready to eat an elephant. My morning sickness that lasted through the whole day was finally petering off, and now, I was just hungry all of the time.
“We get to see all the spaceships and everything. Plus Christy’s friends and sister are nice.”
“See, there ya go. It may be hot, but you’re having fun.”
“Hotter than Satan’s behind,” she grumbled. She cleared her throat. “Now, tell me how you are.”
“Just going to school and working, Mom. Same as if you were here.”
“I know, but when I’m there, I make sure you eat and get enough sleep. I’m afraid you’re going to run yourself ragged if I’m not there.”
I grabbed the jar of peanut butter, marshmallow fluff, and a sleeve of crackers. The baby was making sure I was starving. I craved anything sweet.
That wasn’t entirely true.
I just craved food.
“Eating and sleeping,” I promised. “I was in bed before twelve last night, and I didn’t have to be up until nine today. Nothing for you to worry about here, Mama.”
“Well, that’s a first. Normally, you’re up ‘til dawn and barely eating enough to function.”
“I’ve been functioning just fine.”
“Well, make sure you keep it up. We won’t be back ‘til a week or so after the Fourth of July.”
“Did you really just call to make sure I was eating and sleeping?” I set the food on the counter and grabbed a paper plate.
“I’m your mother. That’s what I’m supposed to do. Worry and make sure you’re eating.”
I looked at the two spreads and crackers. “I can tell you for a fact I’m eating.”
“Good. I’ll call you tomorrow to make sure you keep it up.”
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Mama.”
I hung up the phone, made about ten mini cracker sandwiches with the peanut butter and fluff, then sat my ass down on the couch. Since I had picked up a shift at the restaurant yesterday, that meant I didn’t need to work tonight.
Vegging out in front of the TV was the only thing I planned.
I pointed the remote at the TV and flipped through the channels ‘til I landed on reruns of Full House.
I inhaled the plate of crackers, and my stomach growled for more food. “Are you kidding me?” I said to my belly. “How can you still be hungry, kid?” I laughed.
My phone rang in the kitchen, and I jumped up to answer it.
It was Jay.
Hell. I had been short with him yesterday because I was trying to work and not get fired. Also because that was just how I was when I texted.
“Uh, hello?”
“Delaney?”
I closed my eyes and tried not to like my name coming from his lips. “That’s me.”
“You busy?” he asked.
“Uh, just grabbing a snack and watching TV.” It was a second snack, but he didn’t need to know that. My eating habits were rather large and not anything I liked to share.
“Oh, I was calling to see if maybe you wanted to grab something to eat.”
My jaw dropped, and I tried to find something to say. Why on earth did Jay want to go out to eat with me? “Uh, well, I just had some crackers.”
“Good,” he laughed. “Then I can have the appetizer all to myself.”
“What?” That wasn’t what I meant at all. “I mean, I ate. I’m good.” I did not need a pity date from Jay Perez just because he knocked me up.
“You ate crackers, and now you’re good. For the rest of the night? ‘Til you wake up in the morning.”
“Well, no. I mean, I can just eat at home. I don’t need to go out.”
“Then I’ll bring dinner to you if you don’t want to go out. Pizza or Chinese.”
My stomach growled at the mention of pizza. A huge cheesy slice with pepperoni and onions sounded magical right now. “You’re coming over?”
“Yeah. Just as soon as you tell me what you are craving and where you live.”
I looked around the kitchen and sighed. I lived with my mom.
I did not want Jay coming over.
“Uh, you know what? I guess I’m not hungry. No need for you to come over.”
“Delaney,” he drawled. “You need to eat.”
I rolled my eyes and set my paper plate on the counter. “Trust me, Jay. I’m eating.” Way more than I probably should be.
“I’m coming over.”
“You don’t even know where I live, Jay. Have fun figuring that out.”
“I’ll just drive up and down every street knocking on everyone's door until you come out.”
I laughed. “How do you even know what town I live in?” For all he knew, I could be from a few towns over. We really knew nothing about each other.
“You live in Leeds Square. It really won’t take me long to figure out where you live. I’ll just ask around where the hot med student lives.”
“You really don’t need to lay on the charm, Jay.”
“I think you’re talking about my personality, Delaney. That was my personality you told me to lay off on.”
I scoffed. “Well, your personality is much too charming. Knock it off.”
“Tell me where you live, and I promise I’ll try to reel it in.”
“If you come, you need to bring pizza with extra cheese, pepperoni, and onions. Heavy on the sauce.” My stomach growled again. Yeah, I was going to annihilate that pizza if he came over.
“Just give me your address, babe, and I’ll be right over.”
“Don’t call me that,” I blurted. It didn’t feel right for him to call me that. I felt that was what he called any woman he came into contact with.
I didn’t want to be lumped together with all of the other women he had been with.
“What did I call you?”
Jesus. He was so used to calling any woman he met babe that he didn’t even know he was doing it. “Babe. Please don’t call me babe.” I rattled off my address before he could say another word then ended the call.
He started speaking right when I hit the end call button.
I tossed the phone down and braced my arms on the counter. My eyes focused on the tiny bump slightly bulging against my shirt. “I think you just made me look totally hormonal, bump.”
Yeah, that was completely hormonal. That was the only thing that could explain the slight sting of jealousy I had felt when I thought of Jay with other women.
We weren’t even together. Why in the hell would I be jealous of the women he was with? He was totally single, and I was just his baby mama.
“That’s all it is, bump. He’s your dad, and there isn’t anything else there. That’s all it is,” I repeated.
Maybe if I kept telling myself that, I would actually start feeling that way.
I did know if he called me babe to my face, I was likely to punch him in the nuts and totally blame it on my hormones.
*
