Page 91 of Catnip, Claws, and Chaos

After half an hour or so and two cups of coffee, the guest room door opens. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Paul’s muttering.

“That doesn’t surprise me.” Judging from her tone, Mrs. Potter’s upset about something.

I turn around and see the two of them walking toward me, both wearing perplexed expressions. “Problem solved?” I ask. A quick look passes between them, but neither one says anything. “Uh, how much do I owe you, Paul?” There’s a weird vibe in the room, and I can’t figure it out.

“You know, Mr. Price, why don’t you just pay me the next time?” Paul says, looking from me to Mrs. Potter. “I really need to get going now.”

“I’ll see you out—” says Mrs. Potter, but Paul interrupts.

“No, ma’am, that won’t be necessary. I know the way. Thank you.”

The man rushes out as if he were fleeing a burning house, closing the door quietly behind him. I turn around to ask Mary what the hell’s going on, but one look at her face silences me.

“Logan Edward Price,” she thunders. “Is there something you want to tell me?” She marches toward me, holding her index finger up in front of my nose. Her eyes shoot daggers at me.

I’m taller than she is, even seated on the barstool, yet the way she looks at me makes me feel like a little boy.

I swallow hard. “I really have no idea what you’re talking about, Mary.”

It’s the truth. I haven’t done anything besides sit here and drink my damn coffee. So why’s she suddenly so pissed off at me?

“All right, then explain this to me.” She sets something on the kitchen island. It’s a little white plastic stick.

“I don’t kn—” Suddenly, I stop short and look more closely at the thing. “It can’t be,” I whisper, picking up the little white stick. The digital display clearly reads 'PREGNANT' in bold letters.

“Do you know what this is, Logan?” Mary’s tone has softened after she sees the distraught look on my face.

It’s a nightmare,I’d like to tell her, but instead, I just nod.

“This,” she says, pointing at the goddamned stick, “is the reason the toilet was stopped up. After Emily left, I thought it would be a good idea to clean and straighten up the guest room. You know, in case it was needed. I saw that there was something in the toilet that shouldn’t be there, so I called Paul, but the poor man had so much work he couldn’t come until this morning.”

I hear her words, but they don’t make any sense. I keep staring at the pregnancy test. What the hell was it doing in the toilet? I chuckle. So typical of Emily to do something weird like that.

“Logan?”

The laugh dies on my lips. A positive pregnancy test can only mean one thing.

“Logan?” I hear again.

I shake my head. No, there has to be some other explanation. I can’t believe Emily’s really?—

“She’s pregnant, Logan.”

“What?” My head jerks up, and my eyes find Mary’s.

She gives me a kind smile. “Emily’s pregnant.”

“I guess so,” I whisper.

“And it’s yours.” It’s not really a question, but I still nod. I know Emily hasn’t been with anyone else. She’s not that type of girl. “Logan, dear, is this why she left? Why you and Emily aren’t together anymore?”

“We weren’t together to begin with. It’s complicated.” I shake my head again, trying to clear it.

“Do you think I’m some old prude, my boy? I know how sex works. What I don’t understand is why you let her go. She’s carryingyourchild.”

“But I didn’t know that!” I blurt, running a hand nervously through my hair. “And even if I had, it wouldn’t change anything. Emily and the baby will be better off without me.”

“Why do you say that?”