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I rang again.
"You can wait here all day," grumbled the janitor beside me.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked sharply. The man was driving me crazy. Did I have to drag every word out of him? He apparently knew everything but said little. Or did he want another 50 dollars for more information?
"I saw the two of them drive off earlier. In that dented Toyota that Ms. Abbott always drives. No idea where they went. Maybe man-hunting. You know, spring fever and all that." The janitor shrugged. "They didn't look like they were coming back right away. Well, you can understand. Ms. Abbott has been alone since that creep moved out over a year ago."
My thoughts were racing.
So Isabella hadn't been involved with that man from the hotel? He hadn't been living here when we met?
And...
Man-hunting.
Isabella wanted to meet other men now?
I would have loved to give the janitor another 50 dollars. This time, to shut him up. His speculations were driving me crazy. I had just been thinking about waiting here until Isabella came home, but I couldn't stand having this guy around. Not even if Don stood next to me and kept calming me down. Besides, I really had no idea when Isabella would return.
It could be in a minute.
In an hour.
Or not until tomorrow morning.
Had I come too late after all?
"We'll come back tomorrow." With these words, I turned around, gave Don a pat on the shoulder, and walked back to the car.
"Give me the keys, I'll drive this time. It will distract me a bit. I've long since sobered up from the alcohol."
"Sure, buddy." Don handed me the car keys. "There's no opportunity to speed here anyway."
No opportunity and no reason. After all, I didn't know where Isabella was. I couldn't drive to her as quickly as possible.
I got behind the wheel.
Where was Isabella?
And what was she doing there?
Would I be able to find her in time?
Or had I started looking for her too late?
Chapter 33 ~ Isabella ~
"You'llsee,everythingwillbe fine." Hayley spoke soothingly to me as I navigated the dented Toyota through New York's evening traffic.
I swallowed. Just a few hours ago, I hadn't even known I was expecting a child. Now we were driving through New York as a trio, and I had no idea what the future would bring.
"Probably. Yes, everything will be fine. Surely." My response sounded less than convincing. "It's probably better if I see Carter later. That way, I can carefully consider what I'll say to him. How I'll break it to him."
"Exactly," Hayley beamed. "Of course, you'll have to tell him soon, but for something like this, it's better to choose the right words. Well-thought-out words, not just something that comes to mind in the moment."
Well-thought-out words. I knew myself. I'd plan the words. And at the crucial moment, I'd fumble them just like I had with the pregnancy test, the car keys, the phone, or my wallet. And all the other things I'd misplaced over the past few years. The words would be filed away somewhere in my head, inaccessible as soon as I saw Carter.
"What if he doesn't believe the child is his?" I asked. The thought formed a knot in my stomach.