Page 4 of After this Summer (Seasons in Montana: Summer #11)
INDIE
I ’m sorry, the number you have dialed…
I have no idea why I’m still trying Toni’s number other than the desperation coursing through my veins.
“Indie, I’m sorry I can’t give you more hours,” Daisy says sympathetically as she reaches for my hand. I let her take mine and she squeezes it, the gesture more comforting than I imagined. “Truly, none of us saw this coming.”
Swallowing down the nausea, I do my best to keep my smile in place. “I appreciate you giving me any hours at all,” I tell her, because Toni’s salon had been one of many in Bozeman, but we’d still been competing for business.
The whispering around town had only gotten louder since Toni’s hasty departure. A mixture of sympathy, pity, and some more cruel comments had been hurled my way.
Embarrassment heats my cheeks as I look at Daisy. She didn’t have to hire me, and I’d been na?ve to think that this was all some kind of misunderstanding. That maybe Toni would come back and tell me she made a mistake and that everything I’d been working for hadn’t gone up in smoke.
“There’s nothing the police can do?” she asks and I shake my head.
“They can’t find her and even if they could, this is a civil matter, not a criminal one.”
She frowns and my stomach rolls again, the humiliation back with a vengeance. How could I have been so foolish?
I should have known better.
My father retired from being the sheriff of Blackstone Falls, and my brother Jensen had followed in his footsteps, elected the youngest sheriff in the county’s history. How do I tell them I got scammed out of my life savings because I trusted the wrong person?
How long can I keep it from Beau?
I’d hoped that I could get things figured out before committing to a moving date, but I can feel his aggravation every time we talk.
Moving to Wintervale makes sense. I don’t want to go back to Blackstone Falls, and there is no reason for him to leave his home when his family is there anyway.
And my best friend, Pen.
But instead of celebrating and being excited about this next chapter, I’m trying like hell to hold myself together as the facade I’ve put up is starting to crumble. My phone buzzes in my pocket and I excuse myself, thanking Daisy again for being so kind, and head to the back room.
BEAU: How are you feeling today?
Panicked.
Scared.
Completely freaking out.
INDIE: I haven’t gotten sick today
BEAU: That’s good.
BEAU: That’s three days in a row, right?
I smile, despite myself, because I hit the jackpot of baby daddies. I had no way of knowing our weekend of botched-wedding fun would result in a lifetime commitment, but he’s been nothing but supportive since I told him I’m pregnant.
At least I have that going for me.
My brother Jensen has been supportive—more so since I told him that Beau was completely and totally in this with me.
My parents have been more of the same, with the exception that my mother had tried to book a flight while still on the phone with me.
My father had thankfully been the voice of reason to let me settle in, but I don’t know how long he can hold her off.
INDIE: Yes, it’s been three days and I think I’m not as tired today
BEAU: That’s really good, Stunner
Stunner.
My lips tip up and I can practically hear his low growly voice in my head as he calls me by my nickname—specifically the nickname he gave me after Pen left her wedding with her best friend instead of the groom.
Ugh.
It’s so easy to get swept up in Beau. He says all the right things, and technically, he hasn’t done anything to make me think he’s being dishonest about wanting this baby.
But there’s a difference between wanting our baby and wanting me , and for the sake of this little one growing inside me, I need to keep my feelings in check.
Because this baby comes first.
And aren’t I the dishonest one for keeping the disaster with Toni from him? It’s not his problem and I’ll die if he tries to swoop in and fix it.
I need to figure this out and fast because my rainy-day fund won’t last forever.
INDIE: Have you told your parents yet?
I ask because deflection is key.
BEAU: Have you set a date to move?
Sooner than I thought .
I sigh as I type out a response, resigned to my fate.
INDIE: About that…
BEAU: Indie…
INDIE: Is your sister’s old apartment still available?
BEAU: Yes but I told you—my house is big enough for you and the baby.
BEAU: You can have your own room
INDIE: Spending weekends together is different than playing house
BEAU: I know—just…the offer is always open
INDIE: I appreciate it
BEAU: So do you have a date?
INDIE: I’m going to start packing this weekend
INDIE: You know what that means…
BEAU: I’ll go and tell them right now
INDIE: It’s exciting, Heartthrob, isn’t it?
BEAU: I can’t wait
Clutching my phone to my chest, I let myself savor this one sweet moment. The father of my child is over the moon to tell his family now that we’re having a baby.
That I’m moving to Wintervale.
Maybe everything will turn out all right.