Page 86 of Resisting Isaac

We ride to the pharmacy in comfortable silence. It’s a short drive and Antonio is a man of few words. He reminds me of my father, and I’m mostly weighed down by guilt the entire way into town.

For a moment, I’m worried he might try to walk me into the pharmacy, but he only parks on the street and tells me to take my time.

An electronic chime sounds when I walk into the small Main Street storefront with theParadise Valley Drugssign out front. I make a beeline for the feminine products aisle with my head down.

When I reach the shelf, ironically labeledfamily planning,there are more options than I’m prepared for. I grab two, one that appears to have two lines if it’s positive and another more expensive one that helpfully spells out the p-word for morons like me.

To be safe, I go ahead and grab a third, which appears to feature a plus sign for expectant mothers, because maybe if I take enough of them, one will be negative, and I can keep hope alive that this isn’t happening.

But when I reach the check-out aisle, I’m pulled up short by the customer paying ahead of me.

In a black Triple Creek Ranch T-shirt that fits him snugly enough across his broad shoulders to make my insides tighten, he stands at the counter holding a small plastic sack.

Isaac.

He looks over as the cashier greets me. Those gleaming green eyes meet mine.

Then he smiles, expression full of concern. “Hey, I grabbed you something for your stomach. Figured I’d drop it by?—”

Then he sees the box in my hand. Correction,boxes.

His smile fades. The color drains from his face.

He’s pretty much me twenty minutes ago.

And for the first time since I met him, Isaac Logan doesn’t say a damn thing.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

isaac

“Those are…you’re, um?—”

Dark eyes avoid mine as I sputter like an idiot trying to remember how to form words. Or breathe. Or blink.

Is my heart still beating? I have no clue.

I’m on a full system shutdown.

Two facts and two facts only are circling my mind like sharks.

Elena is here in the pharmacy. And she has a handful of pregnancy tests.

“If you’ll move and let me check out, I’ll be much better equipped to help you finish that sentence,” she snaps.

Okay, claws are back out then. At least she isn’t puking.

But I get it. She’s panicking. I’m panicking.

Poor Agnes Mahaffey is probably pretty confused by my exchange with the next customer. But like the professional and sweet old lady she is, she smiles at Elena and rings up the tests.

My brain switches back on and I realize I’ve still got my debt card in hand, so I don’t move.

“I’ll get these too, Aggie,” I tell her.

Her grandson was on my high school championship football team, and I have full faith she won’t utter a word to anyone. There’s no telling how many locals she’s seen come in here buying condoms, pregnancy tests, and STD meds. But Agnes is a vault. A saint. I’ve never heard her say a negative word against anyone.

Elena speaks through gritted teeth as she attempts to hip check me out of her way. “That’s not necessary. I’ve got it.”