“Surf Court? Is that thing still standing?”

“No. It was condemned a few years ago. They tore it down. The city bought the lot and there’s a park there now with a fishing pier.”

Jordan nodded. “Quite a bit has changed around town.”

“How long has it been since you’ve been back?”

“Six years.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. Time kinda got away from me.”

Annie nodded but didn’t comment. She liked Jordan. Even though she didn’t know much about her, Matt had mentioned her name frequently. She couldn’t imagine being away for six years. Even though she had…well, issues with her own parents, she still wouldn’t stay away.

Her gaze slid to the sofa and she looked away quickly. She wondered if she could talk Jordan into replacing the sofa. She couldn’t look at it without remembering…that night.

“What?”

Annie looked up. “What?”

Jordan raised one eyebrow. “You looked at the sofa, you blushed, you frowned and then you looked away.”

Annie felt her face turn red. “Are you always this observant?”

“Yes.”

Annie gave her a fake smile, then took a large bite from her sandwich.



Chapter Seven

“Your mother says you’ve hired Annie Thomas as office manager.”

Jordan handed her father a cold bottle of beer, then twisted the top on her own. Her mother was inside putting together a salad for their dinner.

“Yes. That’s okay, isn’t it?”

He nodded. “The store is yours to run,” he said. “I don’t have time for it.”

Jordan pulled the string on the ceiling fan, then sat down beside her father. It had been a warm day, but the evening breeze had picked up and it was pleasant out on the deck. She loved it out here. She guessed that even during the brutal days of July and August, she’d prefer to have her meals outside.

She glanced over at her father. He rarely took the time to relax and was at the restaurant seven days a week. Over the years, he’d assembled a good staff and she wondered why he didn’t slow down more. Maybe she got her work ethic from him. But he was relaxed now, she noted. His floral shorts were a bit gaudy and the Fat Larry T-shirt was snug against his ample stomach, but he had a peaceful look on his face.

“How’s Mom been?” she asked.

He didn’t pretend not to know what she meant. “She still cries at night,” he said. “I know it takes time, but…I worry she won’t get over this.”

“And what about you?” she asked gently.

“What about me?”

“You’ve been so…so strong these past few weeks. You didn’t hardly miss a day at the restaurant,” she said.

“It’s our livelihood. I can’t just walk away because—”

“Because your son died?”

He looked at her sharply. “I have responsibilities, Jordan.”

“At least Mom is letting her grief out. Have you even shed a tear?”

He stood up quickly, going to the railing. Was she out of line? Perhaps. But she’d not seen him shed a single tear, not even at the funeral. He was going on about his business as if Matt was coming back some day.

“My son died.”

Jordan went to stand beside him. “Yes. Your son died. My brother died.”

“I keep expecting him to barge into the kitchen at the restaurant and steal a fish fillet off a plate we’re about to serve,” he said with a shaky laugh. “Wearing one of those tie-dyed T-shirts he liked so.” He turned to her. “Or him out there,” he said, motioning to the bay. “Buzzing around on those Jet Skis while your mother and I entertained whatever gal he’d invited over for dinner.”

“I’m so sorry, Dad.”

He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. “Yeah. Me too. Life…well, you never know. We should all live as freely as Matt did. He liked to have fun. He didn’t stress out about anything.”

“No. No, he didn’t.”

Her father turned to her again. “It’s not just your mom who cries at night.”

She nodded, then leaned closer and kissed his cheek. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around much, Dad.”

“You’re here now.”



Chapter Eight

Annie barely made it to the toilet before she threw up. She held her stomach with both hands, waiting for the churning to pass.

“What the hell is wrong with me?”

It was the third day in a row where she’d been nauseous. Something she ate? But why was it only in the morning?

As she knelt beside the toilet, her eyes widened.

“Oh, dear God…no,” she whispered. “Please no.”

Before that thought could sink in, she vomited again. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, then rubbed her forehead. Okay, yes, she was late. Her period should have been last week. Maybe even the week before that, she thought. But the stress of Matt’s death, the funeral, finals, starting a new job as office manager…all of that contributed to her being late. Surely.

“Oh, dear God,” she murmured again.

She sat down, her back against the wall as she reached out to flush the toilet. “I can’t be pregnant. I just can’t be.”

Can I?

She panicked. Should she call her mother? God, no. What about Suzanne? Definitely no.

She leaned her head against the wall. Should she call Jordan? She closed her eyes. No.

“Do the sensible thing, Annie. You pee on a stick and pray it’s not positive.”

She got up on shaky legs and stumbled back into her bedroom. Both of her parents were already at work, thankfully. And Jordan didn’t expect her in until noon. She’d drive to Aransas Pass. No way could she buy a pregnancy test here in Rockport. Her mother would know about it before she even had a chance to pee on the damn thing.

* * *

Jordan glanced into the office, expecting to find Annie in there. It was after twelve and she was never late. She went to the fridge and took out the two sandwiches. As had been the norm for the last two weeks, on the days when Annie came in at noon, Jordan had Subway for their lunch.

Maybe it was because Annie was closer in age to her than anyone else, but she felt completely at ease around her. The others…not so much. Jessica was scared of her, she knew. And Staci, while friendly, never had much to say. Brandon was talkative and actually kind of playful, but still, he was all of twenty-three. The two new high school students they’d hired only worked weekends for now. They still had another week of school before they’d start coming in during the week.

She took the sandwiches into the office. The chair was pushed back so she knew Annie had been there. Today they were going to tackle the summer inventory. It should have been done a week ago.

She went back outside, frowning. Where the hell was Annie? She was about to go back into the office to wait for her when she heard a thud coming from the bathroom. She walked closer to the door, listening. Silence. She glanced down, seeing a light on inside. It had to be Annie. Well, she’d give her some privacy. She turned to walk away. That was, until she heard another thud against the door. It sounded almost as if someone—Annie—was slowly banging their head against the door.

She raised her hand to knock, then paused. Then she knocked anyway.

“Annie? You okay?” She thought she heard crying and reached for the doorknob. It was locked. “Annie?”

She heard the lock turn and quickly opened the door. She was shocked to find Annie crying.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

Annie met her eyes. “Oh, God…it’s blue.”

Jordan frowned. “Blue? What?”

Annie held up a plastic stick as tears streamed down her face. “It’s…it’s freaking blue.”

Jordan didn’t understand and took the stick from her. She looked at it, then back at Annie. “Pregnancy test?”

Annie nodded.

“And blue…is not good, I take it?”

Annie shook her head. “It’s so not good. I’m pregnant.” She met Jordan’s gaze. “Jesus God, I’m pregnant,” she sobbed.

Jordan didn’t know what to do, so she opened her arms and Annie fell into them, sinking against her, her sobs coming harder now. Jordan folded her up, holding her tight.

“It’ll be okay,” she murmured.

“No. No, it won’t,” Annie mumbled against her chest. “It won’t be okay.”



Chapter Nine

Annie dreaded this conversation more than she’d dreaded anything else in her life. Even telling her parents she was going to divorce Derrick paled in comparison to this. At least it was only her mother. Her father wouldn’t be home for at least another hour.

Her mother was in the kitchen starting dinner and Annie stood at the door, contemplating running back to her room and doing this another day. But another day wouldn’t alleviate the stress that had settled upon her. As Jordan had said, just tell them and get it over with. It wasn’t like she was a teenager, for God’s sake.

“Mom?”

Her mother turned from the sink where she’d been washing the potatoes. “Annie, good. You can help me with dinner. The broccoli and cauliflower need to be washed,” she said, pointing to the vegetables beside the sink. “I’ll peel these.”

Annie took a deep breath. “Actually, I need to talk to you,” she said.

Her mother looked up. “Can you talk and wash at the same time? Your father will be home soon.”

Annie swallowed, staring at the cauliflower. “I’m sure I could,” she said. “But I don’t really want to.”

Her mother stopped in midstream, staring at her. “What is wrong with you?”

“Yeah…well…I’m kinda…kinda pregnant,” she said, pulling her eyes away from her mother.

Silence greeted that statement for a good thirty seconds. Then her mother dropped the potato into the sink.

“You’re…what?”

Annie looked up. “I’m pretty sure you heard me.”

Her mother’s hand flew to her chest. “Pregnant? Is it Derrick?”

“Derrick?” she asked, feeling her face scrunch into a frown. “God, no. Why would it be Derrick?”

“You’re pregnant? And it’s not Derrick?”

“Mom, no, it’s not Derrick.” She narrowed her eyes and she shook her head. “In case you’ve forgotten, we divorced about four years ago.”

Her mother raised both hands into the air. “So…who’s the father then, if not Derrick? I can’t wait to hear this.”

Annie clenched her jaw. “It doesn’t really matter who the father is,” she said. “I just thought you—”

“Of course it matters,” her mother spat. “Or will you have an abortion?” Her mother nodded. “Yes. Yes, I think that’s the best choice, Annie. An abortion. Don’t you?”

Annie stared at her in disbelief. “Mom, for the last umpteen elections you’ve voted for candidates who were pro-life and against abortions. How can you possibly suggest that I have one?”

“It’s different,” she said. “This is different.”

Annie shook her head. “Different? How?”

“Annie…you’re living at home with your parents,” she said. “You have no husband, you have no job. What are you going to do when you have this baby? Do you expect me to raise it?”

Annie squared her shoulders. “By no means,” she said. “And I do have a job. And after my student teaching next spring, I’ll have a job at the school.”

“Do you really think they’ll still hire you? An unwed mother? Is that a good example to set for these children?” Her mother grabbed her arms. “You’re pregnant, Annie. Derrick is here. He’s single. This is a perfect opportunity for you. Why don’t you—”

Annie pulled away from her. “Mom, really, you’ve got to get over Derrick. I’m not going back to him.”

“Then who? Who will you go to?” Her mother threw up her arms. “I can’t believe this. You do know how this happens, don’t you?”

“Are you trying to be funny?”

Her mother stared at her. “I wasn’t even aware that you were dating anyone.”

“I’m not.”

“Then what?” But her mother shook her head. “No. I don’t want to know.” She touched her forehead and closed her eyes. “This is so depressing. And your father will have a coronary, I’m sure.”

“I’m sure he won’t,” she said. She grabbed the bridge of her nose and squeezed. “I’ve got to…go by the store,” she lied. “I’m sure we’ll talk about this later.”

“Well, I’m sure we will,” her mother said. “You can’t drop this bombshell and think it’s over and done with. I mean, whatever in the world will the neighbors think? What about the people at church? How can I explain this?”

Annie sighed. “Tell them I’m a heathen,” she said as she went back to her room.

Common sense told her to stay put. It would be dark in an hour. But the prospect of having dinner with her parents after her mother had filled her father in on…well, on her condition…wasn’t appealing in the least. And her stomach warned her that she probably shouldn’t eat anyway.