Page 59 of Dump and Chase

“Should we buy you things to take back home? For when the baby comes?”

I hadn’t given that much thought, but the thought of lugging it home made the decision easy. “Nah. I’ll get things there.”

I couldn’t believe how much the shopping took out of me. By the time we got home I was both tired and starving, but there was no way I was missing out on lunch with Jill. I grabbed my car keys— Mom and Dad were keeping my car in the garage for me—and headed to the Nook, a restaurant Jill and I’d both loved back in our university days.

She was already there, and I plopped into the seat across from her and sighed happily. I was looking forward to sitting, eating, and hanging out with one of my best friends.

“I’ve missed you,” Jill said, getting up and throwing her arms around me. I was too tired to stand.

Jill and I had been friends since middle grade when she moved to the area. She’d come from a dysfunctional home where her dad was rarely around and her mom didn’t know how to be a parent. Jill had essentially raised herself, and when we’d become friends that first day of grade seven, Mom and Dad had embraced Jill as their own.

Her childhood explained a lot about her. I understood her mistrust of people because she had never lived in a stable home where she could trust anyone. Her lack of a serious relationship could be traced back to her wandering father, and she had been jaded by her mother’s lack of nurturing. It amazed me that Jill had been able to land on her feet, but she had ambition and drive, and that made up for a lot.

“I missed you too. You don’t know how much I’ve missed you guys. All day I’m surrounded by men, and it gets boring really fast.”

“How is work going?”

I gave her the rundown, complete with the unfortunate Ilya incident. I told her about Garson and his ego trip, and about my budding friendship with Brandon. I saved my bitchfest for last and told her what an ass Ethan was being. She wasn’t surprised.

“I’m only going to say this once because I know you’re smart, but with Brandi out of the way, he’s going to start sniffing around. You have to be ready for that. And…look, you know I’m not his biggest fan because I think he let you down three years ago, but if you want to get back together with him, I’m not going to judge you.”

Jill too! “Why does everyone think that’s going to happen? Mom implied it, Leah came out and said, and now you’re doing the same.”

Jill put on her thoughtful face. “You had a great relationship with him for the most part. The kind of relationship people envy. Yes, he spectacularly fucked it up, but he always loved you, and I think he still does. I saw how he looked at you at his dad’s funeral and at the Richardson’s function. I guess the real question is whether you want to give him a second chance, and you need to be honest with yourself about that.”

I was fairly certain Wolseley and Jill had traded places. “I figured you’d suggest I tell Ethan to pound sand.”

Jill shrugged. “He should pound some sand, but you’re also having his kid, and I think you’d make a great family.”

Why was she doing this to me when I’d firmly shut the door on Ethan? “I don’t know if I can. I get so angry when I think about the seven years we had together and how badly I wanted him to make a permanent commitment to me, and all the bullshit reasons he came up with. That’s all bad enough, but it’s made a thousand times worse by how quickly he proposed to Brandi. I can’t even process it.”

“Then take your time with it. There’s no rush. If you decide he’s not the one you want to spend your life with, that’s okay too.”

The server came around with drinks and took our orders. I sipped my decaf green tea while Jill sucked back a margarita, which was so unfair.

“Now tell me about this Brandon dude,” she said.

I shrugged. “He’s a decent guy. Plays for the Kodiaks but is rehabbing with the Ravens to get back into game shape. Everyone complains about him and says how difficult he is, but I think he’s nice and we have good talks.”

Jill listened to me and suddenly stopped drinking her margarita. She put it down and carefully set it aside. “He knows you’re pregnant?”

“Everyone knows.”

“And he’s still nice to you?”

She had me confused. “Why wouldn’t someone be nice to a pregnant woman?”

“Let me rephrase. He could be professional and leave it at that. Guys are rarelynicein the way you’re describing.”

I sipped my tea, trying to come up with an answer that would satisfy her. I was drawing blanks. “It’s just a friendship, if I can even call it that. I’m pregnant, so I’m not sure he’s looking to date a pregnant woman. He’s helping me find friends. He suggested going out to dinner to introduce me to the daughters of the restaurant owner.”

Jill nearly spit out her drink. “That’s the oldest line in the book.”

“It is not!”

“So the guy who’s nice to you is going to take you out to eat and to meet people. Come on!”

“The team has a strict policy of no fraternization, and furthermore, do you really think I want to get in a relationship right now? If he thinks it’s going somewhere like that, he’s going to be very disappointed.”

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