Page 20 of Dump and Chase

“Will you at least think about it? I’ll text you all the info. I know this is a huge move for you, and I don’t want to pressure you.”

But why did I feel as though I was pressuring her? I wanted her to say yes so badly, but then it hit me. I’d have to tell Brandi whether Tangi came to Vancouver or not. That wouldn’t be an easy conversation.

“I’ll think about it,” she said with a small smile.

That was a start. “I hate that I have to leave tomorrow because I think there’s so much more we should talk about, but you have my number. You’ll keep in regular touch, right?”

“Yes,” she said, breaking off a piece of the cookie.

“Tang, I mean it when I say I want to be part our kid’s life. I get that we aren’t together anymore, but maybe this was meant to be?”

She leveled her gaze on me. “I’m pretty sure Brandi would disagree.”

“This isn’t about her.” I paused before I said the next thing, debating whether I should say it at all. “Brandi and I were on a bit of a break when we hooked up. Maybe she won’t be that pissed off.”

Tangi looked at me as though I’d just eaten a bowl of bugs. Horrified? Confused? I wasn’t certain. But she pushed on. “You’ve given me a lot to think about. My old job was so kind to give me two weeks’ pay, so I’m going to take at least one of those weeks to make a decision. If I do apply for this job and get it, you’re sure you’re going to want me around? Living in your condo? Maybe you should talk to your fiancée before either of us make any plans.”

“Like I said, I’ll do that, but it won’t change anything. If you come to Vancouver, I’ll be there for you.”

And I meant it.

ChapterEleven

Tangi

Iwoke up the next morning with nervous excitement running through my veins. Not only was I pregnant and unemployed, but Ethan, of all people, had thrown me a humongous curveball. He’d embraced the idea of being a dad,andhe’d suggested a job with the Ravens. I’d looked over the job listing a million times last night. I had the damn thing memorized. The position was for a physiotherapist that wouldn’t travel the team. The PT would be responsible for helping rehab injured players and what looked to be the bulk of the paperwork and reports. All things I was more than capable of doing. I guessed the paperwork fell on the PT since they wouldn’t be traveling with the team, and the Ravens wouldn’t have the same amount of staff as the Kodiaks.

Applying for the job didn’t mean I would get it, but if Ethan put a good word in for me … Adding to the urgency was that the job listing closed in one day. Ethan wasn’t lying when he said they needed to fill the position right away. And would moving to Vancouver complicate my life? I’d have no support there other than whatever Ethan offered. I could possibly reconnect with some old friends if they were still in town, but again, those friends were all wives and girlfriends of other players. How would that work with Ethan’s fiancée? On the subject of that, he had his own crap to deal with. I imagined telling her wouldn’t be easy. “Oops, I got my ex pregnant. Hope you’re okay with that.” Yikes.

I did the only thing I could think to do. I texted Wolseley and Jill and told them we needed to meet for coffee pronto. They both said they could that evening, and while I waited, I worked on my resume. I’d only worked at the Perth Clinic for eight months, likely not nearly as long as the Ravens would have liked. I struggled through my cover letter, trying to make it sound as professional as possible despite my lack of experience. I mentioned my stint of work experience for the University of Minnesota’s women’s soccer team, which had to count for something.

I spent the morning working on my resume before moving on to reading the information my doctor had sent me home with. I then scoured the internet for more insight on this whole baby-making deal I had going on. Neither Mom nor Dad asked why I wasn’t at work until Mom found me in the kitchen. I was having lunch and scrolling through baby essentials on my phone, although I was a long way off from decorating a nursery.

“You’re not working today?” Mom asked, heading into the kitchen to make some lunch for her and Dad.

“No. I’m off.” Permanently.

“Oh. Do you want to help me can some eggplant salsa? Your dad went nuts this year with the eggplant, and I’ve run out of ideas for it. So I found this great salsa recipe.”

“Sure. Why not.” I didn’t exactly have a full day planned.

Mom and I made salsa after lunch, and it was kind of nice spending the day with her. She filled me in on all the gossip with the neighbors, how Ethan’s mom was coping without Rick, Dad’s massive garden, and how she’d like to take a winter vacation this year. So many times I wanted to tell her I was pregnant. I knew she’d be over the moon, but I decided to wait a few more days, to have a better plan for the future first. Then I’d break it to her and Dad, and who the father was. That’d be fun.

We canned our last few jars and Mom pulled out leftovers from the night before. I quickly ate my dinner and then showered and got changed. I took a long look at myself in my floor-length mirror and nothing about me had changed yet. The books said it was usually around the three-month mark. I’d have to wait and see. I’d also decided to put off telling everyone about my pregnancy other than close friends until I’d made it to that first trimester mark. If nothing else, all the books I’d been reading had been invaluable.

I drove to the Roasted Bean and found Jill already waiting inside. I grabbed a tea and took a seat.

“Wolseley just texted to say she’ll be five minutes late,” Jill said, putting down her phone. “What’s up? Your text sounded urgent.”

I’d figured I’d start off with the small stuff until Wolseley arrived. “I got fired.”

“Aw shit,” Jill said. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. The job was offering me limited hours and I should have seen the writing on the wall.”

“So now what?”

“I’m not sure.”

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