Page 56 of Not My Finest Hour

Fern’s posture straightens, finally being asked to contribute. “I told her to be patient. His schedule will balance out eventually. And I told her that her friends should apologize to him.”

Mom nods, agreeing with Fern’s advice. “Your sister is right. You’re not being fair to him. He’s worked very hard to get to where he is, and all he needs from you is a little patience. Did you apologize to him?”

“Immediately after I said it. But he didn’t acknowledge it because he was too hurt by what I had said.”

“How did you two meet again?” Mom asks, then takes a sip of her water.

Fern lets out a snicker because only she knows how Justin and I met. But do I want my mother to know all the details of our relationship? Might as well get it out there.

“We met at a bar and had a one-night stand. And that’s how this came to be,” I say, patting my stomach. I stare across the table at our mother, waiting for the shock to come. Waiting for the look ofoh, my God, you what?

Instead, Mom just shrugs. “Like mother, like daughter, I guess.”

Fern’s and my jaw drops. She and I turn toward one another. Did that really just come out of our mother’s mouth?

“You what?” Fern asks.

“Your father and I met at a bar and we had a one-night stand. Unfortunately, that pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage, but that’s what brought the two of us together. And all these years later, I wouldn’t change a thing. So just because that’s how you and Justin met and were thrust together, that doesn’t mean you two won’t last,” she explains.

Fern’s body is twitching, and she’s struggling to keep a straight face. “Did you use the wordthruston purpose, because it feels like you did?”

“Shut up,” Mom says, rolling her eyes. She may sound irritated, but she can’t keep the grin off her face.

“I never would’ve guessed that’s how you and Dad met,” I say, ignoring Fern’s juvenile behavior.

Mom nods. “We never told you girls because it’s not something that needs to be said. Your dad and I love each other, and that’s all that matters. Sure, we had our fair share of issues, just like all couples. And when Fern was born, we took a financial hit because I chose to stay at home. So that was tough.”

“But I’ve seen how connected you two are even after all of that, which gives me hope,” I say.

Mom gives me a smile. “You two will be fine, honey. Just give it time.”

ChapterTwenty-One

The next morning, as I’m sitting at my desk at work, I decide that I should let my boss know about my pregnancy as soon as possible. And since it’s on my mind, I’ll probably set aside some time to talk to her today.

I’m not even showing and haven’t had an ultrasound, so although I don’t need to let her know yet, I would feel better if she knew. That way if something happens during the pregnancy, like a miscarriage, she won’t be surprised by my needing to take a few days off. Or if I end up getting morning sickness, or maybe one day I’m not feeling well, then she’ll know that I’m not just skipping out on work for the fun of it.

I look over Kim’s schedule for the day, and she has a gap in appointments after lunch. I schedule myself for that time block, and the next time she comes up to the desk with her patient, I’ll let her know that I’d like to speak to her.

That chance comes about fifteen minutes later when she walks her current patient to the front desk for me to check them out. Kim goes through her usual goodbyes, then before she walks to the back with her next patient, I speak up.

“Hey, Kim,” I say, my voice coming out all squeaky. I clear my throat and try again. “I wanted to let you know that I penciled myself in between your one and two o’clock appointments. You had a gap, and I have something I need to talk to you about.”

Kim’s brow creases. “Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing bad,” I say with a smile, trying to convince myself more than her. “I have some news to share, that’s all.”

Her brow smooths out, and she smiles warmly at me. “Okay. I can’t wait to hear about it.”

I continue checking out her current patient, scheduling them for their next appointment while she walks her next patient back to her office. And for the rest of the morning, I’m too busy filing paperwork, mailing invoices, and answering phones to think about what I’m going to say to her.

Kim comes up to my desk exactly at one o’clock and looks at me expectantly. “You wanted to speak to me?”

“Yeah, I do. Could we talk in your office?”

She nods, then leads the way back to her office. She motions for me to sit in a chair across from her. “What did you need to talk to me about?”

I play with the hem on my blouse because I can’t look at her yet. I’m trying to buy myself some time while I figure out what to say. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to be going through some big changes in the coming months.” That seems like a good enough lead-in, right? She waits for me to continue. “I’m pregnant.”

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