Page 32 of Tangled Desires

Curl. Hold. Release.

A light pat on my back snaps my attention. “Oh gosh, congratulations, darling! Who’s the lucky man?” Shelly chirps, dripping with fake sweetness. My blood runs cold.

The curling iron hovers midair. “Pardon? What are you on about?”

Shelly beams at me, oblivious. “Oh, on the pregnancy, dear. Congratulations!”

How the fuck does she know? Harrison wouldn’t have said anything, and neither would my dad—or anyone close to me, for that matter. But this town? News travels faster in Wattle Creek than a bushfire in summer. Betty’s eyebrows shoot up, but I stay stone-faced, swallowing the wave of nausea clawing its way up. “Pretty sure you’ve got your wires crossed, Shelly. No news here.”

She leans in, undeterred. “Oh no, dear, Mrs. Dawson mentioned it. Said you were chatting about it at the shops.” Great. Fuck’s sake. A flash of memory hits—standing in the cereal aisle, phone wedged between my ear and shoulder, chatting to Isla. Of course.Mrs. Dawson.That old busybody must’ve been lurking somewhere between the Weet-Bix and the Milo tins.

“Listen, Shelly,” I say, voice steady but sharp. “I don’t know what you think you heard, but my personal life isn’t up for grabs. Not in the shops, not here, not anywhere.”

She looks taken aback. “Well, I just thought—”

“No,” I cut her off. “You didn’tthink. You assumed. And even if I was pregnant—which is none of your business—it sure as hell wouldn’t be something you heard second hand in the frozen food aisle.”

I clear my throat, swallowing down the tight knot lodged in my throat as I glance around. The salon goes pin-drop silent. Even the women pretending to read magazines are holding theirbreath. Betty’s watching like it’s the best episode ofDays of Our Livesshe’s ever seen.

“She’s got a point,” Betty chimes in, smirking. “Assuming only makes an ass out of you.”

She mutters some half-assed apology and scurries off to the waiting area, thoroughly deflated. Betty’s grinning like the Cheshire Cat as I grab the curling iron again. “Well done, darling. That was better than telly.”

“Glad I could entertain,” I mutter, releasing another perfect curl. “Some people need a reminder that not everything is their business.”

“Too right, dear.” Betty nods sagely, then leans in close, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “But is it true?” A dry laugh escapes me as I bend to grab another clip.

“Maybe. Maybe not. But like I said, nobody’s business but mine.”

Betty cackles, clearly amused by my little game. Meanwhile, nausea swirls low in my gut like a bad omen. Without missing a beat, I whip out my phone and shoot off a text to Isla.Need more of those magic nausea tablets you gave me last time.

Isla:On it, babe. Luckily, I’m just at the shops. Will swing by in 15 with Callie.

Lifesaver. I just need to survive Betty’s blowout without tossing my breakfast. Fifteen minutes later, the bell jingles. Isla breezes in, Callie in her pram, all sunshine and energy, like she hasn’t been wrangling a teething baby for hours.

“Bless you,” I mutter, holding out my hand like a beggar at church.

She smirks, pulling a box of Maxolon from her bag. “You’re welcome. You’re lucky I still have my prescriptions.” I pop one inmy mouth dry. She barely lets me swallow before dropping her bombshell. “So, we’re going off-roading this Saturday.”

“Ooh. Good for you.”

“No, you’re coming,” she chirps, far too cheerful. “Brad and Amelia are out, Michael doesn’t care, and I refuse to be the only female there.”

I squint my eyes at her. “I am going to assume that Harrison will be present?”

“You’re correct.”

“Yeah, nah. Take Liv with you.”

Shetsks. “She’s busy.”

“Where will Callie be? I’ll babysit her.”

Her smug grin says she’s thought of everything. “Grace and Dominic will have her.”

I throw up my hands, exasperated. “Great! What about me? I’m—” The words nearly slip, but I catch myself just in time. Isla’s eyebrow arches, her face a picture of innocent expectation. “Fine,” I mutter. “But I can’t promise I’ll be good company.”

“You’re always good company, Midge.” She pulls me into a tight hug, her over-the-top enthusiasm impossible to fight off.

---