Page 89 of Sweet on You
31
Ronnie
After taking Penny for a walk, Olivia and I packed up a diaper bag and headed out to the doctor’s office where Kandi was already waiting for us. We each did our intake forms, and they weighed and measured us and asked us to give urine samples. I went in for my physical first, where I found out I was a little anemic, which made sense. I’d been so tired lately. And now, Olivia and I waited for Kandi to finish up.
After another twenty minutes, Kandi came out, her expression one of total shock—eyes wide, mouth open. Her skin was pale, and dark circles framed her big, brown eyes. “Kandi?” I asked. “You okay?”
She shook her head. “I-I’m pregnant.”
“What?” I whispered.
Kandi nodded, but didn’t look me in the eye. “It’s… oh, my God. I need to go. I need to go talk to Ben.”
“I thought you and Ben were broken up?” I asked and immediately cringed, regretting my question.
“We were… but…” She sighed, rolling her eyes with a shrug. “You know us. We got back together a couple days ago.”
I didn’t say anything more. “Do you need a ride?” I asked, shifting Olivia to my other hip.
Kandi shook her head, moving toward the door, then paused, rushing back to me and crushing me in a bear hug. “Thank you,” she said.
“For what?”
“For making me come today. Who knows how long I would have waited to get myself checked out.”
Olivia started fussing in my arms, wiggling to be put down. I tucked her back into the stroller and she immediately began screaming. Kandi’s eyes widened, fear and terror glistening in their depths. “Go,” I shouted over Olivia’s cries. “Go see Ben.”
She didn’t wait for me to say it again before running out the door. I bent, looking Olivia in her eyes and spreading some Cheerios out on her stroller tray. “You couldn’t have waited two minutes before screaming like that? You just scared off a mother-to-be.”
Olivia shoved the Cheerios in her mouth and then did the sign language symbol for more.
“Let’s go get you some real lunch first.” I pushed her stroller out the door and headed for Elsa’s diner, texting Lex where we were going in case he was able to sneak away once Seth was there and the crowds calmed down.
I slid into the booth in the farthest corner and pulled out some toys for Olivia to keep her busy. Unfortunately, those toys didn’t work for long. After a few minutes, she was fussier than ever. Her stuffed cat wouldn’t calm her. Reading books wouldn’t calm her. I even got us a plate of French fries because I knew they would come faster than the actual meal I ordered for us to share… and fries were one of her favorite foods to gum on. Not even the promise of salty, mushy potatoes worked.
While Olivia was crying and fussing, her hand wrapped around the straps of my purse, and it went flying off the table, scattering its contents across the floor by our feet. With a sigh, I bent to clean up the mess, which I quickly discovered included a handful of condoms.
Heat burned my cheeks. The entire diner was already glaring at us because of Olivia’s screams, and now they were going to gossip about slutty Ronnie Tripp who needed to get some so badly that she carried half a dozen condoms with her at all times.
Okay, they probably weren’t thinking that, but no doubt the whole town would be giggling about this by dinner time.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Elsa said, as I returned the last of the spilled items to my purse. Elsa and my mother had been friends for decades. Apparently, they met the day my mother moved to town when she was only nineteen. “Rough day?” she asked, pouring a cup of coffee for me.
I nodded, taking a sip. “You have no idea. Can you make my salad to go? With her attitude today, I shouldn’t stay long. She’s disturbing the other people eating.”
Elsa looked around at her diner and shook her head. “Sweetie, there’s only three other people in here and none of them seem to care. Two of them have kids themselves.” Elsa gently patted my arm. “Come on. Stay and have some lunch. It’ll be good for both of you. Can the little one have a piece of pie?”
I… I had no idea. My brain was mush. It was like all common sense had disappeared from my mind with all the stress and exhaustion. “She really should eat some lunch first.” I pulled out a jar of pureed carrots, cracking the cap and dipping the spoon inside. As I moved it toward her mouth, she shoved it away, sending orange mush splattering into my face.
Tears filled my eyes. Which was stupid. Why was I about to cry right now? But I felt overwhelmed and frustrated and like I might also have a meltdown that rivaled Olivia’s at any moment. Elsa smiled kindly beside me, handing me a napkin. “Don’t feel bad. Even the best salesman can’t make mushy carrots seem better than fries.”
A laugh cracked at the back of my throat and then quickly morphed into a sob. I swiped away a stray tear as Elsa rubbed her palm against the middle of my back. “I guess not.”
I dropped the spoon to the table, giving up on the carrots.
“I just made a chicken pot pie,” Elsa said. “Why don’t I bring some of that, along with my strawberry pie on the side, for you and the little one to share?”
I nodded and leaned into Elsa’s hug as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “Babysitting is tough. Thank God you get to return them at the end of the day, right?”
