Page 11 of The Lies I've Told
“We’re at the hospital and I’m fine,” she said. “Remember, I’m married to a doctor. The most neurotic pain-in-the-ass doctor on the face of the planet.”
I had a feeling the last part of that was being said at the incredibly neurotic husband. Not me.
“Well, he must be doing something right if you’re already at the hospital. How did you manage that? Did he drive you up the coast a month in advance and park you outside to wait?”
She laughed. Again.
“No,” she replied. “I was up here for a routine visit. We drive up to Nags Head every week now to see my OB. Jake’s made it his mission to see how quickly he can get from Ocracoke to the ferry and then from the ferry to Nags Head. Honestly, I think he’s going to miss that part of this whole thing.”
I was the one to laugh now. “Well, he’ll still be up there visiting patients. I’m sure he can continue his race car fantasies then. But, seriously, how are you? Are you feeling okay?”
“Yes,” she answered adamantly. “I’m feeling great so far. They’re taking good care of me. But, that’s not why I called.”
I gulped, wondering if she’d somehow found out about my failed promotion. The one upside to this whole thing was I hadn’t told any of my family members, wanting it to be a surprise. So, I thought there wouldn’t be any questions.
“It’s Mom and Dad.”
Panic turned to worry. “What about Mom and Dad?” I asked, wondering what else could possibly be wrong in my topsy-turvy life.
“They’re supposed to take over the inn when I go on maternity leave, but I didn’t exactly plan on going into labor three weeks early. They’re on a golfing trip in Myrtle Beach. I’ve called them, and they’re headed back, but—”
“They’ll want to be with you, not at the inn with a bunch of guests.”
“Yeah.”
I took a quick look around my apartment, the walls already feeling like they were closing in around me. “Say no more, sis. I’ll get on the first flight there. Just call me the hostess with the mostess.”
“Oh my gosh! Are you sure? There are people I can ask around town, but this is the inn, and I didn’t want to leave it to simply anyone.”
“I get it. It’s a family thing. I’ll be there.”
“Aren’t you busy? I mean, don’t you need to fly somewhere or do something really important?”
I bit my lip to keep from snorting. “No, it’s fine. I have tons of vacation time saved up, and you know what? It’s about time I use it.”
“You are my lifesaver, Millie. It will only be a couple of days, promise. Mom and Dad can take over once I’m out of the hospital.”
I tried not to think of what I’d do after those couple of days, but I put on a brave face and finished making the arrangements with my sister.
“Oh, and before we hang up, there’s one more thing.”
“You mean, before you go off to give birth?”
“Right”—she snickered—“that.”
“How are you so calm? I would literally be freaking out right now.”
“Oh, I am, but I’m good at hiding it. The doctor came in here with this giant hook thing, like one of Mom’s crochet hooks, and used it to break my water. Weirdest thing ever.”
“Okay, that was more information than I ever needed to know. Thanks for that. Anyway, you were saying?”
“Right.” She laughed. “There was some vandalism in town. The statue that was put up at the docks for the ferryboat accident, it was destroyed last night. Dean has arranged for the artist to visit and re-create it.”
“That’s awesome. I mean, not the vandalism part. But it’s quite a generous offer from the artist.”
“Yes,” she said. “We were amazed. We never expected something like this. He’s pretty well known in the art world. So, obviously, I’ve made arrangements for him to stay at the inn. He should be arriving after you. Can you make sure he gets to town okay? I don’t know how he’ll be arriving.”
I could already hear the worry in my sister’s voice. She was overly attached to the inn and how it ran on a day-to-day basis. Before she’d married Jake, it had been her entire life.
