Page 27 of The Glass Dolphin

She went into the kitchen and opened her freezer. “Reuben’s tried to read the article to see who Grace sold the lighthouse to, but it’s so faded and hard to read. It wasn’t properly preserved.”

“Yeah,” Kelli said. “I don’t think it was a time capsule.”

Jean turned toward her with a bag of chocolate chip cookies in her hand. Her eyes widened. “You don’t?”

“No.” Kelli shook her head thoughtfully. “It wasn’t preserved properly, like you said. The city doesn’t have any record of it. I think it was just…some stuff they found that belonged to Grace Worthington.” She lifted her eyebrows, asking Jean if she agreed.

Jean didn’t say anything, but that didn’t mean she believed Kelli. Another sigh filled her. “Okay,” she said. “I have to go meet Shad for our appointment.”

Jean flew into motion then. She squeezed Kelli tightly and put one hand on her belly. “What are you hoping for?”

“If I’m being honest…” Kelli allowed herself to smile. Thisshouldbe one of the best days of her life. She didn’thaveto let this cloud of uncertainly block out the good in her life. “A girl. Then I’d have one of each.”

“Baby girls are the sweetest,” Jean said with a blissful smile.

“I’ll bring back dinner,” Kelli said, and then she made her way up the two flights of stairs to the navy blue door on the lighthouse. She didn’t bother calling up to Parker that she was leaving, because he wouldn’t hear her anyway.

She tapped to get a RideShare to City Hall, where Shad worked. They’d walk over to the doctor’s office from there, as it was just behind the Hall, across a large grass quad. She got one and tucked her phone away for the three-minute wait.

Her phone buzzed, and she plucked it out of her pocket again. Her ride had just been canceled. She frowned and tapped to get another one. Sometimes that happened if a driver had taken another job almost simultaneously with hers.

No one would pick up the ride, and Kelli actually did start to feel a little cold. She’d forgotten to grab a cookie, and the time of her appointment neared. She tapped to call Shad, and he answered with, “Are you here? I need another five minutes.”

“I’m still at the lighthouse,” Kelli said. “No one will pick up my RideShare.”

A long sigh came from her husband’s mouth. Kelli had no way to get there if she couldn’t use RideShare. Very few people owned cars in Five Island Cove, and their infrastructure was awesome—if it worked.

“Are you trying to come here?” Shad asked.

“Yes,” Kelli said.

“Put in the address for the doctor’s office,” he said. “I’ll meet you over there. They’re not driving to City Hall right now.”

Kelli frowned, because she’d never heard of RideShare limiting where they’d take a person. “Okay,” she said. “I hope I get there before I freeze to death.”

“Hon, just go back inside the lighthouse to wait.”

“Okay,” Kelli said, but she wouldn’t do that. She ended the call, amended the location she wanted to go to, and tapped to get another ride.

This one got accepted immediately, and she had a six-minute wait. She could handle that, because it wasn’t terribly windy right now, though the gusts tended to kick up every now and then.

Shad didn’t understand why Kelli wouldn’t go back inside, and she could admit she barely understood. She simply didn’t like imposing on people. She didn’t like good-byes—and she’d already said good-bye to Jean.

“Oh, dinner,” she muttered to herself. She texted Shad that they were going to grab dinner after their appointment and eat it with Reuben and Jean. She didn’t expect him to answer, because he’d sounded rushed on the phone and she’d see him in person in only a few minutes.

Sure enough, her ride came, and the woman behind the wheel smiled her into the backseat. “To Doctor Willis?” she asked, glancing down at Kelli’s stomach. “Seems like it. People have been putting in addresses on the other side of City Hall just to get there.”

Kelli managed a tight smile. “I really do have an appointment with him today. Ultrasound.”

“Oh, that’s great,” the woman said. She chattered the whole way downtown, but Kelli didn’t mind. She didn’t have to say much, and the noise actually distracted her from her own thoughts.

Inside the doctor’s office, only a receptionist waited. She looked up as Kelli entered, and she bloomed to life. “Kelli,” she said, rising to her feet. “We’re ready for you.”

“You—are?” Kelli looked around, but the lobby was empty.

“Yep,” the receptionist said. “You’re our last appointment of the day, and we’ve just been waiting.” She smiled like this was no big deal, but Kelli had the impression the woman was ready to go home, and only Kelli stood in her way.

“My husband isn’t here,” she said.

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