A train could hit me. I wouldn’t feel a thing.
No.I glance around at the sea of concerned faces. I’ll take Roxy.She’s the least connected to the situation, and, in truth, I don’t want anything to do with my brothers or their significant others at the moment.
We head back with me leading the way. I’m feeling brave—perhaps foolishly so. God, what if they’re right? How could this be? Itcouldn’tbe because it’s all bullshit.
The small staffroom reeks of whiskey because Holt and Izzy broke a bottle last week while they were getting frisky. Or at least that’s the story he fed us. God knows if either of my brothers know what it means to tell the truth anymore.
A girl sits in the dark corner, and it’s not until I come upon her do I notice her huge belly. It looks real. She looks real. She’s pretty in a throwback kind of way with her crimson washed hair dipped in a large curl in front, the rest pulled back in a low bun. There’s a pillbox hat planted square over her head with black netting that shades one side of her face. Her eyes are wildly overdrawn, and her bloated lips scream a bright fire engine red. She stands and holds out a cigarette to the side like she’s some actress in a 1950’s movie. A bad one, considering she’s smoking and looks as if she’s about to drop a newborn right out her ridiculous looking poodle skirt.
It looks like it was slim pickings at the costume department.
How much did my brothers pay you?I hold out my phone so close I nearly slap her in the face with it. Believe me, I want to.
“Hold it there, Sleeping Beauty.” She takes it from me. “Oh wait,” she sneers a sarcastic smile. “Sleeping Beauty wasn’t deaf, she wasdead.” This is one person whose lips I wish I couldn’t read. She brings the unlit cigarette to her lips and takes a slow imaginary drag before typing into it.They didn’t pay me shit, much like that boyfriend of yours. BTW, he owes me some serious cash.
She starts to head out, and I pull her back. “Tell me this is fake. That the baby you’re having isn’t Blake’s.” I try to steady the words, to annunciate, but I probably ended up shouting in twelve different octaves.
Roxy claps her hand to her mouth as tears pool in her eyes for me.
The girl looks from Roxy to me. “I’m sorry, sweet cakes, but this baby is more his than it is mine.” She’s speaking slowly, probably shouting right back at me. “Look, I don’t know your crazy ass brothers from Adam, but they tracked me down and said he was breaking your heart. I’m not sure what that means, but they insisted a little time with me could set you straight.”
Tears blur my vision. I don’t want to see her lips anymore. I don’t want to see her anymore. My thoughts detonate in a pool of chaos like a fireworks display gone wrong.
That’s not Blake’s baby. Why are you doing this to me?I thrust the phone in her face.
Her shoulders sag as she takes the phone back.I’m not that good an actress, hon. Blake is my baby daddy. Deal with it.She scowls to Roxy. “Can I leave now?”
My fingers punch into my phone as fast as they can.
Do you love him?
“Hell, yes, I love that boy.” She bears into me with those wild, unreasonably cruel eyes before snatching away my phone.Do yourself a favor and forget about Blake. He’s mine, and he always will be. Personally, I’m shocked as hell that he’s been two-timing me with a waif like you. No offense, but you don’t look like his type.
Roxy leans in. “You’re still together?”
It never occurred to me to ask.
“Hell, yes, we’re still together.” Her hand curves over her enormous belly. “Blake and Livey till the end.” She spears me with black hatred before pulling out her own phone.You’d better back off, little girl. Blake has other things, other people who are going to be occupying his time in a very real way. Why do you think he quit school? He’s saving up for diaper duty. This is me doing you a favor. Find yourself a nice little boy to play with. Someone your speed. Perhaps a blind man. You’d make quite a pair.
My hand flies across her face without giving it a second thought.
“Oh my, God,” I whisper. What’s happening? I just hit a pregnant woman. I stagger to the door, and Roxy pulls me back.
“I’m proud of you.” She over annunciates and gives a thumbs up.
Olivia shoots out of the Black Bear before I have a chance to apologize.
“Let’s go.” I feel my voice box vibrate, and I don’t care at this point.
“You don’t want to go after that bitch. Let her be, Annie.”
I shake my head, still numb from the exchange. “I want to see Blake.”
Roxy speedsus over to the shop like a woman on a mission to sacrifice balls. Not that I mind the gyrating NASCAR worthy spin to downtown Jepson. I’m so hopped up on rage that I could have flown here all by my lonesome. But rage isn’t the only thing I’m feeling. A part of me still doesn’t want to believe it’s true. They must be lies. I close my eyes a moment because what I want the truth to be and what reality is might be two different pregnant animals.
We park dead in front of Joe’s Automotive. The corrugated aluminum doors are rolled wide open, and the shop is filled with busted up cars and motorcycles just waiting for Blake’s beautiful hands to fix them. I wish Blake could fix this. I wish there wasn’t anything to fix.
Roxy opens her door. I pull her back.
