“I can’t video chat right now, but I promise we will tonight. Okay?”
“Okay.” I sound like a child whose parents won’t allow dessert until after dinner. “I’m happy you’re okay and divorced.”
“Yeah…” Her response is loaded. I feel she’s withholding something again.
“Celeste, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?”
“I know.” She pauses for another beat. “I will, soon. Talk to you tonight.”
The line disconnects, and I scratch my head as I replay the weird interaction in my head. I just hope it’s something we can tackle together.
* * *
“Beau?” I look up from my phone when the barista calls my name.
“That’s me,” I confirm, and I reach for the cup.
“Chai latte?”
“Yes, thank you.” I take a long sip of my favorite drink and exhale.
Celeste is a conundrum. I haven’t seen or heard any chatter from or about Weston, yet she still feels it’s not time to meet. We’ve talked almost every day the last few weeks, but something is off—different. I can’t place it and it makes me want to pull out my hair. I warm my hands on the cup. It’s October and the brisk air is becoming chilly. I needed to go for a walk, so I used my lunch break to stretch my legs.
I watch the people scurry by to avoid the cold and wind. I ignore the pumpkin spice posters. Everything is pumpkin spiced this time of year. Remembering that I need to go to the bank, I step outside and look around. My heart jolts when I see a familiar set of curls power walk into a nearby building.
“Celeste?”
I quickly follow, ignoring the people I pass. Inside, the building has an open floor plan that allows me to see people on different floors. I look around in time to see her enter a suite on the second floor. I toss the almost full drink in the trash and rush up the stairs because I don’t have the patience to wait for the elevator. I don’t know why, but I feel compelled to follow her.
I swing the door open and notice it is a type of doctor’s office.There aren’t many signs to tell me what kind of doctor. Is she sick? I stand in the middle of the empty lobby torn between waiting for her and just leaving.
A petite red-haired nurse peeks out from behind the closed window.
“May I help you, sir?”
Now, I’m at a loss for words. “I...uh…Celeste.”
Her eyes light up, and she rushes to the door. “You’re just in time, come with me.”
I hide my confusion and follow her down the hallway. I’m not sure if it’s customary to crash doctor’s appointments, but if they are okay with it, so am I.
She opens the door and ushers me inside. Celeste, who was laying back and chatting with the lady in scrubs, sits up quickly. She looks at me with big shocked eyes.
“Look, Celeste, I found the father in the waiting room.”
I was too busy looking at Celeste’s face that I didn’t notice the obvious, her exposed rounded belly.
“Father…” I say slowly, testing the word on my lips.
The nurse’s brows furrow in confusion. “I’m sorry, did I make a mistake? Is he not the father?”
Celeste moves her shocked eyes from me to the nurse. “He is. I just didn’t expect him today. Don’t mind him; he’s never heard anyone refer to him as a father until now.”
That is the understatement of the century. I’m a jumble of emotions. I have too many to focus on one. I choose to remain in the stunned-silent stage.
“Shall we get started?” The woman in the scrubs asks when the nurse leaves.
Celeste nods and holds her hand out to me. I cross the room and take it, although I have a million questions pinging in my head.
