“What rumour?” I scowled, pissed off that my private life was even up for discussion. Normally, I didn’t give a shit what people said about me or my former encounters with women.
“Hey now, I’m not going to reveal my sources. I’m just saying. Maybe Damien has a tiny reason to be worried you hired her for an alternative purpose,” Easton replied, making a pinching motion with his finger.
“Oh yeah? Do you think that too?”
“Personally, I told Damien you’d be hard pressed to find a local woman around our age that you hadn’t slept with.”
“Fuck off,” I growled, chucking my water bottle at him. Easton caught it with ease and laughed.
“You both need to lighten up,” Easton chuckled, tossing the water bottle back. I caught it and frowned. “Anyway, I’m off. Got a hot date tonight.”
“Surprised you can find someone to date that I supposedly haven’t slept with,” I grumbled.
“It’s definitely not easy, I had to go to Springwood,” Easton teased with a smirk, and darted back into the laundry room before I could whip the water bottle at him again.
Easton’s comment got to me more than it should have, and it wasn’t like he was wrong. I kept things easy and casual, always. I didn’t do commitment. So why was his flippant remark settling like lead in the pit of my stomach?
* * *
Nellie
* * *
“I knew you’d get the job!” Sage said, the excitement evident on her face. She’d been at Tabitha and Parker’s when I got home, picking Daphne up from a play date with the twins, and had all but bombarded me in the driveway when I pulled up.
“Yeah, it’s great. Except for the whole…” I gestured to my midsection.
“We’ll figure that out later,” Sage waved my concerns away with her hand. “The important thing is that you have a job! You’re employed! We should celebrate.”
“I’m going to eat something and crash. I’m tired.”
“The first trimester is an energy suck,” Sage nodded sympathetically. “How about this Friday we go out for dinner?”
“Sounds good,” I nodded, fighting off another yawn. “Tell Daphne I said hi.”
“I will,” Sage gave me a quick hug.
We parted ways, with me going up the stairs to my apartment while Sage walked back up to Tabitha’s to collect Daphne. Normally, I’d have tried to spend some time with Sage and her daughter, but I was so exhausted.
I opened the door, walking inside to my new place, and couldn’t even feel a sense of pride over what I’d accomplished in the span of a few short weeks. I was too tired. All I wanted to do was go to bed, but it wasn’t even five yet. I knew I needed to force myself to eat something and try to stay up until at least seven.
Em had sent me home with a lot of Christmas dinner leftovers, so I didn’t have to cook anything. I heated up a plate of turkey, potatoes, stuffing, and carrots, then sat down on the sofa in my living room.
I ate dinner while I mindlessly watched reruns of Friends, barely paying attention. It was both my comfort show, and the show I put on for the background noise. My thoughts kept drifting back to the unexpected day I’d had.
Being around Noah had been…nice. I didn’t know how else to describe it. I hated that I felt so comfortable around him, even when I was keeping such a huge secret. I knew I was going to have to have a conversation with him sooner rather than later, but I worried about what that would mean for me job wise.
If I could make it through the probation period, he couldn’t fire me over it. Not that I thought he was the kind of person to do that, fire an employee for being pregnant, but he might not be thrilled about potentially being the father.
I didn’t know for sure, and I didn’t want to blow up Noah’s life, or my own for that matter, on a hunch. Even if he was the father, I wasn’t expecting him to step up and be a parent. Noah had consented to a night of fun, not a lifetime of raising a kid.
It was me that wanted this baby, even if I hadn’t expected to have it.
The next morning, I arrived fifteen minutes before my shift at eight. I had packed myself a lunch and snacks for the day. I’d also brought my large water bottle to keep me hydrated, and several bags of decaffeinated tea.
I was expecting to see Noah waiting for me in the front office, but to my disappointment, he wasn’t there. Instead, a woman with strawberry blond hair tied back in a ponytail was manning the desk.
“Good morning, you must be Nellie! I’m Charlotte,” she said, standing up when I walked into the office. “I’ll be helping train you this morning.”
