“Oh, honey.” Her arms go instantly around me. “You poor thing. I had no idea.”
I sniffle into her shoulder, my body shaking with my sobs.
She rubs my back and holds me for a long time. “How late are you?”
“Almost three weeks. I haven’t had a period since the first time I was with Blue. I didn’t even realize it’d been that long. God, I’ve been so stupid.”
“Calm down. We’ll figure this out. Where are you going to take it? Not in that restroom in there, are you?”
“I thought maybe I’d drive to the house Blue rented. I have a key.”
“What if he’s there?”
“He won’t be. He texted me earlier. They pulled out for Sturgis this morning.”
“Okay.” She opens her door, then grabs my arm. “Wait here. I’ll get it. I’m sure you don’t want to be seen in there.”
“Thank you.” I slump in relief.
For ten minutes, I fidget and check my rear-view mirror, my nerves shot. Finally, she gets back in the car with a bag.
“I didn’t know what kind to get, so I bought two.”
“Why would you buy two?”
“Because one said it was the most accurate and one said it was the easiest. Besides, I thought we might want to double-verify the results.”
I roll my eyes and back out.
As we pass the church, I grab Carmen’s hand. “Say a prayer for me.”
“Are you kidding? I’ve been praying all the way here.”
I make a turn and drive two blocks, then pull into the driveway, parking under the carport.
“So, this is the place,” Carmen murmurs, taking it in.
We climb out, and I key the door.
When we enter, she looks around like a looky-loo while I dump the boxes out on the dining table and read the backs.
After she’s checked out the place, she stops at the mantle and points at the painting.
“You did that, didn’t you?”
“How did you know?”
“It looks like your style. I remember it from art class.”
“I have a style?”
“Yeah. Kinda like that Georgia O’Keeffe lady. It’s really good.”
I return my attention to the box.
“Just get it over with,” Carmen says, coming to stand beside me.
Nodding, I take one test and go into the bathroom.
