Holy shit.
Chapter 5
Hazel
Oh my God, what have I done?
I stare at my dad as his jaw hinges open. I’m nearly as stunned myself.
Even Luke looks dumbfounded, but he covers it quickly. He steps to my side, placing a hand on my shoulder. I shoot him a glare, and he lets his hand drop but doesn’t step back or attempt to take charge.
This is my circus to run, and I run it with fury and fire from my seat at this battered tan table. “That’s right,” I say to my father. “I’m unmarried and accidentally pregnant. Oops! And get this—the father of my children—this man right here?”
Luke tips his chin but says nothing, letting me handle the chaos I’m creating.
“This guy has a prison record.” I say it a little too loudly, and one of the guards glances over. He furrows his brow, then moves to confer with a guard in the corner.
My time is limited here, so I’d better wrap this up. My father’s staring like I’ve just licked his eyebrow, which bolsters the story I’m spinning.
“You heard me right.” I square up my shoulders as my father continues to stare. “I’m having twin girls with an ex-con who did hard time. And no, before you ask, Luke and I aren’t getting married. We’re not even dating, which makes me even flakier, right?”
My father blinks slowly, like he’s not sure which thing to address first. “You’re…pregnant?”
“It happened by accident.” I sound brassy and bold as my fingers drum the table, but inside my heart beats wildly. “Just a one-night stand gone wrong. Condom must’ve broken or something. We’re not really sure, are we?”
That’s Luke’s cue to pick up the story. “That’s right, sir.” He looks to me like he’s not sure what I need him to do. “I’m a terrible influence on Hazel’s reputation.”
“Awful,” I agree, grateful he gets it. “And even though he promised he’s got no ties to criminals or prison anymore, here he is, rubbing shoulders with inmates.” There’s a little more venom in my voice than I planned for, so I soften it up for the landing. “So as you can see, my life’s in a bit of turmoil at the moment.”
“But she’s not alone.” Luke leaps in to clarify this point. “We might not be together, but you don’t need to worry about Hazel doing everything by herself.”
“That’s right.” I need to get back to the point here. “But I think you’ll agree that an unwed mother knocked up by an ex-con who’s still connected to a life of crime would hardly make a great character witness.”
“I see.” My father folds his hands on the table. “Maybe a judge would look kindly on a single mother. Maybe your testimony could still?—”
“She mentioned the speeding ticket, right?” Luke seems to grasp what I need. “I also saw her jaywalking last week.”
“That’s right!” I’m not sure if it’s true, but it must be.
“Yeah,” Luke continues, “I saw you crossing Beachcomber Drive near Ugly Mug and you didn’t even use the crosswalk.”
“Scandalous,” I agree, wishing I had something more.
“Public intoxication!” Luke declares. “Weren’t you at Big One’s trivia night about six months ago, knocking back shots with Zoe and Lucy?”
“That’s right—I was!” I almost forgot about that. “It was Zoe’s birthday and things got wild.” Truthfully, I only had two martinis, but what’s the harm in leaning into the story? “She dared me to dance on the table.”
I didn’t do it, but Dad doesn’t know that.
My father looks stricken, so I dial it back a little. “I wasn’t pregnant yet then. I’m barely four months along.”
But Luke’s on a roll now, getting into the spirit. “Graffiti? Pretty sure I saw you and Lucy’s kid painting something on the side of a bus last month.”
Wow, Luke pays attention.
“That’s right, I was.” I mean, technically, Harper and I repainted a van for the food bank. I’m on the board of directors, and when Mabel McCall donated her old minivan, we volunteered to cover it in cartoon carrots and apples. “I was definitely spray painting a van that doesn’t belong to me.”
My dad looks alarmed. “What’s gotten into you, Hazel?”
