“I know it’s easier said than done, but I’m serious. You’ve got to slow down. You can’t keep up this pace forever.”
“I’m hoping to slow down once I get pregnant…” She sighed.
“That’ll be so good. I can’t wait.” Bettina clapped her hands together, eyes gleaming. “I adore babies.”
“You might be waiting a while.”
“What’s going on?” Bettina frowned.
“I took a test this morning. Still not pregnant. We’ve been trying for eight months.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, honey.”
“Thanks.”
“You know that doesn’t mean anything, right? You could get pregnant tomorrow.”
“I know. But it feels more and more like it’s impossible. I’m losing confidence.”
Bettina squeezed her hand. “It’s going to happen. There’s no way it won’t. If anyone should have children, it’s the two of you. You’re going to be awesome parents.”
“If wishing and hoping was all it took…”
“You’d be pregnant already,” Betta finished with a smile. “I get it. But don’t give up yet. Sometimes it doesn’t happen when you want it to, and it does happen when you don’t expect it. I got pregnant when I was sixteen.”
“I didn’t realise you were that young,” Matilda replied.
Bettina raised an eyebrow. “That’s right. And I had twins, on my own. My parents tried to help, but it was hard on them too. They hadn’t planned on raising twins at their age, and the babies were my responsibility. They’re ten years old now, so things are getting easier. But for a long time, it seemed impossible. I couldn’t imagine how I could raise them.”
“You’re amazing, honestly. I don’t know how you did it.” Matilda wiped a tear from her eye. She’d always been in awe of Bettina, ever since she first heard that her new receptionist was a single mother to twin boys.
“What I’m saying is, we all go through hard times, but it doesn’t last forever. And even when it feels as though you can’t keep going, or the future is so bleak that you don’t want to think about it, you’ll find a strength inside you didn’t know you had. And you’ll keep moving forward. Just like I did.”
“Thanks, Bettina. That means a lot to me.”
“I’m here for you, honey. Whenever you want to talk.”
“I appreciate it. But now, I’ve got to get back to work or there’ll be a pet-led riot.”
Bettina chuckled as she scraped the last of the yogurt out of the tub. “I’ll follow you in a minute. Back to the coal mine.”
Chapter Four
The airline finally called, and Jessica arrived at the airport with a smile on her face. School would start tomorrow, and she’d begun to despair about getting her suitcase in time. But it was finally here, and she’d be able to take it home and prepare for her first day at the new job. Apparently, someone had taken her suitcase home with them. They’d missed seeing the pink ribbon tied in a neat bow atop the otherwise ubiquitous black bag and had scooped it up before she’d had a chance to spot it. She was grateful she’d had the forethought to fasten the lock before she checked it at the ticket desk.
There was a line at the lost luggage counter. She stood at the back of it behind a tall man with broad shoulders. His arms were crossed, and his stance gave the impression of impatience. He wore a camouflage baseball cap and pants with a simple black T-shirt, and his impressive muscles, along with the buzz cut, immediately made her think he could be military. Not that she had any experience to back that up, but it’s what she felt in her gut when she looked at him. And her gut was often right.
Every few minutes, they all took a couple of steps forward. The lined inched her closer to the counter at an impossibly slow pace. She glanced at the clock on the wall. The luggage counter closed at five, and she’d be lucky if she made it to the front before then. What would they do? Would they shut down even if there were still people in line? Would she have to come back again tomorrow?
Just then, they moved forward again, and the man in front of her pulled a protein bar out of his pocket and began to eat. Her stomach growled. She’d skipped lunch, not feeling particularly hungry at the time—something she now regretted. But the house was looking good, if she did say so herself. She’d done most of the unpacking. The first thing she’d realised was that the rooms were dismally empty.
Her existing furniture consisted of the few things she’d kept in the apartment with her roommates during their senior year together. She’d lived in a dorm before that, but now she had her own TV, bed, and dresser, along with a dining table and chairs. But the rest of the furniture had belonged to her two roommates, and so the big old farmhouse looked hollow and in desperate need of decorating, something she couldn’t afford until she’d received at least a few paycheques.
“Can I help you, sir?” the woman behind the counter drawled as she pushed a pair of oversized glasses up the bridge of her nose. Her short black hair was plastered to her scalp with gel.
The man in front of Jessica stepped forward and uncrossed his arms to lean his hands on the counter. “I’m here to pick up my suitcase. I took the wrong one home, but I brought it right back. You couldn’t find mine, but I got a message to come and get it.”
He gave her his details, and Jessica couldn’t help overhearing. His name was Tyler. When he described his suitcase, she wondered if he was the one who’d taken hers home.
