Page 5 of Twisted Fate

“If I put him on their birth certificates,” Keily answered promptly, feeling the sting of truth in Rosa’s words. “Life would be simpler, I know, if I just told Logan but you know what he’ll say. First, he’ll ask if they’re his, then he’ll think I did it on purpose.”

“You do know it takes two to make babies, right?” Rosa asked with a soft laugh, to take the snark out of what she’d said.

“I do.” Keily laughed in return, her gray eyes wide with delight. “I know that too well. But you know how men can be, it’s always our fault if we get pregnant, our fault they didn’t wear a condom when they should, our fault we didn’t do…something.”

“I’m not sure Logan is that kind of guy. He’s so…caring sometimes. Like all the people in California that work for him, he gave them weeks off with pay, has made sure his worker’s comp insurance company doesn’t stiff any of them, and he’s always checking on everyone, even while he’s been in California. He still calls me, the other supervisors, even the employees that got friendly with him. He takes care of his people. I’m not so sure he’d blame you for those little wiggle worms in your tummy.”

“Wiggle worms, fuck, don’t say that. I’ll have nightmares about it when I can actually get some sleep.” Keily looked around, even though the diner was empty. She wanted to be sure someone hadn’t sneaked in without her noticing. With a sigh she let Rosa’s hand go and leaned back in the booth.

Lisa was around somewhere, probably preparing hash-browns for the cook or sweeping somewhere. She was always busy and even did some of the chores Keily was supposed to do because she didn’t want Keily doing them. Especially the mopping. She was terrified Keily would slip and it would hurt the babies, so she wouldn’t let Keily anywhere near a wet floor.

It was kind of her, but Keily felt a little bit like she was taking advantage of the older woman, even if she did insist on doing it.

“That new smock, ahem, suits you.” Rosa pointed at the white shirt with light pink stripes.

The top of the smock was too big, but her breasts were ballooning so she’d gone two sizes too big when she bought it. There were pleats gathered just below her bustline that would accommodate her stomach as it grew. Not her idea of high fashion, but she had a limited choice when it came to work clothes. The pink stripes were pushing it, but they were very light so hopefully, they wouldn’t get her in trouble with the boss.

“I think it looks like I’m wearing a tent, but what can you do?” Keily shrugged and smiled, brushing her hand over her blonde hair to make sure it was still in a neat bun. “I even had to buy maternity pants.”

“Oh no, are they awful to wear?” Rosa cringed and looked down at Keily’s waist, even though the table covered most of it.

“They aren’t bad really, that stretchy part even helps my back a little. And I found this support thing that cradles the bump too, that’s a big help.” Keily’s hand came down from her hair and settled on her ever-expanding stomach. A smile twitched at her lips and she sighed with something like happiness. “I know I’m always talking about how miserable this is, but it’s nice too, you know?”

“No, I don’t,” Rosa said, her brown eyes rolling in her head, but the smile downplayed it. “And I don’t want to know right now.”

“How’s it going with your couple?” Keily slid her glass of water over to sip at it innocently, but the grin that formed took away that innocent look.

“It’s going,” Rosa said primly, her eyes giving away just how pleased she was with the situation. “I’m seeing them later.”

“I’m glad you’re happy, Rosa.” Keily meant it too. Even if she was currently miserable with her love life she was glad Rosa had found happiness. “You deserve to be happy after your divorce.”

“I am. I just wish I could fix things for you.” Rosa sighed again and looked away. Keily smiled at the pretty picture her friend made.

Rosa had pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head, sweeping her black hair away from her tanned face. The woman could have, should have been a model, she was so beautiful, but that wasn’t the life Rosa had reached for. She’d divorced around the same time Keily had and moved into town hoping for a new direction in life, a change. She’d not only made friends with Keily, but she’d also started a romantic relationship with a married couple.

“I have to admit, at first, I kind of thought it was a crazy thing for you to do, but I wasn’t judging you, by the way,” Keily added quickly. “I just didn’t see how it would work with a married couple. Don’t you, or they, get jealous of each other?”

“No, we talk things out and treat each other with respect. There would be issues if we were sneaking around behind each other’s backs and doing things with only one but not the other. We communicate and that’s important in all relationships.”

“You’re right.” Keily nodded, knowing that was one thing that was really lacking when she’d been with Logan. Oh, they’d talked about things, even had some long discussions about politics, how to fix the world, other things they wanted to do or see, and a little bit about their pasts, but they’d never really talked about emotions, needs, or what might be bothering the other. It wasn’t a good way to maintain a relationship, that was for sure.

Keily glanced up, about to ask Rosa something else, but she saw a woman with a baby in her arms walking up to the door. Her jaw dropped open before her entire body froze.

“What? Who is it?” Rosa asked and turned around. “Isn’t that your sister?”

“It is. Shit, what do I do?” Keily glanced back at Rosa, her stiff body tense now as she leaned forward.

She’d begged her sister to talk to her, had sent her hundreds of messages, emails, and phone calls, but she’d never replied. Violet had looked Keily right in the eye as she walked in, so she knew Keily was there. She hadn’t turned around and walked away, did that mean she wanted to see her sister at last? Or was she coming to gloat at Keily’s fall from the top of the world?

“You should greet her and give her a menu, I guess, Keily,” Rosa whispered. “Just don’t be snippy. See what she does and don’t let her get to you.”

“You’re right,” Keily said quietly, lost in thought. Why was Violet really here?

“Well, go on then.” Rosa hissed, her eyes wide and curious. “See what she wants. She might have gotten over it all. You won’t know until you go talk to her.”

“Okay,” Keily whispered under her breath and pushed up from the booth. She walked over to the counter to grab a menu and a booster seat before she plastered a fake smile on her face. Violet had taken a booth by the windows at the front of the diner, further down from where Keily and Rosa sat.

“Hi, Violet, how are you today?” Keily asked in her most businesslike voice.