California Girls

Gina winced. “You can’t let my opinion go?”

“Not when you can’t keep it to yourself. You’re right—something could go wrong, but you know what? Everything might work out just fine. This time next year, they could have a happy, healthy baby and I’ll be back to my life, having given my friend the most incredible gift ever. Even if there’s a chance for disaster, I want to try. I want to do this and if you can’t support me, then I can’t be around you.”

She hadn’t meant to say all that, but somehow the words came out.

“This is hard,” she admitted. “Way harder than I’d thought, and from everything I’ve read it’s going to get worse. I have to keep up a brave face for Bernie and her husband, so I really need my other friends to help me through this.” She opened her backpack and dug out a T-shirt that had been left in a bag on her doorstep. She held it up.

“Do you see this?” She pointed at the ridiculous cartoon stork instructing her to glow and grow. “My self-absorbed older sister left this for me sometime in the night. I’m not asking you to show up twice a week and rub my feet, but I need you to respect my decision. You’ve said you disagree and that’s fine, but if you can’t let that go and get on board, then I can’t have you in my life right now.”

Even worse than the verbal diarrhea were the tears that suddenly filled her eyes.

“This is ridiculous,” she muttered, brushing them away. “I swear, I will not get hormonal.”

Gina stared at her openmouthed. “You’ve never talked to me like that before.”

“I’ve never talked to anyone like that before. I’m sorry. I want to say I’ll love you no matter what, but apparently my love has conditions.”

“Okay,” Gina told her. “That’s clear. I’m not ready to make that decision. I guess I’ll see you later.”

Her friend...her possibly former friend...turned and walked away. Zennie felt the telltale pressure of more tears, but she ignored them. She just had to get home. She would eat, drink water, then go to bed and sleep. Everything would be better in the morning. Zennie tried to tell herself if Gina couldn’t support her, she was better off without her, which sounded very strong and brave, but in truth made her feel completely lost, alone and scared. Just one more thing that was different, now that she was going to have a baby.

*

Ali woke up early the morning of her wedding-that-wasn’t. She wrapped herself in a blanket and crept silently to the patio off her room to watch the sunrise. She had no idea how she felt about herself or her circumstances or anything else, but she knew one thing for sure—she wasn’t sorry she wasn’t marrying Glen.

She had an early hair appointment followed by a mani-pedi. When she got back, Daniel had promised her a day of fun. She knew he was going to take her out to the track so she could try motocross. Anything to keep her mind off what the day was supposed to be. She might be grateful she wasn’t marrying Glen but that didn’t mean she wasn’t feeling a little regretful about the day itself.

Two hours later, she had highlights, a new, flattering bob, along with freshly painted nails. She’d gone with a bright aqua on her toes and a pale pink on her fingers. She felt sassy and sexy and more than a little adventurous.

“I’m ready for my motocross lesson,” she said as she walked into the house.

Daniel stood in the kitchen. He stared at her from across the kitchen island, his eyes wide.

“What?” she demanded, then remembered her haircut. Her heart instantly sank. Did it look bad? Did he think she’d made a mistake? No! She loved her new hairstyle and if he didn’t then he was stupid.

“You look incredible,” he said, setting down the coffee mug. “Your eyes look bigger and your face is just...” He motioned vaguely in her direction. “You look great.”

“Thank you. I feel good. Now let’s go conquer some motorcycles.”

He put his coffee mug in the sink and pointed to her flip-flops. “You’re going to need closed-toe shoes. Also a long-sleeve T-shirt. The jeans are fine.”

She collected tennis shoes and socks, along with a jersey, then met him by the truck.

“My pedicure will have dried by the time we get there,” she said. “I’ll put on my shoes and socks then.”

“Beauty over safety.”

She wiggled her toes. “Duh!”

He grinned and held open the door for her.

On the way to the track, he talked to her about the class she’d be taking. “It’s for beginners, so expect there to be little kids.”

“How little?”

“Seven or eight years old.”

She groaned. “Great. I’ll feel large and uncoordinated. That’s perfect.”

He grinned at her. “You’ll do fine. The instructor will take you over the safety basics, then we’ll get you your protective gear. You’ll need body armor, goggles and a helmet.”

“Body armor? Seriously?”

“We dress for the crash, not the ride.”

“Oh, that’s a cheerful saying. Note to self—avoid crashing.”

They got on I-5 and headed north to Sun Valley. Ali had been to Daniel’s business a couple of times with Glen. She knew there were three different tracks, a grandstand, a service center where bikes were repaired and modified, along with several buildings that were used for everything from classrooms to locker rooms to the office staff. From what she’d been able to piece together, the business had been a lot smaller when he’d inherited it. Daniel had worked hard to grow it into a success.

She was impressed by how he’d taken something good and made it better—not that she was surprised. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, remembering their kiss. She still wasn’t sure what it had meant, but it had been pretty fantastic. She was willing to admit there was something between them. At this point, she had no idea what, but whatever it was, she liked it.