“And you didn’t notice?”
Harper sat back in her chair. “New business.”
“Right.” Rhi drummed her fingers on the table. “And it isn’t just stress?”
“I don’t know. I’ve had weird symptoms for the last few days. I just feel off, you know?” She sighed. “I don’t want to freak out my husband if I’m just being a basket case.”
Or herself. Because she was so freaking out.
“I just figured she could help. I’m so dumb.”
Rhi laughed. “No, you’re not. DJ’s good people. A bit of a pervert, but that’s why we love her.”
Harper snorted. “Yeah, too true.” She was used to perverts. No wonder she latched onto DJ since they got there.
“She isn’t on today.”
Harper sagged.
“But I’ve got her cell. So let’s give it a little ring, huh?”
“I don’t want to take her away from her day off. I’ll just call a cab and go into town.”
“Tell you what? If she’s not around, I’ll take you.”
“I can’t impose. I shouldn’t even do this to DJ. I just—”
“You panicked. I totally get it. I did the same thing once upon a time.”
Harper clutched her hands together. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t have a husband in the picture. And I’d just started this place.” Rhi fiddled with her phone.
Harper’s stomach dropped. “Oh, wow.”
“It’s an option, Harper. You’re young. You have plenty of time to have kids. Maybe it’s just not the right time.”
“I—we haven’t even talked about having…” God, she couldn’t even say it. What business did she even have saying it? She could barely take care of herself these days.
Cripes, they didn’t even have a place of their own.
“Okay, I can see you spiraling. Let me call DJ.” Rhi flicked her phone on, and a second later she had it up to her ear.
Harper stood, folding her arms over her middle as she paced the length of the outdoor patio. The ocean lured her to the edge of the deck as she listened to Rhianna talk in low tones to DJ. She leaned on the fat, weathered railing, watching the waves eat their way up the beach.
Rhi came up to stand next to her. “She’s on her way.”
Harper clasped her fingers together, bringing them to her mouth. She nodded because there wasn’t much else she could do.
Rhi squeezed her shoulder and left her alone. Harper wasn’t sure how long she stood there watching the tide inch its way up the beach. It felt like she was frozen and everything around her was moving so freaking fast.
Seven
Just Breathe
“All right, kiddo. What’s this I hear, you got yourself knocked up?”
Harper looked over her shoulder. DJ stood there with her blonde chin-length hair pushed back with fat sunglasses. She was makeup free and looked about sixteen without her bartender uniform on. “Hey.”
“That stud has super sperm, huh?”
She let out a laugh that was half sob, half hiccup and turned back to the ocean. Crap. She was not going to cry again.
“Hey now.” DJ rushed forward and hooked her arm through hers. “I’m glad you came looking for me. We’re going to go do the girl thing and get a pregnancy test and pee on that motherfucker. I have awesome karma. If we don’t want a blue plus sign, I can hit you up with some crazy mojo.”
Harper sniffed. “I’m sorry to drag you in here on your day off. I just ran out of the cottage and came here. I didn’t know what else to do,” she whispered.
“Well, you’re in luck. I have a shitbox of a car waiting outside and we have a drugstore less than five minutes away. Even better, my apartment is right around the corner from this fantabulous drugstore. You can pee on the stick and we’ll figure shit out.”
Harper nodded. “Okay.”
DJ flung her arm around her shoulder and squeezed. “Every woman has had a pregnancy scare.”
Not this woman. Of course Deacon had been the only man she’d ever had unprotected sex with.
DJ steered her off the deck and inside. Harper grabbed her purse, letting DJ lead her out the front to her car. Just like any coastal town, rental houses and hotels crowded the streets right near the water. DJ took a few side roads then they came to a major intersection.
Signs for restaurants and fast food speared up from the street. Congested lanes reminded her that she had no idea how long she’d left Deacon. She dug into her purse, and no message was waiting for her. Was he still sleeping? She didn’t even remember what she’d put on the scribbled note for him as to why she was gone.
“Cut it out.”
Harper looked to DJ. “Can hear my mental freakout, huh?”
“It’s as loud as an air horn.” She swung into a small parking lot. “Test first, then we figure out a game plan.”
As they parked, Harper’s nails dug into her thighs.
“C’mon, Harper.”