Pregnancy Countdown

“Mark!” She tried digging in her heels but didn’t get very far. Plus, he already had her dog in the truck. He gave her an ungentlemanly push up into the passenger seat. As if he guessed she still might try to bolt, he reached over her and pulled the seat belt across her chest and fastened it.

“I have plenty of food in my refrigerator,” she argued.

“You’ve cooked for me twice. Since cooking isn’t one of my better skills, I’ll take you out.” He jumped into the driver’s seat and started up the engine. The Rolling Stones immediately filled the cab. He quickly turned down the volume.

“Brumby will drool all over your clean seats.” Nora tried another argument.

“As long as he’s not toxic, I’m not worried.” He stretched his arm along the back of the seat as he half turned while backing down the driveway. “I hope you’re hungry. Wednesday is chili night at Syd’s.”

“Just don’t give Brumby any,” Nora warned.

“You can pick something from the dog menu.”

She knew it was time to give up. For some reason, Mark was determined to take her out to dinner, so she may as well let him. A tiny smile touched her lips. She was hungry and she was eating for two.

Though the light was dim, Mark didn’t miss Nora’s smile. At least she had stopped arguing with him. Damn, the dog was drooling all over the back seat! He tightened his jaw and concentrated on the road.

“How do you know Syd’s Place? You don’t have a dog,” Nora pointed out.

“Brian mentioned that he and Gail go there a lot since they can take their dog,” he replied. “Seems the baby loves the beach. They like to stop there to eat before heading home.”

Nora saw the comparison between Mark and Brian much too clearly. She didn’t expect any impassioned declaration of love from Mark or an insistence on doing the right thing. It wasn’t his style. It was a well-known fact he didn’t like to be tied down.

She knew how he would react as well as she knew how his family would react. His parents, Cathy and Lou, would welcome a new grandchild and his grandmother and grandfather, Theo and Martha, would boast about the newest great-grandchild.

She knew her baby would have the joy of a large family. Something Nora hadn’t had as a child. She knew she wouldn’t keep the baby from them. The older Walker clan was never happier than when they spent the day together with family and friends.

She gave herself a mental shake. She was looking ahead to perhaps a year from now. She needed to concentrate on getting through dinner without divulging news she was still trying to get used to.

Look at this evening as a positive echoed inside her head in a voice that sounded way too much like Grammy Fran’s. The two of you made a baby. Be friends if you can’t be anything else.

Nora looked out the window at the colorful buildings that housed surf shops next door to art galleries and swimsuit boutiques.

A wooden sign weathered by the salt air with multicolored letters announced they had arrived at Syd’s Place. Mark found a spot near the eatery and helped Nora out of the truck. He picked up Brumby and kept hold of his leash as the dog eagerly explored the bowls of plants set outside a florist’s.

“No way, guy.” Mark reined him in. “You water those plants, they’ll make you buy them.”

“His allowance couldn’t cover buying a flower petal from there,” Nora said.

Mark studied the shop’s exterior, white with dark green accents. Green window boxes filled with colorful blooms highlighted a display window that showed off an elegant crystal vase holding a rose in a delicate shade of peach. Tiny fairies hung from the ceiling looking as if they were flying around the vase.

“Mom loves stuff like that,” he commented.

“Christmas will be here before you know it.” Nora smiled slyly.

He didn’t miss her smile. “What do you know about that vase that I don’t?”

“The cost. Twelve hundred dollars and that’s without the rose.”

Mark tried to say something but air was caught in his chest and he started choking. Nora reached over and helpfully slapped him on the back.

“You’re joking, right?” he wheezed.