Second Look (A New Beginning Book 3)

by Connie Stephany

  “Remember to brush your teeth.”

  Amber’s shoulders fell. “Aw, do I have to?”

  Jennifer clicked her tongue. “No, of course not. I can just call the dentist in the morning and ask them to pull them all.”

  Amber’s eyes widened. “No! I’ll go brush them. Goodnight!”

  Jennifer tried not to laugh. “Good night, sweetie.”

  Adam gave her a giant smile and said, “Be back in a bit.”

  Jennifer nodded. As Adam took Amber to her bedroom, she went back outside, heading out to the mailbox. It was a long walk out to the end of her driveway, and she kept thinking of the hayride through the apple trees at the apple orchard. Tears formed in her eyes, just thinking about how much fun they had together.

  She grabbed the contents of the mailbox and shuffled through the letters. She stopped short as soon as she saw an envelope from HomeDNA.

  Oh. My. Gosh.

  Overwhelming fear tore through her, making her shake, and her stomach was turning. All of her fears came crashing back, enough to practically bowl her over as she walked back up to her house.

  Adam hadn’t asked about the test results since they did the swabs, but she figured it was on his mind because it was certainly on hers. She didn’t even have the courage to send them in for several weeks.

  But now the results were here.

  She heard Adam coming down the hall and panicked. She was guilty of stalling and she knew it.

  Oh no! What should I do?

  Just before Adam rounded the corner, Jennifer quickly shoved the envelope far back into the junk drawer, behind the batteries, extra phone chargers and super glue.

  Jennifer wasn’t ready to risk the relationship she and Amber had developed with Adam. She just couldn’t do it. What if they still said Adam wasn’t the father? She was sure the last time, but now? Doubt crept in. She didn’t think Mike was Amber’s father, but what if it really was him?

  Why am I so worried about this? He tells me every chance he gets that he loves me. I know he does. But what happens if Amber isn’t really his?

  Right or wrong, she’d deal with it later.

  *****

  Jennifer was going crazy worrying about the damn test hidden in her kitchen junk drawer since Saturday night.

  She continued to make excuses as to why not to open the results or tell Adam she had them. She didn’t want to open them Sunday, because Adam left on Monday for a work trip and wouldn’t be home until Friday night and she didn’t want to do it right before he left. She was just too insecure.

  She knew she needed to do it, and soon. She just needed to find the courage.

  She pulled out every gray hair she found on her head and chewed her nails until they were stubs before it finally hit her; what she really needed were her friends.

  It was perfect timing for a girl’s night out.

  I have to figure this out before Adam gets home!

  She covered her face with her hands. The right thing to do was obvious, but she was just too damn scared to do it. Maybe she just needed a little liquid courage and some support from her friends.

  It was MEA weekend where students were off Thursday and Friday, so Maddie was luckily able to babysit.

  Thursday night was Ladies night at the local bar in Zimmerman. Jennifer called Mandi and Cassandra and they were picking her up before heading over to the bar.

  Another friend, Kimberly, was joining them because her boyfriend, Peter, was the bar’s magician. Yes, the bar had a magician on Ladies night. He was actually pretty damn good, so good it scared her at times. It would be fun to see some tricks to take her mind off the issue at hand.

  The Whistling Pickle was the place to be on a Thursday night in her little town of Zimmerman. Cheap drinks, karaoke, dancing and an “adult toy” representative could always be counted on for a funny time.

  It would be a great distraction to get the latest on the girls and their relationships.

  Jennifer also thought it was high time to push Mandi into either dating a real guy, like flesh and blood versus just an online guy who could be a girl or a 13-year-old boy. And she didn’t even want to get started on the crazy relationship Cassandra had with her best friend, Noah. Seriously, they should just hook up and call it good.

  As far as Kimberly went, she was looking forward to getting to know her a little better. She was a friend of Cassandra’s from work, so they weren’t friends for that long, but she was already easily fitting into their group and just crazy enough to get them all up to sing karaoke.

  Sitting at the table in the middle of the bar, right by the pull-tabs, they got their first round of drinks.

  “Well, ladies, who’s up for some karaoke?” Kimberly asked them, looking around the table with a smirk.

  “Count me out! I’m pretty sure I’d crack the windows in this place,” Jennifer replied, shuddering as she sipped on her beer.

  “No, thank you,” said Cassandra, shaking her head.

  Kimberly grumbled. “Oh, come on! You aren’t any fun.”

  Mandi’s face lit up. “I have an idea. How about a little friendly competition?”

  Kimberly perked up at this suggestion, saying, “What do you have in mind?”

  “How about whoever gets a free drink first gets to bow out of singing and the rest of us have to get up and sing a song. The winner gets to chose a song for you.”

  Mandi’s brow was raised and she was tapping her freshly painted fingernails on her bottle of Bud.

  Jennifer and Cassandra groaned at the same time.

  “Uh, nope. I’m out,” Cassandra told them, again. “I can’t sing at all.”

  “No way,” Jennifer informed them, looking between Mandi and Kimberly.

  “Ladies, really? We’re all in. It’ll be fun,” Kimberly insisted.

  Jennifer narrowed her eyes. “Fine. But it has to be someone we don’t know. It can’t be someone like your boyfriend, Kimberly.”

  Kimberly rolled her eyes. “Well, of course not.”

  “Okay, so since that’s settled,” Jennifer said, “I needed this girl’s night. I need moral support.”

  All three of the other girls snapped to attention.

  “What’s going on, babe?” Mandi asked, concern in her voice.

  “So, I probably should have told you all sooner…,” Jennifer began, and then paused.

  Mandi’s eyes narrowed. “Uh, continue please. What’s going on?”

  “Okay, fine.” Jennifer sighed. She needed her friends and she shouldn’t have kept this from them anyway. Here goes nothing. “As you know, I still don’t know who Amber’s father is.”

  Mandi and Cassandra nodded, and Kimberly’s eyes grew wide.

  Jennifer looked at Kimberly and said, “I’ll explain another time, Kim, but long story short the only two men who could be Amber’s father both had their tests come back as negative.”

  Kimberly said under her breath, “Holy shit.”

  “Right.” Jennifer agreed. “Anyway, you know that the only two men I was with were Adam and Mike. There is absolutely no one else who could be her father. I finally got the courage up and asked Adam to retake the paternity test.”

  Mandi gasped, a hurt look crossing her face. “You did?”

  Jennifer nodded, and put an apologetic look on her face. “And he took them a while back.”

  Mandi was gaping at her. “Oh my gosh. Why didn’t you tell us?”

  “I didn’t want the looks of pity and the concern.”

  “Are you nuts?” Cassandra was shaking her head. “We are your best friends, you know. Did you not learn this the last time?”

  Jennifer’s eyes filled with tears. “Apparently not?”

  Cassandra patted her on the shoulder and said. “You know we love you so you need to learn to trust us with this stuff. She shook her head and asked, “So? Did you get them yet?”

  “Last week.”

  Mandi’s eyes widened. “And? What did they say?”

  Jennifer hung her h
ead and put her face in her hands so her response was a little garbled. “Um…I don’t know?”

  Cassandra shouted, causing others around them to glance over. “Say what?”

  That got the attention of a group of men sitting at the next table over. One of them grinned Cassandra’s way, but she didn’t even notice him.

  “I…well…I’m scared! Things are going so well with Adam and I just don’t want to ruin them.”

  Even to her own ears it sounded stupid.

  “Oh, honey. You and Adam are doing great! You have to learn to trust him.”

  “Yeah, Mandi’s right, sweetie.” Cassandra nodded her head. “You and Adam are inseparable. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. I think you’re worrying for nothing. He’s totally in love with you.”

  “I have a question,” Kimberly said hesitantly, taking a sip of her dirty martini and raising her hand. All three girls looked over at Kimberly before she continued. “He’s already been told he’s not Amber’s father, right?”

  They all nodded yes at her, so she continued. “Then, even if the test result is negative, nothing changes. Things keep going the way they are.” She paused, and then said, “But if the test says he is the father…well, that could just make things even better.”

  Jennifer pursed her lips and tapped her cheek and said, “That’s what Adam says.”

  Cassandra nodded in agreement. “Exactly. I’m telling you, sweetie, it will be fine.”

  “Yeah, that’s all great and all, but I think you’re forgetting what happened last time.”

  Kimberly leaned forward and asked, “What happened last time?”

  “The test came back negative and he walked out.” Jennifer said and then continued, “No, actually, stormed out is more like it.”

  Kimberly gasped and said, “Oh! That’s not good.”

  Mandi’s voice was gentle, but she replied, “But that was a bit of a different situation, babe.” She turned towards Kimberly to explain. “He left his bride on the day of their wedding to travel to another state to take a paternity test and then later found out he wasn’t actually a father. He was under a bit of stress at the time. This time is completely different.”

  Kimberly’s eyes widened and she said, “You left that part out! I’d have to agree. Totally different.”

  Jennifer put her face in her hands again and knew they were right.

  It was time to be brave and just open the damn test. But she’d wait until Adam got home.

  “So, I’m being stupid?”

  Cassandra and Mandi looked at each other and then turned her Jennifer.

  Cassandra said, “Yup.”

  Mandi, at the exact same time said, “Completely stupid.”

  Kimberly just shook her head and said under her breath, “This is worse than Jerry Springer.”

  Just then, the really hot guy from the next table walked over with a Bud Light Lime and placed it in front of Cassandra.

  “Hi there,” the guy said, his low voice sexy and rumbly. “I’m Brian.”

  Cassandra batted her eyelashes. “Is this for me?”

  Brian nodded.

  “Thanks.”

  Cassandra turned to the rest of the girls and smirked.

  That bitch just won the bet.

  The girls would all have to sing a song of Cassandra’s choice and she had the worst voice ever. She’d be booed off the stage for sure.

  Couldn’t they just go back to discussing her horrible decisions about keeping the test results from Adam? That seemed less painful than singing Karaoke.

  Cassandra looked over at Brian. “Want to go with me to get a song list? These girls here are going to be singing a song tonight.”

  Brian grinned and said, “Sure.”

  He stepped back so Cassandra could get down off her bar stool.

  Jennifer looked over at Kimberly and Mandi. “See what you’ve done? I’m screwed! I can’t sing a damn thing and people will boo me off the stage. Mark my words.”

  “Oh, quit being so dramatic, Jennifer. You’ll be fine.”

  Mandi excused herself to run to the restroom and to get them shots.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Jennifer could see someone approach their table. A snarky, feminine voice said, “Hey there. Jennifer, right?”

  She looked over and cocked her head to the side. It was the woman she met at the baseball field. The one who still texted Adam, although he doesn’t know she was aware of it. For the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why he didn’t just block her.

  “Yeah. What was your name again?”

  She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. “Sarah.”

  “What can I do for you?”

  “Have you seen Adam around?”

  Jennifer raised an eyebrow. “He’s away on business.”

  “Oh. Could you just let him know I need to talk to him?”

  “Uh, sure, I’ll give him the message.”

  “It’s important.”

  Jennifer narrowed her eyes at Sarah. What is she up to? “Like I said, I’ll give him the message.”

  Sarah nodded and gave her a small smile. “Thanks.”

  Before she could say another word, Sarah took off and walked out the door.

  Jennifer shook her head and wondered what was so important. Even though she didn’t trust the woman as far as she could throw her, Jennifer’s stomach rolled with nerves.

  Cassandra got back to the table at the same time as Mandi.

  Mandi tilted her head towards the door that Sarah had just walked through. “Who was that?”

  “No one important,” replied Jennifer.

  Cassandra shrugged and then looked over the song list. “Alrighty, what to choose…”

  Brian left her at the table, but not before he slipped her a piece of paper with his name and number on it.

  “Before you choose, Cass, how’s Noah? I still haven’t seen him since I’ve been back,” Jennifer said.

  “He’s good,” she replied. “He was mad he wasn’t invited tonight, but I told him it was girls night out.”

  Mandi muttered, “It sure didn’t stop Jennifer last time.”

  “He could have come.” Kimberly shrugged. “I mean, my boyfriend is here. It’s only fair others could have brought theirs too.”

  “That’s different, Kimberly,” Mandi insisted. “Peter works here.”

  Speaking of the devil, Peter walked over to their table, a deck of cards in his hands. He was wearing a black top hat and black cape. He was a bit eccentric, but that was expected with the bar’s magician. Once a month they hired Peter to come in and perform tricks for the ladies and was a real hit at the bar.

  “Hello, ladies. Are you having a good night?”

  Peter looked down at Kimberly and gave her a quick peck on her cheek.

  Mandi grinned. “Of course we are, Peter. But we’re better now. What new tricks do you have for us?”

  “Funny you should ask,” Peter said with a smirk. “Pick a card, any card.”

  Mandi chose a card in the middle of the deck.

  “Now, write your name on your card with this permanent marker,” he told her, handing her the marker.

  Mandi took the marker, but raised her eyebrow. “Really?”

  Peter continued to shuffle using one hand and separating the cards multiple times before putting them back together as he answered with a smile, “Yes, really. Go ahead.”

  “Oooookayyyy,” Mandi said, writing her name on the card.

  Peter took the card back and placed it in the deck and started shuffling again, every which way, and all of the girls kept a watchful eye on the cards.

  “Are they shuffled well enough for you?”

  “Yep! Good luck finding it,” Mandi replied, laughing.

  “It’s not luck, Mandi, it’s magic.” Peter held a straight face.

  “Okay, then impress me!”

  Jennifer noticed that Kimberly sat in her chair, her mouth turned up slightly, watching her boyfriend and sipping her red wine.
Jennifer figured she saw him do these magic tricks about a hundred or more times, but she was almost as fun to watch as Peter because she loved his magic tricks.

  “Okay, now I’ll make your card rise to the top.”

  Peter took the deck, waved his hand over the cards and then snapped his fingers. By this time, he drew a few other spectators and they hovered around the table.

  Then, he turned the top card over and the girls all gasped, looking at Mandi’s signature on the card.

  “What? How the hell did you do that? Do it again,” Mandi demanded.

  Jennifer clapped her hands.

  Cassandra’s mouth and eyes opened wide, looking at the card and then up at Peter, but remained silent.

  Peter laughed and stuck the card back into the middle of the deck. He then waved his hand over the cards, snapped his fingers and turned the top card over just like he did the first time. It was her card again, with Mandi written in large black letters.

  “Okay, you’ve impressed me,” Mandi told him. “Do you have any other tricks?”

  Kimberly started laughing and said, “Oh, believe me, he could do this all night.”

  “Okay, here’s another one, but who at this table could promise not to drop any cards in an invisible deck?”

  All three girls looked confused, including Kimberly. “Huh, I haven’t seen this one yet!”

  Cassandra recovered from her shock and started hopping up and down in her bar stool, yelling, “Pick me! Pick me!”

  “Okay, we have a taker,” Peter said. “Now, here’s the invisible deck. It’s in the card package, and is a brand new deck, so take the wrapper off first, take it out of the box, and then very carefully shuffle the deck.”

  Peter held out his empty hand to Cassandra as though a real deck were in it.

  She laughed, pretended to take the invisible deck and said, “Okay, I’ll do my best.”

  Cassandra played along, unwrapping the invisible deck of cards, pretending to take them out of the package, and pretending to shuffle. She giggled as the hot guy who earlier bought her the drink watched her in fascination.

  Peter held out his hand. “Be very careful with that deck, Cassandra. If you drop any of them, I’ll never be able to find them.”

  The entire table started laughing, while Peter’s face remained completely straight. “What? I’m serious.”