The Pregnancy Test

by Susan Gable

  “Nah. You can do it. Just smile and be yourself.”

  “Whatever.” Brook squared her shoulders as she went back out onto the floor. “Hello. Welcome to Element-ry. Can I help you find something?”

  When the guy checking out the stuff in the beach case turned, Brook did her best not to stare. Tall. Dark hair. Wide shoulders encased in a Millcreek High team jacket, despite the fact that Jenna kept insisting the weather was unseasonably warm for the end of September in Erie.

  Then he smiled at her, flashing a set of teeth that screamed time-spent-at-the-orthodontist.

  And Brook’s stomach got all squishy.

  “I’m looking for something for my mom. For her birthday.” He stepped in her direction, bringing with him a soft scent of cologne. “Hey, don’t I know you? Where do you go to school?”

  “M-Millcreek High.” Great, she was stammering like an idiot.

  His smile got bigger and he nodded. “That’s what I thought. I’m a senior there. I think I’ve seen you around.”

  He’d noticed her? Wow. “Um…” She cleared her throat. “What does your mom like? Does she like the beach? Flowers? Is she into fall and leaves?”

  The boy shrugged. “Beats me. I just want something pretty, something different to give her.”

  “What about some of the beach-glass pieces we have? They’re made from little pieces of glass that wash up onto the lakeshore. Years in the water polish them smooth.” She directed him to the proper case, hoping he wouldn’t notice her hands trembling when she pulled out some earrings to show him.

  It seemed to take forever. He made her show him some of the gold pieces, then they went back to the beach glass. While she helped him, the door chimed again. Brook spared a quick glance to see two girls she knew from school come in with a girl she didn’t recognize. Then she returned her attention to the boy and the drop earrings with green glass he’d selected. “Would you like me to wrap these for you?”

  “Really? That’d be great.” His simple thanks made her heart pound. “I’m horrible at wrapping.”

  “No problem.” Using floral paper, Brook made quick work of the task, sticking a gold bow on the top. She fumbled a few times with the register but got everything squared away, then slipped the gift and his receipt into a bag. Their fingers brushed as he took it from her, and she resisted the temptation to sigh. “I hope your mom likes it. Come again.”

  “If you’re working here, I think I will.” He turned and sauntered from the store, causing a ripple of whispers from the group of girls lingering near the fountain. They stared at him as he left, then quickly swarmed Brook, all of them chattering at once.

  “Ohmigod! Do you know who that was?”

  Brook shook her head.

  “That’s Dylan Burch. He’s a major track star at school,” said Kelly, who was in Brook’s English class.

  “And so hot! Did you get a load of those green eyes?” asked Lana, from History.

  “I wasn’t looking at his eyes,” said the girl Brook didn’t know. The others snickered.

  “What did he want? Did he ask you out?” Lana asked.

  “No.” Brook’s face warmed. “He bought something for his mom’s birthday.” Kelly and Lana crowded closer, wanting all the details. The other girl wandered around the store, peering into the cases, ending up back at the tree. Brook showed Lana and Kelly a seashell necklace Kelly wanted to buy with her baby-sitting money. Eventually, Brook made her second sale of the afternoon, and the group left.

  “Hey. Sounded busy out there. How did it go?” Jenna asked when Brook headed into the office.

  “Good. I made two sales.”

  Jenna smiled at her. “See, I told you. Just be yourself.”

  “Met a really hot guy, too.”

  “Oh yeah?” Jenna knotted the strand of fishing line that made the base of the necklace she was working on. “Hot guys are definitely something I can appreciate. Tell me about him.”

  Brook launched into a description of Dylan Burch, playing it cool while trying to make Jenna understand just how incredible he was.

  “Sounds yummy.” Jenna laid the completed necklace aside. “Think he’ll stop back?”

  “He said he might.”

  “That would be great.”

  “I had a boyfriend in Texas,” Brook confessed. Jenna arched her eyebrows. “But he was a moron. I was only gone like a week and he started chasing after another girl.”

  “Guys will do that. But don’t sweat it. You’re young. There will be plenty of guys in your life.”

  “You think so?”

  “Absolutely. Look at you. You’re adorable, with that short, sassy haircut, those bright blue eyes. I guarantee that the boy you left behind will only be the first moronic guy in your life.” Jenna laughed.

  It was cool to have a woman to talk guys with. And clothes. And jewelry.

  Twenty minutes later, as they were getting ready to close, her dad came into the store, Ashley on his heels. Her kid sister immediately ran over to the fountain, calling out, “Hey, Moby! Hey, Goldie!” She pulled the bag of food from the spot in the back, tossed a handful into the water and giggled as the fish splashed.

  “Oh, hey, look out, I think it’s a tidal wave!” Jenna called, laughing as well.

  “You ready, Brook? Have you decided what you want to do tonight? It’s your turn to pick.”

  Brook started to roll her eyes, but Jenna poked her in the back. “Don’t do that. Be glad he wants to spend time with you,” she whispered. “Some parents don’t give a damn about their kids.”

  “I decided I want to go bowling.” Brook glanced over her shoulder at her boss and new friend. “And I want Jenna to come, too.”

  GETTING STOOD UP by Margo for a girl’s night in had never been better, Jenna decided, checking out Sloan’s…form…as he stood on the lane, about to bowl. And since her friend had gone off to Pittsburgh for the weekend to a massage-therapist conference or something, Jenna didn’t even have to put up with a million questions, or insinuations that she was flirting or that this was a date.

  Not with two kids, it wasn’t. It was just another good-neighbor thing to do.

  Although watching Sloan move was leading to some thoughts that probably didn’t qualify as “neighborly.” Those could only lead to trouble. She shouldn’t have agreed to join them.

  But Brook had wanted her to come. And Jenna liked making those kinds of wishes—the kind her parents never had time for when she was growing up—come true.

  Music blasted, and black lights, glow-in-the-dark patterns on the rugs, and disco balls reflecting sparkles gave the alley a cosmic appearance. When they’d arrived at Greengarden Lanes, Ashley had loved it, Brook had tried to play it cool, and Sloan’s eyeballs had nearly popped out of his head. Apparently he’d never participated in disco bowling back in Texas.

  She chuckled as he came off the lane, shaking his head over the easy pickup he’d missed.

  “I don’t know how anyone’s supposed to bowl accurately with these crazy lights. What are you laughing at?” he asked.

  “Who, me? Nothing.” She rose from the bench and retrieved her ball from the return. “Let me show you how it’s done, Tex.”

  She found her mark on the smooth floor, took her strides, then let the ball go, arm following through. She froze in place, waiting, watching. The ball struck just to the side of the headpin, sending nine of them down easily. The final one rocked back and forth. “Come on, come on!”

  It toppled over.

  “Yes!” She tightened her hand into a fist and jerked it downward. “Yes!” She did a happy dance, all wiggles and shakes, then turned to face her companions. “And that, my dear Tex, is how it’s done.”

  A slow smile spread across his mouth, and he nodded. “So I see. Is the dancing part mandatory, or optional?”

  “Well, since it’s your first time and all, we’ll make it optional tonight. Unless you get a turkey. Then it’s mandatory.” Besides, as far as she was concerned, three strikes
in a row—a turkey—should make anyone dance a little bit.

  Brook brushed past them on her way to the alley. “She’s killing you, Dad.”

  “Yes, she is.”

  But he didn’t look annoyed by it. In fact, he seemed totally okay with it. Imagine that. A man not threatened by a woman whupping his butt at a sport. “Maybe you should join Ashley on the lane with the bumpers up,” Jenna quipped.

  “Maybe I should.”

  Frame by frame, the evening rushed by. “I’m getting some pizza. Anybody else?” Jenna asked, heading for the upper level.

  “I’ll come. I could use something to drink,” Brook said.

  Sloan watched them climb the steps and move toward the crowded table that offered all-you-could-eat-or-drink pizza and pop. Jenna wore a pair of floral-print jeans that showed off a delightful set of legs, and a green top that she’d cinched with a wide brown leather belt. Her easy laughter made everyone, male and female, notice her. Friendly, outgoing—what wasn’t to like?

  The way his older daughter also noticed her? Brook watched her every move, from the shake of her head to the smile, and especially the way men came on to her.

  Maybe letting her take the job hadn’t been the right thing to do. Brook had enough raging teenage hormones to deal with. She didn’t need lessons from a woman who seemed to attract men without any effort at all.

  Including himself, if he wanted to be completely honest, which he didn’t. There was just something about the woman…

  But his wife had attracted at least one man more than she’d needed. And that had left him slightly wary.

  “Daddy, watch me!” Ashley staggered up to the line and heaved the ball onto the floor. It rolled slowly toward the pins, bouncing off one bumper, then the other, eventually knocking over three pins. She spun around and did a dance that mimicked Jenna’s earlier tail-shaking victory celebration.

  Maybe she was already affecting both daughters. He swallowed a sigh. “Great job, Peach.”

  Closing in on the end of the second game, Sloan found himself with two strikes in a row. The girls were cheering him on, and Jenna gave him a thumbs-up. “Go for it.”

  When all the pins toppled over again, a round of gobbling erupted behind him to honor his turkey. He turned to find Jenna and Ashley’s gobbles turning to giggles while Brook eyed the pair with disdain. He started to leave the lane when Jenna held up her hand. “Uh-uh. You owe us a mandatory dance.”

  Ashley giggled again and covered her mouth.

  “This ought to be good,” Brook murmured. “Maybe I’ll just die of embarrassment now.”

  “I think the moment has passed,” Sloan said, coming off the wooden floor.

  “That’s the problem with not seizing the moment,” Jenna replied. “It’s gone too quickly. Guess he doesn’t dance, huh?” she asked Brook.

  “I dance. I just don’t think wiggling my butt on a bowling lane constitutes dancing.”

  “Coward,” Jenna whispered as she passed him on her way up. The smile and wink she offered took the sting from the word.

  By the time they’d reached the middle of the third game, he’d more than adapted to the weird lights and was leading Jenna by seventeen points. Ashley had quit, sprawling on the bench. Brook had wandered off to the other end of the bowling alley when she’d recognized several kids from school. Sloan wrapped up the tenth frame with a strike and a spare, breaking 200.

  Jenna left the frame open. Still, she came off the lane with a bounce in her step. “You’re a quick study. Great game.”

  “Thanks.” He sat on the bench next to Ashley and unlaced his bowling shoes. “I think that’s it for the night. Somebody’s tired.”

  “I’m not tired,” Ashley said, opening her eyes.

  Jenna laughed. “No, not much.”

  “I’m going to go round up Brook. Will you help Ashley take care of her shoes?” he asked Jenna.

  She looked at him kind of funny, then nodded.

  He dropped his shoes on the rental counter as he went by, then headed in the direction Brook had gone. He found her with a mixed group of about seven teens. He crooked his finger at her. She climbed the steps to the upper level. “What?”

  “Come on. We’re ready to go.”

  “Can I stay a bit longer? One of the guys will drive me home.”

  Sloan shook his head. “Absolutely not. Do you know these guys well? How old are they? How long have they had their licenses?”

  “Da-ad, please, I’m not—”

  “Brook, I said no. Now let’s go.”

  “You don’t even consider what I want. It’s just always no,” she muttered, folding her arms across her chest.

  “Not true,” he said. “I let you take the job, didn’t I?”

  “Whoopee.” She stared at him for a minute, then took off in the direction of their lanes.

  On the ride home, Brook’s pouting filled the extended-cab pickup with tension. She hadn’t even tried to slip into the front seat, where she’d sat on the way to the lanes. That suited Sloan just fine. Let her sulk in the back. He busted his ass to make her happy, to compromise with her, but the moment something didn’t go her way, she got moody. Loving his kid shouldn’t have been a chore, but sometimes she made it feel that way.

  “I had a lot of fun tonight,” Jenna said, breaking the quiet. “Thanks for letting me tag along.”

  “Well, thanks for showing us your favorite bowling alley.”

  Silence returned until they got close to home. Then Sloan said, “I’ll drop you off first, Jenna.”

  She snorted. “Please, don’t be ridiculous. Just pull into your driveway and I’ll walk home. It’s not like it’s that far, and besides, the weather’s nice. If it were cold or snowing, I’d take you up on the door-to-door service.”

  “You sure?”

  “Absolutely. Besides, after those three slices of pizza tonight, I could use any extra exercise I can get.”

  He pulled the truck up to the door of the detached garage and shut it off, opting to leave it outside. As she slid out, Jenna repeated her thanks.

  “Hold up a minute, Jenna.” Sloan held the door for Ashley. “Peach, inside and into your pajamas. I’ll be up to tuck you in as soon as I get back from walking Jenna home.”

  “Okay, Daddy. But I’m not tire—” Ashley’s protest got lost in a yawn, and Sloan rumpled her hair.

  “Of course you’re not tired. Do it anyway.”

  Ashley headed for the back door, which Brook let slam just in front of her. Sloan shook his head. That girl was going to turn all his hair gray long before his time.

  “Did you say ‘walk me home’?” Jenna asked, emerging from behind the truck. “You’re joking, right?”

  “No, sugar, I’m not. A gentleman sees a lady home. Think how I’d feel if you were mugged or something between here and your apartment.”

  “The odds of that happening—”

  “Aren’t worth risking it. These northern men must have it all wrong if they don’t know how to properly treat a woman.” He bent his elbow, offering it to her.

  She tutted, shaking her head, but accepted it. “Okay, Tex. If it makes you happy, you can walk me home.”

  “Thank you. That’s considerate of you.”

  “Does it?”

  “Does what?”

  “Does walking me home make you happy?”

  Actually, he rather liked it, the warmth of her body alongside his, her arm threaded through his. But he wasn’t sure if he liked liking it. “I suppose.”

  “Ooh, be still my heart.” She chuckled. “I think you’ve got the manners thing down, Tex, but your sweet talk needs a little work.”

  The walk, even at a leisurely stroll, took all of two minutes, if that. Before he knew it, they stood at the metal door to her building, a bright security light beaming down on them. She unlocked the door, stepped over the threshold and turned to face him. “So tell me, what does make you happy?”

  He shrugged, more than a little surprised at the q
uestion. “Doing the right thing. Being a good chief engineer, keeping the station running well—”

  She groaned.

  “Doing a good job with my kids, which I’m not so sure of with Brook, um—”

  “Brook is a good kid. Cut her and yourself a little slack. But that’s not what I’m talking about. Do you ever do anything that just makes you feel happy?”

  “Like what?”

  “Like, watch the sun set. Dance in the rain—or at the bowling alley. Make a snow angel.” She paused. “Okay, I suppose making snow angels isn’t something you could do very often in Texas. Did you ever just watch the clouds go by and look for shapes in them?”

  He raised his eyebrows at her. “Do I look like a girly-boy to you?”

  “Absolutely not.” She swept her gaze over him and he felt it every bit as strongly as if she’d actually run her hands along his body. When she lifted her eyes back to his face, something flickered there, something that raised the temperature in the little alcove. “No,” she said, her voice slightly raspy, “you don’t look like a girly-boy to me. You seem to be one hundred percent prime male.”

  He swallowed hard as she pressed her lips together, looking up at him. Wooiiee. He hadn’t felt a rush like this in a very long time.

  Kiss her.

  He wanted to. Desperately. And as if she could read his mind, she took a step closer to him. She brought with her a spicy, exotic scent, something tropical he couldn’t quite place. She looked up at him, lips slightly parted.

  Damn, how he wanted to just pull her into his arms and lay one on her.

  But he wasn’t a man who let his wants rule his life. Duty first, that was how he’d been raised. Do the right thing.

  His duty was to the two girls in the house next door.

  “I, uh, I should get going. I need to make sure Ashley’s gone to bed.”

  Disappointment drained the light from her eyes, and part of him wanted to put it back. But he couldn’t.

  She nodded. “Sure. Thanks again. I really did have fun tonight.”

  He waited until she’d closed the door and he heard her footsteps on the steps inside the stairwell. “So did I, Jenna. So did I.”