by S. J. McCoy
“Looks like it’s time for you two to start figuring out how things are going to work between you. It’s going to be more difficult now that you’re all grown up.”
Ben nodded. He knew that, but he was looking forward to it. He was looking forward to stepping into the roles of a real couple as they made their way in life.
“She’ll be fine with it,” said Pete. “She knows how hard you work, and she knows how much you have to get done before you leave.”
“Yeah, she does.”
“And so do I,” said Pete. “I’ll leave you to get on with it. But give me a call soon. We need to hang out while we still can.”
“I will.” He met Pete’s gaze. He was going to miss him. But it didn’t feel right to say so.
Pete smiled. It seemed he felt the same way. “See you soon.”
“Yeah, see you, bud.”
Chapter Eleven
Charlotte smiled when she saw Ben come into the restaurant. She wished her last table would hurry up and leave. They’d been sitting there chatting for ages now. She just wanted to get done and go hang out with Ben.
He was hanging out by the servers’ station so she went to see him. “I’m nearly done.”
He smiled. “No rush.”
She laughed. “Maybe not for you. But there is for me. I can’t wait to get out of here. I’m exhausted!”
He put a hand on her shoulder with a concerned look. “You’ve said that every single day this week. Are you eating properly? Are you getting sick or something?”
“I’d better bloody well not be!”
“Maybe you should go see Doc?”
She thought about it. Maybe she should. She’d been feeling crappy all week. And the last couple of nights she’d fallen asleep on Ben while they were hanging out. Her appetite was off too, which really wasn’t like her. “Maybe I will. Oh. Look! Yay! They’re finally leaving.” She watched as the customers got up and left. They gave her a friendly wave on the way out.
She sighed when she went to collect the check and waved the two dollar bills at Ben. “Just great! They spent a fortune on food, sat there for hours, and left me two whole dollars. This is the last time I’m working as a server. You hear me?”
Ben grinned. “I hear you. Are you going over to housekeeping?”
She made a face at him. “I am not! I’ve been thinking maybe I should study marketing. That way I can help you grow the place, instead of being a mere minion.”
“Now, that sounds like a great idea.”
She grinned. “It does, doesn’t it? I have a lot of time to ponder my future while I do this thankless job. I think marketing could be fun. For now though, can we please just get out of here and go home?”
“We can get out of here, but we’re not going home tonight.”
She raised an eyebrow. “We’re not?”
He grinned. “Remember you asked if we could stay in one of the cabins one night? There were a couple open tonight, so we are staying in one of the best ones down by the water.”
“Oh, Ben!” She flung her arms around his neck and hugged him. “That’s wonderful. That’s exactly what I need tonight.”
He grinned. “I thought it might be. I figure we can ask the kitchen to cook us something to go and we can just curl up and watch a movie or something.”
She planted a kiss on his lips. “I love you!”
He laughed. “And I love you, too. What do you think, shall we put our order in with the kitchen, and then I’ll run you back to your grandparents so you can grab your toothbrush and whatever you need?”
“Yes. Let’s go.”
~ ~ ~
When they got to her house, Charlotte ran upstairs to pack an overnight bag. Ben waited downstairs, wondering where her grandparents might be.
Mr. DeWinter surprised him when he came in the French doors from the patio. “Oh, hi, Ben. I thought I heard someone.”
“Hi.” Even though they were so cool about it, he always felt awkward telling them that he was taking Charlotte away for a night. “Charlie’s upstairs. We got a chance to stay at one of the waterfront cabins tonight.”
Her grandad smiled. “Good for you. Have fun. Oh, and speaking of having fun, are you coming to Mexico? I don’t want to pressure you, but it’s coming up on us fast now.”
Ben pursed his lips, he’d wanted to tell Charlotte first, but he couldn’t avoid a direct question like that. He shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I’m not.”
Charlotte came running back down the stairs with her bag in her hand and a frown on her face. “Did you just say you’re not coming to Mexico?”
He nodded, hoping that she’d understand. He watched the struggle on her face, he could see disappointment, a momentary flash of anger and then resignation. Finally, she smiled. “I should have known really, shouldn’t I?”
He nodded, relieved. “You’ll have fun, but I wouldn’t. There’s too much going on back here. And Pete’s parents are putting on a dinner for the whole gang. I don’t want to miss that.”
Charlotte looked sad for a moment. “Aren’t I one of the gang?”
“You know you are!”
“That’s not fair, Charlie,” her grandad chimed in. “The Hemmings know all the kids who grew up here and went to school together.”
Charlotte nodded. “I know. I’m sorry. I can’t have it all ways can I?” Ben was glad to see that her smile was back. “And I really would rather go to Mexico.” She came to Ben. “But for now, I want to go back to the restaurant and collect our dinner.”
“You kids have a good time. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Grandad.” Charlotte kissed his cheek on the way out.
He winked at Ben once she’d gone and Ben gave him a grateful smile as he followed her.
When they got to the cabin, Ben went straight through to the kitchen to dish up their food.
Charlotte wandered around the place with a big smile on her face. “When we come back to live here can’t we move into one of the cabins?” she asked.
He shook his head. “You’d want to live in one of the waterfront ones and they’re the ones that bring in the most money.”
“Yes, but it’s going to be our home! And with me doing all the marketing, you’ll be making lots more money.”
He smiled and handed her a plate. “How about I build you a house of our own, away from the resort, so that when the work day is over we can leave the place behind.”
She grinned. “That would be even better. As long as it’s on the water somewhere?”
“If you bring in lots of guests so we can afford to buy land on the water, then yes.”
She took her plate through to the living room and sat on the big sofa that faced out over the lake. “Okay, you’ve got yourself a deal.”
He sat down beside her and tucked in. He was starving. He loved the idea of them building their own house, of having a safe haven to escape to away from the resort. He looked over at her as she picked at her food. “I thought you were hungry.”
“So did I. But now I’ve got it, I can’t bring myself to eat it.” She put her plate down on the coffee table. “You’re right. I should go see the doc. I just don’t feel right most of the time.”
“Why don’t you just put your feet up, then? When I’ve finished this we can put a movie on and you can lie with your head on me.”
He loved the way she smiled at him. “That sounds perfect, but you’ll have to forgive me if I fall asleep on you.”
“I forgive you in advance. That seems to be becoming a habit.”
She nodded and stifled a yawn. “I’m just so tired all the time.”
Ben hoped that Doc would tell her that she just had a bug or something. She didn’t need to be getting sick just before she went to Mexico, or before they went out to Washington.
~ ~ ~
When she woke up in the morning, Charlotte felt horrible. She was in bed with Ben, but she had no recollection of getting there. She had no recollection of anything after t
he first few minutes of the movie. She must have fallen straight to sleep with her head on his lap! What a shame! When they’d had this great cabin to enjoy. She groaned as a wave of nausea swept through her. She crawled out of bed and into the bathroom.
Ben stuck his head around the door a few moments later. “Are you all right in there?”
“No!” she groaned.
“Can I do anything?”
“No!” She felt terrible.
“Do you want me to get Doc?”
“I just need to stay here for a minute. I’ll be out when I’m ready.”
“Okay.”
She could hear him moving around in the kitchen and then the smell of coffee had her heaving again. Oh, dear God, she wanted to die! After what seemed like forever she managed to clean herself up and drag herself back into bed. She lay there shivering. When Ben came back in. his eyes were full of concern. “I’ve called you in sick at work, and either I’m calling Doc to come here, or I’m taking you to him. Which do you prefer?”
She knew there was no point arguing. “I’ll go into the clinic in a little while. It feels like it’s passing.”
“I’ll take you when you’re ready.”
“Don’t you need to get to work?”
“No. You’re more important.”
He looked really worried. She wanted to reassure him. “It’s nothing life threatening. I’m sure it’s just a bug. Why don’t you drop me back at home? That way you can get on with your day.”
“I’m not taking you anywhere other than to the clinic.”
She sighed. “Grandma can take me if I still need to go later. Right now I just want to sleep for a few more hours and I can’t do that here. I’m assuming the cleaning crew will need to come in ready for this afternoon’s check in?”
He nodded reluctantly as she got up and started to pull her clothes on. “Okay. So please take me home? I promise I’ll call you later.”
“All right.” He put his arm around her shoulders and led her out to the car.
It was noon before she woke up again, this time in her own bed, alone. She did feel better, but by no means a hundred percent. She went downstairs and found her grandma sitting at the kitchen table doing a crossword puzzle.
“How are you feeling?”
“Better, I think.”
“Are you ready to go to the clinic?”
She nodded. She knew she wouldn’t be able to get out of it, and she was a little concerned herself. Hopefully the doc would be able to give her something that would put her right.
“Yes, if you don’t mind dropping me off?”
“Of course I don’t. Let’s go.”
~ ~ ~
Ben left work early. He’d been anxious all afternoon. Charlotte had called him early afternoon and reassured him that she was okay. She hadn’t sounded it though. She’d asked if he would come over to her house after work. Said they needed to talk. She kept reassuring him that there was nothing wrong with her, but he knew that something was.
He hadn’t been able to concentrate all afternoon. He was worried about her. He pulled up in the driveway and climbed out of the car. Her grandad opened the door with a grim smile.
“What’s going on?” asked Ben.
Mr. DeWinter shook his head. “I don’t know, son. But she’s upset about something. She’s been up in her room all day and refuses to come out.”
“Can I go up?”
“Of course. She’s waiting for you.”
He tapped on her bedroom door. “It’s me.” He spoke softly, not sure if she might be sleeping.
“Come in,” her voice sounded croaky, as though she’d been crying. When he opened the door, he knew that she had. Her eyes were red and her face was blotchy.
“What is it, Charlie?” he rushed to her side and wrapped his arms around her.
She buried her face in his chest and started to sob. He held her as she cried and cried. When the tears finally stopped, she looked up at him.
“What is it?” he asked again. He had no idea what could have sent her into such a state.
“I’m pregnant!” she wailed and the tears started again.
He hugged her to his chest while his mind reeled. He couldn’t process it. She was pregnant? She couldn’t be! They were careful. She was on the pill. He shook his head. He was in a state of shock.
She looked up at him again. “Please don’t be mad at me?”
“Mad at you? Why?”
“Because I fucked up somehow! I must have.”
“It’s not just you, Charlie. We’re both responsible.”
She shook her head. “I’m the one who’s supposed to take the pills every day.”
“And you haven’t been doing?”
“The only thing I can think of is when I first arrived. Remember? I lost a night between the flights and the time difference?”
Ben nodded. “But surely one missed pill wouldn’t….”
“Apparently it did. Oh, Ben, what are we going to do?”
His mind was beginning to recover from the shock. He managed a smile. “We’re going to have a baby!” He was trying to let her know it was okay, that it wasn’t the end of the world, but his words had the opposite effect.
She wailed again. “We can’t! We’re about to go to college. We’re too young. We’ve got too much to do and no way to support a baby!”
He held her close and rocked her while she cried. “We’ll work it out. It’ll be okay. You’ll see. I’ll get a job while I study.”
“And leave me alone with a baby?” she cried.
She was too distraught to talk about it now. “It’ll be okay,” he said again and again as he rocked her back and forth and stroked her hair. “It’s all going to be okay, Charlie.”
Chapter Twelve
“I wish you wouldn’t go.”
Charlotte sighed. “I know, but Ben I want to do this. I don’t know when I’ll ever get chance to travel or do anything fun ever again.”
Ben shook his head sadly. “It’s not the end of the world, Charlie. People travel with their kids.”
She came to wrap her arms around him and leaned her head against his shoulder. “I know. And I know we’ll figure it all out. But please understand how this feels for me. Right now, no one knows. I can still be the young carefree me. When I come back we’ll tell everyone. Life will change completely. And I’m okay with that, but this trip is one last chance for me to pretend. Can you understand that?”
He nodded. “I can.”
Charlotte hugged him tighter. He was wonderful. He kept telling her that things were going to be okay. That they’d manage. They still planned to go to college. Though quite how it would work she wasn’t sure. They’d decided they weren’t going to tell anyone until just before they left. Well, she’d decided and finally Ben had agreed. Perhaps it was cowardly, but she didn’t want to stick around too long once they broke the news.
“Promise me you’ll be careful though? Take good care of yourself?”
“I promise.”
He stopped walking. They’d come out to the beach to watch the sun go down. And because neither of them liked being around people much at the moment. It was sad really. They should be making the most of time with their friends and family, but they both felt uncomfortable. It was hard not to say anything. For Charlotte it was especially hard to be around her grandparents. She loved them, she’d never kept secrets from them before.
She looked up at him. “What is it?”
“Nothing. I just worry about you; that’s all. I mean it’s really early and from everything I’ve read, the first few months are the riskiest time.”
Charlotte swallowed hard. If she was ever going to bring it up, now was the time to do it. “Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea if I were to take a few risks?”
Ben’s face clouded over. “What do you mean?”
“Well, if I were to lose it, then maybe it just isn’t meant to be.”
“Charlie! You can’t mean that?”
&n
bsp; She shrugged. “I don’t know what I mean, Ben. I’m scared and I’m confused and feel as though my future is going down the drain. If we didn’t have this baby….” She stopped at the look on his face. He wasn’t angry. He was hurt.
“Then what?”
“We could still have kids later. Like we planned.”
He shook his head. “Are you saying you want to get rid of it?”
“No. I don’t think so. Ben, I don’t know what I’m saying.” She swallowed, trying to push down the tears that were threatening to fall.
He came closer and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry.” He blew out a big sigh. “We have time to figure it out. If that’s what you really want, then we need to talk about it. You just took me by surprise. It’s not something I would have ever considered.”
Charlotte looked up into his eyes. They were full of pain. From the looks of him, it wasn’t something he could live with. She didn’t know that she could either. It was just a thought that had struck her. She didn’t think she’d be able to go through with it though.
“Think about it, while you’re away? When you come back, we’ll talk about it.”
She nodded. “I don’t think it’s what I want, Ben.”
“But you need to think it over.” He looked at his watch. “We should probably get you home.”
“We don’t have to go yet.”
“I think we should. You’re leaving early for the airport in the morning.”
She took hold of his hand as they walked back up to the parking lot. He felt distant, as though he was closing her out.
When they reached the car, she pulled him to a stop before he could get in. “Please don’t shut me out.”
His eyes softened. “I’m sorry, Charlie. I’m really not. You just caught me off guard. We’re in a tough situation, but the thought of…of…not having the baby? It had never occurred to me.”
“I didn’t mean it.”
He shook his head sadly. “You need to think about it. I’ll support you in whatever you want.”
“You couldn’t live with it.”
“I’d have to.”
She shook her head. She couldn’t do that to him. Hell, she couldn’t do it to herself. It just wouldn’t be right. She’d made a mistake. She didn’t like what it meant for her future, but she didn’t think she had it in her to deny her baby a future at all.