One Taste of You (One Taste #1)

by Amanda Siegrist

  Zoe laughed shyly. "It's very nice meeting you...Hey You."

  Richard burst out laughing and pulled Zoe in for a hug. "This one's a keeper, Zeke. I like her. I hope Deborah hasn't been too in-your-face already."

  Debbie cleared her throat and shot a glance at her husband. "What does that mean?"

  "Darling, you know what that means. Need I remind you how you were with Cassandra each pregnancy. We just met this beautiful woman. Give her time to adjust to us." Richard winked at Zoe and walked up to his wife, pulling her into a hug, kissing her soundly on the mouth.

  Zeke walked over to Zoe and pulled her into his side. "I didn't mean to leave you alone with my mom. Dad wanted a quick word. You're not mad, are you?" he whispered.

  "Your mom's wonderful. Belly touching and all," she whispered back with a laugh.

  Zeke chuckled, grabbing a quick kiss.

  "Let's eat. I can't wait to hear more about you, Zoe, and how you two met," Debbie said, beaming with excitement.

  Zoe tensed beside him. He grabbed her hand and squeezed in reassurance. "It's nothing spectacular, Mom. I'll help you bring the food to the dining room and give you the short version."

  "Oh, I have all night. I want to hear the long version," she replied, walking out of the kitchen with the chicken.

  Chapter 10

  "I love this. You should get this," Dee said, holding up a small pink dress with a beautiful flower adorned in the middle.

  "What happens if I'm not having a girl? Shouldn't I wait to buy baby clothes?" Zoe asked, grabbing the dress from Dee. "It is adorable."

  They stood in the middle of the baby store, perusing the clothes. They hadn't seen much of the front because Dee had bee-lined it to the clothes immediately. They had every intention of going through the entire store. If they could distract Dee long enough to look at something else, of course.

  "Geez, the way you two go at it, you'll be popping out babies like a factory. Save it for the next one if you don't have a girl," Dee said, rolling her eyes.

  "How do you know what we do?" Zoe asked blushing.

  "You have this like glow or something," Dee said, waving a hand around her face.

  "I think that's called the pregnancy glow," Rina said softly, holding up an outfit. "I like this one. It's neutral, too."

  Zoe took the green jumper from Rina and smiled. "This is cute. Oh, what the hell. Let's get 'em both. Let's move on from the clothes because, honestly, it's all really cute and I'll buy the whole store up. Let's go look at cribs."

  "We're buying a crib today?" Dee asked, snatching another dress, purple this time, from the racks.

  "Put it back, Dee," Zoe said, catching her in the act as she made her way toward the cribs. "We're only looking today. I think Zeke would like to go shopping with me. He said as much."

  "I'm not putting it back. I'll buy it and it'll be from Auntie Dee. This baby girl is gonna be the best dressed girl on the block," Dee said, clutching the dress to her chest in case Zoe attempted to snatch it from her.

  Zoe stopped. "Who says I'm having a girl? What happens if it's a boy?"

  "Then it's for the next baby. I told you, you'll be popping babies out like nobody's business. Tell me, did you get some this morning?" Dee asked, propping a hand on her hip.

  "Is there relevance in that question?" Zoe asked, snatching the dress from her. "What is this obsession with you and dresses? I'm not sure I'm a fan of them anymore. Trying to dress my baby girl in dresses. Don't you dare put any slinky dresses on my baby girl, Auntie Dee."

  "I'll take that as a yes, you did get some this morning. Pop, pop, pop. I'm buying it," Dee said, snatching the dress back. "And I won't start giving her the slinky dresses until she's at least eighteen. I have some decent morals. You know Zeke loves you in slinky dresses." Dee laughed as she took the lead.

  "She makes me nervous sometimes," Zoe whispered to Rina.

  "Yeah, but she's a good friend. She'll be a good Aunt," Rina whispered back. "They are cute dresses."

  "Yeah, I know. Makes me wish it's a girl. But a healthy baby is what matters in the end." Zoe slowed her steps when she saw the cribs emerge. The selection made her eyes bulge. How would she pick one?

  "Ugh, look at this price," Dee exclaimed, holding up the price tag. "Who in the hell pays a thousand bucks for a crib?"

  "It looks nice," Zoe said, walking over to her. "A beautiful mocha color, carved pretty, and...oh look, it turns into a toddler bed when they get bigger."

  Dee leaned closer to look at the description underneath the price tag. "A thousand dollars," she reiterated in a disgusted tone.

  "Is that normal?" Rina asked, as she walked around looking at the other cribs. "This one's mocha and it also turns into a toddler bed. It's only eight hundred."

  "Seriously. That's way too much money. That's ridiculous," Dee said, scrunching her nose up as if appalled by the price tags.

  "How much do you think I should spend, Dee?" Zoe asked, walking around as she checked them all out. "I like the mocha color, or maybe something light, light tan."

  "A couple hundred, two, three, maybe. But eight or thousand...geesh. I'm never getting pregnant if it's gonna cost this much and the baby isn't even here yet," Dee replied.

  Rina laughed lightly. "Nothing's cheap these days, Dee. Especially having a baby. You have to get a nice, decent, durable crib. So many things could go wrong if you don't."

  "I don't even want to know what could go wrong. Now I'm worried. What could go wrong?" Zoe said as the panic sliced through her veins and out through her words.

  Rina walked up to Zoe, who stood near a light tan crib with a matching changing table, and gave her a small reassuring hug. "I didn't mean to worry you. You hear things in the news, and I guess, that's what I was thinking about. I didn't mean to upset you."

  Zoe nodded in understanding. The news did portray some very disturbing things. She always turned the television off when she couldn't take it anymore.

  "Maybe I should buy a pregnancy book. There are way too many options here and I have no idea what I am doing." Zoe lifted another price tag to a crib that said it was twelve hundred dollars. She dropped it as if it burned her hand and took a step back.

  "That's a great idea," Rina said.

  "Forget the cribs then. Let's go back to the clothes. I wanna get that yellow dress I saw when we walked away. Then let's hit up the bookstore and grab a bite to eat for lunch. People watch, laugh a little, puke a little...you know, because you haven't done that yet," Dee said with a grin.

  "Don't remind me. I just might," Zoe said with a laugh. "We don't need the yellow dress."

  "Oh, I'm getting the yellow dress," Dee said, as she power walked to that area and whipped it off the rack. "Oooo, and this beauty. Look at this shirt. It's perfect for my niece with this saying, I'm sweet, sassy, and downright classy...just like my auntie!"

  "I'm getting this strong feeling you want Zoe to have a girl," Rina said, glancing at Zoe, who laughed with her.

  "You're sassy and a little classy, but sweet? I'd say more like spicy," Zoe said.

  "Spicy. I like that. I should make my own shirt for her," Dee said, shaking her head as if the wheels of ideas were rolling around. "I'll be happy if it's a bouncing baby boy. I can go with spicy, dicey, making my truck look nicey...just like my auntie."

  "You don't own a truck," Rina said with a chuckle.

  "Okay, so that saying needs some work. Spicy. I still like that. Definitely keeping that," Dee said as she snatched the shirt off the rack.

  "Let's go before you buy the entire clothes department," Zoe said, pushing Dee out of the baby clothes area.

  Zoe quickly ushered Dee to the checkout line, laughing, as she snatched several clothes on the walk there. She found it hilarious Dee was into buying clothes more than she was. She loved walking through the clothes, admiring the dainty girl outfits, the pinks, the purples, and flowers galore. The handsome, sweet baby blue outfits tickled her heart with joy as well, but part of her was holding back
.

  Zeke.

  The way his eyes sparkled with excitement about wanting to be there with her through everything. That included shopping. She knew he'd enjoy it, already imagining the way his eyes would light up and make a sweet, silky comment in her ear about a baby item.

  She wanted him here shopping with her. Not to mention she wanted to know what the sex of the baby was before she bought too many clothes of the wrong thing.

  She listened as Dee and Rina talked to the cashier about the clothes, laughing inside at Dee's comment earlier. The way her and Zeke did go at it, they just might have a parcel of kids. That thought alone made her deliriously happy.

  So why was she afraid to say I love you? She imagined a future filled with a bundle of kids with Zeke as the father, yet, froze when the words wanted to leave her mouth.

  "Earth to Zoe. Yoo-hoo," Dee said, waving a hand. "You with us? I'm done. Let's blow this joint and hit the bookstore."

  Zoe glanced at the cashier and behind her, noticing she was standing like an idiot in their way as Rina and Dee stood waiting by the exit, bags in hand.

  "I guess I zoned out a bit. I mean, geez, I'm having a baby," Zoe said with a small laugh, following them out of the store.

  "Is that a symptom? Zoning out? Each time you do something new it reinforces my decision to have no kids," Dee said matter-of-factly.

  "Are you really going to discredit it based on Zoe? Everyone handles pregnancy different," Rina replied.

  "I have a lot on my mind. Sorry if I'm not as excited as I should be shopping and whatnot," Zoe said with a sigh.

  "Girl, you're fine," Dee said, grabbing Zoe around the shoulder as they walked along. "Good thing we're buying a pregnancy book. You can make sure if zoning out is a symptom. Could be, you never know."

  Zoe laughed, shaking her head in amusement as they walked along. The bookstore was at the other end of the mall and it took them twenty minutes to make the long trek. A little longer than normal considering Dee had to stop and gawk frequently in the store windows at other baby clothes. Zoe and Rina had to push her along the way to prevent her from stepping inside each store.

  "For someone who doesn't want kids, your fascination with baby clothes is mind-boggling," Rina said.

  "Take the word baby out. Clothes. I love clothes. Doesn't matter who I'm dressing as long as I can dress them up. I already said this baby was gonna be the best dressed on the block. I wasn't lying," Dee said as she glanced around the bookstore. "Does this joint have a sign that says pregnancy or what? What area are we looking for?"

  "Pregnancy, did I hear? Who's the lucky lady?" an older woman with the nametag Carolyn pasted on her shirt asked.

  "I'm looking for some pregnancy books. Anything to give insight on...everything," Zoe said with a laugh.

  "Oh, congratulations, my dear. Your first?" Carolyn asked.

  "Yeah." Suddenly, tiny slices of fear propelled down her spine. She glanced behind her as the funny feeling increased. Except she saw nothing strange and turned back to Carolyn. "Do you know where we can find some of those?"

  "Of course. Follow me," Carolyn said, leading the way to the right.

  "Busybody, asking questions like that," Dee muttered under her breath.

  "She asked two questions, Dee. At least she didn't touch her belly without permission. Some people are very brazen like that," Rina whispered back.

  "Zeke's mom was like that. She couldn't stop touching my belly. I didn't want to be rude and shove her off. She's a nice lady," Zoe said, getting in on the whispering.

  "Well, his mom, I guess you can't. But a complete stranger is getting their hand broken if they even attempt to touch your belly when I'm around," Dee said, raising a brow waiting for someone to argue with her.

  "Here you go, ladies. Congratulations again. My daughter just had her first child and I can't say how much of a blessing it is," Carolyn said, smiling brightly at her.

  Dee stepped slightly in front of Zoe, hindering any potential belly touching. "Thanks a bunch, Carolyn."

  Carolyn nodded with a strange look on her face, then walked away.

  "Geez, Dee. Scare the woman why don't ya. She didn't even have her hand out to touch my belly," Zoe said, scanning the shelves.

  "Doesn't hurt to be preventive. No need to give her an opportunity to try," Dee said with a smirk.

  "That's why we love you, Dee," Rina said, scanning the shelves as well.

  They meandered through the aisle, pulling books out frequently as they tried to decide which one would be best. Every so often, a strange spine-tingling feeling possessed Zoe into glancing furtively around her. She never saw anything suspicious, but the more she felt the unsettling feeling, the more nervous she became.

  "Eww. This is disgusting," Dee exclaimed, slamming the book closed and placed it back on the shelf.

  "What was it?" Zoe asked, shaking off another frightening shiver.

  "Do you want to know? Because I didn't even want to know and now I do," Dee said, shaking her head with disgust.

  "Yes, I want to know," Zoe said with a laugh.

  "The birthing process. Quite disgusting. Giving great detail on what comes out and...yeah, need I say more? Disgusting. Don't buy that book," Dee said, moving away from it.

  "That's the whole point we're in this aisle, Dee. She needs to know these things. It's part of the cycle of life and the beauty of creation," Rina said.

  "Stop always being the voice of reason. It makes me sick," Dee said.

  "Someone has to when you're around," Rina retorted softly.

  "And that's why we love you, Rina," Dee said, grabbing her around the shoulders for a hug.

  Zoe laughed, shaking her head at their craziness when the corner of her eye caught a glimpse of something. A book fell from her hands. She walked unsteadily, yet swiftly to the end of the aisle to get a better look. Her feet froze in place as a gasp escaped.

  "What is it, Zoe?" Rina asked, coming up behind her, Dee on her tail.

  "I've felt someone watching me since we got in the bookstore. Now I know who it is. Mark. Do you see him?" Zoe said, pointing across the store where Mark stood outside the doors, leaning casually against the railing. They made eye contact, no fear present on his face. "He said I'd regret it. I don't like how he's looking at me."

  "Let me help rearrange his look," Dee said, walking away without waiting for a response.

  Before Dee made it out of the store, Mark gave Zoe one more terrifying look, and walked away. Dee disappeared from their view as she walked out of the store. A minute later, she walked back inside where Rina stood rubbing Zoe's back while she quietly talked on her phone.

  "She called Zeke. Go grab the disgusting book and the one she dropped and buy them for her. We need to leave," Rina said quietly to Dee.

  Dee nodded her head without one argument. Zoe tried to focus on anything other than the terror rushing through her, but nothing in her vision looked clear. The only thing clear had been Zeke on the phone. His voice, instead of calming her down, had raised her anxiety. The concern, even a small amount of terror had filtered in his words.

  Would Mark hurt her? Kill her? Did he kill Mr. Mills and Mr. Murphy?

  She waited with Rina by the exit doors as Dee rushed through the checkout line and met them a few minutes later.

  "So? What's up?" Dee said.

  "Zeke wanted to come here, but I talked him out of it. I think it's best if I go home," Zoe said, attempting to regain some of her composure she lost when she spotted Mark. She still had her friends by her side. "Do you think he'll try something?"

  "Well, if he's trying to scare you he's doing a damn good job, the douche. Let's go and throw a movie in. Not order a pizza, that's for sure. Can you handle Chinese food?" Dee asked.

  "I don't know. I guess we'll find out," Zoe said with a lame chuckle.

  "I think he's just trying to scare you. He'd be dumb to try anything. I think we'll be safe with Spicy Dee leading the way protecting us," Rina said.

  "Lead I w
ill. Spicy Dee. Sounds like an exotic drink. I like it," Dee said as she took the lead, making quick glances around them as they walked.

  "Why do you encourage her?" Zoe whispered to Rina with a smile.

  "Because she likes it and it made you smile," Rina replied.

  Zoe smiled again at that answer, glad to have her best friends with her. What would she do without them?

  They wasted no time walking out of the mall. Dee was on a mission, her steps quick, yet determined. Once they made it outside, she slowed her stride and glanced around the parking lot. "Coast looks clear."

  "And why wouldn't it? You bulldozed us right out of the mall," Zoe said with a laugh.

  "Just doing my job," Dee said, waving a hand for them to follow her to the car. "I'm starving. Let's order on the way home. You wanna do that, Rina?"

  Rina nodded. "Do you guys want the usual?"

  "Yes, please. I hope I still like it," Zoe said.

  Dee blew out a strangled breath. "I do, too. We can hear when you're yacking up." Dee turned around to give her a joking grin when it turned into a horrifying frown. "Look out, Zoe!"

  She tried to push Rina and Zoe out of the way together, except Rina was closer to Zoe, getting a better grip to shove her. Zoe managed to look behind her just in time to see the car rush at them and jump back with the small help from Rina. She rammed into a parked car and tumbled to the ground.

  Gravel and dirt coated the palms of her hands as she lay there. A ringing sensation reverberated around her head as a slice of pain shot up her left arm. The thought of moving seemed like too much of an effort. Immobilized. Terrified.

  Someone tried to run her down.

  Mark, most likely.

  Was he capable of killing? Apparently he was.

  She tried to sit up, but her body still refused to move as the ringing in her ears intensified.

  "That son of a bitch!" Dee shouted. Zoe shifted her head to see Dee pull out her phone. "I got you now, bastard."

  "Zoe, are you okay?" Rina asked, moving closer to her.

  "I think I hurt my arm. It hurts. My whole body hurts," Zoe said, as she slowly lifted herself up.

  Dirt hit her forehead as she swiped a hand across it. Dropping her hand, unable to keep up her strength, a small amount of blood transferred to her pants after she swiped her hand across her leg. A small cut slightly bled from her hand. Or had that come from her forehead? Her head still rang with pain. Deciphering what sort of injuries she had seemed impossible.