My heart is thumping as we drive out of Lexington. It’s a 20 minute drive to the nearest hospital, and my hands are gripping the steering wheel so hard my knuckles are turning white. Owen reaches over and slides a hand over my thigh. The warmth is comforting and I finally feel my shoulders relax. “It’ll be ok,â€� Owen says. I glance over at him and try to smile. He smiles and nods. “I promise.â€� “It’s just been a rough day,â€� I answer. His hand squeezes my thigh gently and he sighs. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. Your grandmother was one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, and this town definitely won’t be the same without her.â€� My throat tightens and I nod, blinking away the tears. “There’s nothing there for me now. Don’t make me cry,â€� I say with a bitter laugh. “I might crash the car.â€� He squeezes my leg again. “I meant what I said last night, Jess. I’m here for you. I love you, and I want to be there for you and the baby.â€� I nod my head, hoping that’s enough because I don’t trust my voice. He strokes my thigh gently as I check my rearview mirror. I just want to get to the hospital already. Owen takes his hand off my thigh and pulls out his phone. The space on my leg where his hand used to be feels strangely empty, and I glance over to see him dialling a number. He puts the cell phone to his ear and I glance over, waiting to hear him speak. “Mr. Vanier,â€� he says after a few seconds. “It’s Owen McAllister.â€� He nods a couple times as he listens, and then speaks again. “I’ve come across some files that could be of interest for your investigation. I’m ready to make a deal.â€� My heart starts beating faster and I glance over at Owen again. He must be talking to the prosecutor in his father’s case. His eyes are glued on the road and I can’t tell what he’s thinking. He shakes his head, as if the man on the other end of the line could see him. “These files will be very, very helpful to you. I don’t have much time. Send through the paperwork and I’ll sign it. I want complete immunity for myself and a guarantee that my assets won’t be frozen along with my father’s company.â€� There’s another pause as he listens and he sighs in frustration. “No. Those are my terms.â€� He glances over at me and then nods again. “Thanks. I’ll wait for your email.â€� He hangs up the phone and takes a deep breath. His hand slides back onto my thigh and I try to relax into my seat and ignore the thumping of my heart. The drive seems longer than usual, but finally we pull into the hospital parking lot. “Wait here,â€� I say, jogging towards the entrance. I grab a wheelchair and come back towards the car. Owen is leaning against the passenger’s side door and sighs with relief. “I’m seriously sick of hopping on one foot,â€� he says with a grin. I laugh. “I figured. Now let’s just hope that you’re here for a nice long wait.â€� I grab my purse out of the car and lock everything up before getting behind Owen and wheeling him towards the hospital entrance. As soon as we move inside the sliding glass doors I breathe a sigh of relief. Soon, we’re talking to the triage nurse and being directed to a waiting room. I settle into a chair beside Owen and pull out my laptop. “Ok, do you want to send these files from my email or yours?â€� “Mine would probably be best,â€� Owen says. “I’ll wait for Vanier’s deal before sending anything.â€� I nod and fire up my laptop, taking out my phone to get the hotspot working and turning the screen towards him. “You can log into your email, and then I guess we just wait. I’ll get the files ready to send.â€� Owen taps away and logs into his email. He hands the computer back to me and I glance at his inbox. “Nothing yet?â€� I ask. He shakes his head. “Not yet.â€� I slide the USB into the port at the side of the computer and wait for it to load. As soon as my computer reads it, Owen points to a file on the screen. Movies I raise an eyebrow. “Movies?â€� He laughs. “I was trying to think of a file name that would be the most inconspicuous. You know, hide things in plain sight.â€� “Smart,â€� I say, moving the mouse over the file. I click on it to open and a box pops up on the screen. I frown. “Password protected?â€� Owen’s brow knits together. “I forgot about that.â€� I turn the computer towards him and his hands hover over the keyboard. He chews his lip and then glances at me. I shake my head. “You’re joking.â€� He cringes and looks back at the screen. My mouth drops and I shake my head again. “You don’t remember?â€� “I remember, I just don’t know what it is,â€� he says. I frown and he glances at me again. “I used my truck’s registration number. It was sitting on my desk when I copied the files, so I figured I’d have access to it and it would be hard to hack.â€� I can’t help it – I start laughing in disbelief. After this morning with Gram, and then the stress of the drive and getting Owen to the hospital, and now this? He can’t remember his freaking password?! My laugh starts as a soft chuckle and pretty soon my hand is smacked against my forehead and I’m doubled over. I glance over at Owen who looks embarrassed as he starts to laugh with me. “Hack? What do you think this is, a sci-fi movie?â€� Owen shakes his head, laughs and then shrugs. “I don’t know. I was trying to be careful.â€� “We are the worst secret agents ever. So where’s your registration?â€� I ask, knowing the answer. “It’s in my truck.â€� “The truck that we left at the hotel to throw people off our trail?â€� I ask as another bitter laugh slips through my lips. “Yeah,â€� he says. “That truck.â€� Chapter 58 – Owen
I watch Jess walk back out the sliding glass doors and I’m kicking myself. I hate thinking of her going back to the Lex and I hate thinking of her being alone. I can’t believe I did that. I can’t believe I forgot the fact that I’d protected it with a password. I outsmarted myself. That’s what I’ll tell myself, anyways. The waiting room is relatively empty, but by the looks of the other patients, my broken toe will be way down the list. There’s a couple young kids and a man that looks like he’s about to pass out. I should be here for a few hours at least. I refresh the computer and sigh. Still nothing from Vanier. My ringtone almost makes me jump out of my skin. One of the kid’s mothers looks over at me and frowns as I fumble to get my phone out. I don’t recognise the number and I hesitate for a second before pressing ‘answer’. “Hello?� “Owen, my dear son,� my dad croons over the phone. “How are you today? Did you have time to think about our little chat?� “I had time to think that you could go fuck yourself,� I say a little too loud. The mother looks at me again in horror, turning her child away from me and glancing over her shoulder. I slump in my chair and huddle the phone to my ear. “I thought you might say that,� he replies. “I found your little stash of files. Looks like you haven’t been the loyal son I thought you were.� Even after everything, even though I know he’s been threatening me and threatening Jess, his words still hurt. I’ve always been loyal, up until he tried to use me as his scapegoat. “I know. You’ve got them now, so I’m basically fucked, aren’t I?� I ignore the mother’s huff behind me. I really shouldn’t swear this much. “Basically, yeah,� my dad replies. “So are you going to agree to transfer your hotel over to the company?� “No. I’m not going to let you do this.� “Well, looks like you’ve chosen Plan B. Is that your final answer?� “Fuck you,� I spit. My father chuckles and then sighs. The last thing I hear is a click as the line goes dead. I blow out all the air from my lungs and lean my head back against the hard plastic seat, rubbing my eyes with the fingers of one hand. I lift my phone up and hesitate, my finger hovering over the number he just called from. I shouldn’t have done that. Now he’s mad,
and he knows I won’t cooperate. Jess is out there, driving as fast as she can back towards the hotel, back towards him. Why did I do that?! I let my anger get in the way and now once again, I’ve put Jess in the crosshairs. “Fuck,â€� I say under my breath. The mother makes a noise and stands up, herding her child to the other end of the waiting room. I sigh. I don’t have the energy for this right now. I flick through my phone and dial Jess’s number. “Come on, come on, come on,â€� I say. Even if I can’t keep my father on my side, the least I can do is warn her about what just happened and tell her to be careful. My heart sinks when I hear a phone ringing beside me and I look down to see Jess’s purse. She must have just grabbed my truck’s keys and her own car keys and headed out the door. I hang up and her phone stops ringing. I let out a big sigh and lean my head back in the chair. We definitely are the worst secret agents ever. The criminals from ‘Home Alone’ would be better than we are at doing this. I rub my forehead one more time and try to get comfortable in the tiny, hard chairs. I glance around the waiting room again and see the mother in the corner, scowling at me. There’s one more enemy for my growing list. I close my eyes and lean back. All I can do now is wait. Wait for Jess, wait for the email from Vanier, wait for the doctor. Just wait and hope. Chapter 59 – Jess
The uncontrollable laughter that overcame me in the waiting room is long since gone. I stare at the straight road, glancing periodically in my rear view mirror. Shaking my head, I try to take a deep breath to calm my nerves. Even if someone was following me, what would I do? How would I even know? I need to calm down. I flick on the radio and switch from station to station until I finally turn it off. Silence is better. The road stretches on and on and on until I worry that I’ve taken a wrong turn. It didn’t seem this long on the way here. Finally, signs for Lexington start appearing. My heart starts thumping in my chest as I drive the last few miles into my small hometown, slowing down as I turn onto Main Street. Everything seems normal and it’s almost eerie. I park my car a block away from the Lex and jump out, closing and locking the doors and shuffling away. “Jess!â€� Someone calls out behind me. I turn to see Sam jogging towards me. She has concern all over her face and she wraps me in a hug. “I’m so sorry, Jess. I’m so sorry about your grandma. I just heard. I tried calling you!â€� “I haven’t really been looking at my phone,â€� I say, glancing over towards the hotel looming behind me. Sam puts her hands on my arms and squeezes. “Are you ok? You look like hell.â€� I take a deep breath. Even if I had time to talk to her, the last thing I want to think about is Gram. Anytime the hint of her creeps into my mind, my whole body goes tense and my eyes start prickling. Right now, being the worst secret agent in the world is a lot better than being a grieving granddaughter. Anything is better than that. “I’m ok,â€� I finally respond. I take a deep breath. “I’m ok. Don’t worry about me. You should be enjoying married life! Aren’t you supposed to leave on your honeymoon soon?â€� “We were supposed to head out this morning but I didn’t want to leave without seeing you.â€� My heart breaks and I finally look Sam in the eye. She has so much love and concern for me and I almost fall over. The walls that I’ve built up today to avoid the reality of Gram’s death start to crack and I shake my head. “You shouldn’t have done that. You’ll miss your flight!â€� “We have time, and there are lots of flights. Come on, why don’t you come back to my mom’s place.â€� “You would skip your honeymoon for me?â€� I ask, my voice breaking. Sam grins. “Well, delay. Let’s not get carried away here.â€� I try to laugh but it comes out as a gurgle. I wrap my arms around her and she hugs me tightly. In that moment, I realise that I’m not alone. I’m not alone at all! This morning when Gram died, I felt like I’d lost everything, but here I am with a man who loves me and wants to be with me and our child, and a friend who delayed her honeymoon to make sure I’m ok. My eyes are watering and I pull away. “Go, Sam. I’m ok. Really. I would feel worse if you missed your flight for me.â€� Sam stares at me for a few moments. I watch her swallow and then nod slowly. “Okay. I’ll call you tonight. I love you.â€� “I love you too,â€� I answer. “I’m sorry I left your wedding early and caused a scene.â€� Sam laughs. “It wouldn’t be a real wedding without some drama, right? Are you ok?â€� “I’m good,â€� I nod. “I think Owen and I are… going out.â€� In love? Together? I don’t know how grown ups talk about relationships. Sam just laughs and gives me one more hug. y heart feels a tiny bit lighter. When I say goodbye, I watch her walk away and I feel like part of her is still with me, right beside Owen in my heart. I’m not alone at all. With renewed courage I turn towards the Lex. I take a deep breath and start shuffling towards the building, turning the corner and slipping towards the back where the truck is parked. In a few minutes this whole thing should be close to being over. When I get to the truck, my hands shake as I try to unlock the passenger’s side door. Finally, the key slides in and the lock pops open. I open the door and pull the glove compartment open. Papers fall out all over the place. “For fuck’s sake,â€� I breathe, trying to gather the sheets of paper before the fall out of the car. I look at each of them in turn, trying to find Owen’s registration. I’ve looked at a dozen papers when I see some movement in the corner of my eye. I glance up to see someone shuffling towards the back of the Lex, carrying something heavy. I crouch down and glance up again, frowning. I can’t tell who it is, they’ve got a hoodie up and a cap on. From their size, I would guess it’s a woman. My eyes flick to Owen’s dash camera. Knight in shining armour after all, I think. Slowly, I move my hand to press the button. The little red light comes on and the camera starts recording. I just hope it’s good enough to catch what’s going on. I watch the figure move towards the building, struggling with a big box or suitcase by their side. With horror, I watch as the suitcase is overturned and liquid starts pouring out. It’s not a suitcase, it’s a jerry can, and that’s gasoline. “Hey!â€� I yell. “Hey! Stop!â€� The person glances at me and shakes the can more vigorously. I start running towards them when they finally lift their head. I almost skid to a stop as my jaw drops to the floor. “Mary?!â€� Chapter 60 – Owen
If there was an award for watching a doorway, I would win it. My eyes haven’t left those sliding glass doors since I watched Jess walk out of them. I glance at the time – she should be at the Lex by now, if she’s not driving back already. If only she had her phone and I could make sure she was ok! This is killing me. I refresh the computer one more time and finally see a new email come in. My heart starts thumping as I open it up and scan the contents. It’s exactly what I was waiting for – immunity in exchange for the documents. I open it up and start reading more closely when I hear my name called. “Owen McAllister? Owen McALLISTER?â€� There’s a woman wearing scrubs and a low pony tail sweeping her eyes around the room. I cough and stand up, holding the laptop as I shuffle to my feet. “Yep! Here!â€� She motions me to sit back down in the wheelchair. “Hi Owen, we’re going to get you some x-rays. Can you come this way?â€� “Yeah, one second,â€� I say, closing the laptop and trying to gather my things and Jess’s. “That was quick!â€� “Pretty quiet today,â€� the nurse responds. She gets behind the wheelchair and starts pushing me. I grip the bag and laptop to my chest as we move down the hallways. “How long is this going to take?â€� I ask, looking down at the laptop and then glancing back over my shoulder towards the door. “My girlfriend will be back soon I don’t want her to worry.â€� “It’ll be a few minutes. Don’t worry, you’ll be back out there in no t
ime.â€� I nod, and grip the laptop a bit closer to my chest. We twist and turn down stark white hallways until I see signs pointing to X-RAY. The nurse wheels me into a room and points to a hospital gown. “Leave your things here. Get that gown on and then come out here to the x-ray.â€� With that, she closes a curtain and I’m left to get undressed. I sigh, putting the purse and laptop down in the corner of the change room. I hate leaving it there, hate leaving the USB unattended, hate not knowing where Jess is and when she’ll be back, but there’s nothing I can do. I change and hop out to the main room. The x-ray technician guides me to the big table and places a heavy lead vest over my shoulders. She positions me on the table and I wince as she moves my foot back and forth, periodically going behind a wall to take the x-rays. It doesn’t take long before I’m back in my clothes and being wheeled back into the waiting room. “Doesn’t look like she’s back yet,â€� the nurse says with a smile. “Told you we’d be quick!â€� “Thanks,â€� I respond, trying to sound sincere. I glance at the door and take a deep breath. She should be here by now, she should definitely be here by now. I hug the laptop to my chest and feel for the USB. Everything is here, I’m just back to waiting and staring at that sliding glass door. Chapter 61 – Jess
“What are you doing! Mary! Stop!â€� I yell, sprinting towards her. “Don’t move!â€� She shouts back, holding her hand up towards me. She drops the gas can and flicks a lighter with one hand, holding her other hand up for me to stop. I skid to a stop and stare at her, my chest heaving up and down as I pant. “What are you doing? Mary, stop! This is insane!â€� Mary’s bottom lip is shaking. “Don’t move,â€� she repeats, but this time her voice starts to crack. “I’ll do it!â€� “Why?â€� I ask. “Put the lighter down.â€� I try to take a step towards her but she brandishes the lighter at me and her bottom lip shakes some more. Tears start streaming down her face and I glance down at the jerry can, tipped over at her feet. Gas is still glugging out of it and seeping into the ground. I look up at the old timber building and shudder. If she drops that lighter, the whole thing will be gone within minutes. “What’s going on, Mary?â€� “You had to come back! You had to come back and fuck everything up again! Why couldn’t you just stay away!â€� She’s crying now, her whole body is shaking. “What do you mean? What did I fuck up?â€� I have no idea what she’s talking about. “Why does everyone love you so much? You’re always the fucking favourite and what am I? I’m always second best. You’re the daughter of a WHORE and everyone loves you! Why!â€� She moves the lighter closer to the ground and I try to take a step towards her. She makes a noise and I stop. “Is this what this is about?â€� I ask gently. “Are you… are you jealous of me?â€� She sniffles and I frown. “Why?â€� It’s a genuine question. I look at her in amazement. Never in a million years would I have imagined that Mary Hanson was jealous of me. “You’ve always had it all. The boyfriends, the grades, getting into college, and now you come back and everyone thinks you’re the greatest. People fall in love with you wherever you go and it’s NOT FAIR.â€� “Mary,â€� I say gently. “That’s not true.â€� “I saw the way Michael was looking at you. Even my own fucking fiancé is still hung up on his high school sweetheart. I’ll always be second best to you,â€� she spits “That’s not true,â€� I say. “You were always prettier and more put together. I had to run away to have a life, you’ve always had everything you wanted here.â€� “People don’t respect me the way they respect you. They don’t love me the way they love you. They never will.â€� Before I can stop her, she drops the lighter. I watch as the flames start, low and blue in the ground and rush along the gas puddle towards the building. Within seconds, the side of the building is one fire, and the shrubs lining the back are starting to smoulder. “No! Aah!â€� I yell. I turn around and look for something to stop the fire. A bucket, a blanket, anything. There’s nothing here. I turn back around and see Mary running back towards the street. “Shit,â€� I say under my breath. The fire is engulfing half the back of the building as the flames start to lick the windows on the second floor. I turn towards Owen’s truck and sprint towards it, jumping in the driver’s seat and leaning over to pull the passenger’s side door closed. I rev the truck to life and lurch forward, away from the burning building. I need to call the fire department. I reach in my pocket and my heart drops to my stomach when I feel nothing. Swinging the truck around the corner, I glance over at the pile of papers on the passenger’s seat and pat myself down to find my phone. Nothing. I must have left it at the hospital. “Shit, shit, shit! Fuck!â€� I yell, banging my hands on the steering wheel. I turn down Main Street towards the police station, driving as fast as I can. I jump out, leaving the car running and burst through the door. “Jess!â€� Sheriff Wilson calls out. “To what do we owe the -â€� “Fire,â€� I pant, breathless. “The Lex is on fire.â€� Chapter 62 – Owen
Knocked Up... Again!: A Secret Baby Second Chance Romance Page 17