“Sure.”
She swallowed and looked toward the sink. “Will you look at that test on the counter and tell me what it says? I’m too scared.” My jaw dropped and I saw a unmistakable white stick, the same brand I’d used myself when I was testing, I realized, sitting on the counter. “You’re pregnant?”
“I don’t know.” Janie pursed her lips, blinking fast. “You tell me.”
“Oh no. Janie…” I was already reaching for the test. She was so young, just barely drinking age for god’s sake. What was she going to do if she was pregnant? I stared at the window, uncomprehending for a moment, unable to remember how to even read one of these things. “It’s two lines if you are and one if you’re not, right?”
Janie nodded, pointing at the counter. “The instructions are right there.”
“If you are…” I picked up the directions, scanning through for the illustrations. “Is it… Brian’s?”
“Couldn’t be anyone else’s.” She pulled her knees up and resting her chin on them, looking at me. “I was a virgin until last week.” I gaped at her. “Brian was…your first?” That surprised me, given her age and her looks and… well, who was a virgin at twenty-one anymore? “Janie, you waited so long… why him? You’d only known him-”
“Two weeks,” she agreed, looking at me, helpless. “I don’t know. He was so sweet, and he told me he loved me. I just… gave in. I mean, I figured it was time…”
“Well,” I said, handing her the test. “You’re not pregnant.”
“Oh thank god!” Janie looked from me to the test and back again.
“Or you tested too early,” I countered, seeing her frown. “When are you due?”
“Five days ago.”
I did the math in my head. “Well… the good news is, the test says you’re not.”
She looked up, hopeful. “Does that really mean I’m not?” I shrugged. “Did you use birth control?”
“I’m on the pill,” she replied. “I have been for years, my mom took me when I was fifteen. I had really irregular periods.” I could imagine Mrs. B doing that. She’d be more aware than most mothers of the dangers. “Then you know… it’s probably stress. You’ve had enough stress the last week to last you a lifetime.”
She sighed. “I really hope I’m not pregnant.”
“Me too. You’re a little young for that responsibility yet.” I held my hand out for the test and she handed to me. “You’ll have to test again if your period doesn’t show up in a couple days, though.”
“I will.” She agreed, watching me shove the test and directions back into the box. “But I hope it shows up.”
“Me, too.”
Janie smiled at me, the relief showing on her face. “Is your husband coming soon?”
I nodded. “Tomorrow.”
“Is he nice?”
“I think so.” I smiled, looking forward to introducing TJ to the Baumgartners now.
“Is he cute?” she asked, perking up even more.
I laughed. “I think so.”
“Do you have pictures?”
I nodded. “Sure. I have some in my wallet of him and my daughter, Beth.”
“Can I see?”
I held up the pink and white pregnancy test box. “Uh, what do you want to do with this?”
She grabbed it and tucked it into the waistband of her jeans, pulling her top over it and fluffing it out. “Let’s you and me go dispose of the evidence.” She took my hand and dragged me down the stairs. The Baumgartners and Gretchen were in the kitchen cooking dinner, and I heard Henry’s voice too, as Janie and I sat on the couch and I pulled out my purse.
“Oh, Ronnie, she’s so cute!” Janie squealed, looking at a picture of Beth.
“She looks just like you.”
I smiled fondly at the photo, feeling a stab of pain in my middle. I really missed my baby. Janie flipped to the next photo-a wedding one.
“Gorgeous,” Janie murmured, touching the plastic covering the picture.
Then she looked up at me and grinned. “And he’s a hunk and a half!” I laughed, and the sound drew attention in the kitchen.
“Everything okay out here?” Carrie stuck her blonde head around the corner, raising her eyebrows when she saw me sitting amicably with her daughter on the couch.
“Fine, Mom!” Janie replied, rolling her eyes and taking my hand. “Ronnie and I are going for a walk.”
“Dinner’s in fifteen minutes,” Gretchen called, sticking her head out around Mrs. B’s. “Don’t make it a long one.”
“We’ll be right back!” I replied, shrugging and smiling at them both as Janie pulled me outside and shut the door wall behind us.
“They’re so nosey,” she said, making a face as we walked toward the water. It was the third time I’d taken this walk around the shoregrass, and recalling both prior memories made me feel warm all over.
“This is a good spot,” Janie said finally, stopping behind the cabanas-I wasn’t about to tell her it was the very same one her brother had masturbated behind while he watched her having sex-and pulled the pregnancy test out of her waistband.
“You won’t tell my mom, will you?” she asked, sinking to her knees and digging a hole in the sand.
“Not if you don’t want me to,” I agreed, bending down to help her. If I was going to be a co-conspirator, I figured I might as well go all the way.
“She might freak out,” Janie said, making a face as she shoved the test into the hole and started covering it back up.
I nodded. “She might.”
“I didn’t like being mad at you.” She patted the sand down, looking satisfied.
I smiled. “I didn’t like you being mad at me, either.”
“Well come on,” she said, brightening as she stood and took my hand.
“Let’s go catch up on everything.”
“Ten years…” I smiled as we started to walk back to the house. “That’s a big catch-up.”
“That’s okay,” she said, swinging my hand. “We’ve still got time.”
“That was beyond bad.” I yawned and stretched as Gretchen turned off the movie.
“Poor Nick Cage,” Gretchen agreed, shaking her head. “Too bad he didn’t ‘know’ how bad that movie was gonna be before he accepted the job!”
“Ooooo bad pun,” Carrie groaned beside me, snuggling closer to Doc. “I think we need to give up movies on vacation. We never get any good ones.
Besides, we could be doing this at home.”
“Yep,” Doc agreed. “We should all be doing something we can’t do anywhere else.” His hand moved from his wife’s shoulder over to mine and I flushed, but smiled.
“Oh I don’t know.” Gretchen put the DVD back into its rental case. “I remember having lots of fun with movies on vacation.” My eyes widened and I stared at her.
Carrie turned and grinned at me. “Is that so?”
“Uh…” I shook my head at Gretchen. She wouldn’t dare, I thought.
“You remember, Ronnie.” Gretchen put her hands on her hips. “What was the name of it? ‘Doing the Babysitter’ or something like that?”
“Gretchen!” I groaned, blushing, pressing my hands to my cheeks to cool them.
Doc chuckled. “That was a good one.”
“This was the night we went out?” Carrie asked, raising her eyebrows.
I nodded, remembering, and cleared my throat. “That was… yeah… the first time…”
“She showed me your dildo, Carrie.” Gretchen laughed when I hissed and she looked at me. “You know she still has it, right?”
“You do?” I looked over at Mrs. B, who was smiling softly.
“Yep.” Her hand moved over mine, sliding past, to squeeze my thigh.
“Wanna see?”
“Come on.” Gretchen held out her hand to me, and I took it. I knew exactly where we were going, what we were about to do, and I didn’t hesitate or even think twice. “I think it’s bed time.”