Seducing Simon(23)

“Thank you.” She turned and strode down the hallway not wanting to give the old windbag any opportunity to ask further questions.

The looks of surprise were all the same. The traffic had never been so high through the downtown veterinarian practice. People wondered in to ask a variety of questions, but their purpose was all the same. To see the pregnant woman.

At first, Toni was amused, but by the afternoon, she was downright pissed. The subtle speculative stares. The overt open mouths. A few didn’t even make a pretense of their presence. They walked in, took a look, and stalked out.

Hadn’t anyone in this town ever gotten pregnant out of wedlock?

Well, there was Amanda Jo Haney in high school. But come to think of it, she’d basically been run out of town on a rail. Not that anyone had demanded it. Far from it. Everyone made a pretense of supporting her, but made her life hell behind their hands.

She was stronger than that though. She wasn’t a shrinking violet.

Shy, yes. Doormat, no. They could all take their sanctimonious BS and stick it where the sun didn’t shine.

When four o’clock rolled around she couldn’t get out of the office fast enough. Settling behind the wheel of her jeep, she allowed herself a brief moment of melancholy before she cranked the engine and tore out the parking lot like the devil himself was on her tail.

She took the side streets to avoid driving down Main Street. Normally she’d wave to people she knew as she passed, but today her pariah status made her wish she had a paper bag to wear over her head.

When she finally drove into her driveway, she sighed in relief. She walked to the door but saw her elderly neighbors watching her out of the corner of her eye. Turning around, she waved and smiled brightly.

“I ought to sell tickets to this circus,” she muttered as she let herself in the house.

She dropped her keys on the table next to her purse and surveyed the empty living room. Only one of the trucks was gone out front, but all three must have gone together, because the house was eerily quiet.

Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, she poured a glass of juice and escaped to the back patio. She sank into one of the lawn chairs and closed her eyes wearily. For someone who spent a great deal of her time practicing obscurity, her newfound bug under a magnifying glass act was giving her a serious stomachache.

It wasn’t the fact that everyone thought she’d screwed up. She had screwed up. It went way beyond just being a single pregnant woman.

She’d acted irresponsibly in a weak moment, and now not only would she have to pay for it, but Simon and their baby would suffer as well.

She had to tell him, but every time she thought of it, her tongue swelled and no words would come out of her mouth. What could she say anyway? By the way Simon, we had unprotected sex one night when you thought I was your girlfriend and now I’m pregnant.

A tear slid down her cheek as she berated herself for the hundredth time since that night. She hastily wiped at her face when she heard the sliding door open. Footsteps approached, but she didn’t look up.

Simon knelt beside her chair and looked at her in concern. “What’s wrong,” he asked quietly.

He cupped her cheek and turned her to look back at him. “You’ve been crying.”

He always did have a knack for stating the obvious. She sighed deeply. “Just feeling sorry for myself.” He rose and pulled a chair next to hers. “What’s got you down?”

“I’m the new topic of gossip in Cypress. I wore a maternity shirt to work today and Mrs. Hauffrey came in with the poodles.” He winced. “Say no more.”

“Yeah.”

“Want something to eat? I’m cooking,” he said cajolingly.

She gave him a half-hearted smile. “Sure. I’ll be there in a minute.” He walked back into the house, and she closed her eyes once more.

His handsome face floated teasingly in front of her again. With a shake of her head, she sat up and strode back into the house.

“Hey gorgeous,” A.J. sang out, catching her with one arm as she entered the living room. He gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the top of her head.

She grinned despite her sour mood.

“Now that’s better,” he said approvingly. “You looked like you’d swallowed a lemon when you first walked in.”

“Just a watermelon seed,” she teased.

He stuck out a hand to her belly. “Hmmm, nope not yet. When’s that kid going to pop out anyway?”

“You’re in the wrong spot.” She moved his hand lower.

“Hey, there it is! It’s cute,” he said as he massaged the slight swell.

She raised an eyebrow in amusement. “Cute?”

“Quit mauling her, bonehead,” Simon said with a scowl. “Dinner’s almost done so get your butt over here and set the table.”

“What’s your hurry, dude?”

“He’s got a date,” Matt volunteered with a roll of his eyes.

Toni’s heart lurched, but she fought to maintain a neutral expression. “Oh? Who’s the lucky girl?” A peculiar expression lit Simon’s face. “It’s not a date.”

“Starla,” Matt said in a disgusted voice.

Forgetting neutrality altogether, Toni’s mouth dropped open. “Starla?

The same Starla who cheated on you just a few months ago?”