Starting Now (Blossom Street #9)(58)

From the way Ava’s eyes responded, Libby guessed that she was. “Salads,” she said, “with dressing on the side.”

“I guess that would be all right.” Ava moved into the kitchen and started clearing off the table.

“I’ll get our lunch and then we can talk, okay?”

Ava glanced toward her brother.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be with Peter,” Jackson said.

Ava visibly relaxed. “Okay,” she whispered, locking eyes with Libby.

Lunch was only semi-successful. Ava was more frightened than ever. More so of her grandmother’s reaction than what she called “the baby in her stomach.” No matter how persuasive Libby tried to be, she couldn’t get Ava to agree to see a doctor for fear that her grandmother might find out.

“Do you know what you’re going to do once the baby is born?” Libby asked.

Ava’s answer was to hang her head. She didn’t have an answer because she didn’t know.

“Will the father be able to help you?”

“No.” Her response was immediate and flat, indicating this was a subject she didn’t want to discuss.

Up until this point Libby had avoided the subject of the baby’s father, wanting to build up trust before she brought him into the situation. “If he’s older than eighteen I need to know,” Libby said gently.

Ava stood and backed away from the table. “I think you should go now before my grandmother comes home.”

“Okay.”

Libby realized it was an excuse to avoid the subject. She hesitated, wishing she hadn’t brought up the subject of the baby’s father so soon. A number of important issues needed to be discussed, including whether Ava continued to be sexually active. She packed up the lunch leftovers, afraid that if the girl’s grandmother saw the take-out boxes she’d guess someone had stopped by the house.

The next time they met, Libby was determined she would broach the subject more carefully.

Chapter 22

“So what did Sarah tell you?” Robin asked as the two sat at the Smoothie Bar just outside the exercise room at the gym.

This was a rare treat. Robin usually rushed out of the gym and headed for her office in the courthouse the minute she’d showered and changed clothes. Her suggestion that they get a fruit smoothie together had come as a pleasant surprise.

“I haven’t heard from Sarah,” Libby told her.

“What?” Robin’s gaze narrowed as if she had been afraid of something like this.

Libby was surprised herself. She’d expected Sarah to jump at her offer to get away from the oppressive atmosphere of the office. As she’d told Lydia, Sarah didn’t appear to be the friend Libby had once thought she was.

“Then write her off,” Robin advised.

Libby had more or less already done so, although she couldn’t help thinking Sarah would have a change of heart. What was it people said about the eternal optimist? Libby didn’t remember, but she couldn’t help but hold out hope that Sarah would seriously consider the job offer. If it wasn’t in the cards, then so be it. While it’d be great to work with Sarah again, Libby would do fine without her. Still, it stung.

Really, all Sarah needed to do was pick up the phone and tell Libby she just didn’t feel she could make the change. It wouldn’t have been difficult. But to not call her back really said it all.

The gal at the counter delivered their smoothies and Libby took her first sip. She wasn’t sure what to expect after reading the ingredient list. In addition to fresh fruit, the smoothie had a bunch of healthy, veggie-type goodies added: flaxseed, wheatgrass, and a couple of other items Libby had never seriously considered eating until now.

“Hey, this tastes good.” Robin sat back on her stool and cocked her eyebrows with a look of surprise. “Never thought I’d see the day I’d voluntarily eat raw spinach.”

“Me neither,” Libby agreed. If she got any healthier she would sprout grass on top of her head.

“So …” Robin said, stirring her smoothie with her straw. “How’s everything between you and Phillip?”

Libby froze. Up until now she’d managed to avoid the subject of Phillip. He hadn’t been at the gym, either. Her shoulders sank and she admitted, “I’m not seeing him anymore.”

Robin’s face revealed her shock. “When did this happen?”

“A week or so ago … after the interview. I told him he was a distraction.”

“You did what?”

“I know, I know.” Libby had been kicking herself ever since.

“Is that why he hasn’t been at the gym?”

Libby wasn’t entirely sure. “Either he’s avoiding me or he’s on surgery rotation again.” She’d heard through the hospital grapevine that Phillip planned to attend a charity tennis benefit to support a good friend of his who was the organizer, another doctor named Scott Busbee. Libby had debated attending the function and finding a seat close to him. The temptation was strong but she hated to be so obvious.

She hadn’t seen him since that fateful afternoon. She was sorry she’d acted so impulsively, and now she wasn’t sure if it would be possible to repair the damage. She’d come so far, only to back away when it mattered most.

“The two of you had been seeing a lot of each other, hadn’t you?”