Starting Now (Blossom Street #9)(63)
Robin nearly collapsed into her chair.
The waitress stopped by the table and took their order. Two glasses of pinot noir and one glass of sauvignon blanc for Libby.
“This is my first time here,” Robin confessed.
“Actually it’s mine, too,” Roy said and then added, “since they changed the name. The business has been sold a number of times through the years.”
“My first time, too.” But Libby could see that neither one was listening to her.
“Sally and I …” He hesitated. “Sally was my wife. I lost her to colon cancer a couple of years ago.”
“I am so sorry,” Robin whispered, her voice quivering.
Libby swore Robin was about to burst into tears. The poor girl really had it bad.
Their wine arrived and Libby took a few sips. She glanced at her watch. “I don’t mean to rush off but …”
Under the table, Robin grabbed Libby’s knee and squeezed so hard that it demanded all of Libby’s strength not to cry out in pain.
“I … suppose I could stay a while longer,” she said from between gritted teeth.
Robin thanked her by mouthing the words.
Libby was glad she did stay. Over the next hour, Robin started to relax. The second glass of wine helped. When Libby next suggested it was time for her to leave, her friend didn’t object.
“Talk to you tomorrow,” Libby said as she reached for her purse and stood.
“Right,” Robin said.
Libby planned to phone Robin first thing in the morning.
Because it was a beautiful evening, as it often was in August in the Pacific Northwest, Libby decided to walk to her condo. Her lower back ached from the fresh tattoo and she felt lonely and wished she could be with Phillip. If she wasn’t able to set matters straight, she supposed she’d get over him and move on with her life. But she really hoped it wouldn’t come to that. What she felt for him, even after not seeing him for so many days, was unlike anything she’d experienced before. It was scary to think about losing him. If nothing else, this long period of unemployment had taught her she was a survivor.
As she walked past the downtown area known for its nightlife, she looked into several lounges. She’d never gone into these places before, but maybe she should start … then again, maybe not. This wasn’t exactly the best place to meet potential clients.
No sooner had the thought formed than Phillip Stone stepped into the night. Libby saw him from across the street and she stopped and stared. He was alone. Her heart skipped several beats. This was the opportunity she’d been hoping for, the chance to tell him she was sorry and that she missed him dreadfully.
Before she could catch his attention the door opened again and a tall, beautiful blonde stepped out, wrapped her arm around his waist, and smiled up at him.
Libby stopped cold in her tracks. It certainly hadn’t taken him long to find someone else.
Chapter 24
Libby woke Saturday morning to the ringing of her phone. She pried open one eye and noted that it wasn’t even eight yet. Apparently Robin was so excited she couldn’t wait until a decent hour to call and update her on her evening with Judge Roy Bollinger. The stud. The football hero. The man of Robin’s dreams.
“You better have had the time of your life to be calling me this early,” Libby grumbled into the receiver.
“Libby?”
Libby bolted upright, tossing the sheet aside as soon as she recognized the caller. “Ava?”
“Did I wake you up?” The girl lowered her voice as if she was afraid of being overheard.
“Not really. I was just lying here thinking I should get up.” Saturday was the one day of the week when Libby allowed herself to sleep in. Even then she rarely slept past eight. She’d tossed and turned for several hours last night, unable to get the picture of Phillip and the woman he was with out of her head. Pounding her pillow hadn’t helped, and watching late-late-night television hadn’t done any good, either. As far as she could tell, she hadn’t fallen asleep until sometime around four.
“I’m sorry, but if I didn’t call you early then my grandma might have woken up and heard me.”
“What’s wrong?” Libby knew it must be important for Ava to risk phoning.
“A lady from Social Services contacted Grandma … she told her that she wants me to go to the doctor and is making an appointment as soon as she can. Grandma told her I was just fat, but if the state wanted to pay for a visit to the doctor she didn’t care. But she wanted it understood that she wasn’t paying because she couldn’t afford it after Jackson went in for his physical so he could play sports.”
Libby didn’t dare tell her that she and Lydia Goetz were the ones responsible for contacting Social Services on Ava’s behalf. The sooner Ava got medical attention the better. No one knew when this baby was due. Probably not even Ava.
“Grandma got really upset and made me tell her again that I wasn’t pregnant. I stayed in my bedroom all day Friday, afraid she would ask to see my stomach. She thinks I was the one who called the lady and she got upset because she’s afraid the state might think she’s not taking good enough care of us and will send us to a foster home. That won’t happen, will it?”
“Oh, Ava, I’m so sorry. No, I’m sure the authorities will want you to stay with your grandmother. But, sweetie, your grandmother will need to know the truth sooner or later. Sooner is better. You won’t be able to hide the pregnancy much longer … other people will notice.”