“I’m helping you.”
“I’m pregnant, Fisher, not geriatric.”
“Exactly, and if you fall, it could harm our baby.”
I hold back a cringe at his sentence. I don’t want to start an argument right before I tell him the rest of my news, so I allow him to guide me as if there’s ice on the stairs and I’m Ethel or Dori.
His hovering continues until we reach the truck. He tells me to change the way my seat belt lays over my belly, and he wants to drop me off at the doors while he finds a parking spot. By the time he meets me in the diner, I’m already salivating over the food I’ve stalked on the dishes delivered to nearby tables.
The minute he walks in, people greet him with handshakes and waves.
Tad, the owner, follows Fisher with a cup of coffee and sets it down once Fisher slides into the chair across from me. I asked for one of the two tables since it’s becoming more difficult to fit in a booth. Good times.
“Thanks, Tad. This is Allie.” Fisher holds his hand out to me.
“Hey, Allie, what can I get you? Tea? Juice?”
“I’ll have orange juice, and can you bring me one of those muffins before we order please?”
He smiles like he knew I’d ask for one. “Which kind? We have blueberry, morning glory, and cinnamon streusel today.”
“Morning glory. Thank you.” I rub my belly like he didn’t notice I’m pregnant, but it’s my way of excusing the obvious urgency in my voice. The beef jerky just didn’t do it for me.
“Hungry, huh?” Fisher asks, not touching his coffee.
“Starving, actually.”
Tad returns, muffin in hand, with a speed that impresses me. He knows how to take care of a pregnant woman. Feed her fast and she’s happy. Over his shoulder, I notice some people looking over and whispering.
Leaning forward, I say in a low voice to Fisher, “People are staring.”
Fisher doesn’t bother to glance over his shoulder. He only nods. “It’s Sunrise Bay. I’m the sheriff and you’re pregnant. People will speculate.”
“But…” I do not want to be fodder for all the chatter in this town. But when he mentioned food, it was as if all the other thoughts went out of my brain. “Right, small town and all that.”
He glances at my untouched muffin. “So, are you ready?”
He sips his coffee once I bite my muffin, which is pure sweet bliss. I want to shove it all in my mouth and yell to Tad to keep ‘em coming. But I maintain my dignity—barely.
“Um…”
“Ready to order?” Based on his stellar timing, Tad is my new favorite guy. Purveyor of muffins and interruptions. Heavy tip coming for him.
We both order, and while I feel as if I order the entire menu, Fisher orders an omelet and fruit.
“Fruit?” I ask.
“Yeah.” He shrugs.
“No bacon or sausage or hash browns?”
He chuckles. “How do you think I keep this body you keep drooling over?”
My eyes narrow. “I am not drooling.”
He shrugs as though he doesn’t care either way.
“Time’s up. I’ve been patient. Reward me.” He looks at me expectantly.
I stare at him for a moment, then look around the room. Maybe it’s best that we’re here. If this goes south, at least I have an endless food supply to drown my sorrows. “About the baby…”
He straightens in his seat. “Is there something wrong?”
I shake my head. “No, but—”
“He or she is healthy? You said everything was fine.”
I nod. “It is. But the thing is—”
“Are you worried that I want to find out the sex? I’m cool if you don’t want to. I mean, I’m flexible.”
“We can discuss that later. I have an ultrasound this week.”
“Perfect.” He pulls out his phone. “What day and time? I’ll make sure I’m available to take you.”
I shake my head, but he waits expectantly for me to answer, so I go from memory. “Wednesday at eleven.”
He buries his head in his phone, his thumbs typing away. “Why were you so nervous about telling me that?” He grabs my hand. “I know this is weird, but I’ll totally respect your privacy during the exams and stuff. And don’t worry, during the delivery, I won’t even think about going south, okay? But I would like to be in there if that’s okay?”
I never thought Fisher would want to be so involved, and I curse myself for the way my heartbeat picks up speed at his words. I thought for sure he’d be scared, he’d retreat, he’d demand a paternity test. But he’s accepting and wants to be part of it all.
“Here you go, guys.” Tad returns to our table with our food. “I had Brad put your order ahead of the others. The sheriff has important business, and I’m not about to make a pregnant woman wait for food.”
Definitely a favorite. I smile at him. “Thank you so much.”
He nods and walks away.
Fisher opens his silverware and places the napkin on his lap, digging into his meal.
He thinks that’s what I had to tell him, so what’s the harm in waiting a little longer? I place my own napkin on my lap and eat.
I’ll tell him… eventually.
On the way from the diner to Sunrise Bay’s sheriff’s office, I turn on the radio to try to get my mind to stop spinning. All the worries and uncertainties are like a damn merry-go-round constantly circling inside my head. I’ve never done well with uncertainty. I prefer my personal life to be on an even keel and steady, but the sheriff side of me likes to prepare for the unexpected.
As soon as I turn up the volume, my stepsister Nikki’s voice rings in my ears. “So yes, Sunrise Bayers, my stepbrother, Fisher Greene, our town sheriff, is going to be a daddy.”
“Fuck!”
Damn her and her stupid gossip show.
I reach for the radio to turn it off, but think better of it. I need to be prepared for any questions that come my way now that our entire small town knows my business.
And how the hell did Nikki find out this fast anyway?
“Do you think it’ll come out with an armful of tattoos?” her cohost, Chip, chimes in.
I still can’t believe her sidekick is a man in his fifties with the personality of sandpaper.
“Hey now, that baby is my future niece or nephew.”
“Well, you’ll be happy to know it was well fed this morning, from what I heard,” Chip says.
“Don’t shame a pregnant woman, Chip. You grow a human being from scratch and tell me you don’t need an extra muffin… or two.”
I cross my fingers that the conversation turns to Nikki and Chip at odds, so they’ll leave Allie and me the hell out of it.
“I’m just saying she took a half dozen muffins home. At least that’s what I heard.”
“She can eat everything in the diner. She’s pregnant and eating for two. I know you’re a bachelor, but have you really never heard these phrases before?”
Chip grumbles something unintelligible.
“Back to us having a little boy or girl join the Greene clan. I’m so excited for Noah to have a baby cousin. And they won’t be too far apart in age either.”