Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 82930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
It was Saturday, and it was her day off, which allowed her to catch up on household chores. She had every intention of heading to her parents’ to check up on a few things.
Her mother had been wide awake and cleaning when she arrived with the groceries yesterday. She had been quite surprised to see her mother doing much of anything. They sat down, had a coffee together, and she watched as she took care of little David, feeding him, asking her how she had been, and wanting to catch up.
Petal stayed for as long as she could, then went home to get changed for the party. She had every intention of losing herself to alcohol, but that was an idea that never freaking happened. Dirty had a way of zapping all the fun out of everything.
“Kim, what are you doing here?” Petal asked. “Rosalie is at the diner. Does she need my help?”
Kim held her hands up, and the bangles she had on her wrist dangled together. “I’m here to see you.”
“Me?”
“Yes, do you mind if I come in?”
“Oh, yes, of course, come in. Please.” She stepped back. Although this was her home, sometimes she didn’t always feel like it was. This was Rosalie and Gabrielle’s house. She lived here all the time. Rosalie came from time to time.
Closing the door behind Kim, she tucked some of her wayward hair behind her ear. “Is there anything I can get you?”
“A coffee would be good.”
“Coffee. Yes, yes, a coffee. I can go and make that for you.”
Kim was a sweet woman, kind, thoughtful. She seemed to be there when she needed her most. Apart from today, Petal didn’t understand the reason for her visit, but she wasn’t going to turn her away. Stepping into the kitchen, she turned the stove button on and watched the flame ignite. Kim had followed her into the kitchen.
“Cream and sugar?” Petal asked.
“Yes to both, please.”
Petal got two mugs, began to place sugar in one, and waited for the cream. Instead, she placed a heaping spoon into each mug, and then waited. “How is Rosalie?” Petal asked.
Kim let out a laugh. “Come on, my dear. We do not need to talk about Rosalie, and she is not why I’m here.”
She turned toward the other woman and folded her arms across her chest. “Why are you here?”
“I’m here to talk with you,” Kim said. “I’m here to see how you’re dealing with everything.”
“There is nothing for me to deal with. I’m all good, I promise.” The lie was easy. Well, was it a lie? Petal couldn’t be entirely sure if she did feel good or not.
Her emotions were always all over the place nowadays. They kind of blended into one another, with no way out.
There was silence for several seconds and then Kim finally said it.
“I know.”
The sound of the kettle whistling broke the silence. Petal turned off the stove and grabbed the kettle, pouring it into the mugs. She knew some people expressed horror at putting hot water on top of coffee granules. There was a rumor it burnt the granules or did something to them. For her, it was the best way to make coffee, always had been.
Ever since she was a kid, needing that shot of caffeine in the morning, she’d always done her coffee this way. To her, it tasted a lot better, and all she had to do was add a shot of milk or cream, which she did. The sound of the spoon stirring in the mug echoed around the room.
“You don’t have to be afraid.”
Petal finished making the coffee and turned toward Kim. “How did you find out?”
“I paid the bill, and I asked for access to what I paid for, and one of the descriptions was clear. You had lost the baby, which is why you were also struggling from the blood loss.”
She pressed her lips together in the hope of not crying. Today had been a good day. Considering what happened last night, encountering Dirty, it had started out good. She hadn’t even woken up feeling the need to cry. She’d simply woken up and gotten busy. It was how she liked to start her day. Right now, it didn’t feel good.
“Honey, I am here.”
She shook her head, and then her next words came out as a whisper. “I promised myself I wasn’t going to cry. I promised myself.”
There was no way she would let those tears fall. She refused to cry or get upset. But hearing those words come from another woman, it was almost impossible not to fall, bleeding her heart out.
She lost a baby. It hadn’t even been inside her that long, just long enough for her to confirm a pregnancy test. Then panic, when she realized she was doing this alone.
Kim went to her. The mugs of coffee were already placed on the counter. Kim gripped her head and looked into her eyes. “You don’t have to fight it. I’m here. You don’t need to be strong. I am here.”