Page 59 of The Risk Taker
Keep it together, girl.
“He’s busy. But I’m here to help.” When he looks like he’s about to protest I say, “I think I have some chocolate chips we can sprinkle in.”
“Chocolate chips,” he yells, and darts down the stairs a million miles an hour.
He reaches the kitchen before me, and as I walk down the hall, my doorbell rings. I go perfectly still, my heart in my throat.
Could it be?
I turn directions, walk slowly to the door, and take a breath and hold it as I swing it open. But it’s not Jamie on my stoop. Nope, it’s Jamie’s parents and they both have strange expressions on their faces. Worry creeps through me.
“Is Jamie okay?” I ask quickly.
“Jamie is fine,” Barry says.
Then what is going on? Why are they at my place Saturday morning before noon?
I think back to last night. I called Barry, told him Sara had returned and suggested he call his son. I wanted him to check in with Jamie, just to make sure he was okay. But what exactly did Jamie tell him? Could they know about the affair, the baby…about us? If so are they angry?
Marion speaks and that’s when I realize I’ve been standing there thinking. “I’m sorry. Please come in. What’s going on?” I ask cautiously.
“We thought you and Chase might like to go for a drive today.”
“I don’t think—”
“Mommy, I want to go,” Chase says coming from the kitchen. Marion opens her arms, and he runs into them.
“You’re house hunting, aren’t you? John called this morning with the perfect house for you. He said you had to act fast, though.”
“Why did he call you and not me?”
She shakes her head. “Well, isn’t that a good question.” She claps her hands. “Nevertheless, we need to get going.”
“I’m not even dressed.”
“I was making pancakes, Grandma,” Chase says, and my heart beats a little faster as he beams up at his grandparents.
“How about we go through the drive thru and get you pancakes on our way to look at the house?”
“Can we, Mommy?”
“I guess so,” I say, my head spinning as this is all coming so fast at me.
Chase and I dart upstairs, we wash, dress, and brush our teeth, and back downstairs, Marion and Barry are talking quietly. They part quickly when they see us, and I angle my head.
“Is everything okay?”
“Everything will be okay,” Barry says. “At least that’s what I’ve been told.”
Not understanding his cryptic words, we head outside, and Barry insists he drive. Since the car seat is in the SUV, I climb in back with Chase and give the passenger seat up to Marion.
We go through a fast food drive through and we all get something to eat. With my head down, I help Chase with his pancakes, but we both end up a sticky mess in the end anyway. When I finally lift my head, I glance around.
“Where are we going? Where is this place? I wanted to be in the city, closer to the hospital.”
“I wonder if John misunderstood,” Marion says, keeping her eyes straight ahead.
“I don’t want to live this far out,” I say, and wonder what’s really going on here. They both ignore me from the front seat, and I realize too late where they’re taking me. “Why are we headed to Wautauga Beach?”