Unexpected Gifts. Holly Jacobs

back to you. What are you going to do now?”

      “I made plans for dinner with my parents tomorrow night. I expect it’s going to go about as well, or even worse, than how it went telling Arthur.” She loved her parents, saw them at least once a week when they were in town, and talked to them frequently when they wintered in Florida each year. The fact that she would be an unwed mother was not going to impress them. She was forty-four, but obviously the desire to please a parent didn’t go away with age. It might even have gotten stronger.

      “I think you’re wrong. They might not be happy, but they’ll stand by you. I have no doubt of that.”

      “You’re right. It still won’t be pretty.”

      “Maybe you’re wrong.”

      “Yeah, maybe. And maybe the earth is going to start rotating backward, and all the bad guys will suddenly become good guys forever and ever.”

      She snorted. “And maybe prigs will fly.”

      Maybe.

      But Eli wasn’t betting on any of it.

      CHAPTER THREE

      “Time. It can feel as if you don’t have nearly enough time to get everything done. Remember, despite all you need to do, take time to have some fun.”

      —Pregnancy, Childbirth and Parenting for Teens, by Mary Jeanne Lorei

      ELI NORMALLY LOVED SATURDAYS. She loved knowing she didn’t have to get up and do anything. She loved the idea of leisurely walks, and reading the paper—front to back—over a second cup of coffee. Then possibly doing the crossword puzzle in ink over a third cup.

      Today, there was no sense of happiness at the thought as she glanced at the clock. 8:00 a.m.

      She didn’t have time for the paper before her meeting with Zac, and even if she did, there’d be no coffee. No caffeine for her for the rest of the pregnancy. And probably not while she was breast-feeding, either. If she breast-fed. Would she breast-feed?

      Another decision.

      One she simply couldn’t face.

      She had to get together with Zac Keller and Ariel Mayor, then she had to hurry home and clean the house before her parents’ visit.

      Not that her house was a mess. And she didn’t generally clean before her parents came over. But since she was about to break the fact she was pregnant with no father in the picture, she figured the least she could do was tell them in a spotless house.

      After all, that wasn’t too much to ask, was it?

      And why on earth did she let Zac talk her into meeting at Tim Horton’s? To smell that wonderful coffee and not be able to have a cup was going to be sheer torture. Okay, she could probably order a decaf, but seriously, if she couldn’t drink the real thing, why bother?

      She hurried out to the car, pulling her winter coat tighter.

      Winter hadn’t even officially arrived—heck, autumn was only halfway gone—but she was ready for spring.

      The thought stopped her in her tracks. By late spring, she’d have her baby. Right at the end of the school year. She’d be a mother. Her whole life would change.

      Sometimes, she’d forget she was pregnant. Then, she’d have one of those moments of awareness.

      She was pregnant.

      She was going to be a mother.

      She kept repeating the words as she drove to the coffee shop.

      There was no denying it. The life she’d planned was gone thanks to this baby. A small spurt of anger surprised her. She didn’t blame the baby, but she was mad at the circumstances. Arthur could throw up his hands and walk away. She was stuck. Her body wasn’t ever going to be the same. Her life was never going to be the same. It wasn’t fair.

      It wasn’t fair. She couldn’t count the number of times girls said those words to her. Her response? Life’s not fair. Deal with it.

      She realized she’d been parked in front of the coffee shop for…she wasn’t sure how long.

      Yeah, life’s not fair. Deal with it.

      Right now she had to deal with Zac Keller.

      She hurried inside and scanned the place. She spotted Zac in line and approached him.

      A slow smile spread on his face. “You made it.”

      “We’d agreed, so of course I made it.”

      “What would you like?” He nodded at the menu.

      “A house decaf.” She wanted her caffeine. Wanted it desperately. Already, the baby was impacting her life. Her decisions.

      “After all our meetings, you switching to decaf just seems wrong.”

      He was teasing, and Eli knew it, so she smiled. “I’m turning over a new leaf. Actually, a few new leaves.” Whether she wanted to or not.

      “How does Arthur feel about these changes?”

      “Arthur’s out of the picture.” It was the first time she’d said the words out loud in conversation. It made the fact he was gone seem more real. More permanent.

      “We broke up,” she added, more for herself than for Zac.

      “Oh.” Zac paused. “Sorry.”

      “Our relationship had progressed as far as it could. It was time to make a clean break.”

      Zac seemed puzzled, and Eli waited for him to ask her more questions, but after a moment, he nodded. They waited in silence for their coffees.

      She wondered what he was thinking.

      But he didn’t give her a clue. After their drinks were in hand, he simply said, “Why don’t we take the coffees next door to my office and I can show you the schedule we’ve put together for Ariel.”

      “Great.”

      ZAC AND ELI CONTINUED in silence as they walked to Keller’s Market. Other than the first day, they’d never met in his office. He always insisted they meet over a lunch or coffees. It seemed more relaxed, more personal. And that was just what he’d wanted to be with Eli Cartwright.

      The news that she’d broken up with her boyfriend meant he was free to get even more up close and personal.

      He’d love to ask her out right away, but he knew he should wait and give her some time to recover from the breakup.

      How much time did it require?

      Hours?

      Days?

      Not weeks. No, weeks was too long. Some other guy was bound to ask Eli on a date as soon as the news got out that she was available. Zac wasn’t going to lose out to some quick-on-the-draw stranger.

      Since he knew he had to wait, this once, keeping things all business was probably for the best. That was why he suggested taking their coffees to his office.

      “Zac?” Eli said.

      He noticed they were standing in his office doorway. “Sorry. Thinking about things I have to do.” Mainly asking out Eli. “Have a seat.”

      He had a copy of Ariel’s schedule in his briefcase, but handed her the one on his desk instead. “Here you go.”

      She reached for it, and for the briefest second, their fingers touched. Zac didn’t think of himself as a sentimental sort of man, which is why his awareness of that smallest of touches surprised him. Of course, it shouldn’t have. Yet, everything about Eli Cartwright touched him.

      “It looks—”

      Eli was cut off as Cessy burst into his office. “Z-man, help. I need a ride to—” Cessy stopped short as she caught sight