Oceans Apart (Ocean Dreams Book 1) (25 page)

“I need to pay for the cab but I don’t have any money with me. I didn’t know where else to go.” Annie felt like she was in a trance, still unable to comprehend the situation she now found herself a part of.

Kirby knew asking questions now wasn’t going to help sort the situation. She wrapped an arm around Annie’s shoulder and drew her in close. “Go down to the kitchen and put the kettle on. I’ll pay for the taxi and then make us some tea.”

Annie nodded at her levelheaded friend. Coming inside the house, she slid off her silver heels and left them by the front door, before hitching up the bottom of her dress and shuffling to the kitchen. Annie was in robotic mode. She knew what she needed to do and did it without much thought. She flicked on the light switch in the kitchen and took the stainless steel kettle from the stovetop to fill it with water. She closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath in, and slowly exhaled out. She opened her eyes and looked down when she felt the water was spilling out over the spout onto her shaking hand. Turning the water off, she put the kettle back on the stove and grabbed the matches to light the burner. Her hands were still shaking. It was getting harder and harder to keep her emotions in check and, in turn, making it nearly impossible to light the match.

A hand came from behind her and took the match. “I have this. Take a seat,” Kirby said softly as Annie nodded her reply. She perched on a stool at the breakfast bar and stared at the flickering flame of the burner.

“Annie, what happened?” Kirby wasn’t going to beat around the bush.

Annie’s focus was still on the flame. So hot and alive, it burned with passion and purpose. It wouldn’t be long before it was snuffed out as the kettle came to its boiling point. All things had an ending. Maybe this was the end of her relationship with Cam.

“Annie?” She looked up at Kirby and could finally feel the streams of tears that had been falling down her face with her realization. Wiping them away with the back of her hand, she cleared her throat before letting a dejected sigh slip from her lips.

“Lana was at the fundraiser.” Annie began, still not having made eye contact with Kirby since she entered the room.

“Lana? Lana who?”

“I don’t know. She was Cam’s ex or his ‘friend with benefits’ or something.” Annie shook her head and shrugged. Annie wished they had talked more about previous lovers so she knew exactly what Lana was to Cam. However, she didn’t know and it hurt.

The kettle whistled impatiently at the girls. Kirby turned off the burner and quietly started making the pot of tea. She let the pot sit and steep while taking two clean teacups from the dishwasher.

“Did she make a scene?” Kirby inquired.

“Not so much a scene as a statement. She wasn’t happy Cam wouldn’t hear her out. Cam and I walked away. We were waiting for his car and she had followed us out and insisted on being heard.”

“What did she say?” Kirby’s brow had furrowed with worry.

“I’m pregnant.” Annie closed her eyes. It didn’t get any better hearing those words from her own mouth. “That’s all she said. Two words.”

“Oh, Annie.”

“I just had to go. I had to get out of there,” she said. “All my things are at Cam’s place and I really can’t face him yet. You were the only person I could think of in the city. I hope you don’t mind me turning up here unannounced?”

Kirby handed Annie a cup of tea. “Of course not. I’m glad you came here and you’re welcome to stay as long as you need.” It was said with a smile and Annie knew Kirby meant it.

“Thank you.” Annie took a sip of the hot tea. Almost immediately, the tea calmed her down as it warmed her from the inside out.

“Listen,” Kirby started. “I won’t press you on any more details tonight. You just sit here and finish your tea, and I’ll go make up the spare room.” Kirby patted Annie on the arm and went upstairs to make sure her sudden guest would be comfortable.

Annie didn’t really want to be left alone with her thoughts although, if she was honest with herself, it was exactly what she needed. She needed to think this new situation out carefully. She had had enough hurt in her life to last her a lifetime. Annie had always put her needs behind others, which only served to make people put her second more often than not. She had to remember putting herself first wasn’t a crime. There was now an innocent child involved. It hadn’t done a thing wrong, and Annie would never do anything to hurt it. A child needed its parents…both of them. Annie sighed and let her head drop back as she closed her eyes. “What am I going to do?” she said aloud.

“Well, I can tell you that right now, you are going upstairs to take a shower and wash away the worries of tonight.” Kirby had returned downstairs without a sound. “The bathroom is stocked with everything you should need. I’ve left some clean pajamas on the bed in your room, so when you’re done in the bathroom, you just need to tuck yourself into bed and forget about the night. Tomorrow is a new day, Annie. Look at everything in the morning with a clear head.” Kirby smiled at her and Annie felt like maybe there was some hope to be had.

The persistent sound of a telephone ringing down the hall woke Annie from her peaceful sleep. Kirby obviously wasn’t awake yet and Annie didn’t feel it was her place to answer it. She stretched out in the large bed. Sleep hadn’t taken long to find Annie once she had showered and removed the remnants of the night’s costume. She hadn’t realized how tired she truly was and was looking at the inside of her eyelids almost as soon as her head had touched the fluffy, plump pillow on Kirby’s spare bed.

Annie padded her way to the bathroom and as soon as she had sat down on the toilet, the phone began ringing again like a tortured banshee. “
Someone is eager to talk to Kirby,”
Annie thought. Maybe it was a client of hers with an emergency wardrobe situation. Annie was daydreaming of different scenarios when there was a knock at the bathroom door.

“Annie? Are you in there?” Kirby questioned.

More than a little shocked at being interrupted, Annie yelled out, “Ahh, just give me five minutes.”
“Didn’t Kirby have her own bathroom?”
she wondered.

“Okay. I’ll meet you in kitchen.” Annie could hear Kirby moving down the flight of stairs now, so she didn’t want the bathroom after all. It was her. Annie was curious as to what she was needed for. She hurried to finish using the bathroom and made her way to the kitchen.

Kirby was sitting at the dining table with a newspaper spread out before her and a mug of coffee in her hands. Whatever article she was reading, it held her interest enough that she didn’t notice Annie enter the room. She looked up when she heard Annie pull out a chair and sit across from her at the table. “Morning,” Kirby said with a small smile, which didn’t quite reach all the way across her face. Something told Annie that Kirby either was hiding something or about tell her something unpleasant.

“Hey. What’s up?” Annie eyed Kirby with suspicion.

“Well, um…I’m just reading about you and Cam in today’s paper,” she said a little sheepishly.

“What?” Annie grabbed the paper and pulled it in front of her. There she saw a blissfully happy couple. Snuggled up together and looking forward to a fabulous night of dancing, socializing, and entertainment. Annie would have smiled if she didn’t know how the night ended for them. Closing the paper, she got up, went to the kitchen, poured herself a cup of tea, and returned to her seat.

Kirby broke the silence. “Well, if anything, I've got to say, you photograph really well. You look stunning. That dress was made for you.”

Annie gave a half smile. “It’s a beautiful dress, but I don’t think I can look at it again. Not at the moment anyway. Thanks for the loan of it though.” Annie pulled her legs up, placed her feet on the chair, and hugged her knees. She rested her forehead on top and let out a loud, “Ugh!”

“That’s it. Annie, please tell me more about what happened last night. I can’t take your gloomy mood and I want to help you if I can,” Kirby pleaded with Annie, hoping for her to open up to her. “I also would love to know why Chelsea insisted on calling me over and over from the arse-crack of dawn.”

Annie lifted her head up and looked directly at Kirby. “Did you talk to her? What did she want?” she quizzed her.

“I let it go to the answering service. I checked just before you came downstairs. She wanted to know if I had seen you and if I did, to call her, and let her know.”

“
Hmmm…I guess Cam rang her looking for me and now she is helping him
,” Annie mused.

Kirby pulled her chair a little closer to Annie and placed her hand on top of hers. “Listen to me. I won’t tell her you’re here. I’m guessing you need some time to process this and you are more than welcome to stay here as long as you need.”

“Thanks, Kirby, but you don’t really want me here. You’re friends with Sea and I don’t want to get you in the middle of my mess. I’ll go to a hotel. It’s no big deal.” Annie really didn’t want to impose on Kirby. She would hate to be the cause of a rift between her and Sea.

“Annie. I may have only known you a day, but I can see you need a friend. I know you are friends with Chelsea too, but she is probably a little too close to the situation with Cam. Stay here as long as you need. You’ll have all the privacy you need plus a shoulder to cry on and an ear to bend.” Kirby smiled sweetly and Annie realized her new friend wasn’t really asking her but insisting she stay.

“As long as you’re sure, I’d really love to stay. Thank you,” Annie said graciously and with a sad smile.

“No worries at all.” Kirby smiled and she finished off her tea. She walked over to the sink, rinsed the cup out, and placed it on the drying rack. Kirby stared over at Annie who was still cuddling her knees together. “I know you might not want to hear this, but I think you need to talk to Cam.”

“Nope. No. No way.” Annie shook her head insistently. “I can’t do that right now. Maybe in a few days, but not yet.” Annie set her cup on the table and walked over to the window, which looked out over the back garden. The Sunday morning looked so peaceful and calm, the exact opposite of how she was feeling. The confusion she felt made her nauseous and the knots around her heart were constricting tighter and tighter, ready to break at a moment’s notice. She hadn’t stopped loving Cam overnight; but things were now complicated, and he needed time to let the news of his impending fatherhood sink in also.

Clasping her hands together, Annie held them under her chin as if she were praying for the surprise revelation from last night to be a dream. It wasn’t.

Kirby cleared her throat. “Annie?” Annie turned and looked at her concerned friend. “Would you like me to tell Chelsea you’re staying here? I feel like I have to call her back and let her know something.”

“Yeah, you better. I don’t want her worried about me. I just don’t want her to tell Cam where I am. I need my space at the moment.” Annie paused. “I also need to get my things from Cam’s house.”

Kirby nodded in agreement. “I understand. I’ll call her and see if she can arrange a time for us to go there to gather your gear while Cam isn’t there.”

Annie gave Kirby a sad smile. “Thanks, Kirby. Thank you for everything. I honestly don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t take me in last night.” Annie’s shoulders sagged a little and tears began to well in her eyes.

Kirby hurried over to her and embraced her in a friendly hug. Annie had never been comforted like this before, not from a friend anyway. She had always bottled her feelings up inside and pushed them away. The kindness and sincerity of Kirby’s actions helped the flow of tears fall down her face.

“Shh. There, there,” Kirby said to calm her friend. “I’m glad I was here and even happier you came to me. I knew we would be friends from the moment we met yesterday.” Kirby pulled back, looked at the wet, puffy, red face of Annie, and tried to stifle her giggle.

Annie sniffed loudly. “What?” she said before a hiccup escaped from her mouth. She quickly moved her hand up and over her mouth in embarrassment.

Kirby was giggling even more. “Sorry. Sorry.” She took a breath in and smiled at Annie. “How about you go and have a long, relaxing bath upstairs. I’ll call Chelsea and let her know what’s what, and then I’ll make us some breakfast. Deal?”

Wiping the tears with the back of her hands, Annie smiled at Kirby. “Deal. Sounds perfect to me.”