She emerged from the bathroom and dashed for the elevator. She hugged herself, struggled to keep her breathing even, to keep tears at bay until she left the office.
But the elevator arrived with Elan inside it.
He strode out, then paused. “Sara, you don’t look well.”
“Yes.” Her voice emerged as a whisper.
Guilt and terror paralyzed her limbs. Her secret swelled inside her, threatening to inflate like a giant blow-up and knock her over.
“Perhaps you’re working too hard?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Um…” She couldn’t seem to formulate a sentence that didn’t contain the words I’m having your baby.
I’ve got to get out of here.
A massive surge of adrenaline flooded her limbs with the urge to shove past him into the elevator and escape. Her heart thundered as she zeroed in on the dimly lit cavern that was her only escape route. If she could just get in there and let those doors close behind her.…
Elan stood barring the way, his brow lowered with concern.
“You’re ill. You should not ride your bike. I’ll drive you home.”
“No!” She spat the word, as images of their last car ride together assaulted her. Elan, shirt unbuttoned to reveal his hard chest. His broad hand on the wheel.
His sperm swimming toward her egg.
“I’ll be fine. The exercise will do me good. Do you mind if I…” she stammered, able to focus only on the dark emptiness of the elevator that would carry her away from a drama she wasn’t ready to take her part in.
He stood aside. Was that relief on his face? “We have no matters that can’t wait until tomorrow.”
“Thanks.” She dove past him. He let go of the elevator door he’d been holding for her. She saw him turn and look at her, his brow furrowed, as the doors closed.
She sagged against the cold metal walls as the elevator hummed into motion.
Oh, I’m not ill. I’m just pregnant with your child.
“You’re kidding me,” said Erin, after a very long pause. Her sister was the first person she’d called. As a single mother herself, Sara figured Erin would be able to relate.
“Would I kid about something like this?” Sara paced back and forth in her small apartment, trying not to bump her hip on the kitchen countertop or pull the phone off the wall. She couldn’t keep still. Too jumpy.
“You’re pregnant? By who? You only just moved there and you weren’t dating anyone here. Or were you?”
“No. I haven’t dated anyone since I broke up with Mike last year.” She paused to look out the window. The sun was sinking behind the mountains; soon the town would be plunged into darkness. She swallowed hard, twisted the phone cord in her hands. “I slept with my boss.”
“Your boss? I thought your boss was the owner of the company.”
“Yes,” she rasped. It sounded even worse out loud than it did in her head.
“Isn’t he some millionaire oil tycoon?”
“Yes.” She closed her eyes.
“Is he, like, fifty years old or something?”
“No, of course not. He’s thirty-two.” And handsome. And irresistible.
And he despises me.
“So, jeez, is this like, a relationship?”
“No.” She tugged at the phone cord, her eyes starting to sting. She bit the inside of her mouth to stem any tears. “It was a one-night thing. A mistake.”
She heard Erin blow out a deep breath. “Wow. That’s just so…not like you.”
“Tell me about it. I’ve worked my butt off to get this job, and you know how much we need the money. But there was something about him…” Her voice trailed off and she sucked in a breath.
“He must be hot. What’s his name?”
“Elan.” Just saying his name made her face flood with heat. Guilt.
“Wow. Is he married?”
“No! Do you really think I would sleep with a married man?” A rush of indignation made her shove her hand through her hair.
“I didn’t think you’d sleep with your boss.”
Me neither.
“You haven’t told him yet, have you?”
“No. You’re the first person I’ve told. He’s not going to be happy, and that’s an understatement. After it happened he said we should never mention it again.”
“You could sue for sexual harassment.” Her sister’s voice was low, serious.
“I can’t. He actually predicted something like this might happen. He didn’t want a young female assistant for that very reason and he tried to get me transferred on my first day. I told him that if my behavior was at all unprofessional—” She sucked in a breath. “He could fire me on the spot.”
“Oh, Sara.” There was a pause. Sara heard her little nephew say something and his mom whispered a quick reply, then came back on the line. “Don’t tell him. Seriously, you don’t want to lose your medical insurance at a time like this. Trust me on this one. Been there, done that. I don’t know what I would have done without Derek helping me out.”
“Derek’s going to have a cow, isn’t he?” Derek, their oldest brother, had been like a second father to her. More of a father than her real one. He’d worked so hard, taking a second job to help the family through one crisis after another. They’d all been blindsided by Erin’s unexpected pregnancy followed by their mother’s diagnosis with lymphoma. Sara cringed at the thought of dealing him another blow.
“Derek is a rock. He never said a single negative thing when I got pregnant. He’s been there for me every step of the way. We’ll all support you. Kristin can look after your baby while you work. She’ll be able to have her entire in-home daycare be our kids—it’ll be fun. I’ve missed you so much. You are going to move home, aren’t you?”
A question that had zinged around her mind from the moment she learned the news. How could she not move home and be with her family?
But then again, how could she?
“There are no jobs in my field there.” She looked out the window at the harsh desert landscape, mountain peaks dark against the shimmering sky. So beautiful.
“Bates Electronics will take you back.”
“But I won’t make enough to pay down Mom’s hospital
