The Baby Truce Read Online Free Page A

notoriety. Not on purpose, anyway. He was into making good food the only way he knew how. His way. The Times article had done him some serious damage. He spent an evening writing a blistering rebuttal, but realized after an hour of slamming thoughts onto paper that he wasn’t in the most defensible position. In fact, he was pretty much in the juice.
    Memories were short, though. Given a month or two, a new scandal, people would forget. He’d be back at the helm of a new restaurant, and this time he’d choose more wisely—choose a place where he approved of the management style, rather than the name. He had savings and investments. Although he knew very little about them, since he’d trusted Pete implicitly.
    But what to do now? Continue pounding the pavement, trying to get an interview? Call Lowell and hear the guy rant about how Tom had screwed himself?
    Not yet. Lowell Hislop, who’d gotten Tom the job in Spain that had ultimately jump-started his career, was the closest thing to a mentor he had. He was also unpredictable and hard to deal with. A veritable force unto himself, and at the moment as unemployed as Tom was. But in Lowell’s case it was by choice, while he hammered out a divorce agreement with his French wife,Simone. They’d split innumerable times in the past, but this once it appeared to be for real. Lowell had sold his restaurant, dumped his investment properties and quite likely stashed a bunch of cash in odd places. He was nothing if not savvy, but the last Tom had heard he was up to his ass in his wife’s lawyers.
    Yeah, Tom would call him, but first he’d see what he could do on his own. There were still a couple avenues left to him.
    He hoped.
    He was halfway up the stairs to his apartment when his phone rang. It wasn’t Pete, as he’d hoped, but it wasn’t Jervase telling him the town wasn’t big enough for the both of them, either. It was a Nevada number.
    â€œReggie?”
    â€œHi, Tom.” There was an awkward silence, then she said, “I, uh, have some news for you.”
    â€œAll right.” A lead on a job, maybe? The Associated Press had picked up his “interview” with the Times and it was all over the country. No doubt she knew he was out of work. He didn’t really want a job in Reno, but he’d consider it. For a while.
    â€œBefore I start, I just want to tell you that you don’t have to be involved in any way. I plan to handle everything myself.”
    â€œHandle what?” He balanced the phone on his shoulder while he dug his keys out of his pocket.
    After another short silence, she said, “I’m pregnant.”
    He almost said congratulations. Then her meaning struck him. “How pregnant?”
    â€œAlmost two months.”
    He dropped the keys on the carpet between his feet. “We…used protection.”
    â€œI haven’t slept with anyone but you.”
    â€œWe…used protection,” Tom repeated. He pressed the heel of his palm into the solid wood door. Blood hammered in his temples, making it damned hard to think.
    â€œLike I said…” She hesitated. “I thought you should know, but…I don’t need anything from you.”
    â€œWell, aren’t you brave?” he snapped.
    â€œYes. I am. I lived with you for a year.” The phone went dead.
    Tom stood for a moment without moving, then reached down and picked up his keys. It took him two tries to get the right one into the lock, mainly because his hands were shaking.
    Pregnant?
    Call her back, you jerk.
    Not yet. Soon, but not yet.
    He needed time in the worst way.
    Once inside, he dropped the keys on the table, set the bag of produce beside them.
    He was going to be a father.
    Out of a job. Living on savings. About to be a dad. This was not the way his life was supposed to work out.
    Tom rubbed his temples with his fingertips. Then he went to the cupboard and pulled out a bottle, the first