Wicked Little Lies- Molly Read online

  “God pity his soul, is more like.”

  I sucked in a breath. Four people around me sucked in a breath. Father Dawson sucked in a breath. Grandma picked up her bingo cards and launched them across the table, smacking Carol in the head with them.

  She screamed and threw her pink marker at Mabel and all hell broke loose.

  Thankfully the fight was a lot slower than it could have been, but once Mabel picked up Byron’s water and tipped it over Carols’ head, Father Dawson took my elbow and demanded that I take Mabel and leave.

  It was probably for the best. Grandma’s purple tinted curls were askew, and Ted had a good view of the slip she wore under her dress as it appeared she had popped a few buttons mid fight. His grin was large and fast, and I figured he was enjoying his new job.

  ****

  Needless to say, mum wasn’t happy to have grandma home early. Grandma however, had seen the upside, reminding me that Ted had seen her bra. Which apparently was a good thing.

  “Don’t be too hard on her,” I said to mum as grandma shuffled towards her bedroom for a new dress. Dad wouldn’t find the whole bra thing as amusing as Ted had.

  “She can’t go anywhere without creating havoc!”

  “I know. But Grannie Carol was half to blame. She did provoke her. Sure, she probably didn’t deserve the soaking, but I’m positive one day she’ll see the funny side of it.” Maybe. Probably not.

  “What are you talking about?” Mum stopped mid-stir on the muffin mix.

  Once I’d explained the series of events that had occurred, she dropped her wooden spoon and sat heavily on the nearest chair. Grannie Carol had never really approved of her son marrying mum, and I believed the two women only tolerated each other when he was around.

  “Does that mean grandma is off the hook?” I asked as she hid her smile behind a cough.

  “No! It does not. Carol will phone your father and I’ll never hear the end of it.”

  “Of come on. Lighten up.”

  Mum fiddled with the edge of the tablecloth, her lips twitching at the corners. “What did Carol do when she got wet?”

  I grinned. “The color of her skin matched her lipstick.”

  It wasn’t often mum flashed a smile but when she did it was magnificent. All pearly white teeth and dimples. I moved towards her and gave her a hug.

  “Please don’t tell your father I found that amusing,” she said, once her serious face was back in place.

  “It’ll be our secret. Now, I think grandma deserves banana choc chip muffins, don’t you? They’re her favorite.”

  “I guess she has had a traumatic morning. It would be the right thing to do for her after all.” Mum stood and started adding chocolate chips to the muffin mix. I kissed her cheek and with a ‘see you later’ made my way back to the car.

  I’d just connected my phone to the Bluetooth when it rang. The caller was private with no ID.

  “Hello,” I sang.

  “Oh, is this MF Photography?” asked the tinny female voice.

  “Yes, it’s Molly Fuller speaking.”

  “Hi Molly. My name is Brooke. I was hoping to have a chat to you about taking some photos at my vow renewal.”

  “Of course. What I’ll do is give you my assistant’s number and Lizzie can help you with the booking.”

  “Well, it’s just that the renewal is on Saturday and I know that I don’t have a lot of time.”

  “I am very busy at the moment. Summer is wedding season and most Saturday’s I’m fully booked.”

  “Oh, I’m so disappointed. You’ve been recommended to me by a dear friend and I so wanted you to be the one to capture our special moment.”

  “Can I ask who your friend is?”

  “Huh? Oh...ummm, well the thing is, ummmm...”

  The line went quiet while I waited for her answer.

  “Look, this is a surprise for my husband, so I was just hoping to keep all of this between the two of us for now.”

  “Discretion is my middle name.” Actually, it was Grace but I’m sure she got my point.

  “I was hoping to ask a few questions before we go ahead,” Brooke continued.

  “Sure.” I started the car and cranked the air conditioning.

  “So, you’ve obviously photographed weddings before, but how are you with vow renewals?”

  “I’m more than qualified to take those photos for you. Where are you having the ceremony?”

  “I’m still deciding that. Now, are you in a relationship yourself?”

  I jolted. “Ummmm, yes, but what does that have to do with anything?”

  “Well, I just thought that...you know.”

  I didn’t actually.

  “My friend told me you were dating Matt Wilson. Is that correct?”

  “Yeesssss,” I replied, suspicious.

  “Great. Now where is he today?”

  “I’m sorry but what does this have to do with me taking photos for you?”

  “I heard that he’s left the country. Is that correct?”

  “I’m not at liberty to say.”

  “Oh. Well, is it true that you’re pregnant with his child?”

  My skin prickled and an uneasy sensation ran down my spine.

  “Who are you?” I demanded, leaning forward in my seat as a pain shot through my stomach.

  “I told you. I’m Brooke.”

  “Then if you really want me to take your photos Brooke, you’re going to have to call my assistant.” I rattled off Lizzie’s number. “If you choose to go ahead with the booking then we can meet beforehand so I can get an idea of what you would like. Other than that, I’m sorry, I must go.”

  “Of course. I’ll give Lizzie a call. I hope to see you on Saturday, Molly.”

  As I ended the call, I placed my hand on my stomach and winced against the pain. Was it normal to get pain like this so early on? Was it something to worry about?

  I opened my pregnancy app and did a quick search on the forum. Alarmed at what I read, I hurriedly dialed my doctor and made an urgent appointment.

  I may not have fallen in love with this child just yet, but I was 100% responsible for it and I took that job very seriously.

  Chapter Three

  My doctor had decided that instead of me visiting her and then being sent to the obstetrician, she would just phone them and get me an urgent appointment. I loved my doctor but to know she was worried enough for me to go straight to the specialist, kind of freaked me out. Which is why I’d immediately phoned Danny and asked him to accompany me. Thankfully Monday was his day off, so he’d dropped what he was doing and both he and Andrew were now impatiently reading magazines in the waiting room.

  I was grateful my obstetrician, Doctor Lara Jensen, was a woman. I’d been told that when you fell pregnant you needed to leave your dignity on the floor with your knickers, because every visit that’s where you’ll find it. The joys of being female. At least with a woman at the helm it might be a tad less embarrassing.

  Doctor Lara Jensen came highly recommended and I was relieved that I was in such good hands. According to Lara’s bio she came from a family of medical practitioners. Her father had also been an obstetrician and had reportedly delivered thousands of Westport’s residents into the world. He now sat at the head of the hospital board. Her brother was a surgeon and her mother had been a nurse before moving her specialty into midwifery, but now worked for Lara part time.

  Butterflies did a fancy little dance in my belly as I licked my dry lips and gazed around the room. The office was high spec. A glossy oak desk was topped with the latest from Apple. The walls were painted a soft grey, which highlighted the gorgeous in-womb photography that looked like it had been placed by an interior designer. Soft music was being piped from hidden speakers and the carpet was plush. A child’s table and chairs were set up in the corner, a tower of colorful building blocks balanced on top of it. Fabric books and felt puppets were stuffed into a wicker basket and a tiny orange beanbag waited for its occupants.
r />   I fiddled with the brochure advertising breathing classes that the receptionist had handed me and bit my lip, anxiously watching Doctor Jensen scribble some notes after asking about my last period (at least I wasn’t going to have one of those for a while), had I had any recent bleeding (no thank goodness), and what was the result of my last pap smear (all clear. Yay!).

  “It’s unusual for me to meet my patients so early in the pregnancy,” she explained, her soft voice instantly calming me. “But I understand that you’ve had a few pains.”

  I nodded. “Yes. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but what if I’m losing the baby?” Okay, her voice hadn’t calmed me that much.

  She gave a tight smile, and I noticed her red lipstick had smudged on her perfect teeth. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Now, I just want to check that the information you’ve provided is up to date.” She pointed to the questionnaire I’d been made to complete, the bangles at her wrist jingling as she moved.

  “Are you married?” Her perfect arched eyebrow raised.

  “No. Sorry.”

  “There’s nothing to be sorry about. Personal choices are rejoiced here.” She smiled serenely. “Is your baby’s father present in your life?”

  “Oh yes! He is. He’s just overseas at the moment. Urgent personal matter. Is that important?”

  “Only that you left it blank on your form. We like to have every bit of information that we can get.”

  “Of course. Silly me.”

  “So, what’s the fathers name.”

  “Matt. Matt Wilson.”

  She glanced up from the paper, her piercing emerald green eyes sharp. “I know that name.”

  “Ahuh. You’ve probably seen him on the television. He’s a reporter for WTN news.”

  “Oh yes! He was doing that whistle blowing story.”

  I nodded.

  “How’s the story going? I haven’t had a chance to catch up on it yet, but a few of my colleagues have been talking about it.”

  “It’s going okay.” To be honest I had no idea how the story was going. Other than what I’d seen on the news last night, Matt hadn’t even mentioned it to me.

  “Well, I guarantee that you’re in safe hands with me. Now, why don’t you hop up on the table so that I can examine you?” She closed the file and stood, tucking her long highlighted blonde tresses behind her ear as she moved closer to the bed that was hidden behind the curtain. Pushing up the sleeves of her cashmere sweater, she pulled some rubber gloves from a little box on the wall and snapped them on.

  I gulped and moved to sit on the bed.

  “Sorry, but you need to...” She nodded to my underwear.

  Cringing, I undressed and laid back, praying that everything with the baby was alright.

  A vertical crease appeared between her brows as she pressed my stomach.

  “Does this hurt?”

  I shook my head.

  “How’s this?”

  “No.”

  “This?”

  I nearly jumped through the roof.

  “That’s it!” I winced.

  “Hmmm.”

  Okay, what did Hmmm mean? Was it good, like Hmmm, that’s nothing to worry about, or was it bad, like Hmmm, that’s the end of that!

  I bit my lip and swallowed down my panic.

  “Alright.” She pulled off the gloves and disposed of them in a bin. “You can get dressed now.”

  Sitting up, the pain subsided.

  “So, what’s the verdict?” I asked, my voice shaky even to my own ears.

  “Everything seems just the way it should be.”

  “Really?” I jumped from the bed and my knees started to shake as relief took hold of me.

  “Yes. Take a seat and I’ll explain what I think is happening.”

  I was grateful for the chair as I was unsure if my legs would continue to hold me up.

  “There’s a lot of changes in this stage of pregnancy. The womb is expanding, ligaments are stretching, and everything is just softening up. All of which is contributing to what you’re feeling. However, I believe most of your pain is wind pain.”

  “Pardon?” I asked, heat flushing my cheeks.

  “You need to pass wind.”

  “Oh. So, I’m not losing the baby?”

  “No. It’s perfectly safe and well. We will need to get some blood tests done, but they’re routine and nothing to concern yourself with. Until then I need a list of what you’ve been eating.”

  “I’ve been trying to eat only healthy foods. I’ve upped my intake of fruit and vegetables and have cut out all sugar.” Except for the muffin I had this morning and the biscuit I had last night, but it was stress related and didn’t count. Right?

  “All very good. However, just cut back a bit on the fiber. I think you’re consuming far too much of it.”

  ****

  Well that was embarrassing in more ways than one.

  Danny and Andrew stood as I approached. Danny was repeatedly clasping his hands tight at his side, as Andrew frowned, worry oozing from his every pore.

  “What happened?” Danny asked before I could even open my mouth. “Are you losing the baby? Are you okay? You’re not dying, are you?”

  “Give her a chance to breathe.”

  I gave Andrew a grateful smile, and looked for the exits, wondering if there was a way out of this where I could still keep my dignity intact.

  “I’m fine. The baby’s fine.”

  Andrew’s shoulder relaxed and Danny let out a huge breath.

  “So, what were the pains about?” Danny asked.

  “Ummm, nothing to worry about,” I reiterated.

  “But something must have caused it. Is there any future danger to the baby?”

  “Danny, we’re both fine.” I pushed my shoulders back and smiled at the receptionist, whose name tag read Adele.

  The crinkles around her eyes deepened behind her dark rimmed glasses as she smiled back at me and slid an invoice across the counter. I read it and wondered if my sudden chest pains were actually a heart attack. My hand shook as I handed her my credit card.

  “Don’t worry too much dear,” she said sweetly. “You’ll be surprised how much your private health insurance will cover.”

  Adele had the same piercing green eyes as Doctor Jensen and I figured she was the mother in the mother/daughter working team.

  “You were in there a long time,” Danny pushed. “What were you doing? And what’s all this?” He took the pile of paperwork the doctor had given me regarding nutrition and started to flick through it as my credit card was swiped through the machine.

  “We just discussed my medical history, this pregnancy and what to expect with future visits.” I didn’t add that as I’d just had my thirty fifth birthday, I was considered a geriatric mother. That had been a hard fact to swallow and one that Danny would tease me about forever.

  “Something is wrong! I know that look Molly, and I know when you’re hiding something from me. And look at this list of tests you have to have done!” Danny squealed and I wondered where his testicles had gone.

  “Nothing is wrong! The tests are routine, and I just had, well...”

  Andrew touched my shoulder. “You can tell us anything. You know that we’re here for you.”

  I let out a breath and hissed, “I had wind, alright? It was wind.”

  Danny’s shoulders slumped along with his bottom lip. “So, all this because you needed to far...”

  “Yes!” I cut him off before he could finish his sentence.

  Andrew’s grin was huge and matched Danny’s outburst in its wattage.

  “You’re kidding me!”

  “Danny, let’s just be grateful that Molly and the baby are okay.”

  He huffed. “Sure. But remind me not to find myself in a confined space with her. You just never know when that’s going to blow.”

  ****

  The week went by in a bit of a blur. Thankfully my stomach pains had subsided since I’d given up Brussels sp
routs, but that cramping had just moved to my heart whenever I thought about Matt.

  Other than a quick reply he sent me letting me know that he made it safely, the radio waves between us were silent. I tried not to worry about the lack of communication, but it was difficult. Matt and I usually chatted several times a day and to not hear his voice was causing the crack in my heart to deepen.

  “Ow!” I cried as Danny dug his fingers into my scalp as he washed the organic shampoo from my hair. It was Thursday evening and the salon was closed, but Danny had promised me that he would pamper me by doing my hair.

  “Hush! You’ll have Andrew thinking I’m hurting you.”

  “You are hurting me!”

  He stopped mid massage. “Do you want to do this yourself?”

  “No.” Maybe.

  “Good. Then be quiet.”

  I bit back a retort and winced.

  “Have you heard from Lizzie today?” I asked, hoping a change of topic would make me forget the pain he was inflicting. “I meant to phone her but got caught up with some editing.”

  “She called earlier. You heard that policeman who was guarding her was attacked, right?”

  What? I jolted up straight and water ran down the back of my neck. “What happened?”

  Lizzie had been having a terrible time since her stalker had been released from jail.

  “Well, she went over to the house to get it ready for an open.”

  “She needs to sell that place, pronto,” interjected Andrew, sitting on a chair alongside me.

  “I know. But too many people know about the secrets it holds,” responded Danny frowning at him.

  “She needs an outsider to come in and buy it.”

  “Yeah, but how many of those move to Westport?”

  “Our population is growing rapidly,” finished Andrew.

  “Guys!” I yelled. “What happened to the policeman?”

  Danny pushed my head back to the basin. “He’s going to be okay. Lizzie’s pretty shaken up by it all though.”

  “Lucky she has Riley to take care of her,” said Andrew.

  I relaxed slightly with the knowledge that they were all safe.