The Beach Quilt by Holly Chamberlin

into the devil’s food cake on his plate. “So what are you saying?” he asked, scowling down at the mess he was making.
    â€œI . . . What do you mean?”
    â€œYou don’t want me around the kid. That’s it, right?”
    Sarah shook her head. “No, Justin, that’s not what I mean,” she protested. “I just . . . I just don’t want to get married.”
    â€œTo me.”
    Sarah couldn’t speak for a moment. Finally, she said, “Yes. To you.”
    â€œThe father of the kid.”
    â€œNo, Justin—” Sarah reached across to take Justin’s hand, but he pulled it away. The fork clattered to the table. Sarah flinched.
    â€œWell,” he said finally, refusing to meet her eye, “I guess I’m supposed to say something like, don’t worry. I’ll be there for you anyway.”
    â€œYes. I mean, if you want to say it. I know I’m going to need help, a lot of it, but I don’t really know what kind yet.”
    â€œRight.” Justin suddenly looked up and around the diner. Sarah wondered if he was afraid someone had overheard the conversation. Well, what if they had? It wouldn’t be long before everyone in Yorktide and even in Taylor’s Well knew that Sarah Bauer was pregnant.
    â€œI think I’m probably due some time in August,” she said.
    He briefly looked back to her. Then he made a show of checking the time on his cell phone. “Look,” he said. “I gotta run now. I forgot I got a work thing.” In one swift move, he was on his feet.
    Sarah swallowed painfully against the lump suddenly lodged in her throat. Justin didn’t work in the evenings. He was lying to get away from a supremely uncomfortable conversation. If only she could run away from the conversation—from everything—so easily.
    There was one more thing she had to ask, though she would have bet all the money she had that she already knew the answer.
    â€œSo,” she said, when he was about to turn away. “I guess we’re not going out anymore.”
    Justin gave a bitter little laugh, and his face flushed with what Sarah was afraid was anger. “Uh, well, yeah. I mean, you don’t want to marry me. Why should I hang around to be your boyfriend? Why should I hang around at all?”
    â€œBecause . . .” But how could she explain to him what he should already know? “It’s okay,” she said. “Anyway, I’ll let you know about—things.”
    â€œSure, whatever. Take care of yourself, Sarah.”
    And then he was gone.
    Sarah sat alone in the booth, very still, for some minutes, before she became aware that the waitress was hovering over her shoulder.
    â€œYou okay, honey?” the woman asked. “Your friend left in kind of a hurry.”
    Sarah managed a smile. “He had to go to work,” she lied. She paid their bill, leaving Jackie a generous tip. Justin seemed to have forgotten they owed money for their drinks and cake. He also seemed to have forgotten that he had driven her to the diner in Taylor’s Well and that short of calling her parents to come and fetch her, she had no way to get home other than to walk the four miles in the cold and dark.
    Or maybe he hadn’t forgotten at all. Maybe he was punishing her. Maybe he was really, really angry that she had turned down his offer of marriage. Maybe he was really, really angry that she had ruined his life.
    Sarah zipped up her parka and pulled her wool hat down over her head. She walked slowly out into the frosty January night and turned toward the Yorktide road. She had gone only a few yards, just out of the welcoming lights from the diner, when a huge sob escaped her. Oh, please, she prayed, to whomever was there to hear. Please don’t leave me all alone!

Chapter 11
    Adelaide was going through her closet, looking for just the right thing. She and Jack were going out to dinner at one of the few