Chapter 18

Alice didn't remember much about the next few days. Thoughts of the baby growing inside her kept going through her mind like a robot as she did her work. How was she going to tell Carson? Should she really tell him? What would happen to her family and job?

Clara saw that she was distracted. She snuck up on Alice one afternoon while they were changing the sheets in the guest rooms. "All right, spill it. What's wrong with you?"

A pillowcase was half-on Alice's hands when she stopped moving. "What do you mean?"

Clara put her hands on her hips. Alice, don't act stupid around me. Things have been strange about you for weeks. You look pale, are always tired, and I've heard you throwing up in the morning...

Alice's heart beat fast. Was she really that clear? "I... I've been feeling a little under the weather," she said in a shaky voice.

Suddenly, Clara's eyes got really big. "Oh my God," she said in a low voice. "You're pregnant, aren't you?"

Alice's silence told Clara everything she needed