Truth

wanting the emerging expression to reveal her eagerness to attend the wedding. The mixture of emotions caused her voice to crack; hopefully it came across as irritation, “I agreed to go to Chicago, in two weeks. I’m not going anywhere with you next weekend.”
    “ I believe I might be able to persuade you otherwise.”
    “ Is that a threat? What are you going to do this time, arrange a walk-out of SiJo’s employees?”
    “ No, Claire. No threats – I believe you’ll want to attend this function.”
    Exasperation evident, she replied, “Why? What function would I possibly want to attend with you?”
    “ Caleb and Julia’s wedding.”
    Claire gasped. It was unbelievable. Even after Courtney’s call, Claire never truly believed she’d have this opportunity. “But, but... all of your friends think I tried to kill you.”
    “ The news release says differently.”
    “ That doesn’t mean they’ve changed their opinion of me. They probably don’t want me there.” As they continued to speak, Tony convinced Claire her presence was welcomed. She agreed to fly commercial to Iowa City, arriving Thursday afternoon. He wanted the chance for her to meet with his friends before the wedding, which was Saturday.
    Claire’s agreement contained a few stipulations: She wanted a pre-purchased return ticket for Sunday. Tony agreed.
    The next confrontation came when discussing accommodations. Tony wanted her to stay at the estate. Claire’s initial response was no . Reinforcing her stance, she exclaimed, “This idea is undebatable.”
    Then Claire thought about Catherine. “The news release said you let some longtime members of your staff go. I know you still have Eric. Is Catherine still at the estate?”
    “ She is. And she’s hoping you will stay here.”
    Claire exhaled, “My room will need a lock.”
    “ That isn’t a problem.”
    His answer made her bristle. “It needs to be a lock that operates from the inside .” She clarified, “Also I will keep my phone at all times and have access to your Wi-Fi.”
    He chuckled, “You drive a hard bargain. I told you before you should go into business. You are a master negotiator.”
    Claire remembered Harry’s words: When it comes to Mr. Rawlings, your negotiating skills are stellar! My guess is that you’ll leave your little meeting and move back to Iowa. She wasn’t moving. This was just a visit.
     
    As soon as she hung up with Tony, Claire went to the store and bought a home pregnancy kit. Sitting at her dressing table and waiting for the results, the memories of her phone calls filtrated her thoughts. She wanted to go to Caleb’s wedding. However, the results of this test could make everything different.
    Claire stared at the white plastic stick and waited for the timer to sound on her iPhone. Did she really need this little piece of plastic to tell her what she already knew? She was experiencing all the symptoms: nausea - more intense in the morning, hunger – all the time and tiredness – even after napping, and thirst – unquenchable at times. Looking at the two small openings within the stick, Claire saw lines begin to form. The directions said: results in three minutes . It had been less than one, and the vertical blue line in the control window appeared before her eyes, indicating the test was working.
    Her head pounded with questions. What symbol would appear in the other window? Would she see a lone horizontal stripe meaning not pregnant, or a horizontal and a vertical stripe indicating pregnant . Essentially the directions said a plus sign would form in the case of pregnancy. Plus was often synonymous for positive; thinking about that possibility, positive was not the word Claire believed she’d use to describe her current mental state.
    She closed her eyes and debated her distress. Was it from the nausea twisting her stomach or the fear of the unknown quickening her heart rate? The buzz of the timer triggered her iPhone to vibrate across the dressing table. Claire’s eyes opened. Before her on the table was her answer -- the indicator window revealed a blue plus .
    The bottom fell out of Claire’s world. She eased herself from the stool and sank to the bathroom floor. The ceramic tile cooled her legs, while the solid wall supported her head. Mentally she assessed the timeline: mid-early -- April period, two weeks later – dream, three weeks later – San Diego and now – here she was, seven weeks since her last menstruation. How had