Kate had to own it, but that didn’t mean she had to like it.
Less than a half hour later, Kate had finished with Karen. She had just enough time to tidy up her station before Tasha, the receptionist, appeared and said, “That gorgeous hunk of yours asked me to tell you he is here.”
On the few occasions that Aidan had stopped by the salon, he had just walked back to Kate’s station. He hadn’t waited for Tasha to announce him.
He was being formal. The pang that had previously made a guest appearance and quietly faded, morphed into a full-blown ache that took up residence under her rib cage.
She had really screwed up. Hadn’t she?
If they could only go back to how it was before Vegas. If they could go back, she would keep a clear head and steer clear of all the cute little wedding chapels.
Maybe it wasn’t as bad as she feared. After all, he had come to see her. He wanted to have lunch with her. It couldn’t be all bad, could it?
Kate glanced at herself in the mirror. She fluffed her long, copper curls, swiped on some lip gloss and blush because she looked so pale. She still wasn’t feeling like herself. Because of that, she hadn’t been able to eat breakfast. The thought of food first thing in the morning turned her inside out. Maybe she was hungry. More likely, it was the stress of sorting out this mess with Aidan.
But he was the one who’d suggested lunch. So it couldn’t be all bad, could it? She slung her purse onto her shoulder, checked her posture and went out into the reception area to meet Aidan.
“Hi, Kate.” He smiled when he saw her. It was the same smile he always had for her. It reached all the way to his eyes, which lingered on her eyes in a way that made her feel special, as if he reserved that look just for her.
But once again, there was no kiss. He walked straight to the door and held it open for her.
“I thought we’d go to The Pig and Whistle.” The Pig was a great little sandwich spot just around the corner from the salon, which was located on Abercorn Street.
It was early, just after 11:00 a.m. The place hadn’t filled up. The hostess led them to a marble-topped table for two and handed them menus. “Jesse will be your server. He’ll be right with you.”
The smell of something frying hit her like a boat tossing on a rough sea, upending her stomach, making her glad it was empty. Her hand flew to her mouth.
“What’s wrong?” Aidan asked.
Kate shook her head, drawing in a deep breath through her nose before she answered. “I don’t know. I’m still not feeling one hundred percent. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I might have a mild bug or something. Just when I think I’ve kicked it, it sneaks up on me again.”
“Can I get you something?” he asked, all chivalrous, gentlemanly concern. “Some water, maybe?”
“Thanks, Aidan, but our server will be here any second now.”
“And that would be me,” said a tall, skinny guy who looked like he might’ve still been in high school. “I’m Jesse. Is everything okay?”
“Can you bring us some water right away?” Aidan asked. “She might be dehydrated. So, water first and then we’ll decide what we want to eat.”
“And some hot tea,” Kate added. “Black tea, please. No sugar or lemon.”
“Coming right up,” Jesse said. In less than thirty seconds he was setting two glasses of iced water in front of them.
After sipping the water a couple of times and holding the ice cubes in her mouth, she felt the wave of nausea ease up a bit. They placed their orders and sat in silence for a few beats.
“Feeling better?” Aidan asked.
“I am,” she said. Although she found the silence uncomfortable. “It is so strange. It comes and goes. Just when I think I’ve locked it. It rears its ugly head again. It is probably a bug. I probably picked it up on the flight out to Vegas. I’m sure it will pass.”
“Since it is lingering, maybe you should go to the doctor,” Aidan said. “You could mention the blackout.”
Kate bristled. “It wasn’t a blackout. I don’t black out when I drink. Especially when I only have two sips.”
“Okay, you had two sips of a strong drink and didn’t remember marrying me. But it wasn’t a blackout.”
“Shhh!” Kate glanced around the restaurant. “The last thing we need right now is for someone to overhear us talking about it and for word to get back to Mom and Gigi.”
“I’m just saying, if you’re still feeling bad it would not hurt to get checked by a doctor. Why suffer if it is something that can be fixed?”
She made a face at him. “Yeah, maybe there’s a problem with my brain. That would explain why my equilibrium is off and why I blacked out, as you put it.”
Aidan shrugged. “Sorry. I don’t know what else to call it. I’m concerned. I don’t want it to be something serious.”
He had a point. It wasn’t normal. Feeling intermittently sick wasn’t normal, either. Not remembering her own wedding was a real sore spot, and that certainly wasn’t normal. What would it hurt to get checked out? If she had another wave of nausea between today and tomorrow, it might be a good idea to see a doctor. Maybe she was fighting off something that could be fixed.
Or maybe she was pregnant.
No!
Her mind replayed the conversation she had had with Elle yesterday.
There was no way she could be pregnant, because she and Aidan were
