“Thank you.”
“Sure, it’s not like I don’t know I need to see someone. I’m entering my second trimester, I’m pretty sure this week is week sixteen. I just don’t have a lot of money and babies are expensive,” she explained.
“You know I’ll handle that. I don’t want you worrying about the money, we will work something out, okay? You can pay me back twenty dollars a paycheck or something. I know all the money I’ve given you so far is likely hidden under your mattress.” Peanut shook his head smiling.
“Have you been spying on me?” She narrowed her eyes at him and glared.
“No, I just figured out that the money I’ve been paying you each week wasn’t going into the account I helped you open. You’re the only one on that account, you can trust it. That bank isn’t going to let me take your money, Phoebe.” Peanut rubbed a hand over his face, looking tired and more than a little frustrated.
Well boohoo. She didn’t really give a damn. She didn’t want to put her money in the bank where she’d have to go get it if she had to leave quickly. She wanted it in the shoebox she had in the bottom drawer.
“I will keep my money where I want it. I don’t need your approval or your input on where to keep my money. It’s none of your business what I do with it. And while we are on that subject, I’m paying for my own doctor’s visits. You’re my employer, not my keeper.” Phoebe crossed her arms and glared at him again.
“I know I’m not your keeper, Phoebe. I just want to help. Let me help, damn it!” Peanut demanded with a little growl of disapproval.
“You are helping. You’re finding out who your friend’s wife saw. That’s helping.”
“You are so damned stubborn. Fine. We can do it your way but I’m going to the doctors with you and anything they recommend getting done is happening. We will work out the money issues later.” He didn’t wait for her to respond, he just stomped out the door slamming it behind him, likely waking Jasmine in the process. Damn that man.
Phoebe sat down on the edge of the bed with a heavy sigh, her eyes closing as she debated leaving just to prove to him that he wasn’t in charge, but she quickly decided that wasn’t a good idea. She ended up laying in bed for the next hour stewing over their kiss and the argument that had followed. She finally managed to get to sleep but it was fitful, and she woke up the next morning out of sorts and a little pissed off.
Chapter Thirteen
Phoebe walked through the door of the office as Peanut held it open. After another argument about the doctor’s visit this morning and the restless night she’d had before, she wasn’t in a very good mood. Since Peanut had arranged to have this appointment this afternoon after talking to his friend this morning, she’d agreed to come. She wasn’t too happy about his highhandedness but after a simple google search she’d decided to allow it. Dr. Gilbert was one of the leading OB/GYN’s in the area specializing in complicated and at-risk pregnancies. Getting an appointment with him should have taken weeks but somehow Peanut had gotten her one the same day. She wasn’t sure she even wanted to know how he’d managed it.
She walked to the receptionist’s desk and waited while the woman was on the phone. She checked for a sign in sheet but didn’t see one. The woman at the desk smiled at her as she hung up and asked for her name. When she gave it, she was handed paperwork to fill out and told to have a seat. Peanut was a silent shadow as she walked to two chairs along one wall. She was glad that Jasmine was in school today. She didn’t want Jasmine to feel the tension between her and Peanut. She was still angry with him and he’d been taciturn all morning.
She filled out the forms as best she could without knowing a lot of her mother’s or father’s medical history. It made her heart twinge a little because by the time her mother died she’d barely even known her. How had her life gotten so off kilter? She didn’t know but from now on she wasn’t allowing it to happen. She’d do what she wanted for a change. No more letting other people push her to do things she didn’t want to do.
Phoebe didn’t want to admit that she was already letting Peanut push her into something by being here today. Fine, so she had some work to do but she was going to get there. She returned the papers to the woman at the desk before sitting down next to Peanut again. He sat with his legs stretched out and his hands resting on the arms of the chair, looking more like he was in his living room than a doctor’s office. Several women eyed him warily. One was openly eye-fucking him, which was rude considering he had obviously come here with her. For all the woman knew they could be married, and she was sitting there watching him like he was a piece of meat. Phoebe found herself glaring at the redhead sourly. She probably looked like a jealous wife or girlfriend, but she couldn’t help it. Frustrated, she grabbed a parenting magazine off the table and started flipping through it.
“Stop abusing the magazine, Lovely. You can’t still be mad about me making the appointment when someone had just canceled. You said it yourself, Dr. Gilbert is one of the best baby docs in the state,” Peanut grumbled from beside her.
“I’m not mad,” Phoebe hissed.
“Then why are you turning those pages so hard you’re almost ripping them?”
