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She looked away, then back at him. “I’m sorry. This is going to fall under the category of too much information, but I felt you had the right to know because, well, because of Reggie.”
He frowned. “Your sister?”
She smiled. “How many other Reggies do you know in your life?”
“She’s the only one, but I haven’t seen her in years.” At least ten. No, twelve, he thought. Not since he’d taken off near the end of his high school senior year. “I heard she lives in Seattle.”
“She does, but she’s coming back for the holidays.” Dena waved her hand. “My mom normally shepherds the holiday charity project through to completion, but my parents are renewing their vows with a big wedding and reception, so she doesn’t have the time this year.” Dena offered him a cautious smile. “Reggie’s going to be taking charge instead.”
Toby didn’t know how to react to that nugget of information, but was saved from having to figure it out when Dena turned green again. She grabbed her desk and audibly panted.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She shook her head and continued to breathe heavily. Just as suddenly as her color had changed, it returned to normal and she sagged back in her chair.
“That was a bad one,” she murmured. “I thought I was going to throw up for sure.” She looked at him. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“You’re sick.”
“Not exactly.” She paused. “I’m pregnant.”
“You’re . . .”
Dena chuckled. “Wow, the look on your face. Yes. I had artificial insemination a couple of months ago.”
She’d done that? He knew the procedure existed, but he’d never known anyone who had done it. Or used it. Or however he was supposed to think of it. “And now you’re sick?”
“According to my doctor, the nausea will pass in a few weeks. Until then, I’m scaring a lot of people.”
“Me included.”
“Sorry.” She smiled at him. “Back to the charity project. Given your past relationship with my sister, I wasn’t sure if you’d be uncomfortable working with her. That’s why I wanted to let you know what was happening.”
He’d only been back in town about a year himself, and in all that time, he’d barely thought about Reggie. He heard a few things—like where she lived and the fact that just when he and Harrison had moved here, she and Jake Crane had gotten engaged and broken up, all in the space of a weekend.
“Dena, that was a long time ago. I doubt Reggie even remembers who I am.”
“Oh, I’m pretty sure she remembers. You were her first real boyfriend. Girls don’t forget that.”
Information he would think about later, he told himself. “I’d have no problem working with her on the charity project, and I’m going to assume she’ll say the same about me.”
Dena grinned. “I’ll have to let you know. I haven’t talked to her about you yet. I wanted to check with you first. You’re an involved father, which I respect. I know Harrison is always your priority. That’s nice to see.”
“Thanks. So we’re good?”
“We are. If you could act surprised when Harrison tells you about his idea winning, that would be nice.”
“I’ll be appropriately blown away.” He started to stand, then hesitated. “Am I correct in assuming the pregnancy is also something not a lot of people know?”
“You are. I would appreciate your discretion.”
“You have it. And, ah, congratulations.”
“Thanks. I’m due right after the end of the school year, so I’ll be able to finish up with my class.”
They talked for a couple more minutes, and then he made his escape. As he drove back to the center of town and his office upstairs over the retail store, he tried to figure out which surprised him most—Reggie returning to Wishing Tree or his son’s single teacher getting pregnant through artificial insemination.
He didn’t have any moral judgments on the latter. While he didn’t know Dena beyond her capacity as Harrison’s teacher and Reggie’s sister, he considered her an intelligent, thoughtful person who wouldn’t make the decision of becoming a single parent lightly. It wasn’t an easy task—and he would know. He’d found out about Harrison when the boy had been three months old. One second he’d been a regular single guy with zero responsibilities, and the next he’d been holding a baby who was his son. The amount he’d known about kids in general and babies in particular could fit on a matchbook cover and leave room for advertising. But he’d figured it out.
