“No worries,” he said. He took my strand and checked those lights as well. “How long have you lived in Seattle?”
“Since I was born,” I said. “Same house. Same bedroom, in fact.”
“I can’t imagine what that would be like. Until we got here, I moved pretty much every other year. Idaho, Virginia, Germany, Italy, Georgia, even North Carolina. My dad was at Fort Bragg for a while.”
“I don’t know where that is.”
“It’s in Fayetteville. South of Raleigh, about three hours from the coast.”
“Still doesn’t help. My knowledge of North Carolina is pretty much limited to Ocracoke and Morehead City.”
He smiled. “Tell me about your family. What do your mom and dad do?”
“My dad works on the line at Boeing. I think he does riveting, but I’m not really sure. He doesn’t talk about it much, but I get the sense it’s the same every day. My mom works part-time as a secretary at our church.”
“And you have a sister, right?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “Morgan. She’s two years older than me.”
“Do you two look alike?”
“I wish,” I said.
“I’m sure she says the same thing about you.” His compliment caught me off guard, the same way it had in the morning when he’d told me I looked really nice. Meanwhile, Bryce retrieved an extension cord from the box. “I guess we’re ready,” he said. He plugged in the extension cord and attached the first strand of lights. “Do you want to lead or adjust?”
I wasn’t sure what he was talking about. “Adjust, I guess.”
“Okay,” he said. Gripping the tree, he gently scooted it away from the front window, making more space. “It’s easier to get around the tree this way. We can move it back when we’re finished.”
Making sure the cord had enough slack, he began stringing the lights at the back of the tree, then circled to the front. “Just make sure there are no gaps or places where the lights are too close together.”
Adjusting. Got it.
I did as he asked; it wasn’t long before the first strand was at an end, and he plugged in the next one. We repeated the process, working together.
He cleared his throat. “I’ve been meaning to ask what brought you to Ocracoke.”
And there it was. The question. Actually, I was surprised it hadn’t come up earlier, and I thought back to the conversation I’d had with my aunt and the impossibility of secrets in Ocracoke. And that, as she noted, it would be best if the answer came from me. I took a deep breath, feeling a flutter of fear.
“I’m pregnant.”
He was still bent over as he glanced up to face me. “I know. I meant why are you here in Ocracoke and not with your family?”
I felt my mouth fall open. “You knew I was pregnant? Did my aunt tell you?”
“Linda didn’t say anything. I just sort of put the pieces together.”
“What pieces?”
“The fact that you’re here but still enrolled in a school in Seattle? Because you’re leaving in May? Because your aunt was vague about the reason for your sudden visit? Because she asked for an extra cushy seat on your bike? Because you used the bathroom a lot today? Pregnancy was the only explanation that made sense.”
I wasn’t sure whether I was more surprised by the idea that he’d figured it out so easily or the fact that there was no judgment in his tone or his expression as he said it.
“It was a mistake,” I said in a rush. “I did something stupid last August with a guy I barely knew, and now I’m here until I have the baby because my parents didn’t want anyone to find out what happened to me. And I’d rather you not tell anyone, either.”
He started wrapping the tree again. “I’m not going to say anything. But won’t people learn what happened when they see you walking around with a baby?”
“I’m giving her up for adoption. My parents have it all figured out.”
“It’s a her?”
“I have no idea. My mom thinks it’ll be a girl because she says my family only makes girls. I mean…my mom has four sisters, my dad has three sisters. I have twelve female cousins and no males. My parents had girls.”
“That’s cool,” he offered. “Aside from my mom, it’s all boys in our family. Can you hand me another strand?”
The change in subject threw me. “Wait…don’t you have more questions?”