He’d rode away from her as she waited and watched from her front door. She’d hugged her arms around herself and replayed, over and over, how it had felt to be with a man like him. Getting to know him on a deeper level was so incredible it was making her head spin.

She closed the door behind her and turned the key in the lock. It really had been a wonderful night, even if it hadn’t been anywhere near as wild as the time she had last spent with him. She sat down on her couch and thought about it all. It seemed so strange that she had formed this bond with Flash. Out of nowhere, almost. She had always thought he was handsome as hell, but she had been determined never to succumb to it. She had always pushed it to the back of her mind and continued her life of celibacy as if she had never known any different.

When she had gotten drunk in The Bleeding Bullet and he had stepped in to save her from making a huge fool of herself, her desire had burst free and she had told him how she felt.

Now he was reciprocating, and it felt so good, but also unbelievable. As if how could she have lucked out like this and so easily? It almost made her want to kick herself for not pursuing him sooner.

She got to her feet and traipsed into the kitchen for a glass of water and to turn off all the lamps. She was exhausted after her night of excitement, and she was sure she could still feel the wind whipping around her as it had done while she had been on the back of his bike.

She stomped slowly up the stairs and went into her room. She could smell his cologne on her, and it brought back memories of the night he had stayed there, right next to her, in her bed. She bit her lip and shook her head.

She was going to have to snap herself out of this. Or he really would be the unravelling of her. Kady had always been so cool, calm and collected whenever it came to men. She didn’t want to ruin it by going overboard.

She pulled on her PJs and climbed underneath the covers. Her curtains were still open and when she turned out the light she could see the stars perfectly twinkling in the night’s sky. She watched them for a moment and imagined what it must be like to be out in the depths of the desert with no light around. With only the stars for company. And then it led her to think about adding Flash into that mix.

Kady… Flash… A wide open desert, the night’s sky and the heaven’s shining above them… A kiss or two… A rush of desire.

She lay back and gasped as she closed her eyes and slipped her fingers into her underwear. She really did want him so badly, but she had to stop being so bad.

Suddenly, her cell phone trilled and she jumped and sat up straight. It flashed on the nightstand and she felt herself flush with embarrassment as she reached down and picked it up to see his name lighting up the screen. It was a text and she bit her lip and grinned.

F: I had a great time with you tonight. I’m just sorry it took so long… F x

Her smile was so wide she was surprised it didn’t hurt. She started to reply…

K: Thank you for taking me out, I had a great time too… x

F: I hope you’re in bed? You have an early start in the morning!

K: Of course I am 

F: Good. I didn’t cut our night short for nothing… x

K: I cut our night short ;)

F: Touché…

K: Seriously though, thank you, it was fun xx

F: Let’s do it again. Friday? X

K: I’d like that… x

F: So would I. I’ll pick you up at eight. Good night, Kady x

K: Good night, Flash x

She lay back down with a huge grin on her face and her heart aflutter. He really did know how to be caring and cheeky at the same time, and she loved the fact that he had tried to secure a next date with her before they had even really finished their first one.

She rolled onto her side and sighed.

She had no idea how much her life would change when she had started the week. But now, things were moving quickly and in a positive direction. It was as if the stars had finally aligned for her and were showing her the way.

“All of the lonely nights have been worth it,” she whispered to herself as she looked out at the stars.

She had always believed she had kept herself on her own for a reason. And maybe it was because she was waiting for the right person to come along. It felt bizarre to be admitting it so soon, but she knew something about her and Flash was different. She could already imagine them going the distance. And although it was a wonderful feeling, it was also very scary.

“You’re going to have to pace yourself and keep your head screwed on,” she whispered to herself as she closed her eyes and tried to relax and wind down into sleep. “Because you don’t have a whole lot of dating experience and what if he’s like this with all the girls…?”

Even as she said the words she knew she didn’t believe them, but at least she could try and err on the side of caution.

She smiled again and hugged her arms around herself as she yawned and slowly but surely drifted off to sleep.

The morning came around much faster than she ever would have liked, and when she leaned up on her elbows and yawned, she suddenly remembered how she had spent her previous evening.

A date with Flash…

Wow.

It had been so much fun and she had loved every second. It was such a strange concept to be allowing a man into her life, but it also felt damned good. And now, she was riding the wave of a high as she skipped out of bed and into her bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and could see instantly how fresh and alive she looked, but that was quickly taken away as she started to go about her morning routine and a wave of nausea quickly followed.

She sat down on the side of the tub and clutched the edge. She had no idea what was happening to her but out of nowhere, she  felt as if she was going to throw up.

She brushed her hair back off her face and waited until it passed, and then she rose to her feet again and looked back at her reflection in the mirror. She was pale, and completely changed from the woman full of life who had been staring back at her only moments before.

“Jeez,” she said aloud. “What the hell did you eat last night?”

She tried to remember what her and Ashley had nibbled on while they had been getting ready for the big date, and when it came down to it, Kady realized she actually hadn’t had anything at all.

She wracked her brain for the last time some food had passed her lips and she realized it had been at lunch when she had eaten an apple.

“No wonder you feel horrendous,” she said to herself as she walked out of the bathroom, into the hallway and started off down the stairs.

In the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator and pulled out some butter and jam, and then she opened up her cupboards and got out a large, crusty loaf of bread. She toasted the bread underneath the grill and layered on the butter and jam. As she went in for a bite, she felt as if she could retch but she forced herself to have some and chewed it until she was able to swallow.

The more she ate, the better she felt. And when she had a cup of coffee and a fresh glass of orange juice, she felt pretty much back to normal.

She looked at the clock and saw it was already almost eight am.

“Better get a move on,” she said aloud to herself as she wandered back upstairs and into her bedroom.

She rooted through her closet until she found a cute little outfit and pulled it on over her underwear and started to comb her hair. She could still smell the scent of the fresh air on it from the night before, and the dusky scent of Flash’s cologne. She smiled as she remembered how good it felt to hold onto him while she had been on the back of his bike, and then suddenly she laughed as she replayed in her mind how cheeky he had been with her in his goodnight texts.

She left the house for the day with a huge smile on her face, and a second date to look forward to the following evening. As she strode along her street and toward the center of town, all she could think about was what she would wear, where he would be taking her, and what they would do. She wondered if she would hear from him during the day, and then she started to question herself and whether she should text him.

Dating was like a minefield for Kady. It had been such a long time since she had done anything like this that she almost didn’t know where to begin or how to act. But she was sure that if she just followed her instincts everything would be okay.

She approached the salon and felt the familiar swell of pride she got every day when she realized how well she had done in such a short space of time. It was such a good feeling to be the boss of something. To be living her dream and taking charge of her own life. She had regularly wondered what it would be like to work an office job, a nine to five that she could walk away from at the end of the day and not think about until she had to be back at her desk the following morning. But Kady knew that kind of life wasn’t for her. She was an entrepreneur, she wanted to create and explore different avenues to forge ahead with her own destiny and ways of making a living.

She wanted to build her own dream, not someone else’s. And she loved the fact that she’d had the guts to make it happen.

She pushed open the salon door and stepped inside. The bouquet on the side table was still fresh and beautiful but the smell seemed strong and overpowering. She covered her nose and had to fight back the urge to gag.

“Jeez,” she said as she stifled a cough. “They smell terrible.”

She swiped the vase up into one arm and carried it with her to the back room where the trash cans were, trying all the while not to the let the smell get too close to her.

As she tipped them into the trash and threw the old water down the sink, suddenly she felt the overwhelming urge to throw up again and this time, she couldn’t hold it at bay.

She bent over and put her head in the sink and vomited up all of her breakfast. It was fast and unstoppable, and when she leaned back on her heels and wiped her mouth, she was in shock. It had just come out of nowhere, and it had been the flowers that had started it all off.

She scowled and ran the tap to clear everything away and grimaced at the ugly sight in the bottom of the sink.

“You’re definitely going to have to stop forgetting to eat,” she scolded herself. “What were you even thinking last night going out on an empty stomach like that.”

She shook her head and walked back into the main room of the salon and began to open the place up and make it feel fresh for the day.

She was sad that she had had to discard the flowers, especially considering they had still been so fresh and lush looking, but they had smelled so badly. It was as if the water was rotting in them and the pollen in the center had burst with the heat and was hot and toxic. Just the memory of the scent made her eyes water and her stomach flip again and she got quickly to her feet and dashed to the doorway.

She stood in the shade and the cooling breeze and closed her eyes. All around her, she could hear the sounds of life and of Main Street coming alive in the early morning. She could hear the shutters on the shop windows being thrown up, the doors opening with the tings of their bells, and all of the other store owner’s greeting each other with a happy and cheerful hello.

But Kady could barely even see straight. She felt lightheaded and woozy, and she was sure that, at any moment, she could vomit again. She rubbed her forehead and stepped back inside.

“You need more to eat,” she said to herself as she clutched her stomach and just hoped it would pass.

The thought of anything going into her mouth was enough to make her gag again, but she knew she wasn’t going to get any work done if she hung around there all morning with her guts churning all over the place.

She grabbed her purse and headed out the door, locking it behind her and turning over the BACK IN 5 MINS sign so it was facing the street.

She walked quickly to the coffee house and had to stop several times on the way to gather herself. It was the strangest sensation, like none she had ever felt before. Suddenly, she would feel it and then it would go. She slowed her pace and tried to keep a smile on her face, but she could tell she was as white as a sheet and looking dreadful.

When she reached the coffee house, she ordered a large iced water and a muffin, and then she walked back to the store slowly as she picked at it bit by bit and slowly started to feel a bit better.

“So weird,” she whispered to herself as she opened the shop back up and stepped inside. “Maybe you’re overworking yourself.”

She sat down at her desk and drank the water slowly and in short sips. She ate the entire muffin and threw the wrapping in the trash, and then she opened up her laptop and looked at her notes regarding the beginning of her new pamper parties.

The screen seemed to ebb and flow away from her and within a few moments, she had to slam it shut and she breathed in and out deeply. She couldn’t sit there all day feeling like that, but she didn’t know what else to do.

She picked up her cell phone and scrolled through the names until she reached Ashley. She hadn’t told her how the date had gone and she was pretty sure her friend would be there for her in a heartbeat in her hour of need. She pressed dial and waited for Ashley to answer.

“Hello?” her groggy voice finally came from the other end of the line.

“Hey, Ash,” Kady managed to say. “Have you got a moment? Did I wake you?”

“Yes,” Ashley yawned. “To both questions. Are you okay, what’s up?”

Kady spun around on her chair and looked out of the window onto Main Street. She could tell it was shaping up to be another beautiful day and she had so much ahead of her that she could be doing, but she had an anxious feeling that was outweighing the nausea and she wanted to speak to her friend.

“I know you’re going to hate me for asking this,” she said as she crinkled her eyes closed, foreseeing Ashley’s unfavorable reaction. “But would you be able to come on down to the salon? I really need you this morning…”

“Oh my God,” Ashley said with panic. “What’s going on, are you okay?”

“I’m not sure,” Kady said as she bit her lip nervously. “I really need to talk to you.”

“I’m on my way,” Ashley said and in the background, Kady could hear her jumping out of bed and rifling through her clothes.

“Thank you so much, Ash,” Kady smiled. “I’m sorry to call so early, but you know I wouldn’t if it wasn’t important.”

“Of course,” Ashley said.

In the background, Kady was sure she could hear Breaker’s muffled voice asking what was going on, and then Ashley replied, “Nothing babe, just go back to sleep.”

Kady smiled. She was so pleased that Ashley had found someone with whom she had connected with. It really had been a life-changing experience for her and it had made Slate Springs her home for good.

The nausea rushed over Kady again and she closed her eyes.

“I’ll see you when you get here,” she said and then she hung up the phone.

She breathed in and out deeply and just prayed that Ashley was there within the next five minutes. Because now, it definitely wasn’t just the nausea that was getting to Kady, her anxiety was peaking too.

It had been six weeks since her wild night with Flash, and something had just occurred to her… She hadn’t had a period since.

She was late.

And now, she was incredibly nauseous and she had an ominous feeling that she knew why…