The Hero Next Time: A Novel of the Terribly Acronymed Detective Club (Book 4)

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Lauren, Monday

"I understand. So... if they organize, and we negotiate a collective agreement, will VPL cover the extra costs associated with higher wages and benefits?"

Jack winced and said, "Those decisions are above my pay grade. It would certainly be discussed by the Board and the directors."

Fuck. Already the contract was in jeopardy. "I understand. Well, thanks for letting me know."

After she left, she found the nearest drug store.

Back at Justiciar headquarters, she peed on the stick in the ladies' bathroom, behind a locked stall door.

She saw the plus sign and burst into tears.

Ten minutes later, she was still sitting on the toilet when the door to the bathroom opened and someone walked in. She stayed as still as she could, but her wet breathing must have alerted the person outside, because she heard a knock on the stall door.

"Lauren?"

It was Rachel. Fuck. Just what she needed.

"Lauren, are you okay?"

"No!" she wailed.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't want to tell you. You're going to hate me."

Rachel sighed. "Look, about Friday: yeah, I was mad, but I've cooled down. You were just lashing out irrationally about something completely irrelevant to your more pressing problems. I was just a convenient punching bag."

Lauren sniffled and said, "It's not that. I'm so sorry I accused you of all that. You're right. I had no right to say anything. You're the innocent party here. You're the good one, Rachel, I want you to know that. I'm so sorry!"

Now she was sobbing, and Rachel was knocking hard on the door. "Babe, come on, let me help you. You're my best friend. I fucking love you, okay? There's nothing so awful that we can't work it out together."

Lauren cleaned herself, pulled up her pants, wiped her eyes with the hand not holding the stick, then opened the stall door.

Rachel's sympathetic expression made her feel wretched, but when she saw what was in her hand, her face fell, and she pulled it towards her and looked at it.

"No," she breathed.

"Rachel, I'm so sorry."

"No," she growled.

"I don't know how this could have happened! I've never missed a day!"

"No!" she shrieked.

"I'll get rid of it."

"No!" Rachel squawked in surprise.

Lauren blinked at her in incredulity. "No?"

"I mean, hold on. I don't want you to do it just because you don't want me to be angry."

"Believe me, there are lots of other reasons."

"Uh, yeah."

"Joe."

"Yeah."

"There would be no coming back from this. He'd know right away I lied to him about being good."

"You lied about that? In the marriage counselling session? Where you're supposed to tell the truth?"

"Well, at the time it was true, but after I left the session it wasn't."

"Jesus, Lauren," Rachel hissed.

"I know!" she wailed. "What do I do?"

"First, you need to tell Al."