Free Charmed by Barbara Bretton Page B

imagination run away with you.
    But the look in her eyes darkened and I swear I felt a chill move across my body just the same. She was still staring at me but this time it didn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy. This time it made me feel like running.
    Behind me my friends had fallen silent--an unusual occurrence--and I wondered if they felt the same sense of dread I was suddenly experiencing.
    "Congratulations," I said, struggling to hit the right note . "When are you due?"
    "Me?" she asked with a look of surprise. "I'm not pregnant. You are."
    You could feel the oxygen leave the room in one big whoosh as Liv's words swirled around us.
    I guess there are some secrets that aren't meant to be kept for long. I took a deep breath and turned toward my friends.
    "Liv's right," I said. "Luke and I are pregnant."
    By the way, did I mention that knitters can also be incredibly noisy when the mood strikes them? Somehow three middle-aged women managed to sound like a rave.
    "You're pregnant!" Janice shrieked. "When are you--"
    "New Year's Day," I broke in, laughing.
    "How long have you known?'
    "We found out six weeks ago," I said, grinning like an idiot.
    "And when were you going to tell us?" Lynette demanded.
    "Next week during the fireworks." Who knew sharing good news could be so much fun.
    Bettina, the Fae harpist who sometimes helped out around the shop, burst into happy tears.
    "We're your best friends," Janice complained as she gave me a fierce hug. "You're supposed to keep us in the loop."
    "I'll bet it was Luke's idea to keep it secret," Lynette said. "Humans always--"
    "It wasn't Luke's idea at all," I said swiftly, cutting her off before she could say something that gave away a secret bigger than my pregnancy. "It was mine." Although I had to admit Luke didn't seem to be in any rush to tell his family he was going to be a father again but I was sure that in the next few weeks he would share our big news.
    Poor Liv looked stricken with guilt. "I'm so sorry." Her voice trembled as she struggled to hold back tears. "I didn't realize it was a secret. I never would have said anything if I'd thought you hadn't told anyone yet."
    "I can't believe you told her and not us," Bettina said, gesturing toward Liv.
    "I didn't tell anyone," I protested.
    Janice fixed Liv with the kind of look that used to send her kids running to their rooms. "So how exactly did you know?"
    Liv gave a nervous shrug of her bony shoulders and remained silent.
    Janice and I exchanged glances.
    "A lucky guess?" I asked as another chill ran up my spine.
    "I didn't guess," she said. "I knew."
    "Trust me, honey," Janice said. "If we didn't know, you didn't know."
    "Janice is right," Lynette chimed in. "You couldn't possibly--"
    "I'd better go," Liv said and turned to leave at the same moment I moved closer to her. She stumbled and I reached out to steady her.
    I could feel the sizzle the second I made contact. Every neuron in my body registered the connection.
    And I knew I wasn't going to like what came next.
    "This baby brings danger," Liv Jensssen said and then she dropped to the floor like a rock.

Chapter Two
     
    It was the longest ten seconds of my life but Liv's big blue eyes finally fluttered open and she looked around the room with a puzzled expression. "What happened?"
    "You dropped another bomb on Chloe and then you passed out again," Janice snapped. "Now tell us what the hell is going on."
    Liv looked from Janice to me and I saw nothing but bewilderment in her eyes. "I--I don't know what she's talking about, Chloe. I swear. You've got to believe me."
    Janice wasn't buying it. "Enough with the Miss Innocent act. I want answers."
    Liv didn't take her eyes from me. "Please tell me what I said. I'd never do anything to hurt you. I wouldn't hurt anyone."
    I shook my head. I refused to repeat her dire prediction about the baby. Words had meaning that went far beyond the obvious and I wasn't about to put unseen forces into motion.
    Janice, however, had no