Free Mother Load by K.G. MacGregor

two seconds before we tell everyone else.”
    “And then hold a hand over his mouth.” Anna opened the LA Times and spread out the advertising page for Premier Motors alongside that of her Orange County competitor. “Cleve Shaw’s swimming in debt. He called me the other day to see if I’d take some of his inventory, but I couldn’t help. I bet he sells out before the end of the year.”
    “I thought you said the German cars were coming back already.”
    “They are, but he owns a GM dealership too. It’s dragging him down.”
    “Are you tempted to make him an offer?”
    “With what? It’ll be two years before we’re able to pay down the debt on Palm Springs, and that’s only if this last round of cuts stops the skid.” She folded the paper and pushed it aside. “Not going to talk about work today. What’s on our agenda?”
    “Nothing that takes a lot of energy, I hope.”
    “Maybe when sleepyhead wakes up we’ll go do something fun,” Anna suggested.
    Lily opened the ad section again. “Like drive around town and check out the minivans?”
    The look of horror on Anna’s face was priceless.

    Lily took a deep breath, hoping to quiet her roiling stomach. This time it wasn’t the morning sickness, which she now knew had nothing to do with morning. She had barely slept the night before in anticipation of their first sonogram, and she couldn’t keep her foot from bouncing as they waited.
    In contrast to her own fidgeting, Anna was cool as a cucumber. There she sat, legs crossed and paging through a magazine as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
    Though they were alone in the waiting room, Lily whispered, “How can you be so casual about all this?”
    “Who’s casual? I’ve read this last paragraph nine times and I still couldn’t tell you what it said.” Then she cracked a smile and clutched Lily’s hand. “Trust me, I’m as excited as you are.”
    “I can’t believe we’re actually about to meet our baby.”
    “Ruby.”
    “Stop saying that. It might be Ralph and he’ll have a complex all his life because you really wanted a girl. Besides, we aren’t going to know the sex today.”
    Anna sighed and closed her magazine. “I promise not to give our baby a complex if you’ll stop calling him Ralph.”
    “Deal.” A wave of giddiness bubbled up inside her and she nearly lifted out of her chair. “I’m excited. How can you just sit there?”
    “What else can I do? I didn’t bring a car to play with.”
    It so happened Lily carried one in her purse in case she found herself waiting somewhere with Andy, and she produced it only to see Anna roll her eyes. “You asked.”
    The minutes seemed like hours, but finally the receptionist, a young Latina woman, appeared and led them to an examination room. Her nametag read Marisol, and she seemed as excited as they were. Bubbling nonstop about their hectic morning in the clinic, she fished a gown from a drawer, slapped it into Lily’s hands and rushed out the door, closing it behind her.
    “Is it my imagination or are the women who work here happier than Disney characters?” Lily asked.
    “They make dreams come true. That’s got to be the best job in the world.” Anna took her skirt and folded it neatly. “Can you imagine how exciting this was for Kim and Hal after trying for eleven years?”
    “I don’t know how they stood it. We almost went crazy after just eight months.” Left unsaid was that Kim had also suffered two miscarriages. Lily could hardly bear to think about losing this baby, but it was in the back of her mind every second of every day. Only three more weeks and they would be past the period of greatest risk.
    She had just gotten seated at the end of the examination table when a sharp knock sounded on the door. It was Seon-Lee, the blood technician, a thin Asian woman who, like Marisol, was all smiles. “I vant to drink your blood.”
    Lily laughed and held out her arm. Looking at Anna, she asked, “Do you get the