Free Working on a Full House by Alyssa Kress Page A

under his arm. Unfortunately, the heat of the sleep mode reminded him of the web page waiting in its digital memory, the page he'd closed when Kenny had arrived. Of all ridiculous things in the world, it was a page listing the pediatric facilities of the California town of Palmwood, with phone numbers.
    As if Roy had any use for such a thing. He didn't have a kid and he didn't live in Palmwood. He would delete the page once he got back to his rooms at Mandalay Bay. He had something to do again, a goal, a focus.
    "When will you be back?" Kenny asked.
    Roy lifted a shoulder. "June, I guess, when the World Series starts."
    " June ?" Kenny sat up straight. "You won't be back for months ?"
    It was Roy's turn to look oddly at his friend. "Yeah, so?"
    Kenny opened and closed his mouth. "So."
    Right. So . Roy had nobody waiting for him, nobody who cared — That is, nobody he had to answer to. He could leave for months if he wanted. "I've got training to do," he told Kenny.
    "Training," Kenny repeated. "For the World Series."
    "Right." Roy sincerely wished Kenny would stop putting the idea down. Bad enough he wasn't a hundred percent sure of it, himself. Did the World Series matter? And once it was over in July, then what would he do? He'd need another goal.
    Kenny shook his head. "That does it. I'm telling the Prof."
    Roy blinked, and then laughed, silently blessing Kenny for hitting his funny bone. "You're going to tattle on me to Dr. Franck? I'm not afraid of Isaac."
    "Aren't you? I sure am."
    Roy shrugged. "Our poker buddy professor can't tell me anything about myself I don't already know." Roy was in a constant struggle to prove his existence was worthwhile. He knew that. It was his legacy from a rigid and authoritarian parent. "It was nice talkin' to you," he told Kenny.
    "Likewise," Kenny said dryly. "See you in June."
    "Right. June." Roy slapped Kenny on the shoulder, then made his way out of the Venetian. He had a new goal. This was good, but all was not right. As he walked down the strip toward Mandalay Bay, the cubes were not aligning in his head, figuring out intermediate goals, possible obstacles, strategy.
    Roy shook his head. He was tired, that was all. Tomorrow would be different. He'd wake up early, find a flight to Atlantic City, and energize.
    He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Yes, tomorrow would be different.
    ~~~
    Valerie felt like an idiot. Sitting at the bar in Mandalay Bay and sipping a Perrier water, she could practically guarantee that of all the fools filling all of the casinos up and down the strip, she was the biggest fool of all.
    She was here looking for Roy whatever-his-last-name-was, the last man who'd want to see her, let alone hear that she was going to make him a father.
    Valerie stifled a groan and pressed the cool glass of water to her forehead. It didn't help that since the minute she'd seen those two pink lines on the pregnancy test she'd been experiencing every unpleasant symptom of impending motherhood that existed: the sudden onsets of exhaustion, nausea, over-salivation, muscle cramps. You name it, she had it. Even if she'd wanted to, there'd be no ignoring this pregnancy.
    Though she'd spent a day trying to ignore it. Not quite twenty-four hours. At the end she'd thrown up, spectacularly — and undeniably.
    She'd spent that night cocooned in her bed, thinking about the little life growing inside her. By the time she'd gotten up the next morning she'd almost come to terms with that little life, and all it meant. Single motherhood and personal responsibility, having to tell her parents and colleagues...having to tell Cherise. It was not going to be pleasant, but...not all bad, either. A baby. Valerie had to admit that put a glow in the center of her chest. A baby .
    She'd spent the next two days trying to convince herself she didn't need to tell Roy. He hadn't planned on this, he wouldn't want a baby, or any connection to Valerie. If he never knew, it would be for the best.
    But