“I missed you,” she says.
I know that’s not enough of a reason for her to cancel a series of meetings, but I decide to go along for the moment. She’s wearing atailored navy dress and her hair is down. She looks polished and professional and gorgeous, and most importantly, she’s smiling.
I stand up and she crosses over to me, stepping behind my chair. Her perfume, Beautiful, wafts around me. I kiss her, and she gives me a hug. Through the door, my assistant, Gwen, is watching, her expression anxious. I’m sure she’s wondering if she did the right thing, letting Jess interrupt me.
I give Gwen a thumbs-up. Her face creases into a relieved smile and she turns back to her computer.
“How did you get past Guard Gwen?” I ask.
Jessica glances at the woman with closely cropped gray hair who runs the office at optimum efficiency. “I told her I wanted to surprise you. She’s really a romantic at heart.”
I raise a skeptical eyebrow.
Jessica laughs. “Okay, okay. I told her I’m hoping to drag you to lunch. She said you’ve been eating at your desk or skipping lunch entirely.”
“That’s more like the Gwen I know.” She’s a pro at guarding me from unwelcome clients and other distractions, but she’s all about three squares a day. I glance back at my computer. “Sorry, Jessica, but I’m really behind with this project.”
“Hey, I got up at three this morning and flew cross-country to see you,” she replies.
“Yeah, but...”
“You took off Monday afternoon to go to the zoo,” she reminds me. “Surely you can spare the time for a quick bite with your wife.”
I don’t like the reprimand in her voice about taking some time off Monday, but it’s not worth arguing about. “Okay, okay. But it’ll have to be quick.”
“No problem. I understand deadlines and work pressures.”
“I know you do.” That’s one thing we have in common. At the moment, I’m feeling kind of hard-pressed to think of anything else. I grab my phone off my desk and my jacket off the back of the chair. “Let’s go.”
We head to the Store on Gravier Street—a deceptively plain-looking little diner that serves fabulous New Orleans food. I order the shrimp ’n slaw po’boy, and she orders the house salad with blackened shrimp.
“Why did you really bail on your meetings?” I ask, after we’ve settled at a table by the window.
She unfolds a napkin. “I hated the way we left things. I feel awful about what I did, and I want to make it up to you.”
I squeeze a lemon wedge into my iced tea, putting my hand over it to contain the spray of juice. I want to say something like,You can’t put toothpaste back in the tube, but opt to keep my mouth shut.
“You sounded so excited on the phone when you talked about Lily.”
“Yeah, well, she’s really something.” I can’t help but smile at the thought of her.
“So maybe you can forgive me a little?”
“I do.” I say. What I don’t say is,But I’m not sure I entirely trust you. “She’s a terrific kid.”
“I’d love to meet her.”
I kind of freeze. Jess said this on the phone yesterday, but I can’t help remembering all the times she launched into a crying jag at the possibility of me having a child. “Don’t you think that’ll be hard on you?”
“No, no—I’ll be fine. I’ve done a lot of soul searching over the last few days, and I’ve really had a change of perspective.”
She would have needed to have a complete change of personality. My expression must give away my thoughts, because she leans over the table.
“I mean it,” she says. “I used to think it would be the worst thing in the world if another woman had your child when I can’t give you one, but now, well...” She takes a sip of iced tea. When she puts down the glass, I notice her hand quivers a little. “Our argument made me realize that the worst thing in the world would be losing you.”
It’s the sort of comment that should move me, but it doesn’t. Iwonder if she’s trying to play me somehow, and then I’m ashamed of the thought.She’s your wife, I think.Just tell her what she wants to hear.“You don’t have to worry about that. We’re married, for better or for worse.”
“I hope it’s for better.” Her smile seems a little forced. “Oh, I have some family news! My brother’s wife is pregnant. We had a family dinner last night to celebrate.”
