“Hi.” Eliza flinched again. But to be fair, I’d shouted at her. “Hey.” A little bit softer now. “Hi.” Okay, finally a normal volume. Nothing to see here, Eliza. Everything was totally fine and platonic.
“Are you okay?” She clearly did not need my response. It was obvious, at least to her, that I was having a stroke.
“I’m great.” Why did that sound so suspicious? “Fantastic, actually. Never better.”
“Okay, what is going on with you?” she demanded. “Like for real, are you okay? Is Adleigh okay? Are you quitting?”
“What? No. I’m just... uh...” Sleeping with your brother. “Nervous. For Lola.”
Eliza puffed out her cheeks and then released a slow breath while her eyes bugged out. “Right? Will stayed home tonight. He says he’s on baby watch. Pretty sure he’s playing video games while Lola snores her way to the finish line. But it’s so crazy. A baby will be here any day now.”
“It’s so exciting. I love babies.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You do?”
“No. I don’t know why I said that.”
She laughed. “Probably because we’re supposed to love babies. It’s like the social norm or something.”
“You don’t love babies, either?”
She put her hand protectively on her stomach while she thought about it. “I suppose I’ll love my baby.”
Huh. I supposed I would love mine too. I looked at Charlie, who was watching me interact with his sister with an amused half grin on his face. What if we had a kid? What if I had Charlie English’s baby?
Would I tolerate that baby?
My hands were suddenly resting on my stomach too. Oh my God, I wouldn’t just tolerate that baby. I would love that baby.
Maybe Iwashaving a stroke.
“What are you ladies talking about?” Charlie asked. We’d lapsed into silence, both of us standing there with our hands protectively over our empty wombs. Like total freaks.
I let Eliza answer because I was not about to tell Charlie I was thinking about having his baby. Knowing him, I’d probably be pregnant by morning.
“Lola having the baby,” Eliza said. She was a champ at conversation. Good for her. “It’s weird, no?”
Charlie laughed. “It’s happening.”
“Wait, what?” Eliza and I asked in unison.
“It’s literally happening. Right now. Will just sent a text to the group chat. They’re on their way to the hospital. Lola’s water broke.”
“Oh my God!” Eliza squealed.
I reached across the bar and grabbed Charlie’s hand. “Oh my God, you’re going to be an uncle!” He grinned at me, which made me remember Eliza for some reason. I turned and threw my arms around her. She reciprocated by stiffening and not hugging me back. “And you’re going to be an aunt!”
That was when I remembered we’d never hugged before.
I let her go and jumped back.
She looked back and forth between Charlie and me. But landed on me. “Seriously, Ada, are you okay?”
I opted for a thumbs-up. Because nothing said mentally stable more than a stalwart thumb in the air.
She shook her head. “Okay, well, I’m going to get as much done as I can so I can go see the baby as soon as we’re allowed up.”
Once she was in the kitchen, I skirted the bar and threw my arms around Charlie’s neck. We didn’t open for thirty minutes, so we had a minute alone.
