It was driving her up the wall.
She answered the phone. “Hello?”
“You’re alive.”
Tommy. Damn. In her quest to bury herself in work, she’d forgotten to get back to him. Okay, in truth, she may also have avoided him on purpose a few times.
“You haven’t returned any of my calls, Dana.”
“What do you want? I’m busy.”
“I want to talk to you.”
“Why? Haven’t we said everything there is to say?”
“No, actually. Look, it’s important. Can I swing by? I never had a chance to give you my copies of your key anyway.”
“Don’t worry. I had the locks changed. You’re good.”
“Dana, please.”
“Can’t you just tell me this important piece of information over the phone?”
“No. I’m downstairs in the foyer. Will you buzz me in?”
“Shit, Tommy. I don’t need any of your drama.”
He was quiet for a second. “Please.”
“Fine. You get five minutes.” Rattled, Dana ended the call and hit the buzzer that would allow him into the condo. She checked her reflection in the foyer mirror, although she had no idea why. She’d stopped worrying about how she might appear to him.
The knock on her door shocked her into awareness and readied her for a fight. She wasn’t sure what Tommy wanted, but figured it couldn’t be good. She whipped open the door. “Well?”
The Tommy who stood outside her unit looked so much different than the man she’d left behind in the hospital cafeteria. For one thing, he was hunched at the shoulders, clearly nervous about being there. There were some dark circles under his eyes.
Who cared? She had dark circles under her eyes too. She hadn’t been sleeping well lately, despite being back in her own comfy bed.
“Can I come in?”
She held open the door and Tommy walked inside. “Feel free to leave your shoes on. You won’t be staying long.”
“Boy.” He took up a spot near her couch, but didn’t sit. “You really hate me, huh?”
“I don’t hate you, but I’ve decided it’s perfectly fine for me not to like you.”
“I get it.” He gestured toward the couch. “Do you mind sitting with me for a second?”
Dana sat. Tommy sat at the opposite end of her couch. The last time they’d sat together there, they’d watched a romantic movie, sharing a bowl of popcorn. Afterward, they’d made love. She banished those memories.
“How was your week at Vice?”
“Could we not do this? The whole small talk thing? I’d prefer if you just told me the reason you’ve been texting me every day for the past couple of weeks.”
“Okay.” He inhaled deeply. “I, um, I’mwithsomeone and I didn’t want you to hear about it through the grapevine.”
“I hardly think that’s news, Tommy. I figured you’d meet someone at some point. In fact, I haven’t exactly been sitting here by my lonesome—”
“She’s pregnant, Dana. Tiffany’s pregnant.”
