Then it was Julian’s turn.
Julian: Dude, congratulations, and also what the fuck? Anthony told me what happened, but it sounds like a story you need to tell us over drinks.
He ran the bar branch of the conglomerate. We routinely went to his flagship location in the French Quarter to havedrinks, but I couldn’t see that happening anytime soon. I would have my hands full with Charlotte.
I was very curious as to what Zachary had to say. Out of all of us, he was the one who handled surprises the best.
Zachary: I’m shocked, but I’m here for anything you might need.
Well, I’d managed to shock Zachary. That was something.
Mom sent a heart but also added a second message.
Mom: Son, we’re here for anything you need.
My grandmothers hadn’t texted, which wasn’t surprising. They weren’t big on texting. Then I noticed I had missed calls from both of them.
I decided to take a shower first because I couldn’t stand the smell.
Five minutes later, I felt reborn. I glanced in Charlotte’s crib. She was still fast asleep, so I decided to go to the living room to call my grandparents.
They were all very young when Chad was born, so they wanted us to use their names and not be called grandparents because that made them feel old. Over the years, they’d mellowed to the idea, but we still mostly called them by their names. Only Bella called them by their titles. I guessed Simone and now Charlotte would, too, one day.
As I was about to call Isabeau, she sent me a message.
Isabeau: I’m with Celine. We’re still at the shop. Is this a good time to talk?
I called them right away. “Hello, Isabeau. And Celine.”
“I kept calling,” Celine said, her voice filled with dismay. “Anthony spoke to us. We thought he might be making fun of us.”
“He’s not. Everything he told you is true.”
“Do you need us to come by your penthouse now?” Isabeau asked. “As I said, we’re in the French Quarter, but it shouldn’t take us too much time to make it downtown.”
“Honestly, no. I came home with Charlotte. She ate, and I just put her to bed. We’re good for tonight.”
“Have you been alone with her all this time?”
“No, I spent last night in the hospital with her because I wanted the nurses to explain everything I had to do. I figured I’d learn as much as I could before the flight home.”
“That’s smart, my dear,” Isabeau replied.
“But you’d be doing me a huge favor if you could drop by tomorrow morning. I’ve got to go into the office, and needless to say, I haven’t had time to look into a nanny.”
“Of course. We’ll be there.”
“Thank you.”
“We’re here for anything you need,” Celine added.
“Right, Charlotte is waking up again,” I said as my daughter began to wail. They told me at the hospital that when she cried, I should first check her diaper, then feed her. But I’d just changed herandfed her. What next?
“Gotta go!” I threw the phone on the counter and hurried to my daughter’s room, trying to figure out what in God’s name she needed. She was beet red now, crying her lungs out. Poor thing.
“Baby girl, I’m here. Calm down.”
Yeah, she didn’t give two craps about that.
