“Ellie, you didn’t have to do that,” I said weakly.
“Well, you need maternity clothes. We’ll get this all sorted out with your bank and you can pay me back.” She smiled. “Now, let’s go get some dinner. I’m starving, and I’m sure you and your little peanut are too.”
After grabbing some dinner at a restaurant nearby—which Ellie also paid for—she called me an Uber home so I wouldn’t have to walk twelve blocks by myself in the dark with all my shopping bags. While we’d been waiting for our food, I’d called my credit card company. The representative froze my account forthe time being, and advised me to log in and dispute each charge I didn’t recognize. They would investigate each one, and usually the charges would be reversed while that was happening. A new card would be on its way to me in the mail.
It was nearly nine o’clock by the time my Uber dropped me off outside my building. As I lugged my things up the front steps, something across the street caught my eye.
A figure dressed all in black with their hood up and dark glasses on—despite the late hour—was leaning against a pole, hands in pockets. It was hard to tell beneath the glasses, but it sure felt as if the person was watching me. It appeared to be a woman. As I stared back at her, she took her phone out of her pocket and tapped on the screen.
As I unlocked the door to the lobby, the woman slipped the phone back into her pocket and took off walking down the street.
I felt my pulse quickening. Was that woman watching me?
Stop being paranoid, I told myself as I fished my keys out of my purse.
But I definitely checked that my door was locked before turning in that night.
Twice.
CHAPTER7
IWOKE UPTHEnext morning feeling tired and achy. It had been a restless night, full of dreams of shadowy figures following me, watching me. My feet were swollen, and my exhaustion seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. But I didn’t have the luxury of letting it slow me down—it was an important day. The Sampson team was coming in to go over early results of the marketing campaign. If all looked well, everyone assumed Meredith would announce the account manager in charge. I had to be on top of my game despite how completely bombed I felt.
Minutes before the client was scheduled to arrive, the receptionist bounded down the hall toward my cubicle, her arms full to the brim with a giant teddy bear and a bunch of mylar balloons bearing phrases like “Oh Baby!” and “Sweet Bundle of Joy.”
My heart dropped into my toes.What the—
“Savannah! Congratulations! I didn’t know you were pregnant!” She handed me the gifts and reached in for an awkward hug.
“Who are these from?” I could barely get the words out. The gifts felt like they were burning in my hands.
“I’m not sure, some delivery guy just dropped them off. But here’s the card that came with them.” She handed me a sealed,cream-colored envelope, blank on the outside. “Are they from yourboyfriend?” she teased.
It was easy to see I wore no wedding ring. The people in my office weren’t big on talking about their personal lives, so for all they knew, I had a serious boyfriend. But before I had the chance to open up the envelope and find out, several coworkers headed my way, undoubtedly drawn in by the ridiculous balloons and comically large bear.
One woman placed her hand on my back and rubbed. “Congratulations, Savannah! I had no idea! When are you due?”
I cringed at the volume of her voice. I really didn’t want Meredith to catch wind of this. What I wanted was to run and hide. “Um … early November.” It took all of my strength to force a smile. I had only wanted to put off announcing it for a few more days, but someone had taken that choice away from me.
Dammit.There was Meredith, just down the hall. She arched an eyebrow and mouthed a quiet “congratulations” before disappearing into the conference room. I gave a limp wave in return.
I set the gifts on the floor by my desk.Who would do this?Ellie, Max, and my mom all knew I was waiting until after the account manager had been chosen—plus, it would be rather belated to be from Max, anyway. And I hadn’t really broken the news to anyone else yet. I took a moment in a bathroom stall, pressed a tissue to my eyes, and tried to get my emotions back under control.
I finally took a seat in the conference room. I avoided eye contact with Meredith and tried to organize my thoughts. Only minutes later, Sam walked in, leading the Sampson team behind him. The meeting was about to start.
The clients seemed happy. As we left the conference room, Sam whispered to me that Meredith would be making the announcement by the end of the day. Would she hold the pregnancy against me? I cautiously held out hope.
Around four o’clock, an email popped into my inbox. I took a deep breath and opened it.
Fuck.I was on the team, but I had not been selected as the account manager.
I laid my head down on my desk and tried not to cry.Dammit! I really thought this was my chance.
From beneath the crook of my arm, I could see the giant teddy bear smiling up at me from the floor. I reached out a foot and viciously kicked it in the face.If it weren’t for this stupid bear and dumb balloons, maybe itwouldhave been.But Meredith probably didn’t want to put someone in charge who would be going on maternity leave midway through the contract.
Then I remembered the card. I pulled it out of my bag where I’d stashed it before the meeting and tore into the envelope. There was a handwritten message inside, but my eyes skipped ahead to the signature at the bottom.
Madison.
