“Leah, it’s Drew,” I say, announcing myself again as I step inside to rearrange the vase and candle so that it does not cause a potential hazard. I doubt that fresh flowers are flammable, but better safe than sorry.
An agonized moan pulls my attention towards the bathroom. I rush in the direction of it to find Leah on her knees on the tile floor.
“Are you okay?” I ask and look her over for any signs of injury.
She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. “What are you doing in here?”
“I was looking for my room and wasn’t sure which one it was. Then I heard your voice through the door.”
“I’m fine.” She flushes the toilet and pushes herself back up.
I reach out to help her, and she reluctantly takes my arm for support. We walk together towards the vanity, where a bottle of prenatal vitamins sits on its side, with half of them spilled across the counter. I avert my eyes to pretend like I didn’t notice, but not quickly enough.
“So much for keeping it a secret this time,” she says, and puts her face into the sink to splash water on it.
I don’t know how to respond, so I just keep supporting her and hand her a fresh towel when she turns off the faucet.
“I promised myself I would keep my mouth shut until I passed the twenty-week mark,” she says, with a defeated smile, “because waiting until sixteen weeks didn’t cut it last time.”
My heart breaks for her, and I wish I had the perfect thing to say, but I don’t have any friends who are moms and never plan on becoming one myself.
“That was pretty intense down there, huh?” she continues. “I think the unexpected spike in adrenaline mixed with the smell of those God-awful pills is what did me in.”
I wince as I remember the words that Judith hurled at Leah, about quitting her job when her husband finallyallowsher to have kids. Judith has a huge chip on her shoulder about money, but even she would probably feel bad if she knew the truth of Leah’s current situation.
“Yeah, that was awful.”
“Well, I’m glad we got them to calm down, at least a little bit. Although I’m actuallynotlooking forward to the wine tasting, for obvious reasons.” She puts a protective hand on her lower stomach. “I just wanted to help get things under control before Delaney and Judith started swinging.”
“It’s not too late to get out of it,” I suggest. “The wine guy seems to be friendly with Cameron, so they can probably work something out as far as rescheduling goes. Or we can both say that we aren’t feeling well, which I’m sure Delaney would understand.”
“No, it’s fine,” she says, waving me off. “They have nonalcoholic options, so I will just ask for those and hope no one notices.”
“If Delaney or Val noticed, I doubt either would say anything. The only one who would be rude enough to comment is Judith, and there’s no way she will be there,” I say. Then add, “Even if she does show up for some reason, then I’ll drink the non-alcoholic ones with you so that it’s less obvious.”
“You don’t have to do that. You’re right, she probably won’t be there anyway.”
“Well, regardless, I am going to at least start with the non-alcoholic pairings because I overdid it on the plane earlier. Plus, I barged in here without properly knocking, so it’s the least I can do to try and make it up to you. I want you to be able to keep your secret as long as you want to.”
She blinks for a moment as she considers my offer. “Thanks, Drew. That is very sweet of you.”
“It’s nothing, really.”
She smiles weakly. “Do you want me to help you find your room? I am pretty sure it’s just the next door over.”
“Sure. That would be great.”
I follow her out to the room she thinks is mine, and she pushes the door open after a quick knock. We both pause a few steps inside to look around in awe.
“Wow,” she says, and I nod in agreement.
Leah’s room was spacious, but mine is at least twice the size. “We all have monogrammed robes,” she says, and continues inside to survey a gift basket that sits on the desk across the room. “Let me just check this one to be sure.” She holds up the robe so that we can both see the cursive D on the breast pocket. “Yep. This one’s yours.”
Leah tucks the bathrobe back into my basket and then heads to the door to let herself out. I call after her, “Thanks again for your help downstairs, and for helping me find my room.”
“No problem. Now get dressed, and I’ll see you down there in a few.”
The door clicks closed behind her, and I take another second to marvel at my room. The space is decorated in muted grays and blues, with gauzy curtains covering a window so large that it may as well be another glass wall. I walk over to sort through the rest of my welcome basket and find a tin of chocolate-coveredalmonds, a notebook and pen, and a hand-poured candle. The scent is a heavenly warm musk, and I make a plan to use the matchbox with Ravenwood Manor stamped on top to light the wood wick as soon as I am settled back here after the night’s activities.
