I got lost in the thought of babies, and my face heated. “Ah, sorry.” I blinked a few times and stared at the plants in the corner of my room, curving my lips up remembering how Nora broke into my place to put them there. Courage. She was all courage, and I could show some too. “I’m meeting with a man this week to help launch his business. It’ll focus on being green and providing jobs to the community.”
“Okay, that sounds cool,” Gilly said, playing with the end of her skirt.
“I’m going to be a silent partner. I’m fronting all the money for it. If he fails, then I don’t get it back. I just…I feelhopelessat my job and don’t feel like I do enough for the community, the world. I don’t know. This is terrifying to try a new venture, but I think…I gotta try it.”
There, I’d said it. I told them the truth, and now they’d tell me I was a fool. An idiot. I tensed, waiting for the questions and accusations, but none came. I glanced at them, and they both wore smiles. Wait. “Why are you smiling?”
“I think that’s fantastic.” Gilly nodded and elbowed Grace in the side. “You’ve been in a rut since the whole Samantha fiasco, and if you’re excited about this, then I’m so glad.”
“You don’t think I’m being dumb?”
“For wanting to help bring business to our community? For following something that makes you happy? No, I don’t.” Gilly stood up with Greg in her arms. “I trust that you had the right people look over any contracts.”
“Yeah.” The pressure loosened a bit in my throat. “G, what do you think?”
“I agree with Gilly. You’ve always been passionate about life. You’ve had this zest that borders on annoying where you found joy and mischief in everything. I want to see that Fritz again. Maybe it’s your job, or the fact we’re getting older, or the Samantha thing…but find that zest again.”
“I fucking love you guys,” I said, moving to hug Gilly and pulling her toward the couch to hug Grace at the same time. Their support flowed through me, motivating me even more to try this thing with Peter. It could work, or it wouldn’t, and then I’d know.
“We haven’t had a group hug in months!” Gilly wiggled out from the embrace, and Sir Greg exited the room fast. Group cuddles were probably not a cat thing. “Well, to update you both, Mom has been giving me shit about missing all the wedding plans and saying I’m not flexible enough for her. I just…I’ve moved three different things for her.”
Grace started reminding her of how the wedding was about the couple getting married, not anyone else, and I nodded. But my phone buzzed on the table. I reached for it immediately, thinking it could be Peter, but an email from Nora Atwood popped up.
My gut tightened. Did she find out the truth and was emailing me good-bye? A fuck-you email? The subject saidmeeting.
I sank onto the chair as every bone in my body seemed to double in weight. She wanted to meetAnthony,again? Was she back on her marriage nonsense? The favor I owed her? I pinched the bridge of my nose as disappointed rooted me to the spot. I thought she was happy hanging out with me, experiencing life away from the mansion. She was becoming independent and growing, so for her to think she needed a marriage…it stung.
Plus, what reason would she want a fake marriage to get the funds when she only had a month left?
I clicked the email as my ears rang. It was a hard pill to swallow knowing that she didn’t feel the same way about me as I did her. She was a breath of fresh air right after it rained, where the earth smelled cleaner, different. I was just a what…distraction? A way to pass the time until she got back to her life?
Dear Anthony,
I’ve heard a lot about your contributions to the foundation and would like to set up a meeting to discuss a partnership with you. A deal, even. From what I’ve learned about you, this would be beneficial to both of us. I hope you’re well. Your mom set us up an appointment in two weeks, but if you’re free before then, please reach out. Looking forward to it.
Nora
I exhaled slowly as the words blurred together, the sinking feeling in my chest getting worse the more I read it. My contributions. Did that mean…money? A partnership meant marriage, right? And it would benefit the both of us? God. I blew out a frustrated breath, and the uneasy knot in my gut grew.
Maybe it wasn’tmarriage,and I was projecting that?
No. That was a hard sell.
That had to be it. I swallowed and put my phone in my pocket, content to ignore the email until I figured out what to do. Grace and Gilly were midconversation about teacher shit—that happened every time they were together more than thirty minutes, and I focused on them. It wasn’t until there was a break of silence that Grace stood up from the couch and put her arms behind her back.
I frowned at how awkward she seemed. “G, what are you doing?”
“I had a plan or something on how to do this. But it’s all out the window.” She blinked a few times, and her breathing picked up.
My body tensed, and I had a feeling about what she was going to say. My lips curved up, and I crossed one leg over the other. “Do it, Grace. I promise you, it’ll be fine.”
Gilly tilted her head. “What are you talking about?”
Grace exhaled for a full minute before she stared at my sister. “I love you, Gilly, you know that, and I’m sorry the timing isn’t ideal for your wedding or shenanigans but…” She paused and gave a small smile. “I’m pregnant.”
“Holy shit!” Gilly flew off the couch and wrapped Grace in a hug. “Oh my God, oh my God. Little Grace or Little Brock will be here? How far are you? How do you feel? What did Brock do?”
I couldn’t stand to watch them hug and not join, so I did. I wrapped my arms around my two closest friends in the world as Grace cried and Gilly sniffed. My face warmed at all the feelings I had in the moment, all good ones. Grace would be the best mom in the world, and Brock…he’d be a grumpy, protective dad. That’s for sure.
