I type back a response, keeping one eye on the open door of Mr. Foster's office.
I have plans tomorrow. Maybe one night next week?
A boulder forms in my stomach as I watch the three dots jump as he types.
Next week it is. I'll be in touch.
I stare at the screen, reading the message twice. I expected him to suggest another day when I turned him down, but he didn't. I shrug it off, toss my phone back in my purse and get to work emailing all Foster executives about the board meeting next Tuesday.
When I openthe door to my apartment the next afternoon, I'm surprised to find not only my best friend standing behind the stove but a stack of bridal magazines on the counter next to her.
"Den?" I say her name loud enough that she'll hear me over the buzz of the exhaust fan that is on its highest setting. "What are you doing here?"
It's a question I always hate asking when she shows up unexpectedly. She owns this two bedroom apartment outright so I can't exactly ask for her keys back. I appreciate the company on most days, but today I had a clear plan in place. I want to finish the white maternity dress I started last week before I need to leave at seven o'clock. I had every intention of dropping by Den's place tomorrow to give it to her and get her to model it for me so I can upload images of it to my website.
"This is your first official, Friday afternoon off, so I'm here to celebrate." She waves her hand through the smoke that's billowing off the two pieces of salmon she has on the indoor grill. "We're having salmon with that grainy mustard sauce you love and a sauerkraut salad with a mayonnaise dressing."
I cringe inwardly. The salmon sounds delectable. The sauerkraut salad seems more like a weird pregnancy craving than something I'd want to voluntarily eat.
"You didn't have to do this," I say gently. "I'm not that hungry."
I'm famished. I skipped breakfast entirely because I was hand sewing pearls on the white dress right after I woke up. I picked up a small coffee at the bodega on the corner but ended up tossing it in a trash can before I stepped on the bus. It was bitter and obviously left over from yesterday.
"I'm starving." She rubs her stomach. "Firi is a food fiend. My boy is always hungry."
I feel tears instantly well in my eyes. "Is that the baby's name?"
The fork that was in her hand drops to the counter before it bounces to the floor. "Tyler wants to name him after my dad. I love it, Soph. He'll be little Firi Monroe."
I love it too. Cadence has worked hard for the past year to bridge the emotional gap that developed between her and her dad, Sergio Firi. She may have followed in his footsteps whenshe became a chef, but that didn't cement their relationship. They were estranged for years and now, finally, they've found their way back to each other.
"It's perfect, Den." I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand. "He's going to be the most amazing little boy in the world."
"You and I both know it." She smiles proudly. "I can't wait for him to get here. I want you there, Soph. I'm going to need you with Tyler and me in the delivery room when he's born."
I reach to grab hold of her forearm to steady myself. The rush of emotions I feel barrels through me like a freight train. "I'll be there. I wouldn't miss that for the world."
"Good." She brushes her lips across my forehead. "I want you to kick off your shoes, change out of your work clothes and get ready for a meal you'll never forget."
I turn to race to my bathroom where I keep the antacid in the medicine cabinet. I might as well nip the indigestion I know is coming in the bud.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Sophia
I atethe salmon first and now as I pick at the sauerkraut salad, I stare across the room at the roses that Nicholas sent to me. I'd brought them home yesterday after work. Lugging the heavy vase and flowers on the subway wasn't an easy task. I'd carefully wrapped them in the packaging they'd arrived in and after considering hailing a taxi outside my office building, I decided that the subway would work just fine. My stop is less than a block from my apartment, so I made it home with the vase still in one piece.
"Nicholas Wolf sent you those," Cadence says matter-of-factly. "I noticed them when I came in. I hope you don't mind that I read the card."
I don't mind. Why would I? I had every intention of telling Den that I had dinner with Nicholas at his place. I was going to tell her when we first sat down to eat lunch but she'd started talking about her wedding and hadn't stopped. The only time she wasn't speaking was when she was chewing.
"I had dinner at his place." I place my fork on my plate. "He made me tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches."
She uses both hands to seamlessly switch our plates by sliding mine in front of her and vice versa. She reaches over to grab her fork from the empty plate that's now in front of me. "I'm going to finish this if you don't mind."
I'm grateful that she's offering to eat it. The salad brought tears to my eyes when I took that first bite. It wasn't because I hated the taste, even though I strongly disliked it. The heavy dose of vinegar in it made my toes curl. "It's all yours."
"It's adorable that he cooked for you, Soph." She bats her eyelashes. "He's crushing on you, isn't he? Do you feel the same way about him?"
