Her husband returns before I can reply, holding a tray with two cups of espresso and what looks like homemade sugar cookies.
“So, what are your plans for the immediate future?” Kevin asks as he sits down with us again.
“Hmm… We’re celebrating my birthday on Friday, then heading down to Portland for the weekend. My parents and abuela have been begging me to bring Lex since his release.”
“Oh, it’s your birthday?”
“Yeah, I’ll be turning twenty-seven.”
“I didn’t know that. You should take the day off. It’s one of our policies. No one should work on their birthday.”
“I love my job,” Andrea protests. “I don’t mind.”
“Nonsense. Your boss is a horrible snob—though not as bad as his ex-partner—and the company isn’t all that great,” Kevin humors.
“What is it with you two trying to get me off work?”
“You deserve a break,” Shelly chimes in. “I know you just had a month off, but you weren’t really off, were you? Remember to take time for yourself, Andrea. It’s important.”
“Okay, but time for myself turns out to be time for him,” Andrea explains, pointing at me. “And at this pace, I’ll end up with permanent nerve damage.”
Kevin laughs into his coffee, some of it spilling over as he tries to contain the mess. “Lex, you beast. Leave that poor woman alone, will you?”
“She’s the one always asking for more.”
“Yeah, I do that a lot,” Andrea confesses with a wince. “But we’ll soon be bored with each other and have sex like, once or twice a day or something.”
“That’s still a solid pace there, doll.”
“Definitely more survivable than four times a day.” Andrea shrugs.
“Four?! Is that all you do whenever you two are alone?”
“We take breaks,” I say.
“Barely,” Andrea argues. “And it’s closer to seven times on my days off.”
“Seven times?! I get why you were so eager to get back to work. Come on Friday. It’ll be like some political asylum.”
“Oh, come on,” Michelle intervenes, resting a hand on her husband’s arm. “You remember how we used to be.”
“Notseventimes a day, darling.”
“What about Jamaica?” she insists.
Kev reflects on it for a moment until a naughty smile tugs at the corners of his lips. “Okay, yeah. Sorry, I get you, guys. No judgment from me. Andrea, you’re off on Friday. I’ll fill out the paperwork.”
His complete change of attitude seems to leave Andrea whiplashed, and I say nothing, happy with the way things turned out. Having Friday to ourselves will help with the birthday plans I have in mind.
“Anyway, no big plans for now, is that it?” Shelly asks, getting us back on track.
“No, not right away,” I confirm. “Though we will take a vacation off the coast of Belize at some point.”
“Or Jamaica. Sounds like a good time,” Andrea notes with a grin. “Why?”
“Well, we’re finally getting around to getting Maddison baptized, and Lex is set to become the godfather, so we need you around.”
“Plus, we wanted someone strong, courageous, and talented as a godmother to inspire our baby girl to become whoever she wants to be,” Kev explains. “So, naturally, we were thinking you’d be perfect for the role, Andrea.”
