‘When I walked in that door just a few minutes ago, I wanted to ask if you would come with me.’
Holly nodded, the gravity of the situation setting in, and the reality of who Nick was unfolding before her eyes. She realised at that moment what was most important to him – it was his work, his money, his career, and it would never be her. Nor would it ever be their baby.
She felt numb.
‘And now?’ she asked, already knowing the answer.
Nick took a deep breath. ‘Look, I already said it, don’t make me say it again. I don’t want a baby.’
‘And if I do?’ she inquired. ‘Does that mean that my invitation to move with you to Silicon Valley has been rescinded?’
There was barely a pause. ‘I’m sorry,’ he replied.
38
Holly moved out of Nick’s apartment the next day after spending the night in the guest bedroom. She didn’t feel sorry to leave, and it didn’t appear that Nick felt sorry to see her go. What few things she had that she hadn’t put into storage when she sublet her apartment, she took with her to mother’s, who invited her to stay with her until her apartment had been vacated and she could move back in.
Even though it was all a shock to her system, she stood by her decision. Holly knew that she had never wanted anything in her life the way she wanted this baby. She wondered if it was possible to already love it, that little ball of cells, the way she already felt that she did, wholeheartedly and with every fibre of her being. She knew without a doubt that she had made the right decision.
She patted her tummy, evicting Nick from her mind and thinking about the road ahead. It would just be the two of them and she smiled in spite of herself. While she never imagined herself as a single mother, she didn’t feel scared, but rather emancipated. And as she continued walking down the street in her old neighbourhood in Queens, she passed a jewellery store on her right.
Holly felt like laughing out loud when she walked into the tiny store and her eyes immediately travelled to the only baby-themed charm in the display case. A little stork, carrying a bundle. She put down her Visa without a second thought, knowing for sure that this was a milestone that deserved to be commemorated.
My little bundle, she thought with a heart full of love as she inspected the newest addition to her charm bracelet. Walking bravely on and thinking about the future, Holly jingled her bracelet happily.
39
Karen Bennet’s iPhone buzzed in her lap just as the cab pulled up in front of the 21 Club on West Fifty-Second Street. Swallowing hard as she looked at the display, she took a deep breath.
‘Hey Greg, how are you?’ she said airily as she connected the call. The cab driver turned around in his seat and opened his mouth to speak, but Karen threw up a hand, silencing him. The last thing she needed was him making some sort of announcement that identified where she was or what she might be doing.
‘Hi babe. I got your message about being late tonight. That’s no problem. You said you were having dinner with a contact?’
‘Potential contact actually. Bradley asked me to play a part,’ she said, referring to her boss.
‘Well, good luck with that. No worries on my end, I think I’m just going to order a pizza and get some work done.’
Karen felt like rolling her eyes but caught herself. She knew it was unkind, but she had to admit that she was tired of the whole ‘order a pizza’ spiel, which seemed to be occurring with more regularity around their house.
‘Well, sounds great,’ she replied. ‘So, I’ll see you later OK?’
‘Um, one more thing.’ Greg cleared his throat on the other end. ‘Are you still OK for dinner tomorrow night at Cipriani? I know Dad is really looking forward to it. He hasn’t been out much since … ’
Karen thought about it. While she wasn’t exactly in the mood for playing happy families, her heart hurt for Greg’s father, Jeff. She had always liked him and knew that he was really struggling over Cristina.
‘Oh, right, sure, of course.’
‘Great,’ She could hear Greg smile through the phone. ‘Well, have a nice night, and good luck. If anyone can land a new contact it’s you.’
40
Back home, having hung up on Karen, Greg made another phone call and smiled while waiting for his dad to answer.
He felt giddy with excitement. On Christmas morning, when Karen opened theNew York Times, she would be in for the surprise of her life.
The first stage of his plan was arranged; now all Greg needed to do was to make sure that the second and possibly most important part was in hand.
Moments later, Jeff answered, and after a brief catch-up on how things were, Greg got round to the other purpose of his call.
