“I know,” she said again, more resigned.
We started making our way to the dressing rooms, each of us carrying no less than ten items. I grabbed a couple of comfortable-looking bras on the way, ones with no underwire that claimed to be good for during and post pregnancy. The tired attendant let us into a room without counting the pieces.
“I told him if he thought it was such a poor profession choice he should stick to dating other professors, and then I left.”
“Before or after the cinnamon roll?”
“Before,” Kate said, and it sounded like that was the detail she was most hung up on.
“Wow, badass.” I was filled with a burning rage that this guy would try to make her feel smaller than him, cool professor or not. Kate sat on the little stool in the corner of the dressing room and assessed the pair of jeans I’d just pulled on. They didn’t button, just had a stretchy band of fabric that fit over my stomach to hold up the denim. They looked just fine, if I pairedthem with one of the longer shirts, but the work polo wasn’t going to cut it.
“Those are fine, but try the overalls,” she said.
They were perfect, and so comfortable that I sent her back to get another pair in a darker color.
“I’m sorry about the date, Katie,” I said as I moved both overalls to the “Yes” hook along with one of the bras and the soft black shirt that claimed to be “slimming.” I wasn’t sure how anything could (or needed to) be slimming when I was swollen everywhere. “Has he texted you?”
“A lot, yeah. Apologizing and stuff, but I am dutifully ignoring him.”
I tipped my head and frowned at this news. Kate handed me the red dress with black bows, which did end up looking cute on me and very festive.
“Is there any chance he didn’t actually mean it in a weird way?”
Kate’s nose scrunched as she thought about it.
“Could he have been asking if taking over Dad’s business was your real dream? Versus an obligation?”
“You know I don’t think about the company like that.”
I did know; I think Kate really liked the idea of running Harvey Janitorial. She liked hiring people who needed a chance, being a good manager, running an organized ship, expanding the business, and further, she was good at it.
Kate sighed and I could see her mind working over the possibility. “I don’t know. I guess it’s possible. But his tone about it put me off.”
“His loss,” I said, and Kate nodded. I could tell she was a little sad about it, though. The sister sense. “I’ll buy you a cinnamon roll.”
CHAPTER 14
LAUNDRY DAY
Like any sane person, I loathed laundry day. More now that I had fewer suitable clothes, even with the new items I got Saturday. One of my college friends posted online about how she’d been able to maintain running thirty-five miles and three lifting sessions a week and that, even five months into her pregnancy, she could still fit into most of her clothes—good for her, seriously, but that was not me.
In one of the team sweatshirts Barry brought home for me and a too-small pair of shorts that stretched below my stomach, I stuffed my feet into a pair of boots and pulled on a coat before lugging both of my laundry baskets stacked atop each other to the garage.
It was cold as hell, which I found especially rude because it was sunny out, but it snowed most of Sunday and the air and ground were still wet. I picked my way carefully toward the garage and startled to hear my name called.
In whirling around, I almost slipped, but I righted myself and my tower of laundry as Barry rushed to my side.
“Hey, hey, let me take that.” He dropped his duffle and took the two baskets from my arms to bring them the rest of the way.
“I was doing just fine,” I told him.
“Are you even wearing pants?”
“Yes!” I scoffed, indignant, even while the skin of my thighs and calves stung with the cold. “They’re just shorter than my coat.”
“Come on.” He jerked his head at the garage side door, and I followed him in. It was barely warmer than outside.
I started loading my stuff into the washing machine, batting his hands away when he tried to hand me more of the colored clothes.
