Jannie nodded with satisfaction. Use packing cubes, and you’re unpacked in minutes, with everything sanitary and organized. Blake liked to poke fun at her exacting ways, but for her, it was all about hygiene and convenience. In the end, everything she did seemed to annoy him, until …
Ugh, thinking about Blake again.
With a sigh, she ran a hand over her bump. One good thing had come from the marriage. She couldn’t wait to meet the babies. One boy, one girl, two souls to love unconditionally, to nurture and guide through this wonderful thing called life.
Life would be so much more wonderful if she stopped dwelling on the past.
As if he sensed she was thinking of him, her phone chimed with thetext tone she’d assigned Blake.
Blake: Where are you?
She considered ignoring him, but knew he’d pester her until she texted back.
Jannie: At another hotel.
The three bubbles appeared, disappeared, and then appeared again, but nothing followed. Jannie waited. No further text came.
Of course, he was mad again.
Oh, well. No longer her problem.
She shoved Blake out of her thoughts and headed to the bathroom, where she took full advantage of the elaborate multi-head shower Adam had installed when he built the penthouse. Back then, she thought it was excessive and told him so, but now, damn if she didn’t want one for her own home.
She emerged refreshed. It was good to feel human again.
Dressing quickly in a royal blue asymmetrical cocktail dress with bump-concealing ruching, she added dangling silver earrings and styled her hair. She assessed herself in the mirror. Light blonde hair, now in an updo, blue eyes in an unusual shade. Too tall and not very curvy, though pregnancy had added a bit to her hips and boobs. At least she’d rested and wasn’t sickly pale anymore.
Nick had seemed genuinely happy to see her. This evening, she would find out if she had imagined their mutual attraction.
As Jannie finished putting on her shoes, a cramp in her belly gave her pause. Just as quickly, it went away.
Nerves.
This was ridiculous and so unlike her that it bordered on annoying.
“It’s only Nick,” she muttered.
Her conscience laughed.
Nothing about the man was anything close toonly. In a few minutes, she would see him again, and he was just the distraction she needed.
CHAPTER 5
Jannie
“Thereyou are!”
Jannie pivoted to see a smiling woman rushing toward her, her arms outstretched. “Katie!”
Jannie hugged her friend. Katie Livingston had been her roommate, her study buddy, and her partner in pulling all kinds of pranks in the dorms at UF. After college, Katie moved back to Arizona, much to Jannie’s disappointment, but they kept in touch through regular FaceTime calls and texts, and there was nothing Katie didn’t know about her.
“Howareyou?” Her friend held her at arm’s length. “You look gorgeous.”
Jannie gave her a half-smile. “Sure, I do.”
“You do! You look tiny!”
“What every pregnant woman wants to hear. You’re so sweet.”
