“Thank you,” she says.
“You’re welcome.” Standing up, I walk to the window to peer out. When I look back, I ask, “Do you have names?”
“Oh my God. Now you’re reading my mind.” She bursts out laughing. And then she pulls a pad from her Louis Vuitton and drops it on the desk. “I have a small list started.”
When I glance over at the pink pad, my eyes go wide. “Small? Santa’s list is shorter.” She snort-laughs. I grab the pad and then shoot her a glare. “Rufus? I’m nixing Rufus. Nigel, Cook, and Devon are gone as well.”
“What’s wrong with Devon?”
“Devon Spears?” I reply as if she should remember this as clearly as I do. “The jerk sophomore year in high school?”
She cups her forehead as recognition fills her eyes. “I forgot about him. Definitely cross that name off the list. He was a total asshole. He told his brother, David, a senior, that I wouldn’t put out, so he shouldn’t ask me to prom.”
“But you didn’t put out in high school.”
Her eyes slide to the monitor in front of her, a sly smile working its way onto her face before she giggles. “Good thing he didn’t take me to prom then.” She types something and then turns back to me. “At this rate, you’ll have a name narrowed down in no time.”
“Happy to be of service.” I take a pen from her desk and start scratching through more names. “It’s too early to know if you’re having a boy, right?”
“Too early, but I don’t know,” she says, rubbing her flat stomach. “I feel like I’ll have a boy. Nick has a brother, and I have a brother. It seems to be leaning that way with all the evidence.”
“Sounds like you beat the odds. Anyway, I need a girl to spoil rotten, take shopping, and leave my wealth of designer wardrobe to one day, like my bag collection.”
Her fingers were poised over the keyboard but never land. Instead, she turns to me and lowers her hands to the desk. “As much as I’m already envious of a girl I don’t have, you act as though you’ll never have kids.”
I realize kids aren’t something I’ve thought about in a realistic way. “I’ve not been in a serious relationship in years. Not that I need a man, but I can’t say I want kids anytime soon. What would I do with a baby?”
Exasperated, she rocks back in her chair. “What am I going to do with you, Tate? You love a baby and raise it.”
I plop down in the chair again. “You make it sound so easy.”
“I know it won’t be, but I think our instincts will kick in. I also have a stack of books as tall as my bed to study in the next seven months.”
“You’re fifty steps ahead of me, friend.” I return her newly revised list to her and set the pen on the glass top desk.
Laughing, she studies the list. “I’m not going to be one of those people forcing others to join me for this ride.” Her eyes return to mine. “Having a baby is something Nick and I talked about for the past year. We weren’t trying, but since we weren’t using protection, I guess you could say we weren’t not trying either.”
“So, what you’re saying is this baby is a double negative?”
Horror squeezes her face. “What? No, I didn’t say that.” Two protective arms cover her stomach again, her instincts already kicking in. “This baby is a double positive.” When she grins, the tension releases from her shoulders.
“I’m only teasing. As for my epiphany . . .”
“Yes, back to that.”
I’m so excited I’m literally on the edge of the seat. “I want to take more of a lead at STJ. I assume you’ll be slowing down a bit since you’re growing a baby and eventually need some time off. When that happens, I want you to know the company will be fine.”
“You’ve always been a good partner.”
“Emotionally.”
“And you’re a hard worker. You helped me build this business. If not for you, I’d be wrapping stuff and hoping I’m leveling up for the clientele.”
“And you think I help do that?”
“I know you do, and this conversation is one we need to have. I suspect I’ll be away from the office more, especially after the baby is born. What are you proposing?”
Sitting back, I reply, “When I was on the treadmill this morning, the words level and match came up.”
“Out of thin air?”
“No, Elijah Morris, a former client, was chatting me up. Fiancée did the deed with the cousin, and he’s now single. Poor guy.” I give him a moment of silence and then add, “He asked me out, but that’s neither here nor there.”
“That’s terrible. Not the asking out part but the fiancée doing the deed with the cousin. Also, why is asking you out neither here nor there? If I remember correctly, he’s quite cute, great job down on Wall Street, and his dad is one of our top-tier clients.”
“I want to be a twelve. Not in looks or personality. In life. I believe in your dream, and it’s become mine without me realizing it. Until now.”
Looking pleased, she reflects the excitement I feel inside with her graceful expression. The same hope I feel lies in her eyes. “Do you have a plan, or is this the start of the conversation?”
“A little of both. What I was thinking is that I could reorganize the company.” I roll my hand in the air as a thrill zips up my spine. “We can have levels and reps. You and I could work exclusively with the top-tier clients. We have Phoebe training in the mid-range.”
“Which is?”
“The fifty to one-hundred-thousand budget range.”
“I think we’ll need to add to that range. It’s been popular this last year and a little easier, time-wise, for us to pull off.”
“Agreed. It’s more about the gift than the production in that range, making it less time-consuming and a quicker turnaround from the larger setups. I think we can even divide the under fifty budget into two levels, hiring maybe two or three people to train in that range. I want to go over the numbers once more to confirm, but those were the fastest growing areas of the business in the first quarter.”
“We turn away potential clients every day due to lack of time, so this would solve that issue to an extent. I just have one question.”
“Which is?”
She stands and holds out her hand. “When do you want to start?”
Shaking her hand, I stand as well. “Right now.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal.”
6
Harrison
More flowers are needed, according to Natalie, so I’ve been sent to the shop around the corner to buy them.
Just as I step onto the stoop, a car door opens at the curb, and a tan, lean leg and red heel lands on the sidewalk. My attention is fully captivated, and I angle to get a better look.
The top of a blond head is seen first, and then Tatum and her curves follow. She tells the driver, “Thank you,” before noticing me.
After the other night, she’s not someone I can tango with any longer. I shove my hands in my pockets and lower my gaze to the steps beneath my feet as I travel from the stoop down to the sidewalk. I don’t bother with niceties. We’re long past that. I head in the direction of the shop I’ve been sent, putting my thoughts on the errand ahead instead of on the woman behind me.