Bangs dripping into her eyes, she answered. Hello?
Katewonderful. Delias voice was strained. Please get down here and tell these kids to let me in.
Youre at the house? When Kate had retired to her room last night, shed been unable to sleep. Shed called her friend, but Delia hadnt said anything about coming by today. I cant even believe youre up this early. Normally the other woman slept in on the weekendscalled it powering up for her sixty-hour workweek.
Ive been awake since the crack of where-the-hells-the-sun. I could come in and tell you about it or I could stand on your front porch all morning using my cell phone minutes.
Kate laughed, knowing perfectly well her friend had unlimited calling for keeping in touch with clients and property managers. Give me just a second. Once shed shimmied into a pair of slacks and a cardigan, she hurried down the stairs. Neve? PJ? Open the front door.
Were not supposed to let strangers in, Neve called from the kitchen.
PJ, engrossed in a cartoon where a sports car was talking to a bear, barely glanced in Kates direction.
Its not a stranger. Shes my friendIm giving you permission. Since Kate was closer to the door than either of the kids, she opened it herself.
Delia raised her eyebrows. New bouncers, huh? Theyre effective.
Maybe you should have tried a cash bribe.
Dont have much on me, but I did bring this. She held up a bottle of champagne. How do you feel about mimosas?
Kate loved Delia but occasionally thought Patti might have a point about their friends fondness for alcohol. Under the circumstances, thats probably inappropriate.
Well, you know me.
Kate swung the door wide. You can join us for waffles.
Or pools of batter, which were what Neve had managed to create.
Oh, snap, the girl was muttering in exasperation, trying to sop up the worst of the mess. She shot a sheepish glance over her shoulder. I think I poured too much. It overflowed and steam went everywhere, so I unplugged it before I set off the smoke alarm.
Who was Kate to criticize? She hadnt done much better. You go talk PJ into cereal, and Ill clean this up.
Ill try, the young woman promised.
Nice shirt, Delia said as Neve left the room. What? I liked it.
That figured.
Delia set the bottle of champagne on the island. You should put this away for some other occasion. I actually brought it over as agift. I wont be drinking much for a while.
Oh? Had she and Alexander fought about alcohol?
Her friend chose not to elaborate. So what are you doing with them tomorrow?
With who? Duh. Good Lord. It hadnt even crossed my mind. What would the kids do Monday while she was at work?
Shed been alternately looking into affordable afternoon help and wondering if Neve was old enough to babysit her brother a few hours a day after school. Shed even planned to take off the week before school, to smooth the transition, but now she needed a more immediate course of action. She couldnt take off both weeks and she was supposed to be finishing up an important project this week.
The ability to meet deadlineseven when they changed last-minute if production was moved upwas critical. The manuals that accompanied each technological product had to be carefully written and proofed. What kind of example was Kate setting for those she supervised if she couldnt meet her schedules?
Where could she find help, someone to watch the kids tomorrow while she set something up for the rest of the week? Patti didnt have an outside job, per se, but the woman was on so many community and charity boards she worked nearly the same number of hours as her corporate counterparts. Maybe Lily Shed certainly made it clear she would be available to help. Kate just worried how it would look that she needed to be bailed out so soon.
Mulling over her options, she ran a washcloth across the batter-smeared countertop. She frowned at the open cookbook. Neve had obviously used Kates absence to sneak a peek.
A sarcastic observation forming on her tongue, she turned toward Delia but was struck anew by the shadows under her friends eyes. Kate had been too easily side-tracked by her own problems. It was time to find out what was wrong with Delia.
You want to talk about it?
Its nothing major. The normally indomitable Delia fidgeted, glancing toward the other room where the kids were quietly watching television. Actually, it is. But still not the end of the world, right?
Somewhere beyond minor but shy of apocalypticthat narrowed it down. Whatever it is has obviously been worrying you. Those bags youve got going on arent exactly Fendi.
Delia bent her knees, peering at her blurred facial reflection in the microwave door. Just a little exhaustion a decent eye cream should take care of. Like I said, Ive been up for hours.
Did Alexander wake you leaving for the airport?
Nah, his flights not until noon. And Delia drew a deep breath Im sort of avoiding him.
Kate pitched her washcloth into the sink. Whats going on, Dee?
Delia had said on occasion that she couldnt see herself staying permanently with one man. Could she be trying to figure out the best way to end things with Alexander? Then again, Delia wasnt shy. If she wanted a man out, Kate imagined she would simply say so.
Hell, Kate, Im forty-three years old.
So? Delia had hit her professional stride as an executive for a leasing company that oversaw commercial properties, she looked fabulous and, by all accounts, had an enviable sex life with a thirty-seven-year-old man who laughed at her jokes and danced with her at country club events. Unlesswas Delia wanting to settle down, and Alexander refused to commit?
Please dont tell me forty-threes a bad age, Kate joked. Im coming up on it fast.
Forty-three is great for certain things. But pregnancy?
Pregnant! Kate hadnt meant to shout. She never raised her voice. In a near whisper she asked, When did this happen? I mean, when did you find out?
About five oclock this morning.
Kate made her way to the two-person breakfast table in the corner and sank into one of the chairs, gesturing toward the other. How sure are you?
Delia sighed. I dont know. The box was at the back of the cabineta two-test pack with one left over from God only knows when I bought the thingand I didnt think to check for an expiration date. So maybe it was wrong?
Maybe? Ive never used one.
Delia rolled her eyes. Youre probably one of those every-twenty-eight-days girls you could set a calendar by. Youre organized even on a biological level. I didnt even notice when I missed the first period. I stay busy, and frankly its not like Im anxious to experience the cramps and accompanying joys. But then when I realized Id missed a second one I got up at five this morning, needing to pee for the third time since going to bed, and knew there was no way I could fall back asleep. But honestly I was expecting a negative. I figured that it would just confirm my suspicions that after forty things get less predictable. Well, this was certainly unpredicted! I havent figured out how Im going to tell Ringo, but the mans likely to keel over in shock at the news.
Which explained avoiding him and using the extra time of his New York trip to think it through. You should get a second opinion, Kate said. Surely there was room for error in an expired grocery store pregnancy test.
Oh, trust me. I play tennis sometimes with an OB and I called her on the way here. She told me to swing by her office first thing in the morning, but she went ahead and answered a few questions.
About your age?
For starters. Delia stood, clearly restless, and ended up by the island, pivoting the champagne bottle on its base. Risks, side effects, the drinks Ive had lately. Even I know pregnant women shouldnt have alcohol, but the doc said I wouldnt be the first woman to imbibe before she knew she was expecting. After talking to her, Im not as worried about whats past as what the hell happens next.
Wow. It was a lot to take in. Kate could only imagine how her friend felt.
Yeah. Pregnancy? Wow barely begins to cover it.
Is someone pregnant? Neve chirped.
Both women jumped, having been so intent on the conversation that they hadnt noticed the teenager at the carpeted edge of the kitchen. Or the woman who was arriving behind her.
Lily! Kate stood. I didnt hear the doorbell.
I opened the door when I saw her drive up, Neve offered.
Maybe Lily was just here for a friendly cup of coffee, but Kate couldnt help thinking of a woman in her office whod adopted a baby and was periodically subjected to unannounced visits from social workers. Well, good morning. You remember my friend Delia from the wedding andeverything? The two women had seen each other in the courtroom, as well. She came over to help me with breakfast for the kids.
Lilys laser-beam gaze shot from the bottle of champagne in Delias hands to the cookbook open to a bare-chested hunk, then back to Kate. Uh-huh. Well, is there anything I can do to add my assistance? PJ says hes really hungry.
Starving, the little boy moaned from the next room with drama Kate wouldnt have thought the easygoing child capable of an hour ago.
I, um, was just about to pour cereal. At least shed cleaned up the mess caused by their waffle attempts. You can grab some bowls, if youd like. Or check the fridge for fresh fruit.
Delia volunteered to do the latter, burying her head in the refrigerator.
Lounging in the doorway, Neve watched the women retrieving milk and silverware. So is someone having a baby?
Lily actually dropped the bowl in her hands, her gaze flying toward Kate.
She thinks I might be pregnant, Kate realized. It was almost funny. But not.
The possibility was less laughable with Delia sitting there facing that very real prospect. Besides, Kate couldnt scoff at the thought of herself being a mother. Even if she never gave birth, Neve and PJ were here now, her responsibility. Not just for the five months, either.
Though she imagined the situation would become easier once Paul was home, her life had been changed for years to come. Unlike her husbands temporary confinement in West Virginia, motherhood was a life sentence.
If there was one thing Neve hated, it was the way grown-ups were allowed to change the topic when they didnt want to answer a question. Kate had conveniently declared breakfast ready without ever addressing the baby issue again. Like that would work if a kid tried it, Neve thought as she chased soggy cornflakes around the bowl with her spoon. She could just imagine her father demanding, Would you like to explain the grade you got on this pop quiz? and her trying to respond with, Hey, Dad, did you know I could roll my tongue into this funny U shape? It would never fly.
Then again, since when had her father taken a pressing interest in her day-to-day schoolwork? As long as her final grade on the report card was okay, he gave her plenty of space. States and states of it. One of Neves science teachers had said that the ability to curl your tongue was genetic. Since Neve could, either her father or her mother should be able to, as well. Wonder which one.
She should ask her dad next time she saw him. At least then shed have an opening line for her first visit to the jail. Her throat clogged as she tried to remember if shed ever seen her mother do it. Mom made funny faces when no one was looking, just to make Neve and PJ laugh. And she always made macadamia brownies on days that sucked.
Lately it felt like most days sucked.
Can I be scused? PJ asked. He sat at the small table with Neve, while the three women in the room ate standing around the kitchen island. The cornflakes hadnt merited a sit-down meal in the carpeted dining room.
Its excused, Neve corrected. Youre too old to talk like a baby.
Neve. Aunt Lilys tone was sharp. Yes, PJ, you may be excused. Put your dishes in the sink first, okay?
Excellent idea, Aunt Lily, PJ said, crossing his eyes in Neves direction. After I rinse my bowl out, can I play the Xbox?
Brat. Youll need help hooking it up, Neve reminded him. Their father put it away in the closet when they werent home. She wasnt sure why it bothered her so much. After all, she could hardly envision Dad and Kate sitting down to a challenge match of Crazy Taxi, but still She didnt like to think of her things stuffed onto crowded shelves and forgotten while her father and Kate did whatever it was boring, married adults did.
Mom was never boring.
She glanced up to find Kate looking at her. What? It came out disrespectful, and she was surprised Aunt Lily didnt reprimand her again.
Are you all finished? her stepmother asked.
Yeah, I guess I wasnt very hungry. Now that breakfast was over, would the women carry on the conversation theyd abruptly ended? But I could stay and load the dishwasher for you if you want.
Kate raised an eyebrow, looking suspicious of the offer. Just because she couldnt make waffles didnt mean she was stupid. Thats all right. Why dont you and PJ go play? Maybe you could help him get his video games set up.
Sure. Go play? Im not six. She was beyond the stage where she dressed Barbies in her room while the grownups had their Very Important Talks.
As soon as PJ had all the cords plugged into the right outlets, Neve grabbed the Harry Potter book shed been reading and sat in the silvery-gray armchair closest to the kitchen. The chair wasnt nearly as comfortable as the couch or the recliner closer to the television set, but she wouldnt be able to hear anything from either of those seats.
Right now it sounded as if Kates friend Delia was saying goodbye. Neve made a point of concentrating hard on her book when the tall blond woman walked through the living room to the front door.
Well, I didnt mean to make her uncomfortable, Aunt Lily said. How was I supposed to know she was pregnant?
I dont think shes ready for people to knowthats the point. Kates tone was civil, but even a kid could hear the tension between the two women.
Then, if I can give you a little advice, dont bring controversial subjects up with kids in the next room. They hear more than you think. As if realizing the truth in her own words, Lily suddenly lowered her voice.
The rest of the murmured conversation was a lost cause, so Neve gave up and tried to pay attention to what was going on at Hogwarts instead. But not even Hermione, her favorite character, could distract her. Controversial? That meant, like, scandalous. Was Delias having a baby a scandal because she was so oldor because she didnt want to have one?