“No. I’m tired of talking about myself. How are you doing? How is life with three kids and a fiancé?”
“You forgot the puppy,” Liz said. “Ethan’s bright idea, although I get the blame. I allowed a vote. Of course everyone wanted the puppy but me and now in addition to everything else, I’m potty training a very energetic Labradoodle named—wait for it—Newman.”
Pia giggled. “Newman?”
“Can you believe it?”
At the beginning of summer, Liz had discovered she had two nieces she hadn’t known about. The oldest, a fourteen-year-old, had contacted her through Liz’s Web site, admitting their father was in prison and their stepmother had taken off, leaving them on their own. Liz had packed up her son and her computer and driven to Fool’s Gold to rescue the girls.
The difficult situation had been complicated by the fact that Ethan, the oldest of the Hendrix children, had been the father of Liz’s ten-year-old son. Through a series of miscommunications, Liz thought he knew about Tyler, but he hadn’t been told. After a very rocky few months, they’d realized they were still madly in love. Now Ethan was building them a house, they were engaged and Liz had custody of her two nieces. And Newman.
“Don’t you have to go on a book tour soon?” Pia asked.
Liz was a bestselling mystery author.
“Next week,” Liz said with a sigh. “Denise is moving in for the duration. I’ve warned her it’s not going to be the big party she’s expecting. The good news is Newman is about ninety percent on knowing where to pee.”
“Meaning not in the house?”
“Exactly. I finally have a chore list for the kids that seems workable, and everyone is doing their own laundry. It means that Tyler sometimes has pink socks, but he’s learning to deal with that.” Liz shook her head. “I’m normally gone about three weeks, but under the circumstances my publisher very graciously agreed that ten days was better. Honestly, I’m looking forward to being alone in a hotel room. No loud music or TV, no fighting over the Wii control, no yells asking what time is dinner.”
“No Ethan.”
“That’s the downside, but I’ll survive. Actually, he’s a big help with the kids. The girls adore him. He’s helping Abby with her pitching. There’s a softball team in middle school and she wants to get on it.”
“You’ve settled in to living here. For a while I didn’t think that was going to happen.”
“Me, either,” Liz admitted. “It was tough at first, because of my past, but eventually the town and I made peace with each other.”
Pia studied her friend. She considered it a sign of her good character that she didn’t mind that Liz was beautiful, with shiny red hair and a perfect body.
“You look happy,” Pia said.
“I am. I know you don’t want to talk about it, but how are you doing?”
“Better. I’m sleeping. I’m desperately bored, which is probably a good sign. Now that I know people are mucking around in my office, I’m even more anxious to get back.” She lightly touched her stomach. “It’s hard not to be scared about the two little ones still in there.”
“Not surprising. When’s your next doctor’s visit?”
“In a couple of days. I want her to tell me everything is going to be all right, and I know she can’t make that promise.”
“She can get close,” Liz told her.
“I hope so. Right now I feel as if everything I do puts the babies at risk. Once they’re born, I’ll be able to relax.”
Liz raised her eyebrows. “Sorry to disillusion you, but no. In some ways it will be better, but in others, it will be worse. Every stage brings new joys and new traumas. It’s amazing that any of us ever have kids, given all that can go wrong.”
“The need to procreate burns hot and bright.”
“Apparently. In the end, it’s worth it though. You’ll love those babies in a way you’ve never loved before. It’s magical and you’ll be so grateful to have them.”
“I look forward to that,” Pia admitted. “Losing one has brought me closer to the others. I’m thinking of them as tiny, little people inside of me. I want to see what they’re going to look like and hold them and keep them safe.”
“Look at you. A few weeks ago, you didn’t know why Crystal had left the embryos to you. Are you still asking yourself that question?”
“Less than I was.”
“So we’re both happy,” Liz said. “Which is the way it’s supposed to be. Have you and Raoul set a date for the wedding?”
“No.” Despite his proposal and the very impressive ring she wore, she couldn’t imagine getting married. Visualizing the ceremony was beyond her. “One crisis at a time.”