Claire’s entire stomach jiggled as she laughed. “Hey how much longer before that oven timer goes off?”
Laying her hand on her stomach affectionately, Claire said, “A little over a month if I make it that long.”
Nick, apparently hearing her comment, raised his hand saying, “Please no talk of your hemorrhoids again.”
“Oh come on Nick,” Claire teased, “just think about how far ahead of the game you will be when you finally marry and your wife gets pregnant. You won’t even need to buy ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting,’ you’ll already know it all.”
Nick visibly shuddered. “God woman, can you please not jinx me over there. I have no desire for a kid or to know about all you girls’ weird bodily functions. Now on to something I do know something about, who wants another margarita?”
~~~
Suzy was relieved to get home and away from the scrutiny of her friends. They meant well and she loved them for worrying about her, but she just preferred her own company right now. At least when she was home, she didn’t have to pretend that everything was great. Only the walls of her apartment knew that she cried herself to sleep more often than not. She’d turned into one of those pathetic creatures that she’d always pitied, brought to her knees by a man and not in a good way.
At least she wasn’t walking around the office with a box of tissue sobbing on everyone who would listen. Work was her refuge, the one place that she could focus on something else. Gray had remained in Charleston, and even though it was torture not knowing what was going on, at least she didn’t have to see him every day.
According to what she’d read in her lower moments, this grieving process was normal. Why then did it feel like she was losing her mind? Maybe she should start dating. If you can’t be with the one you love, lust the one you’re with or something. Just the thought of it, though, held zero appeal.
Apparently, Beth had even said something to their mother, which was horrifying. When she called last week, she’d gone into a twenty-minute speech on the pitfalls of romantic silliness and how a woman should only rely on a solid education and a challenging career. When the moment was right, you should align yourself with someone of similar intellect and ambition to co-habitat with. Ugh, how did my parents ever have children? She could only imagine the long debate that resulted in her conception. It was probably for additional tax deductions and to possibly birth the next Einstein. Boy that must be a real kick in the ass now.
Tomorrow after her cast removal, she vowed to go to the mall and get a pedicure. She’d force herself to take that small step towards normalcy. Maybe next week she’d even ask everyone to lunch without them forcing her to go. Baby steps surely were the first step to recovery.
~~~
Nick was surprised to get a text from Gray on his cell phone when he was leaving the restaurant asking him to come to the beach house. He’d no idea that his brother was going to be in town. It gave him an uneasy feeling when he thought of Suzy. No matter how much she tried to joke everything off, she was fragile. Hell it had only been a couple of weeks since things ended with Gray and she didn’t even look healthy anymore. She still had a snappy come-back for most everything, but the light was gone from her eyes.
Suzy was a gorgeous woman, but the thing he’d always found the most eye catching about her was the way that energy just seemed to shimmer off of her. She literally pulled you into her force field and it was damn near impossible to leave her orbit once you were there. That energy was gone now. She had dark circles under her eyes that her careful make-up couldn’t conceal and even though she’d always been tiny, she was closer to frail now. If she kept this up, where would she be in another month? He knew that Beth was worried sick about her, but like all of her friends, she’d no idea what to do.
When he opened the door to his brother’s home, he was surprised at how much he’d missed the place. He’d always enjoyed living alone, but they had been somewhat of a family here for a while. Gray strolled in from the bedroom and Nick grimaced when he took a good look at his brother. “Bro, you look like hell.”
A smile lifted the corners of Gray’s fatigue-lined face. “Yeah, hello to you, too, Nicky.”
“Man, when’s the last time you slept or had a Big Mac? It looks like you could use a big supply of both.”
“Thanks for the kind words, bro. I’ve just been busy lately. I’m only here for tonight before I fly out to Seattle tomorrow.”
“Please tell me you didn’t stop over here to see Suzy?”
With a snort, Gray said, “If I did it wouldn’t be any of your concern. I’m actually just here first to pick up the new contract for Lawson from Jason. He dropped it by a few minutes ago.”