by Jaye Diane
“I guess I should say thank you?” Robyn asked with a short laugh. Casey losing her job wouldn't make up for all the drama she'd caused but it was a small consolation.
“Yeah, you should,” Emerald said. “I wish you could have seen her holding her hand to her chest like a baby and walking with her head down. They wouldn't even let her pack her things. They told her they'll mail her stuff to her. I get the feeling that Lacey and Tasha don't like her.”
“Wow, you had some adventure.”
“Yes, it was fun.” Emerald laughed. “So how have you been? Where's Mom and Dad?”
“They're both at work.”
“I should ask Marjorie for a job. Maybe I could wait tables in her restaurant or something.”
“You could ask her for a job,” Robyn agreed, although she knew Emerald was joking. “I bet she'd find you a position doing something.”
“I'll keep that in mind if I can't find something in a few months,” Emerald said. “So how's everything else?”
“I was so sick this morning,” Robyn confessed. “But I woke up with a migraine and I think that made my morning sickness a lot worse. But I'm fine now, thank God.”
“Aww, honey.”
“My morning sickness should theoretically be over soon but my mother told me that she and Peyton both had morning sickness a lot longer than normal so it looks like I might be the same way.”
“Oh yeah,” Emerald said, frowning. “I remember how sick Peyton was. That's what made me ask for extra strength birth control pills.”
They both laughed until Emerald sobered up and grabbed both of Robyn's hands in her own.
“And how have you been...other than that... Devin told me you and he had an argument and you're not really speaking.”
“You're speaking to Devin now?” Robyn asked, wondering what they'd said about her.
“We had a late-lunch-early-dinner together yesterday after everything went down at his office.”
“You had dinner together? Are you two friends now?”
“Yes, we are friends now,” Emerald said. “You know I've always thought he was a good guy.”
“Until he broke my heart.”
“Yeah, there is that.” Emerald leaned in close. “But you know I've been rooting for you two to get back together. And I still am.”
“It's not going to happen,” Robyn said, pulling her hands away and folding them on her lap. “I thought we could go slow and maybe see where things lead... but then I attacked him and we made love... And he thought that meant that we were truly back together. But I was freaking out and I asked him to leave.”
“What!”
Robyn nodded, “Yes, it's true. I had sex with him. More than once.”
“I thought you weren't ready-”
“I wasn't. It was my hormones. And it's cost me everything. As it stands right now, we're not even friends.”
“This is so stupid, Robyn. This is not a reason not to be together.”
“You know why I can't do it, Emmy. I can't trust him not to leave me again. What if something else happens? Something else stupid or even something else major? He's not ready to be with me. He can't truly commit to me. If he really wanted to be with me we never would have broken up in the first place.”
“You can't hold that one mistake against him forever,” Emerald whispered. “He feels awful for what he did. Do you honestly think he'd do something like that again?”
“I don't know,” Robyn said gravely. “I just don't know. And that's the problem. I can't take any more chances. I just can't. If he left me again, I might never recover.”
“But you're taking a chance now anyway. You're taking a chance on loneliness and you shouldn't give it a chance. You're never going to meet another guy who makes you feel what Devin makes you feel. Don't give up on him.”
Robyn was so overpowered by her grief and tears that she couldn't speak. Emerald came around the small table to wrap her arms around her friend and Robyn put her head down and continued to weep.
Chapter Thirteen
“Look at all this stuff!” Emerald exclaimed, looking at all the baby stuff that Marjorie had purchased. “This is crazy!”
“I know,” Marjorie said, proudly, pointing to boxes. “That's the crib. That's the changing table.”
“How many bags of clothes are in here?” Robyn yelped. There were dozens and dozens of bags of clothes for boys and girls, of all colors. The purple room was filled. There were also bags of baby bottles and blankets and other important necessities that Robyn hadn't been planning to buy for at least another few months or more.
“There's at least a few dozen,” Marjorie said, clasping her hands behind her back and glancing around the huge room.
“Mom, please take it easy,” Robyn implored. “First of all, you and Dad aren't rich so you shouldn't be wasting this money. Second of all, can we at least wait until I know the sex of the baby before we get anymore clothes?” Although, judging from the huge clutter in the room, her mother had probably bought enough clothes to outfit the baby for the whole first year of his or her life.
“I know we're not rich,” Marjorie said, rolling her eyes quickly. “But did you forget my trust fund? I've barely touched it. My family is rich and I should put that money to good use.”
“Sounds like a good plan.” Emerald bent down and reached into a bright pink bag, taking out a baby wipe warmer. “You're going to put good use to this stuff, Robyn.”
Robyn glowered at the other two women and tried to find some excitement but she was annoyed at her mother's overhanded manner once again.
The sound of the bell ringing prevented her from saying anything else, not that she even knew what to say.
“Oh, that should be Angelica,” Marjorie said, rushing out of the room.
Robyn grimaced. She'd thought she had at least another twenty-four hours before she had to see Devin's mom again.
“It's going to be fine!” Emerald whispered loudly as they followed Marjorie down the hall to the staircase.
Quintin was just closing the door and Angelica was already removing her coat.
“How's Jared?” Robyn heard her father asking.
“He's doing well,” Angelica said with a beautiful smile. “He's working overtime to make up for the time he missed when we had the storm.”
“But he's still coming tomorrow, right?” Marjorie asked.
“Of course,” Angelica replied and her eyes moved from Marjorie to Robyn and Emerald.
“Hello, girls,” Angelica said, kissing both Robyn and Emerald on the cheek. “Emerald, it is good to see you again.”
“Very nice to see you,” Emerald murmured, a small smile on her face. Her eyes got big and round when Angelica placed both hands on Robyn's still flat stomach.
Robyn forced herself not to move although her heartbeat suddenly increased.
“How is my grandchild today?” Angelica asked. “And how are you feeling, Robyn? Your mother told me you were quite ill this morning.”
Robyn resisted the urge to glare at her mother. Marjorie had such a big mouth. She didn't know why she was surprised that she'd told Angelica she'd been sick.
“We're both doing very well,” Robyn said, forcing a smile. “I had a really bad migraine this morning but once it passed I was just fine and I've been great ever since.”
“I'm glad to hear it.” Angelica gave Robyn's stomach one last rub and then took Robyn's hand in her own and began walking towards the living room.
Robyn looked back at her grinning parents and scowled at them. Emerald was quietly giggling behind her hand.
Robyn sat down on the couch beside Angelica, wondering what scheme her and Devin's mothers had cooked up. It couldn't get much worse than planning their wedding without them even being engaged, or even together.
“I heard you weren't too happy with us planning the wedding,” Angelica said as if she could read Robyn's mind.
“Wedding?” Emerald asked with a gasp. Her eyes looked like they were g
oing to pop out of her head.
“It's a long story,” Robyn said, shaking her head at her friend before looking back to Angelica.
“So I wanted to consult you before I did anything for your baby shower.” Angelica still held Robyn's hand and she lightly squeezed it. “I didn't want to risk making you upset.”
“It's too soon to plan a baby shower,” Robyn said, not knowing what else to say.
“It's never too soon,” Marjorie scoffed.
Quintin quietly shook his head and grabbed the remote, turning on the television.
“It is too soon,” Robyn said, louder this time. “I'm not due until the middle of the summer and winter has just begun.”
“This is my first grandchild,” Angelica said, looking pitiful. “I'm just excited. I called the club to see what's open for June and there's only a couple of slots available-”
“A country club?” Emerald asked.
“Yes,” Marjorie nodded emphatically. “We've been members for several years now. The hall there is lovely. It would even do for a wedding reception if we hadn't already booked The Scope.”
Emerald's mouth dropped open. Robyn shook her head, growing more annoyed by the second.
“Thank you for talking to me about this,” Robyn said, meeting Angelica's eyes. “But I really don't want a baby shower in some fancy country club. And I don't even want to talk about a baby shower until spring time. It's too soon for this.”
Marjorie protested, “But, Robyn-”
“She's said how she feels,” Quintin interjected. “That's it.”
“But-”
“Leave her be,” Quintin said gently but firmly.
Robyn smiled at her father gratefully.
“That's that, then,” Angelica said sadly. She was staring down at her hand clasped with Robyn's.
“I don't have a problem with you planning the baby shower,” Robyn rushed to say, feeling guilty, “As long as it’s planned when the time is right. And it can be something casual, like in your house or at a park or something. I don't want some lavish party. I want to have fun.”
Angelica brightened. “I can do that.”
“Great,” Robyn said with relief. She smiled at her father and Emerald, who smiled back. But her mother's face was expressionless.
After Angelica had gone home, they all retired to their rooms for the night. Robyn gathered her nightgown and toiletries, preparing to take a shower, when her phone rang.
Her heart seemed to leap into her throat when she saw Devin's name flash across screen.
“Hello?” She asked, sinking onto the bed with weak knees.
“Hey, Robyn, how are you?” His voice was smooth and soothing as honey.
“I'm great,” She said, only realizing then how much she'd missed the sound of his voice, “And you?”
“I could be better,” He said, his voice low.
She bit her lip, unsure of what to say.
“My mother called me earlier and told me you'd had a rough day. But you sound alright so I'm guessing she was exaggerating as usual.”
“I was sick this morning,” Robyn admitted. “I had a really bad headache. But it didn't last long. Actually, Angelica was just here,” Robyn added quickly, eager to change the subject. “She left about ten minutes ago.”
“Did they try to gang up on you again?” He asked, only half joking.
“No, they didn't. But my father helped me with them. Your mom wanted to have the baby shower at their country club. Did you know that they're members of a country club?”
“I forgot that they are. But yeah, my mom told me once. And she thought she could have a baby shower there? I don't know what's gotten into them. I have to call Javy and see if they've been nagging him and Elizabeth as much.”
Robyn wanted to know, herself. She was only due a few weeks before Elizabeth. The Jamison family had two summer babies on the way.
“So,” Robyn said awkwardly, “Emmy's here. She told me she got Casey fired.”
“Yeah, she did. And Casey had it coming.”
“I want you to know... I didn't have anything to do with Emmy going over there and confronting Casey. I didn't ask her to do anything.”
“I know you wouldn't do something like that,” Devin replied, sounding surprised that she'd even feel the need to clarify things. “You never were the type to involve other people in your issues.”
She smiled without speaking. As a biracial child, she'd dealt with her share of bullies. There had been plenty of times that she'd wanted to get Javy and Devin, and even Peyton, to deal with the mean kids who taunted her. But she'd handled each situation on her own.
“That's just one of the things I love about you,” He added quietly.
“Well, uh, thanks, Devin...” Robyn sat up straight, all at once nervous and anxious. “I have to go, Devin. I'm about to get ready for bed.”
“Okay.” He said. “Goodnight.”
He didn't wait for her to reply, instead hanging up quickly. She stared down at the phone, knowing that she'd hurt his feelings.
“You okay?” Emerald asked, peeping her head into the room.
Robyn jumped, not realizing that Emerald had opened the door.
“I'm fine,” Robyn said, putting the phone down and standing up. “Devin just called to check up on me.”
“Poor dude,” Emerald said, walking all the way into the room. “If there ever was a dude that I feel sorry for, it's him.”
“Please don't start, Emmy,” Robyn said, picking up her toiletries and nightgown again.
“I won't, I won't,” Emerald said with a roll of her eyes. “I came in to ask you about this wedding Mrs. Jamison mentioned earlier. How can there be a wedding when you won't even talk to Devin?”
“I talk to him all the time.” Robyn frowned at her friend.
“You know what I mean.” Emerald waved her hand dismissively.
“My mother went behind our backs and booked The Scope for our so-called wedding reception. And Angelica booked a band.”
Emerald began laughing and Robyn shook her head.
“It's not funny. They think they can bully us because they've wasted all this money but they're the ones that are going to look crazy in the end. Shit, they look crazy now.”
Emerald continued to laugh, her hands going to her stomach as she hunched over.
“I'm going to take a shower,” Robyn said, annoyed all over again when she thought about what her mother and Devin's mother had done. Emerald's laughter followed her all the way down the hall.
She and Emerald had breakfast the next day once her stomach had settled. Robyn was relieved that she was able to stomach some oatmeal along with lightly buttered toast. Emerald had oatmeal and sausage. After breakfast they plopped down on the couch to watch movies.
The house was very quiet since both her parents had gone to work. Marjorie had said that she was stopping at the market to buy groceries once she left the restaurant. Quintin said he was going to stop at the liquor warehouse. She knew her parents were planning a huge feast for New Year's Eve and New Year’s Day. As far as she knew, only Jared and Angelica were supposed to come but from the way her mother had gone on and on about food, Robyn couldn't help but think other people were coming as well.
While she and Emerald ate lunch, Emerald again talked about getting Casey fired as well as her jerk of an ex-boss. She talked about her dry spell, how she'd been single for too long. Robyn listened contentedly, happy to be with her friend and happy not to have to discuss herself.
After they ate lunch, they ended up back on the couch, watching another romantic comedy. When Robyn felt her eyes getting heavy, she didn't even try to fight it. She snuggled down into the pillows and pulled a throw over herself, relieved to escape into sleep.
“What do you want?” Devin demanded, seeing Casey leaning up against his black BMW. The employee parking lot was almost empty. Several people had cut out early, eager to celebrate the new year. He didn't even see the security guard anywhere, just gray walls
and black asphalt with a few cars here and there.
“I have to talk to you,” Casey said, approaching him. She looked terrible, bags under her eyes, messy hair blowing with the wind. She appeared to have on the same red suit that she'd been wearing when she was escorted from 50G the day before. She had a splint around her pointer finger and she clutched her hand to her chest.
“There's nothing for us to talk about.”
“We've been friends for eight years and you won't talk to me?”
“If you were really my friend you wouldn't have pulled that shady shit. I don't have time for games.”
“I'm sorry, Devin,” Casey said, fat tears rolling down her face. “I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for all of this to happen.”
“Well what the hell did you think would happen, Casey?” He demanded, wanting to get as far away from her as possible. “You know what, never mind. I don't care. It didn't work anyway.”
“I'm so alone, Devin,” Casey whispered, wiping tears with her good hand. “You were my only friend. I lost my job... Everything is going down the drain.”
“You can collect unemployment. And you have your family to turn to.” He pressed the key fob, unlocking his door, and quickly got in.
Casey shocked him by jumping next to him before he could close the door.
“Move, Casey,” He said sternly. He didn't want to get the cops involved but he didn't see the security guard anywhere.
“You're a game designer here. You have a lot of pull. You can help me get my job back.”
“Even I don't have that kind of pull. And even if I did, I don't owe you anything.” He'd gotten Casey hired in the first place. But she'd been his friend then. At least he'd thought she'd been.
“Please!” Casey yelled. “I can't lose you and this job. I just can't.”
“Well, you did,” Devin said, feeling no sympathy for her. Whenever he felt sorry for her, even a little bit, he thought about all those sleepless nights without Robyn. Even now he couldn't get Robyn to forgive him. “I can't be your friend anymore and I can't help you.”
“You can help me,” Casey sobbed. “You just won't.”
