by Nancy Adams
Aanya just shrugged. “Ok, I’m guilty. She’s my study buddy from time to time. Contract law is my favorite subject, so I guess I’m rubbing off on her.”
“Apparently so…” I said, turning to look at Kitty again. “How about we just shake on it?”
Kitty looked at Aanya who said, “It’s okay. I’m pretty sure we can trust her.”
Reluctantly, Kitty stuck out her hand and I reached for it. Her handshake was firm and confident. I could tell she was mature for her age. “It’s a deal,” she said, nodding her head decisively.
She then held out Henrik for me to take. To my surprise, he was dozing.
“Does he always fall asleep like this?”
“I’m pretty sure Henrik is like an old man in dog form,” Aanya said.
I started looking him over and figured that he was definitely an elderly dog. It would be surprising if he lived another two years, but there was no way I was telling Kitty or Aanya that.
“Well, since we have a deal, don’t you two worry. I’ll take over.”
“Thank you,” Aanya said gratefully, and impulsively Kitty stepped forward, rubbed Henrik behind the ears, and gave me a smile that melted my heart. As they walked out the door, I looked down at Henrik’s sleeping form and noticed how his tongue lolled out of his mouth when he slept.
I didn’t know what I had just signed up for, but I knew it was going to be an interesting arrangement, to say the least.
Chapter Two
I sighed as I looked at the row of cars that seemed to stretch out forever. It was a Friday night, and Libby lived in a very trendy part of town with little parking. I assumed most of the cars I passed as I walked the block to Libby’s home belonged to her guests. And I was willing to bet most of those guests were friends of her grandmother. I shook my head, knowing that Libby must be going crazy on the inside entertaining so many people while smiling on the outside.
Not that she wasn’t ecstatic about getting engaged, but I was sure her grandmother was over the moon, as they say.
I nervously began to pull at my skirt and pat my hair as I rang the doorbell, tucked my purse under my arm and waited for someone to answer. I could hear voices from the other side of the door pretty clearly. Obviously everyone was having a great time. I was the only loser standing on the front porch nervous about being around so many people. I looked down and realized my skirt was still covered in dog hair; my dog Machiavelli always seemed to leave his mark everywhere courtesy of his hair. As I dusted off my skirt, I thought about how Machiavelli and Henrik had competed to see who would sleep in my lap. Both had ended up there, and when I left the house, I tried not to feel guilty as they stared at me mournfully from the living room window.
I straightened up as I heard someone come to the door and I smiled big, telling myself to relax. I would be among friends. Well, at least two friends. Or maybe one. No one had told me if Marie was going to be there or not.
My question was soon answered when I got a look at the person opening the door. She stood there in cowboy boots, jeans and a very cute tank top. I barely recognized her with her long hair and distended belly. Her smile was radiant, absolutely radiant.
“Marie!” I screeched, enveloping her in a big hug. It was good to see my best friend from my prep school years again. She had also been my only friend, besides Libby, during that time of my life when for the most part the only people I could rely on well weren’t even people, just the random strays I found on the street. My parents had been too much of a mess to raise a teenager. Not that I had seen either of my parents often. For the most part, it was just me and my mom. Dad showed up in spurts and when he did show up, he barely even noticed that I existed.
I made myself focus on the here and now. “You look so amazing!” I said truthfully. She looked so, well…carefree. And I was used to seeing her preoccupied and, I hated to admit it, a bit uptight. But not tonight. She looked relaxed and had that glow to her that only ecstatically pregnant women could pull off.
“Oh my gosh, look at your belly,” I said pointing, and then immediately I felt bad. “I’m sorry, was that rude?”
She shook her head and laughed. “Are you kidding me? I have to stop people from touching my belly in grocery stores.”
“No!” I said, my eyes growing wide.
“Yes! Just the other day this random stranger walked up to me and placed his hand on my belly and gleefully said, ‘He’s just hanging out, baking, huh?’”
I laughed. “Are you kidding me? People are so bold.”
“People are so creepy,” Libby countered, appearing next to Marie. I smiled at her and gave her a quick hug. It felt good to be around my two best friends again. Libby lived in the area but Marie spent most of her time in Texas with her husband, Ezra. I hadn’t seen her in fact since her wedding, which felt like ages ago, and now she was pregnant, blissfully so.
“So how far along are you? Like eight months?” Libby said, looking creeped out by the subject and staring at Marie’s belly as if at any time the baby might just suddenly pop out.
“Five! I’m only five months, gosh Libby. I’m not that big,” Marie said, placing her hands on her hips, which only served to make her look even bigger. Smartly, Libby didn’t remark. She just held up her hands defensively.
“Hey, hey. Don’t bite my head off. I’ve never been around a pregnant woman, so I don’t know the difference between three months or twelve months.”
“I’m pretty sure a human female’s gestation period is not twelve months,” Marie said, shaking her head.
Libby smiled brightly. “Says who?”
“Says science,” Marie shot back and narrowed her eyes. Uh-oh. I surmised that Marie was starting to get annoyed. Maybe that’s what they meant about pregnancy mood swings. She seemed so happy one second and absolutely angry the next second.
“Sooo…is your hubby here?” I said, hoping to distract her.
She shook her head. “I sent him to the grocery store to get me some jellybeans.” She rubbed her tummy and said, “I just had this sudden craving for them. Weird.”
“I have desserts—”
“Darn it, Libby. Pastries and cakes are the absolute opposite of jellybeans! How many times do I have to tell you that?” Marie said testily.
I backed up immediately and subtly reached out to pinch Libby before she could dig herself into a deeper hole.
“Ouch!” she glared at me. “What was that for?”
“For annoying the obviously hormonal woman in front of us,” I hissed.
“I wasn’t annoying her. I was just pointing out the obvious. Pastries are sweets. Jellybeans are sweet.”
“They’re not the same—” Marie began to argue.
At that moment, Ash, Libby’s fiancé, appeared by Libby’s side and said, “Marie, I think I have some jellybeans in my car. My niece likes them, so I keep a constant supply. How about we go get them?”
“Ash, you’re so sweet,” Marie responded, and then she promptly narrowed her eyes at Libby. “She’s so lucky to have you.”
Libby rolled her eyes as the two of them made their way out the door.
“Rule number one, Libby, don’t argue with a pregnant person,” I said when Marie was out of earshot.
Libby sighed. “I know. I know. I’m just a little on edge.” I finally noticed that she did in fact not look like her usual confident self. Out of all of us, Libby was usually the one in complete control of her emotions. She was always sure of herself and self-confident. Apparently, something had rattled her bad. She was even chewing on her bottom lip. I never saw her chew on her bottom lip.
I placed a hand on her arm. “Libby, what’s wrong? Is everything okay with Grams?”
Before she could answer, the woman in question spotted me from across the room and made her way over to us. She was looking great. I guess the time she had spent with Marie in Texas had done her a world of good.
“Hi Grammy,” I said as she approached and wrapped me in a warm hug. She had been like
my surrogate grandmother. Some of the happiest moments of my teenage life were memories of sitting around Grammy’s table eating cookies with my two best friends.
“It’s so good to see all three of you back together again. I’m so happy for Marie, of course,” she said quickly. “But I know you guys must really miss each other. You three girls were closer than a bunch of sardines in a can.”
“But certainly less smelly,” I quipped.
Libby was strangely quiet. I studied her for a moment, not sure if I should inquire about whatever was bothering her in front of Grammy. I wasn’t sure if the problem was an issue with Grammy, who had been hospitalized for pneumonia over a year ago. Instead, I let my eyes scan the crowd that I had up until that moment ignored. There were at least thirty people crowded into Libby’s home. Everyone seemed to be happily talking among themselves. It was clearly going well, but Libby’s face looked anything but happy. I wanted to ask her what was wrong again, but she spoke before I could say anything.
“So, how are things going with the new locations?” Libby asked, pointedly changing the subject. She knew exactly how things were going. Something was up, and whatever it was, she didn’t want to discuss it in front of Grammy.
I followed her cue and said, “I have a new dog!”
She looked surprised, but Grammy didn’t. “Of course you do, I’ll let you girls chat. I’m going to go suck up to the guests to ensure you get the best wedding gifts possible!” With that she sashayed away, clearing showing that she planned to make good on her promise.
“So what’s going on, Libby? You look upset.”
She looked around and said, “I’d rather not discuss it here.” Her expression looked pained.
I gulped. “It’s not Grammy. Please tell me it’s not Grams.”
Libby laughed. “Are you kidding? She’s going to outlive all of us.” Then her expression became somber again. I was super concerned. Libby was the blithest of the three of us—to see her so preoccupied with something that she wasn’t even smiling at her own engagement party really scared me.
She reached out and squeezed my hand. “I can’t talk about it here. At least, not right now. I have to smile and pretend that everything’s alright. Thanks though for noticing. I feel like I’ve been a fake all night.”
“You know you don’t have to pretend with me.”
“I know…” She looked away and I could see her fighting back tears.
“No crying!” I said, startled.
She looked taken aback and then began to laugh, deep belly chuckles. “Oh my gosh, did you seriously just yell at me and tell me not to cry? That’s hilarious.”
I couldn’t help but smile too. I definitely wasn’t the yelling type. I was normally the type who just gave in and tried to keep the peace by any means necessary. Speaking of which…
“So remember how I mentioned I have a new dog?”
“Yes, why am I not surprised?”
“No, no…This was completely not my fault. It was a favor for this little girl.”
“I didn’t even know you knew any little people. Are you hanging out at playgrounds now?”
I was happy to have my sarcastic, smiling friend back. It was better than the sad face she’d worn when she first greeted me. I would take snarky Libby over sad Libby any day.
“Ha ha,” I said humorlessly. “This little girl came in with her nanny and pretty much gave me her dog to take care of.”
“Why couldn’t the little girl and her nanny take care of it?”
“Well, apparently her dad is like some sort of rich dictator and would freak if she had a dog. The little girl was so upset. It was heartbreaking.”
“Poor kid. Someone should punch her father in the face,” Libby said bitterly, stopping a guy who was walking by with drinks and helping herself to two.
“You want one?” she asked me.
I shook my head and my eyes widened as she downed both drinks within seconds of each other.
“Woah, slow down…” I said, looking at her with wide eyes.
She sheepishly shrugged her shoulders and then wrapped her arm around mine. “Come on bestie, let me introduce you to a few of my esteemed guests.”
We went around and she graciously introduced me to several older individuals whom I correctly guessed were friends of her grandmother. A few extended relatives of Libby’s that I hadn’t met before also showed up. In front of them Libby seemed to be in the best of moods, but I could see she was struggling to keep her smile in place. My heart went out to her. Whatever was bothering her must truly be terrible, I thought to myself.
At that very moment, I heard laughing from the front door and I watched as Ezra, Marie’s husband, walked in with Ash and another guest who I didn’t know. The unknown guest stood out not only because he was younger than the majority of the other guests, but also because he was incredibly handsome. He was wearing a three-piece grey suit that matched his light-colored eyes. He was way overdressed for the party, not that I was complaining. He looked like a modern version of James Bond: poised, sophisticated and sexy. I giggled at my own ridiculous comparison. He must have a very fancy job, I thought to myself. Even from across the room he radiated self-confidence and power. I figured him for the CEO type, and if he were wearing his work clothes at this time of night, I assumed he had just left the office or a late business meeting.
Marie was smiling at something Ezra had said, and I noticed then that there were two bags of jellybeans in her hands. She was apparently going to have a jellybean feast. Lucky girl, I thought wryly.
The stranger saw me staring at the jellybeans in Marie’s hand and smiled at me knowingly. I felt a blush on my cheeks and turned away from him.
“Why are you making googly eyes at Ash’s brother?” Libby said crossly.
“That’s Ash’s brother?” I said matching her tone. “And I wasn’t making googly eyes at him.”
“Yes, you were.”
“No, I wasn’t.” But I was an awful liar, and Libby shot me a knowing look as the men descended on us. Ash introduced us first.
“Jay, this is Libby’s other best friend, Sarah. Sarah, this is my brother, Jay.”
I smiled and held out my hand to him. He shook it briefly, smiled a little, and then mumbled a pleasantry and walked away. For some reason, I found myself disappointed.
“Ummm, okay then,” Libby said sarcastically.
“I apologize for him. He’s a little awkward in group social situations. He prefers getting to know people one on one. I had to practically pay him a million dollars to get him to show up tonight.”
For a moment there, I believed him; after all, Ash wasn’t just your average guy. He was a billionaire with a work ethic that rivaled most men’s. He worked as a chef in one of the many restaurants he owned, choosing to work instead of living the life of leisure. I admired him for it. If the shoe was on the other foot, I would probably stay home in my jammies and eat ice cream while hanging out with Machiavelli and Henrik if I truly didn’t have to worry about money.
“So Sarah, what have you been up to lately?”
“I have a new dog.”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah, this little girl stopped by with her nanny, Aanya, the other day. They had a dog in tow that apparently the little girl’s dad won’t let her keep. He sounded like a jerk. The dad, not the dog,” I added for clarity.
“Poor thing,” Ash said, and I knew he meant it. He doted on his niece from what I remembered, and he would let her have anything her heart desired. Libby said he spoiled her, but Libby adored the little girl as well, and helped to spoil her.
“Yeah, her nanny seemed to be about to have an anxiety attack over it. She started crying. It was so sad. You would think her boss was a monster or something.
Jay showed back up at his brother’s side and Ash filled him in. “Sarah owns a bunch of dog kennels and spas in town, and she was just talking about her newest edition.”
“Oh really?” Jay said, looking a little b
ored. “So you babysit dogs?”
The way he said it sounded belittling. “That’s a simplistic way to say it, but yes.”
Libby scowled at him and seemed ready to give him a piece of her mind when I interrupted. “It’s okay, Libby.” I turned to Jay. “To some people, having a safe place to keep their dogs is important. I provide that service.”
“I’m not trying to be critical. Everyone has to make a living, right?” His words were biting, but he said them matter-of-factly.
“You’re being rude, Jay,” Ash said with a sigh.
“Am I?” Jay said clearly shocked. “Then I apologize. You’ll have to forgive me, I spend most of my time in the office. Work is my best friend, so my social skills are sorely lacking.”
“No kidding…” Libby mumbled, and I elbowed her. She rolled her eyes in response.
Jay either ignored the comment or didn’t hear it as he held out his hand to me and said, “Can we start over?”
I hesitantly took it. “Okay.”
“I’m Jay. Sort of anti-social. Definitely socially awkward and I have a habit of saying exactly what I shouldn’t say at the most inappropriate moments.”
I shook his warm hand and smiled. “I’m Sarah—”
“And she’s perfect,” Libby interrupted.
Jay studied me and said cryptically, “Hmmm…I have no doubt that she is…”
There was something about his tone that made me blush. I gently pulled away my hand and tried not to notice that I suddenly felt hot and bothered. I was embarrassed and also completely caught off guard.
I began to talk, nervously aiming for any subject to distract myself from Jay’s light grey eyes that seemed to be regarding me a bit too knowingly. It was as if he could read me easily and sense my attraction to him. From what I knew about him based on Libby’s description, he was good at making money. She said he came in and swallowed businesses whole. I could certainly imagine that. I could picture him walking into another company’s boardroom, not bothering to make any idle chitchat and then dropping the news that he meant to acquire the company whether they wanted to sell or not. And then, while everyone would be riled up, I could picture him just sitting there, completely relaxed, waiting for everyone to just be quiet so that he could continue business. Yes, Jay seemed calculating and not one to mince words. I didn’t think he was socially awkward as much as he was probably just brutally honest and didn’t have a filter. He was just too honest and way too busy for small talk.
