Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92136 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92136 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
“Hey, Emme. Come on in.” He stepped back so I could enter, and immediately two small, dark-haired boys rushed into the front hall, circling his feet and mine like excited puppies. “Knock it off, you two,” he scolded. “Mommy already told you to go play upstairs.”
The two boys dutifully headed up the stairs, the littler one grabbing the back of the bigger one’s shirt so he could scoot past him and beat him to the top. I smiled and slipped off my coat. “No school today?”
Nick took my coat and hung it up in the front hall closet. “Gianni’s still at school. Those two monkeys had preschool this morning. I picked them up at eleven and fed them quickly so they’d stay out of your way. Come on back, girls are in the kitchen.” He lowered his voice. “I’ll warn you—Coco’s a little grumpy.”
I nodded, figuring at nine months pregnant, that was her right. “Got it.”
I followed him down the hall into the kitchen, a beautiful open space with white cupboards, marble countertops, tons of copper cookware hanging over the island cooktop, and a big farmhouse sink. It smelled absolutely divine, like lemon and garlic and sautéed chicken. My mouth began to water.
Coco was sitting at the kitchen table, her bare feet propped on an adjacent chair. Her long dark hair was heaped in a nest at the top of her head, and she wore what looked like one of Nick’s black Burger bar T-shirts, her pregnant stomach bulging at the front, distorting the logo, and a pair of gray sweatpants. That’s how I knew for sure she must be really uncomfortable, because she never wore sweatpants. Ever.
Mia jumped out of the chair across from Coco’s. “Hi!” she squealed, running at me with her arms open. She was on the short side, like me, but dark-haired, and dressed much more casually in jeans and a V-neck T-shirt that said Abelard Vineyards on the front.
“Hi,” I said, hugging her hard. “It’s so good to see you. You look great.”
“So do you. Come sit.” She tugged on my hand, leading me over to the table.
I took the chair next to Mia’s and set my bag on the floor. “How are you feeling?” I asked Coco.
She scowled. “Like I swallowed a mean alien shaped like a beach ball with arms and legs he’s determined to beat me with from the inside out.”
“He?” I looked from her to Mia and back to her again. As far as I knew, Coco and Nick hadn’t wanted to learn the sex before birth. “You know for sure it’s another boy?”
“No,” said Nick firmly from behind us. “We don’t.”
“Why wouldn’t it be a boy?” Coco asked, throwing her hands up. “I had three boys in a row. I think that’s the only kind of baby we know how to make.” She narrowed her eyes. “Either that or my grandmother put some sort of hex on me.”
Mia laughed. “Well, you never know. Maybe this one will surprise you.”
“Lunch in five minutes, ladies.” Nick went over to the fridge and opened it. “Emme, can I get you something to drink? We have water, sparkling water, iced tea, Diet Coke, white wine, red wine, sparkling —”
“Oooh, try the sparkling.” Mia lifted her wine glass to her lips. “I brought it.”
“Wiiiiiiine,” Coco moaned. “God, I miss wine. How long until I can have some again?”
“Babe, you could be sipping champagne tonight if you’d just pop that baby out,” Nick answered cheerfully.
Coco put two hands on her belly. “Are you listening? Time to come out. Mama needs a glass of wine.”
“I’ll try the sparkling, thanks,” I said to Nick. “Are you having any contractions?” I asked Coco.
She nodded. “A ton. In fact, I’m thinking this baby is coming sooner rather than later. Are you okay to handle everything at work this week?”
“Absolutely,” I said, taking the glass of wine Nick handed me.
“Good. Amy can help you out, and Mia said she’d be willing to work too, if you need her.”
“Definitely. I’m here until Thursday,” Mia said.
Amy was Coco’s assistant, and she had taken on a lot of extra work since Lucy quit. In fact, she’d done so well that we hadn’t even replaced the Traitor. “I’ll probably be fine with Amy, but it would be fun to work together,” I said to Mia.
She smiled. “I think so too. In fact, speaking of working together, I wanted to ask you about something.” Both of us sat back as Nick came over with two plates and set them in front of us.
“Here you go, ladies. Chicken Piccata, some veggies, a little gnocchi…”
“Looks delicious,” I said, inhaling the aroma. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He winked at me before going back to make a plate for his wife, and I thought again how lucky Coco was.
“So what’s up?” I asked Mia, picking up my fork.