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But that morning, I took the time to really enjoy being in there. It was like my body was coming alive. I could feel it in a different way. I was looking at it from a new perspective. The water slipped over my curves and brushed along sensitive skin, waking me up.
When I finally got out, I got dressed, put on makeup, and styled my hair. Looking in the mirror, I wondered if I looked different to anybody else. It wasn’t far enough along in my pregnancy to show at all. In a few more weeks, I might have a softer belly that would make me look like I’d gained weight. But it would be a while before there was anything that could be readily recognized as a baby bump.
Yet when I looked in the mirror, I felt different. I felt more feminine and beautiful. This was something I could definitely get used to.
I had been scheduling my work to start later in the day recently since it seemed I had more energy in the evenings now. That meant I had plenty of time to relax and enjoy my lunch with Trish. Considering the news I was bringing her, I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be a quick one.
The restaurant I chose was an old tearoom that had been in the same place for almost a hundred years. My mother used to bring me there when I was a little girl. It was our special place, somewhere we shared that was for just the two of us. We would get dressed up and go shopping, then finish up our afternoon with the leisurely, elegant tradition of afternoon tea.
Trish was already sitting at a table when I walked in. She smiled at me as I walked toward her, and I noticed her eyes sliding over me like she was trying to figure something out.
“You look pretty today,” she said. “I mean, you always look pretty. But today you really look fantastic.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“Did you do something different?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
I could barely contain myself, but it was amusing watching Trish try to figure it out. The waitress came up and told us what was being offered on the menu that day. She asked for our tea selection, and I saw an opportunity.
“Are any of your teas decaffeinated?” I asked.
“Yes. Our peppermint tea has no caffeine,” the waitress said.
“Then I’ll have that,” I said.
The waitress walked away, and I looked across the table at Trish. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth open slightly.
“Decaf?” she asked. “It’s early in the afternoon. Are you having trouble sleeping?”
“Not exactly,” I said.
“Oh, my God,” she said. “You’re pregnant.”
I nodded. “I am.”
She squealed with the same ear-splitting note she hit when I told her I’d had sex with Nick. Only then we were in a crowded bar, so it wasn’t as explosive as in the quiet, sophisticated tearoom. Even with everybody in the restaurant now staring at us, I couldn’t even be upset. Trish’s enthusiasm made me happy.32NickWhen I was first planning the office for my investment firm, there were a few features I knew I needed to have. My brothers all recommended I leave the construction itself up to the contractors and finishing it off up to an interior designer. That would make it easier, and it would be done faster.
Which might have been true, but it also very well could have meant ending up with an office I didn’t really love. And that was the entire point of starting from scratch in the first place. There were plenty of vacant office buildings available to buy, and even buildings with shared space if I didn’t think I needed it all to myself. I could have just snatched up one of those, had a designer throw some things into it, and called it a day.
That wasn’t me. I didn’t want to just settle for what someone else had created, or the vision they had of my space. Instead, I wanted to be involved in every single aspect of it as much as I possibly could. That started with designing the building and having it built to my specifications, and then designing the majority of the interior myself. I had a little bit of help, but for the most part, I had my hand in every detail, right down to making sure there was a kitchen that was a smaller version of the one at the compound.
All the features and details I picked had their merits, but that night I was particularly fond of the television I made sure was in the lobby, and the second one in my office. Both were stored in cabinets that kept them out of sight when they weren’t in use. That meant the vast majority of people who came into the office didn’t even know they were there.
