Page 59 of My Girlfriend is Not the Father

Fine. She wasn’t going to confess. Then Jade had to spit it out. Her mind shifted to the fellow teammates who’d lost out on the profit sharing, to her broken trust, to the unfairness of this situation. She straightened her spine. ‘You’re fired.’ The words cut, hard, in the air. ‘I’m withholding your final paycheque to recoup a fraction of what you stole. I’d tell you to pay it back, but we both know that won’t happen, will it?’

Shayna’s tear-filled eyes lowered, and she shook her head. ‘Do you even want to know why?’

‘Would it matter?’

A long, tense moment passed. ‘No. Probably not.’

Shayna’s gaze stayed on the floor before she pivoted sharply and stomped out of the room. Jade bit back the urge to follow her and yell out passive aggressive comments about needing to watch her to make sure she didn’t steal anything else on her way out. She heard shuffling and the clang of curling irons being shoved into a bag. Shayna returned a moment later, her head held high, her eyes focused on the wall in front of her. She slammed through the alley door.

And then, she was gone.

Jade sat down on the stool but leapt back up as her stomach churned and acid flooded her mouth. She rushed to the bathroom. So much for cool, collected confidence. She was going to be sick.

Chapter 22

Lucy

What was this miraculous burst of energy? Could Lucy bottle this up and sip from it when she needed it the most? She felt human. Alive. Ah-mazing. She couldn’t believe that a mere six weeks ago she was so sick that she forgot about the queer indie bookstore opening, and today she felt like she could actually jog – which she never did, pregnant or otherwise.

‘Morning, Erica!’ Lucy bounced down the hall at work holding a decaf white chocolate mocha, her cross-body bag snugged tightly around her expanding chest and belly. ‘Morning, Pamela. Yes, before you ask, the new account list is almost done and will be on your desk by ten.’

‘Well, aren’t you chipper this morning. Give me ten minutes to finish this coffee and I’ll match your energy,’ Pamela called out as Lucy rounded the corner.

Lucy moved to her office, flumped her stuff onto the desk, and cracked open the blinds. February had started with a week of dense, heavy clouds, but today, the sun had finally pushed its way through. The evergreen trees outside her window were laced with fresh snow from this morning, and the sunbeams made the snowflakes sparkle. After answering a few emails in record time and pulling an audit report, she heard the clicks of heels against the floor approaching.

‘Knock, knock,’ Pamela said as she also physically knocked and poked her head through the doorway.

‘Don’t you think it’s a little redundant to both knock and say that you’re knocking?’ Lucy grinned and sipped from her drink.

‘Redundant or efficient. All in the eye of the beholder, my dear.’ Pamela rubbed a flattened hand down her blue power suit. ‘I come bearing gifts.’ She pulled out a colourful bouquet of tiger lilies and wildflowers.

Lucy’s chest lifted. ‘For me?’ Her and Jade’s technical four-month anniversary was today, but they hadn’t celebrated the other ones, so this was out of the norm. Or maybe it was an early Valentine’s gift? Swoon.

‘Sure wasn’t for me from my hubs. God knows it’s been years since he bought me flowers.’ Pamela set the vase down on the desk and waved as she exited.

Lucy ripped open the envelope.

Just a little something to let you know how much we love you! Hugs, Mason and Drew.

Her heart shouldn’t dip with disappointment like this, and she felt like a total jerk-hole for frowning at the flowers like they’d personally betrayed her, but … she really thought they would be from Jade. Lucy hated that she felt so icky.

She and Jade were solid. Only six months had passed since they met each other over Lucy’s lost wallet in the condiment section, but it felt like Jade had been in her life for years. And it had been forever, literally forever, since Lucy had a real girlfriend, so maybe she didn’t know all the rules.

She definitely wasn’t going to dwell on the fact that they still hadn’t said ‘I love you’. Should that have happened by now? She shook the insecurity away and shot off a thank-you text to the dads.

The morning flew by with a smattering of customer enquiries, putting out a few fires, and chatting with the marketing team about what made their bank unique. Just as she was about to get up from the chair to use the bathroom, her phone buzzed and she grabbed it from her purse.

Drew: Still on for tonight?

Lucy: Yep! So excited.

Double-date night was one of her favourite nights of the month, because it meant she was surrounded by her favourite people in the world. For the next few hours, she buried herself in work, until Pamela stopped by again. ‘Were the flowers from Jade?’

Lucy’s smile twitched. ‘No, Mason and Drew.’

‘Ah, that’s super sweet. I’m sure they don’t know how to thank you enough for everything.’ Pamela crossed the room to Lucy’s desk. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘I’m good. Great, actually.’ Lucy tucked a few papers into a folder and handed it over. ‘Woke up this morning and like, I don’t know, I wanted to run a marathon. I mean, if I was a runner, which we all know I’m not.’