AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m sorry,” I said with a polite frown. “I think you have me mistaken.”
“I even went to the school directory.” He shook his head as though he were trying to rid himself of an errant thought.
He was relentless, just like he’d been at the party. I didn’t answer him.
Instead, I asked for their drink order and then, for the most part, ignored the table all together. When it came time to pay, Michael grabbed the check. He left a generous tip and along with it, his business card. On the back he wrote: I don’t care why you lied. Call me. Please.
I tore up the card and tossed it in the trash. I didn’t have time for a distraction. What I did have was a plan, and I was counting the days until I could see it through. All I could think about was getting back to the skies, getting back to real life. The pregnancy was just a blip, a short detour.
I’d picked out birth parents, a lovely couple who wanted what I wanted—a closed adoption.
What’s that saying about the best laid plans? Well, it’s true. About three weeks after that first lunch, Michael came back. He requested my section, and this time he was alone. “You never called.”
I shrugged.
“I’d like to take you out.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re not married, are you?” he asked, motioning toward my hand. “I mean, you’re not wearing a ring.” He glanced down at the menu. “Not that that matters. No one does things in order these days.”
“Water? Coffee? Tea?”
“Whatever you’re having.”
“A baby,” I said pointing at my enormous stomach. “I’m having a baby.”
“Whew,” he said. “I mean, I know the food is good here and all, but I’m really glad you mentioned it.” He closed the menu and placed it on the table. “The elephant in the room, as they say.” His eyebrows arched and he smiled. “You just never know.”
I rolled my eyes and left the table. Eventually, after my boss insisted, I brought him a water. He looked like the simple kind, and I couldn’t afford to be fired.
“So—Olivia,” he said, glancing at the name tag. “Have I offended you?”
“No.”
“Was our one-night stand that bad?”
“I can’t recall.”
“Ew,” he said. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Can I take your order?”
“Another shot,” he answered. “I’d like another shot.”
“We don’t serve alcohol before noon on Sunday.”
“You know what I mean—I’d like a date.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“I hate men.”
“Oh, I believe that.” He nodded at my belly and then he said, “Let’s hope you’re having a girl.”
After I declined his offer, Michael came back every day thereafter, until I did eventually agree to have dinner with him. He invited me to his new house, the one we reside in now, the one he’d designed and built himself. It seemed he’d come a long way in just a few short months. But then, we both had. I’d nearly created a whole new life too.
