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“Sure, come on down.”
I hang up and go to open the front door. I’m intrigued because they usually don’t call before they pop in. Because Scarlett is Australian, she often just arrives, unannounced, as is her way. We live so close to each other, sometimes it feels like we are more roommates than neighbors. The three of us, along with Shaun’s brother, Marco, and Jake, are pretty close, usually not going a day without talking to each other. By the time I reach the front door, I hear the elevator ding, and Scarlett and Shaun walk down the hall to my apartment with their dog Prince leading the way. He is a beautiful Labrador but still a puppy, and he bounds clumsily toward me, leaning on my legs once he reaches me for a pat on the head and a scratch behind the ears.
Engulfing me into a big hug, Scarlett gives me some of that warmth that I was missing just a few moments ago. Dressed casually, she is what I would call a pure Aussie beauty; blonde hair, sun-kissed skin and blue eyes, a typical surfer chick. Even though we are related, we look nothing alike. She clearly got her features from her mother, who was also very beautiful. I get a backslap hug from Shaun that proves we love each other but are too manly to say it. He is dressed casually today too, in jeans and a shirt, which is unusual because like me, he is usually in a suit. I lead them both back into the living room where we sit on the sofa for the next few minutes, making small talk as Prince lays on the floor, chewing my shoe.
“So …” Scarlett starts, and my eyes flick to hers, my eyebrow raised in question.
“Go on,” I say, not sure if what I am about to receive is good or bad news.
“Well, we are excited to let you know that we are having a baby!” I am so excited at the news that I jump up and grab her, whirling her around the room, causing Prince to jump up and bark, excited at the activity. Our family is getting bigger, and I am ecstatic. All the family feels take me back to a time when life was always full of love.
“Congratulations! I am going to be an Uncle; that is the best news I have heard in a long time!” I say as Shaun and I once again do the brotherly back slap, reaffirming our admiration for each other.
“We are due in late August, and everyone is healthy, and things are going along fine,” Scarlett elaborates, telling me all about how the baby is the size of a plum and that they are not going to find out the gender of the baby - wanting to keep it a surprise. Shaun looks at Scarlett like he is absolutely smitten, which isn’t a lie. The minute he laid his eyes on my cousin, he was a goner. They had a few bumps in the road, but they have found their happily ever after with each other.
I am surprised by the news this morning, and I sit on the sofa staring at both of them. It is not lost on me how much Shaun has supported me these past few years. If it wasn’t for him initially giving me the job of managing his club before selling it to me, I would not have survived here in Boston. The fact that I also have this kick-ass apartment, which he fully furnished for me and has a great view of the city, in the building he owns, just proves how much he loves Scarlett and accepts me as part of their family. This new baby is great news for everyone, and it gives us a shining light of hope and promise for a bright future. It is going to be one spoiled baby when it arrives. Poor Prince may need to take a back seat for a while.
We continue to talk about the baby and business. I fill Shaun in on the latest happenings at the club; we are having a great year, our best yet, and the New York extension, although time consuming, is going to schedule.
Scarlett looks at me. “You look different this morning, Stephen?”
“Well, you just delivered some really great news to me.” I shrug.
“No, I noticed a glint in your eye the moment we stepped through your door.”
“I’m not sure I know what you mean?” The fact that I have been thinking of Molly and her lacy bra all morning is somehow written all over my face. My cousin is known for her skill in reading people, her aptitude in reading body language and tone of voice startlingly scary sometimes.
“Who is she?” Her eyes go wild, and she practically screams at me, “You have met someone!”
“Whoa, whoa, hold on, I haven't met anyone, I just ran into someone this morning…”
“So, you have met someone, don’t try to trick me, spill! I want details,” Scarlett cuts me off, excitement running through her body.
“There is nothing to talk about, I stepped out of my club and walked straight into a girl who was walking by, spilling coffee all over the both of us. I gave her my jacket, she told me her name is Molly and then she walked off. I have never seen her before, and I doubt I will ever see her again, so you can relax.”
“Scarlett, calm down, too much stress is bad for the baby.” Shaun tries to reason with her since her voice is so high-pitched and her body looks ready to launch off the sofa. It is cute that he is already in protective mode, although truth be told, he has always been protective of Scarlett.
“Well, Stephen, if I have learned anything from meeting Shaun it’s that if it is meant to be, it will be. If she is the one, you will see her again, I am sure of it.” I wish I was as sure as Scarlett, but seriously, what are the odds?
After an hour or so, Shaun and Scarlett leave, on their way out of the city to their mansion where they will spend the next few days destressing from a hectic week, and giving Prince the chance to run around and dig up the flower beds. I walk them to the door and say goodbye, making a mental note to ask Mary to stock up on Scarlett’s favorite Netflix and Chill Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and green pickles, because isn’t that what all pregnant women eat?
***
4
MOLLY
I had a productive morning at the market, and although my clothes were ruined from the run-in with the fancy suit guy this morning, I still managed to get everything I needed.
I got home in time to take over from Irene and get dinner for gran. When I am not at work, I am looking after gran, who is in her seventies and usually as fit as a fiddle, except during these past few weeks since she has taken a turn downhill. I won’t lie, working with troubled kids all day and then looking after gran at night leaves me exhausted. Gran and I both enjoy a quieter lifestyle; I have never been out dancing or clubbing, that is just not who I am. I prefer quiet nights at home with a cup of tea and a good book. My day job is stressful enough, so I need my nights and weekends to be calm. I had our neighbor, Irene, watching her this morning so I could get out into the fresh air and replenish my energy at the market.
Now, I am standing in the laundry room, trying to scrub the coffee stain out of my favorite white t-shirt to no avail. Frustrated, I throw the t-shirt into the sink and stomp to the bathroom to wash my hands. I let out my huffs and puffs before making my way back to sit with gran in the armchair next to her bed to watch her game show before she sleeps.
“What’s got your knickers in a knot?” Gran asks, humor in her voice, but it’s raspy from her cough.
“I ruined my best top today. I got a coffee stain right down the front because some good-looking man ran into me. He wasn’t watching where he was going; he was probably still drunk from his partying the night before. Him and his friends stumbled out of a nightclub door and didn’t watch where they were walking. He ran into me, with a sexy smirk on his face, and now my top is ruined.” I huff into the chair, crossing my arms like a petulant child.
“Sexy smirk, you say?” Gran asks.
