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Walkinginto the office on Monday, my scalp prickled. The glass-walled offices and bright, modern colors made the building feel spacious. It wasn't like we were trapped in a cubicle-infested jail cell at all, but was this really where I wanted to be? It'd never bothered me before. I had a plan. I had goals and a trajectory for my life, none of which included being knocked up and unmarried at twenty-five.
Walking into my office, I shed my jacket and plopped down in the chair behind my glass desk. Based on the looks I was getting from a few members of my team, namely Kent and Miles, I suddenly felt completely exposed. Glass walls and a glass desk didn't make the best places to hide away from unwanted attention.
My assistant, Hannah, breezed into the office, carrying a tablet and my coffee.Oh, god, coffee.I'd thrown up this morning before leaving the house and felt better, but as soon as I got one whiff of what was in that cup, I'd be bolting for the bathroom, and everyone would suspect something was up.
I held up my hand. "Stop." Hannah's eyes went wide, but she stopped in her tracks.
"Is something wrong, Ms. Divan?" She looked at me expectantly.
"Yes. No. Well, sort of. I've decided to cut caffeine from my diet, it was making me too jittery. I'm going to need you to swap that for peppermint tea from now on, please."
Hannah nodded. "No problem."
I glanced from her to the cup in her hand and back. "Starting now."
She started toward the trash can next to my desk. "No!" It came out as a shout and she jumped. "Sorry, please throw it out in the lunchroom."
"Okaaaay. Is everything okay?" Hannah's eyes squinted as if she were trying to see under my skin and into my body.
I waved my hand, trying to look casual even though a cold sweat had broken out across my forehead. "Yep. Please go and bring back my tea, then we'll go over everything."
She nodded and retreated through the door. I blew out a breath and picked up my phone.
Amara: Just had a near-barf experience at work. Here's hoping that's not a sign of the week ahead.
Three bouncing dots popped up seconds later.
True: Near-barf is better than actual barf, right? ;)
Amara: Always.
True: But seriously, that's shitty. I wish I was there defending you from all barf-inducing threats.
Amara: Me, too.
It was only Monday, and already I missed him like crazy.
Hannah stepped back into my office with a new mug and a cautious look on her face. She slid the cup onto my desk as if she thought I might smack it away or yell at her. "Thanks," I sighed, cupping my hands around the warm ceramic and breathing in the minty steam. My rolling stomach settled immediately.
"Please, sit." I nodded toward the chairs in front of my desk. She dropped down into one swiping at the tablet in her hand.
"You've got the team meeting on Wednesday, but otherwise this week's all betas and planning sessions. No client meetings."
I sipped at the tea, wincing as it burned my tongue. "Did you schedule me a meeting with Mr. Penn for any day this week that he's free?" I needed to figure out what my options were when it came to my work situation and this baby. Talking to my boss was step one.
Hannah stared at her screen with a frown. "Sorry, Ms. Divan, I got your email but I couldn't. He's out of the office this week. He'll be back Tuesday. I can schedule you a meeting then." She tapped a few times. "He's got eleven fifteen and two-thirty free."
"Put me in the eleven-fifteen slot."
Hannah tapped a few more times. "Done."
I sighed. I'd have to wait more than a week to get the answers that were already keeping me up at night.
* * *
By the timeWednesday's meeting rolled around, I was a mess. I hadn't been sleeping, I'd been throwing up on the regular, and I missed True like crazy. Video chats and texting weren't cutting it. When I did manage to sleep, I had constant sex dreams, and I'd wake up feeling wound up and unsatisfied. All of this combined to leave me cranky AF.
All eyes were on me in the conference room, but I wished they weren't. I thought about canceling this week's meeting, but I was a professional, and I refused to let this pregnancy interfere with that.
