Stay Tuned

Chapter 48

In the span of thirty minutes, I’d actually talked myself into having another baby. I was ready to pick up a prescription for prenatal vitamins, Zofran, and a brand new copy of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Saltines for morning sickness, a new fluffy pillow for sleeping.

Except now, there was no reason to.

After I sat in my car in the doctor’s office parking lot for a good twenty minutes, I decided I should drive. Not home, not work, but somewhere.

When I managed to leave, everyone I passed and everything I saw had to do with babies. New moms pushed strollers, toddlers laughed in the playground I passed. I noticed the colors of pink and blue with new intensity, especially on all of the baby stores, which seemed to pop up out of nowhere.

One in particular called out to me, I slowed the car. The sign said Sweet Baby. Cute little boy clothes hung on one side of the display window, embroidered little girl dresses and hip maternity clothes on the other.

Candace’s name flashed on my caller ID. I hesitated. I had to answer.

“Hey! You feeling any better?” I asked.

“Much,” Candace said. “No one’s throwing up. My fever’s gone. Marcus is back at work. Hey, what about you? You had the doctor’s appointment. What’d she say?”

I made my voice low and calm. “The vampires there took about a pint of blood, but everything’s okay.”

I wrestled with not telling Candace, though I felt like I’d burst if I didn’t. Chris really needed to know first.

“What is it, then?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t give me that what do you mean,” Candace lectured, wary of not getting the full story. “The must have said something. Your voice is funny. Tell me.”

The phone crackled.

“I’m-not-having-a-baby.” I rushed the words just as the phone crackled.

“Melissa, you’re breaking up. I couldn’t hear a word you said!” Candace yelled into the phone. “Try again.”

“She did a pregnancy test. I got all excited, thinking it was for real.” I explained. “It was negative.”

Silence. I strained to hear if she had fainted and fallen to the floor. I rolled the car to a stop, cracked the windows, and shut off the engine.

“Oh sweetie.” Candace clucked her tongue. “If I was there, I’d give you a big hug. Have you talked to Chris?”

“Not yet.”

“So, you’re pretty disappointed, huh?”

“Honestly, I had myself convinced. I was thrilled. All of the excitement, the fun…”

“Aw, Mel, I am so sorry.”

“Me too.” I sniffed back some tears.

“Anything I can do?”

“I wish.”

Candace clucked her tongue. “Think about this. No sleep. Breastfeeding twenty-four-seven. Spit-up. No drinking wine or coffee. Did I mention no sleep?”

Leave it to Candace to set me straight. “I know. It was just wishful thinking. Dr. Freeman said I was too stressed. Needed to slow down. Exercise. Eat right.”

“They never prescribe doughnuts and lattes.” Candace said ruefully. “Listen, I have to run to the salon. We’ll get together later and talk about it, okay? Just the two of us.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“Dr. Phil and I love ya, gal!”

“Love you, too.”

We hung up and I dialed Chris’s office. It clicked over to voicemail.

The Sweet Baby window display caught my eye again. It wouldn’t hurt to look inside the store. I could get something for Sharice’s little boy and gifts for Jaden and Addie.

I picked out a cute tee-shirt with a dinosaur on it for Darius and matching smocked dresses for Candace’s girls. Adorable. Just the thought of seeing them open the gifts made me feel better.

“Could you wrap these up, please?” I asked the salesgirl.

Back in the car, I tucked the presents behind the seat. I decided to try Chris again. His cell clicked over to voicemail immediately. I pressed zero for the company operator, who picked up seconds later.

“Macon Financial. How may I direct your call?”

They’d hired more new people lately; I didn’t recognize the woman’s voice.

“Chris Moore, please.”

“May I take a message?

“This is his wife, Melissa. It’s rather important.” Okay, that was a stretch. “Could you please let him know I’m on the line?”

Musak filled the phone.

Then, “So sorry, Mrs. Moore. He’s in a private meeting offsite with Tyler Johnson.”

I willed myself to be polite, but slipped into frustrated mode when I heard Tyler’s name. “Offsite?”

“At the Crowne Plaza, I believe.”

That’s a hotel. What is Chris doing at a hotel in the middle of the day? What’s going on?

At my extended silence, the operator’s voice softened. “Is it an emergency?”

“Not exactly,” I admitted. I hesitated, then backed down. “It can wait.”

“Mrs. Moore, please be assured that I will give him the message as soon as Ms. Johnson wraps up the meeting. Now that she’s made partner, she’s very peculiar about these things.”

Wait. I bit my lip. My heart thumped. She?

I had to ask. I had to make sure. “Tyler Johnson is…a woman?”