“Hi, Coco,” she said faintly, one eye still defensively squeezed shut as her brain tried to adjust to the sugar rush Coco’s high-pitched, syrupy voice always sent screaming through her bloodstream. “When did you get back?”
“Last night! Did you miss me?”
“I did.” And she meant it. Coco had been one of her best friends throughout dance school, and even though they’d drifted apart after Cleo’s accident, she always made a point of visiting whenever she was in town. She was a member of a well-known dance troupe and had even been doing a few solos on their international tours. Cleo had always been a better dancer than Coco, and they both knew it, so Cleo couldn’t help feeling envious of her friend, which made things awkward between them, so it was probably a good thing they rarely saw each other these days.
“Well, I’m back, and so’s Gigi,” she squeaked, while Gigi’s equally high-pitched voice screeched a hello in the background. Gigi was another former classmate of theirs, a ditzy girl who was happy just being in the corps de ballet. She simply wanted to dance and receive a regular paycheck. She was also one of the nicest people Cleo knew. “Want to come out for a drinkie?”
“How long will you guys be in town?” Cleo asked, glancing at the clock. It was nearly eight in the evening, and she had her ultrasound in the morning. Not the best time to be going out.
“For a couple of weeks,” Coco replied.
“Great, then can I take a rain check? I really can’t make it tonight. I have an important appointment tomorrow,” she said, genuine regret deepening her voice.
“What about tomorrow night?” Coco asked.
“That’ll be cool. Sure.”
“Yay! I’ll text you the deets! See you then!” Coco always spoke in exclamations; it was a little draining chatting with her sometimes, especially without any forewarning.
Cleo headed into the living room, where Cal was stretched out on the sleeper couch. His glasses, which he was too vain to let anyone but her see him wear, were perched on his nose as he read one of the gory thrillers that he loved. He peered up at her over the top of his glasses as she went to the kitchen to get herself some juice.
“Coco and Gigi are back in town,” she said after sitting down at the kitchen table and taking a sip of her drink.
“Great,” he muttered. “Don’t forget to take an insulin shot before you go out with the Saccharine Sisters.”
She giggled. “Stop it,” she admonished, her laughter belying her words. Cal and Coco didn’t get along, not since they’d both fallen for the same guy a few years back. To make matters worse, the guy had gone for Coco despite the fact that Cal was still convinced-all evidence to the contrary-that the guy batted for his team.
Cleo’s laughter faded as she continued to stare at her longtime friend. She had to tell him about her decision to move in with Luc and Blue; he would need time to make other arrangements.
“Cal?” she whispered, hating the necessity of what she had to do but not seeing any other way. He dropped his book to his chest and smiled at her sadly.
“I know, hon.” Her eyes flooded with tears at the understanding on his face, and she sat hunched at the table, silent sobs shaking her shoulders.
“I’m so sorry. I don’t know what else to do.”
“You have to do what’s best for you, Cleo. And right now, you can’t afford to live here supporting my lazy ass and coping with a pregnancy too. But on the positive side, having to move out might light a fire under said lazy ass and get me motivated to find work again. I’ve been getting a little too comfortable here, you see? Living a life of leisure, like the kept man that I am.”
They both glanced around the tiny apartment and laughed at the thought of living any kind of “life of leisure” in the place.
“How long do we still have before we leave this pleasure palace?” He got up and stretched lazily before sauntering over to give her a casual hug and hand her a sliver of paper towel, the last bit on the roll.
“We’re out of paper towels,” he noted, and she giggled messily as she blew her nose.
“Well, we’re not replacing this roll. Our life of lavish spending has come to an end, my friend. We can no longer afford luxuries like paper towels.”
He laughed and sat down at the table opposite her.
“Jeez, girl, I’m getting sick of seeing you cry. Cheer up, will you?” She bravely presented him with her best smile. “Better. But not by much. Now when do we move out?”
“I’ll be speaking with the landlord tomorrow. So probably thirty more days before we have to vacate the premises.”
“A lot can happen in thirty days,” he observed.
“Not that much.” She traced a crease on the plastic tablecloth with her finger. “Do you want to come with me to my ultrasound appointment tomorrow?”
“I’d love to.”
“Well, well, well, two’s company but three is most definitely a party,” Cal observed the following morning as they climbed out of her car. Cleo was happy with the prime parking spot they’d found directly outside Dr. Klein’s office and was grinning like an idiot when she glanced up to see what Cal was talking about. The smile immediately dropped from her face when she saw what he was referring to.
“What the hell?” she whispered beneath her breath. “Why is he here? How is he here?”
“Take a deep breath, Cleo,” Cal advised softly. “You’re never at your sharpest when you’re pissed off.”
“What the hell are you doing here?” She marched up to Dante and put her face right up to his. “How did you know where to find me?”
“You sent your OB/GYN’s details to Grayson, and with that information in hand it was easy finding out the time of your appointment,” he revealed insouciantly. Her jaw dropped at that blatant invasion of her privacy. Those details should never have been used to spy on her! “I thought I’d come along and see what I’m paying for.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.