18. Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Eighteen
Shira
I strode up to the Levy building, smiling and waving at Kit as she approached from the opposite direction with Elliot. He was taking small, slow steps to keep pace with his very pregnant wife, which I found unbearably sweet and considerate. They were a prime example of “opposites attract,” and the more I saw them together, the easier it was for me to see why they worked.
Elliot still made me a little nervous, but since his attention was almost always focused on Kit, it wasn’t difficult to be around him.
“Good morning,” Kit chirped.
“Good morning!” I replied.
This was my second week working with Kit. Last week, she’d taken me through everything she was doing at Building Dignity and showed me the systems she had put in place. We’d divided up tasks and brainstormed ideas for the future. Before she’d asked me to work with her, I couldn’t have said what my dream job would be. But this was it. There couldn’t possibly be anything better than providing safe, quality housing to families in need.
Kit hooked her arm around mine as we strode through the lobby. Elliot stayed on her other side, hovering but giving us the chance to chat. Our offices were on the same floor as his, so he and Kit saw each other throughout the day—and he found every opportunity to stop in and check on her.
“Were the new stools delivered yesterday?” she asked.
“Yes. They fit perfectly at the island. Thanks for the suggestion.”
“I hope you’re planning on inviting me over so I can see all the decorating you’re doing in person.”
“This weekend?” I asked.
She turned to Elliot. “Am I free this weekend?”
“We have brunch Sunday, but no plans otherwise,” he replied. “I’ll be on Joey and Theo duty if you want to go out.”
She kissed his bicep then grinned at me. “I’ll be there for some adult time. We should probably do some shopping.”
I nodded. Kit’s taste was much more colorful than mine. I needed that kind of influence or risked ending up with a beige house. “It’s a plan.”
Moving had been the best decision. I’d been in my new house for almost three weeks, and with each passing day, it felt more right. I slept better than I had in years, at peace in my cozy bedroom, knowing my best friend was right next door. Mary was happy too. The house had tall windows, allowing long slashes of sunlight to spill through. She’d found new favorite spots to bathe in the warmth, and when I came home, she always pranced around merrily, talking up a storm.
We stepped into the elevator together, and a voice called for us to hold it as the doors started to slide shut. Elliot’s arm shot out, and the doors opened, revealing a slightly rumpled Roman.
Our eyes latched immediately.
We hadn’t seen each other since that night we shared a pizza. He’d been by every morning, just like he promised, but if I was awake, I stayed in my room. We still passed little notes back and forth, but I needed physical space from him before the warm feelings I’d begun to have possibly bloomed into something more. That, I couldn’t have. The last thing our co-parenting relationship needed was an unrequited crush. Keeping our meetings to doctor appointments and the in-between remaining friendly but distant was simpler.
“Are you getting on?” Elliot intoned.
Roman jerked as if he’d been in a daze, then moved into the elevator beside me. “Thanks for waiting for me. It’s been a rough morning.”
He turned to sweep his gaze over me again, stopping on my abdomen. In the three weeks since we’d been in each other's presence, my belly had gotten rounder, and my jersey dress molded over it.
“Did Mary give you trouble?” I asked.
He blew out a heavy breath. “She pounced on my feet as soon as I took my shoes off and made me spill half of your smoothie all over my shirt.”
I scrunched my nose. Mary had never attacked my toes. That didn’t sound like her. But half of my smoothie had been missing. “I thought you drank some of it.”
“Who’s Mary, and why is she attacking you?” Elliot asked.
“Shira’s cat.” Roman’s eyes remained on me as he answered. “She hates me.”
Elliot sniffed. “Shira or the cat?”
Roman’s brow winged. “The cat. Though, the woman is questionable.”
“I don’t hate you. And I don’t think I have to remind you that you volunteered for Mary duty.”
“No, you don’t have to remind me.” His mouth hitched in a crooked grin.
“He brings you smoothies?” Kit asked.
I turned away from Roman, but I was all too aware of him studying me. From the side, my belly was even more pronounced.
“He sees it as his duty to keep me fed,” I explained.
Elliot put his hand on Kit’s shoulder. “He’s right. It’s his duty to take care of your every need,” he stated like it was an inarguable fact. Since I would never argue with Elliot Levy, it sort of was.
We arrived on the tenth floor, and Roman started to step out. When I didn’t follow, he stopped between the doors and frowned.
“Aren’t you visiting GoldMed?”
“Oh, no.” I pointed to the ceiling. “I’m going up to Building Dignity.”
His frown deepened. “Why?”
“Well…I work there.”
Elliot huffed with impatience. “In or out. Choose one.”
Roman’s brow puckered with indecision, then he checked his watch and sighed. “We have a lot to talk about, but I have a meeting I’m running late for.” He pinned me with a hard stare. “Later.”
“Later,” I whispered.
On the top floor, Kit followed me into my office, and I fell into the chair behind my desk, which was more like a throne. All the chairs on this floor were inexplicably plush. If I’d had this during my first trimester, Roman would have caught me sleeping in my office more than once.
“Okay—what was that ?” she asked.
My eyes rounded at her excitement. “What?”
“How Roman was looking at you. It was like he was angry yet enthralled. I’m deeply familiar with that expression.”
I shook my head. “No, that’s not—he’s not enthralled with me. Maybe the bump, but not me. Getting pregnant by him was a fluke, and we’re trying to be friends, but it’s not more than that. And I’m not sure why he would be angry.”
Her hands rested on her belly as she hummed serenely. “I could be wrong.” She wagged a finger. “I don’t think I am, but I could be.”
I snorted a laugh. “You are. Now, sit down so we can talk about the charity auction.”
Building Dignity’s annual fundraising event was coming up in three weeks. Elliot had insisted it be pared down this year to keep super-pregnant Kit from being too stressed, so we were throwing a luncheon with a silent auction instead of the three-thousand-dollar-a-plate gala she’d put on in the past. The next hour, we went over details and brainstormed ways to fill in a few available spots for auction items. A knock on my office door came while we were wrapping up.
“Shira Goldman?”
I waved at the young man I thought I recognized from the mailroom. “Hi, that’s me.”
He walked in and placed a plastic bag on my desk. “This is for you.”
“Really?” I peeked inside. A Sprite and a chocolate bar along with a note.
Shira,
Three weeks and our son has made his presence known. You look great. Here’s a little treat to congratulate you on the good work you’re doing. If my boy is anything like me, he’s got a big appetite, so I’m going to have to do a better job of keeping you fed. Convenient now that I’m aware you’re in the same building every day. Would have been nice to know sooner, though. What’s that about?
X,
Roman
“It’s from Roman,” I whispered.
Kit hummed. “Totally enthralled.”
I waved her off. “He’s keeping his baby fed.” The messenger was still standing there so I scribbled a note.
Roman,
I do have a nice little bump, don’t I?
Thanks for the treat. How did you know this is exactly what I wanted?
I’m working with Kit at BD. I’ll keep you apprised of all my jobs in the future.
Yours,
Shira
“Can you bring this to Roman?”
The messenger took the folded piece of paper and jogged out with a backward wave. I wondered if this was part of his job description or if Roman had commandeered him for the task.
Kit smirked. “That’s cute.”
I tapped my lips. “Shhh. We’re not doing this.”
“Pay me in chocolate, and I’ll keep quiet.”
I swept the candy bar off my desk, clutching it to my chest. “This was a gift.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You won’t share? Really?”
Laughing, I ripped open the wrapper and snapped off a few squares. “This is for the baby, not you.”
She snagged the chocolate, grinning as she bit off a corner. “The baby says thank you.”
We chatted a couple minutes longer before she got up to leave. As she did, the same messenger appeared, his forehead slightly sweaty.
“Hi, Ms. Goldman. Mr. Wells has another message for you,” he panted, placing a piece of paper on my desk.
Shira,
I paid attention during our wallet-snooping game. You had a receipt for candy and a Sprite.
I sense smartassery, but I wouldn’t mind being kept apprised of all your big news.
We’ll talk tonight. I’ll be at your place after work.
X,
Roman
I bit down on my bottom lip to stop from grinning, fully aware Kit was watching me. The last thing I wanted to do was add fuel to the fire she’d conjured up in her mind. It wasn’t her fault. Being madly in love and pregnant, she couldn’t help seeing love stories everywhere. That would never be Roman and me. If I weren’t having his child, he wouldn’t have given me a second thought. We were stuck with each other—nothing more.
Even if I wanted it to be—and I didn’t—Roman was a six-and-a-half-foot former pro athlete with pretty eyes and a smile that stopped people in their tracks. And I was me, short, plain, nothing special at all. We only worked as a faceless, anonymous hookup. Any smiles he caused were strictly friendship-related.
I sent the messenger on his way without another note. His sigh of relief answered whether passing notes was part of his job description.
Kit smirked, and I shushed her again. “None of that.”