Chapter Thirty-Seven
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
“Hey, Anton.” Milo pops his head in my office door. “Are you headed to the two o’clock meeting?”
I glance at my watch, eyes widening. “Uh, yeah. Just give me a sec.”
I close my laptop and sweep it off the desk with a legal pad and a pen, trying not to look as flustered as I feel. I’ve been sitting here, trying to work myself up to tell Carl that Lydia and I are expecting in the spring, which might affect my availability for getting the branch office off the ground. I really should have done it before this meeting.
We enter the conference room and take our usual seats. Me, beside Carl on the end, and Milo right next to me. Before we’re even seated, he’s got his notebook and pen poised and ready. Can’t knock the guy for making himself look good.
Derek Norman is on Carl’s other side, which isn’t a surprise given the nature of this meeting. There isn’t an empty seat in the room. Even the receptionist, Riya, comes in at the last minute and leans against the wall. She is very pregnant, and when I realize there’s nowhere for her to sit, I leap up and give her my chair.
“Thanks, Anton,” she says, looking awkward, but grateful. “That’s really sweet of you.”
I nod, trying to imagine Lydia making it so far along. It still feels hard to envision. She hasn’t had any more bleeding the last five days, and the baby’s heartbeat was strong when we saw Dr. Sharma on Friday, so she was given the all clear to return to work. But I’m having a hard time believing we’re fully out of the woods.
“Thanks for joining us, everyone,” Carl says, wasting no time getting started. I grab my notepad and pen, getting comfortable against the wall. “As I think you all know, Derek and I have been exploring a partnership to broaden Vesper’s services and make ourselves more available to our clientele in Colorado Springs.”
There are murmurs of confirmation and a few enthusiastic claps before Carl goes on.
“I’m thrilled to announce we’ve found a space and are working on developing a team to sync the two offices as cohesively as possible. Spearheading that goal will be Anton Richie, who’s moving into a junior partner role.”
The murmurs turn to shouts of enthusiasm and a chorus of congratulations. I straighten against the wall, making what feels like appropriate gestures and facial expressions, acknowledging the sentiments. But I feel like I’m underwater. I knew Carl was going to make the new branch official today, but I had no idea he was going to do it like this.
He continues, listing other people who will play a part in the new company structure. I see Milo puffing up his chest while trying to look humble before Derek makes a few comments, but I don’t hear any of it. All I can focus on is the creeping sense of dread sinking into my stomach.
In my pocket, my phone vibrates and I take it out just for somewhere to direct my attention.
Lydia
Got a couple more daycare tours scheduled. Hopefully we’ll like these ones better!
How did it go with Carl?
I swallow. The first daycare we saw was not inspiring. It was in an old, converted house, and while everything looked clean and the place had a good reputation, it seemed very disorganized and the people working there gave us the impression they were short-tempered and stressed.
Anything has got to be better than that place.
No chance to meet with him yet.
I flinch as I hit send, wondering if she’ll know it’s not the truth. But before I can ruminate on it further, I realize Carl is clearing his throat, preparing to make another announcement.
“One last celebratory note, albeit a bittersweet one, this Friday will be Riya’s last day with us. She’s decided to stay home with her baby girl.” Carl gives Riya a warm smile. “We’re going to miss you around here—make sure you bring that kiddo by sometime so we can meet her.”
“I will,” Riya says, dabbing at her eyes. “Everyone’s been so great. I’m going to miss you all. But I can’t wait to spend some time at home being my little girl’s mom.”
By the time I leave the office at five o’clock, I’m mulling over an idea, but I’m not sure it’s one I’m comfortable with. After checking in with Lydia, who promises she absolutely will leave work by six, I decide to swing by and see my brother.
I still can’t get over the ridiculously luxe building he lives in. There are lines of Teslas, BMWs, and Mercedes parked outside. And every person I pass is dressed in head-to-toe designer clothing. Turns out I have to check in with the concierge just to get access to the elevator.
I’ve hardly stepped foot here since Seth moved in two weeks ago, which I feel bad about. It just felt like I should spend every moment I could with Lydia while she was on bed rest. But that part is better, and it seems like I should at least make sure my brother isn’t sleeping on a mattress on the floor.
When the elevator opens on the eighteenth floor, I hear faint music coming down the hall to my right. It gets louder the closer I get to Seth’s door, until I recognize one of Mom’s favorite Sinatra songs. Doubtful, I ring the bell. When nothing happens, I go ahead and pound on the door with my fist.
“Anton! You made it up here fast!” Seth yells when he finally answers. He’s in jeans and a T-shirt that shows off muscle I don’t remember him having, his hair is tousled, and he’s in need of a shave. But his expression is brighter, happier than I can remember it being for a while. Behind him, Bruno is strutting around, crooning out of tune with Ol’ Blue Eyes.
“They are going to throw you out of here before you even unpack,” I say as he turns down the volume on a surprisingly compact Bluetooth speaker.
“As it turns out, the lady across the hall is hard of hearing.” He chuckles. “And the couple on the other side of me are on an extended tour of Rome. Anyway, you’re my first visitor!”
“Seth, I’ve been here before.”
“Yeah, but I’ve never buzzed you up.” He grins, looking like a little kid. But then peers more carefully at my expression and closes the door. “What’s up? Everything okay with Lydia?”
“Yeah,” I say quickly. “She’s fine. Went back to work this week.” I step fully inside, expecting to wade through a sea of unpacked boxes, until I realize the whole apartment is fully furnished and unpacked. Not with any of Mom’s shabby garage sale finds, but like, real furniture. There’s a retro-looking couch and coffee table, a cushy orange chair that looks like somewhere you’d smoke a pipe in a bathrobe, and even a little glass bar cart to one side. It looks like Don Draper should live here. “Wow, um... I love what you’ve done with the place?”
Seth chuckles, scooping up the cat, who yowls in response. “I didn’t keep much from Dallas. Bruno and I are kinda starting from scratch.”
“It... it looks nice,” I say, deciding the details of my brother’s existence are none of my business. I just hope I don’t ever have to help him through a bankruptcy. He sets down the cat and gestures me toward the couch. Bruno struts over to look out the floor-to-ceiling windows. “He seems to like the view.”
Seth smirks a little, perching in the orange chair. “Yeah, we do a lot of people-watching. ”
“I uh... I came over to...” Now that I’m here, relaxing—or trying to, in my brother’s swank mod bachelor pad, that feeling of underwater dread creeps back in.
“Hey man, are you all right? You just went really pale.”
I shake my head. Then nod. Then just sit there, confused.
“Do you want a drink? Maybe a water?”
“Water’s good,” I croak. Once he’s brought me a chilled bottle from the fridge, I’m able to swallow. And then I just feel kind of stupid. “Sorry, uh, long day at work. Do you ah... want to come over for dinner?”
“Sure. As long as you’re not making lasagna again.” He laughs when I shoot him a glare. “I mean, you’re a great cook, but Mom made it every week. I don’t know how you eat it all the time.”
“We can pick something up on the way,” I mutter, checking the time on my phone.
“Cool. I’ll buy, since I’m the one being picky.” He hesitates a moment, watching Bruno weave around my ankles. “Anything else going on?”
My shoulders slump. I pick up the cat and set him on my lap, where he immediately curls up and starts purring, the way he’s done since I was in high school. It’s surprisingly comforting. “Do you remember Mom staying home with us when we were little?”
A line forms between Seth’s brows. “Uh, I guess so? I mean, she went back to work when I started preschool, but sure, I have a few memories of like, finger-painting with her and stuff.”
I press my lips together. That’s not really where my thoughts were.
“Is Lydia thinking of staying home?” he asks, clearly confused.
I shake my head, straightening, resting my fists in my lap. “No.” I sigh. “But do you think it would be weird if... I did?”
He pauses a moment, catching up in his head. Finally, he looks at me and grins. “Naw, man. You’d probably be freaking great at that.”
I look at his face, trying to gauge if he’s just humoring me, but if he is, he’s doing a hell of a job.
“Seriously, remember when we were kids and you spent a whole week helping me learn to tie my shoes? You never got impatient, just kept telling me to try again. You already like to cook. You’re organized. And you’ll look adorable pushing a stroller with all the mommies at the park.”
I glare at him and he laughs. But when I look down, stroking Bruno’s ears, I can’t really argue about any of those things. Well, except the stroller part. “I don’t know, it’s just something I’m considering. Things have been changing at work, and I haven’t loved the idea of leaving the baby in daycare.”
“If screening childcare is even half as bad as trying to find good cat-sitters, I don’t blame you.” He pauses. “And I’m assuming you of all people know if you can afford it?”
“I actually haven’t gotten that far. I only started considering it today.” I shrug. “I just needed to talk about it before bringing it up to Lydia. In case it sounded crazy.”
He looks at me thoughtfully. “Honestly, maybe it’s exactly what you need, Anton.”
I sit, ruminating on that while Bruno purrs loudly my lap.
Seth stands, pocketing his phone. “C’mon, let’s grab food. I just finished unpacking today and I’m starving.”
I rise from the couch, gently transferring the still sleeping cat onto the cushion next to me before following Seth to the door. He looks back at me, grabbing his keys.
“Just to be clear though, you don’t want me spilling the beans on this over dinner?”
I roll my eyes. “That would be correct.”