“Hey, Emme. Come on in.” He stepped back so I could enter, and immediately two small, dark-haired boys rushed into the front hall, circling his feet and mine like excited puppies. “Knock it off, you two,” he scolded. “Mommy already told you to go play upstairs.”
The two boys dutifully headed up the stairs, the littler one grabbing the back of the bigger one’s shirt so he could scoot past him and beat him to the top. I smiled and slipped off my coat. “No school today?”
Nick took my coat and hung it up in the front hall closet. “Gianni’s still at school. Those two monkeys had preschool this morning. I picked them up at eleven and fed them quickly so they’d stay out of your way. Come on back, girls are in the kitchen.” He lowered his voice. “I’ll warn you—Coco’s a little grumpy.”
I nodded, figuring at nine months pregnant, that was her right. “Got it.”
I followed him down the hall into the kitchen, a beautiful open space with white cupboards, marble countertops, tons of copper cookware hanging over the island cooktop, and a big farmhouse sink. It smelled absolutely divine, like lemon and garlic and sautéed chicken. My mouth began to water.
Coco was sitting at the kitchen table, her bare feet propped on an adjacent chair. Her long dark hair was heaped in a nest at the top of her head, and she wore what looked like one of Nick’s black Burger bar T-shirts, her pregnant stomach bulging at the front, distorting the logo, and a pair of gray sweatpants. That’s how I knew for sure she must be really uncomfortable, because she never wore sweatpants. Ever.
Mia jumped out of the chair across from Coco’s. “Hi!” she squealed, running at me with her arms open. She was on the short side, like me, but dark-haired, and dressed much more casually in jeans and a V-neck T-shirt that said Abelard Vineyards on the front.
“Hi,” I said, hugging her hard. “It’s so good to see you. You look great.”
“So do you. Come sit.” She tugged on my hand, leading me over to the table.
I took the chair next to Mia’s and set my bag on the floor. “How are you feeling?” I asked Coco.
She scowled. “Like I swallowed a mean alien shaped like a beach ball with arms and legs he’s determined to beat me with from the inside out.”
“He?” I looked from her to Mia and back to her again. As far as I knew, Coco and Nick hadn’t wanted to learn the sex before birth. “You know for sure it’s another boy?”
“No,” said Nick firmly from behind us. “We don’t.”
“Why wouldn’t it be a boy?” Coco asked, throwing her hands up. “I had three boys in a row. I think that’s the only kind of baby we know how to make.” She narrowed her eyes. “Either that or my grandmother put some sort of hex on me.”
Mia laughed. “Well, you never know. Maybe this one will surprise you.”
“Lunch in five minutes, ladies.” Nick went over to the fridge and opened it. “Emme, can I get you something to drink? We have water, sparkling water, iced tea, Diet Coke, white wine, red wine, sparkling —”
“Oooh, try the sparkling.” Mia lifted her wine glass to her lips. “I brought it.”
“Wiiiiiiine,” Coco moaned. “God, I miss wine. How long until I can have some again?”
“Babe, you could be sipping champagne tonight if you’d just pop that baby out,” Nick answered cheerfully.
Coco put two hands on her belly. “Are you listening? Time to come out. Mama needs a glass of wine.”
“I’ll try the sparkling, thanks,” I said to Nick. “Are you having any contractions?” I asked Coco.
She nodded. “A ton. In fact, I’m thinking this baby is coming sooner rather than later. Are you okay to handle everything at work this week?”
“Absolutely,” I said, taking the glass of wine Nick handed me.
“Good. Amy can help you out, and Mia said she’d be willing to work too, if you need her.”
“Definitely. I’m here until Thursday,” Mia said.
Amy was Coco’s assistant, and she had taken on a lot of extra work since Lucy quit. In fact, she’d done so well that we hadn’t even replaced the Traitor. “I’ll probably be fine with Amy, but it would be fun to work together,” I said to Mia.
She smiled. “I think so too. In fact, speaking of working together, I wanted to ask you about something.” Both of us sat back as Nick came over with two plates and set them in front of us.
“Here you go, ladies. Chicken Piccata, some veggies, a little gnocchi…”
“Looks delicious,” I said, inhaling the aroma. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He winked at me before going back to make a plate for his wife, and I thought again how lucky Coco was.
“So what’s up?” I asked Mia, picking up my fork.
“What would you say to moving up north this summer and helping me start a new branch of Devine Events? We do so many special events at Abelard—tons of weddings—and I often get calls to design events for other spaces. I could really use someone to help.”
“What about Skylar?” I asked, naming Mia’s assistant.
“She had twins last fall and is taking a year off. I’ve been trying to get along without her, but I really can’t. Not during summertime.”
“What about Devine Events here?” I looked at Coco.
“I told Mia that I would need you for at least the next two months to get me through the newborn days and to help train Amy. She’s good, but she’s no Emme Devine.” She smiled at me as Nick set a plate in front of her.
“Thanks.” My heart fluttered happily at the compliment. I was confident at my job, but it was always nice to hear praise from someone you admired.
“And that’s totally fine,” Mia said. “I can deal with things for two months. June is when it really picks up, anyway. And it’s beautiful up there in the summer. You’ll love it.”
“You should go,” Coco encouraged. “Something different. Get out of the rut.”
I stuck a bite of chicken piccata in my mouth and wondered if she was referring to a professional rut or a personal rut. Seemed like a bad sign that I wasn’t sure.
“And if you don’t want to stay after summer is over, you can come back down to Detroit.” Mia picked up her wine glass. “Skylar will be ready to come back by then, and she could help me hire someone new. But if you like it and want to stay, great.”
I thought about it as I took another bite. I had loved it up there when I went to visit Mia last summer. Old Mission Peninsula, where Abelard was located, was beautiful—rolling hills, gorgeous fields and orchards, picturesque views of the water. And Traverse City, right at the foot of the peninsula, had a nice small-town feel without being too small, great beaches, and plenty of shopping. Both places would offer lots of unique settings for events, and I was sure I’d enjoy the work. But it would mean leaving life here behind…leaving Nate behind, and last night it had felt like we were right on the cusp of something good. Moving five hours away in two months would probably put an end to whatever it was. Seemed like it was going to be tough enough living right across the hall.
“Can I have some time to think about it?” I asked.
“Of course.” Mia gestured broadly with her hand. “Take a couple weeks. A month, even.”
“Thanks.”
Suddenly, from above our heads came the sound of loud thumping.
Coco sighed. “Nick, the boys are jumping on the bed again. Can you please get them off?”
“I’m on it,” he said. “Enjoy lunch, ladies. There’s plenty more if you’d like.” He left us alone, and we finished our plates, then went for seconds. We talked about Devine Events, the winery, the possibilities for different kinds of events there and other locations up north, and by the time we were done eating, I was actually really torn about making the move. It would be something different, and maybe a change of scenery was what I needed. I simply wanted to give this thing with Nate some time, a few weeks maybe, to see if it went anywhere. If it didn’t, I’d tell Mia I was taking the job.
The two boys dutifully headed up the stairs, the littler one grabbing the back of the bigger one’s shirt so he could scoot past him and beat him to the top. I smiled and slipped off my coat. “No school today?”
Nick took my coat and hung it up in the front hall closet. “Gianni’s still at school. Those two monkeys had preschool this morning. I picked them up at eleven and fed them quickly so they’d stay out of your way. Come on back, girls are in the kitchen.” He lowered his voice. “I’ll warn you—Coco’s a little grumpy.”
I nodded, figuring at nine months pregnant, that was her right. “Got it.”
I followed him down the hall into the kitchen, a beautiful open space with white cupboards, marble countertops, tons of copper cookware hanging over the island cooktop, and a big farmhouse sink. It smelled absolutely divine, like lemon and garlic and sautéed chicken. My mouth began to water.
Coco was sitting at the kitchen table, her bare feet propped on an adjacent chair. Her long dark hair was heaped in a nest at the top of her head, and she wore what looked like one of Nick’s black Burger bar T-shirts, her pregnant stomach bulging at the front, distorting the logo, and a pair of gray sweatpants. That’s how I knew for sure she must be really uncomfortable, because she never wore sweatpants. Ever.
Mia jumped out of the chair across from Coco’s. “Hi!” she squealed, running at me with her arms open. She was on the short side, like me, but dark-haired, and dressed much more casually in jeans and a V-neck T-shirt that said Abelard Vineyards on the front.
“Hi,” I said, hugging her hard. “It’s so good to see you. You look great.”
“So do you. Come sit.” She tugged on my hand, leading me over to the table.
I took the chair next to Mia’s and set my bag on the floor. “How are you feeling?” I asked Coco.
She scowled. “Like I swallowed a mean alien shaped like a beach ball with arms and legs he’s determined to beat me with from the inside out.”
“He?” I looked from her to Mia and back to her again. As far as I knew, Coco and Nick hadn’t wanted to learn the sex before birth. “You know for sure it’s another boy?”
“No,” said Nick firmly from behind us. “We don’t.”
“Why wouldn’t it be a boy?” Coco asked, throwing her hands up. “I had three boys in a row. I think that’s the only kind of baby we know how to make.” She narrowed her eyes. “Either that or my grandmother put some sort of hex on me.”
Mia laughed. “Well, you never know. Maybe this one will surprise you.”
“Lunch in five minutes, ladies.” Nick went over to the fridge and opened it. “Emme, can I get you something to drink? We have water, sparkling water, iced tea, Diet Coke, white wine, red wine, sparkling —”
“Oooh, try the sparkling.” Mia lifted her wine glass to her lips. “I brought it.”
“Wiiiiiiine,” Coco moaned. “God, I miss wine. How long until I can have some again?”
“Babe, you could be sipping champagne tonight if you’d just pop that baby out,” Nick answered cheerfully.
Coco put two hands on her belly. “Are you listening? Time to come out. Mama needs a glass of wine.”
“I’ll try the sparkling, thanks,” I said to Nick. “Are you having any contractions?” I asked Coco.
She nodded. “A ton. In fact, I’m thinking this baby is coming sooner rather than later. Are you okay to handle everything at work this week?”
“Absolutely,” I said, taking the glass of wine Nick handed me.
“Good. Amy can help you out, and Mia said she’d be willing to work too, if you need her.”
“Definitely. I’m here until Thursday,” Mia said.
Amy was Coco’s assistant, and she had taken on a lot of extra work since Lucy quit. In fact, she’d done so well that we hadn’t even replaced the Traitor. “I’ll probably be fine with Amy, but it would be fun to work together,” I said to Mia.
She smiled. “I think so too. In fact, speaking of working together, I wanted to ask you about something.” Both of us sat back as Nick came over with two plates and set them in front of us.
“Here you go, ladies. Chicken Piccata, some veggies, a little gnocchi…”
“Looks delicious,” I said, inhaling the aroma. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He winked at me before going back to make a plate for his wife, and I thought again how lucky Coco was.
“So what’s up?” I asked Mia, picking up my fork.
“What would you say to moving up north this summer and helping me start a new branch of Devine Events? We do so many special events at Abelard—tons of weddings—and I often get calls to design events for other spaces. I could really use someone to help.”
“What about Skylar?” I asked, naming Mia’s assistant.
“She had twins last fall and is taking a year off. I’ve been trying to get along without her, but I really can’t. Not during summertime.”
“What about Devine Events here?” I looked at Coco.
“I told Mia that I would need you for at least the next two months to get me through the newborn days and to help train Amy. She’s good, but she’s no Emme Devine.” She smiled at me as Nick set a plate in front of her.
“Thanks.” My heart fluttered happily at the compliment. I was confident at my job, but it was always nice to hear praise from someone you admired.
“And that’s totally fine,” Mia said. “I can deal with things for two months. June is when it really picks up, anyway. And it’s beautiful up there in the summer. You’ll love it.”
“You should go,” Coco encouraged. “Something different. Get out of the rut.”
I stuck a bite of chicken piccata in my mouth and wondered if she was referring to a professional rut or a personal rut. Seemed like a bad sign that I wasn’t sure.
“And if you don’t want to stay after summer is over, you can come back down to Detroit.” Mia picked up her wine glass. “Skylar will be ready to come back by then, and she could help me hire someone new. But if you like it and want to stay, great.”
I thought about it as I took another bite. I had loved it up there when I went to visit Mia last summer. Old Mission Peninsula, where Abelard was located, was beautiful—rolling hills, gorgeous fields and orchards, picturesque views of the water. And Traverse City, right at the foot of the peninsula, had a nice small-town feel without being too small, great beaches, and plenty of shopping. Both places would offer lots of unique settings for events, and I was sure I’d enjoy the work. But it would mean leaving life here behind…leaving Nate behind, and last night it had felt like we were right on the cusp of something good. Moving five hours away in two months would probably put an end to whatever it was. Seemed like it was going to be tough enough living right across the hall.
“Can I have some time to think about it?” I asked.
“Of course.” Mia gestured broadly with her hand. “Take a couple weeks. A month, even.”
“Thanks.”
Suddenly, from above our heads came the sound of loud thumping.
Coco sighed. “Nick, the boys are jumping on the bed again. Can you please get them off?”
“I’m on it,” he said. “Enjoy lunch, ladies. There’s plenty more if you’d like.” He left us alone, and we finished our plates, then went for seconds. We talked about Devine Events, the winery, the possibilities for different kinds of events there and other locations up north, and by the time we were done eating, I was actually really torn about making the move. It would be something different, and maybe a change of scenery was what I needed. I simply wanted to give this thing with Nate some time, a few weeks maybe, to see if it went anywhere. If it didn’t, I’d tell Mia I was taking the job.
