I still can’t believe Sophie’s a mom. It doesn’t feel like that long ago when we were all in college. I guess technically it wasn’t that long ago, but it feels like Everly and Sophie are light years ahead of me. Not that it’s a competition. It’s not that. It’s just the thought of putting myself out there again makes me kinda ill after yesterday’s date.
I find Sophie in her room, glowing. Her light brown hair is pulled back in a low ponytail as she waves me into the room with a huge smile on her face. Baby Christine is perfect. I hold her, breathing in her perfect baby scent while she blinks at me and scrunches her face, then yawns. Everly arrives right behind me with her little guy Jake. He’s wearing navy track pants, a white long-sleeved t-shirt and a navy tie. Everly is two-fisting paper cups from Grind Me, the coffee shop chain she worked at with Sophie during college.
“Still with the ties?” I whisper to Everly as she sets the cups down.
“It’s a workday,” she tells me and I try not to laugh. Jake turned five over the summer and started kindergarten this fall. He’s a good kid, if a little serious.
“One decaf pumpkin spice latte,” Everly announces, handing a cup to Sophie. “And a pumpkin muffin.” She pulls a paper bag from her purse and sets it on the rolling tray over Sophie’s bed.
“Ahh, this is heaven.” Sophie moans in happiness as she pops a chunk of muffin into her mouth. “You would not believe how bad the food is here. I sent Luke home to take a shower and bring me something decent to eat.”
“Well, I figured you could use a little pick-me-up from Grind Me. Just think, if it wasn’t for their coffee you might never have met Luke and Christine might have never been conceived.”
“What’s conceived?” Jake asks from the couch. He’s slumped back, feet dangling from the edge, listening to every word.
“It’s how babies are made,” Everly responds without missing a beat.
Jake slaps his palms over his eyes. “Okay. Stop.” He asks if he can have Everly’s phone and she slips it from her pocket and hands it to him as she snatches Christine from me. I scoot over next to Jake.
“Whatcha playing?” I ask him as he taps the screen.
“I’m catching Pokemon,” he tells me, looking up.
“Me too!” I tell him, pulling out my phone and opening the app. “I’m not very good at it though. I don’t have very many yet, but I got this cute purple mouse.” I hold up my phone to show him.
“Auntie Chloe.” He shakes his head at me. “That’s a rat. You can catch them anywhere.” This kid. He calls us all Auntie even though none of us are technically his aunts. It’s pretty cute though, and I’m ecstatic to be an honorary aunt.
“Humph, maybe we should go for a walk and see if we can catch something better? I think there’s a Pokestop in the lobby.”
“Yeah!” His face lights up. “Mom! Auntie Chloe and I are gonna go catch Pokemon,” he announces. Everly tells us to have fun and off we go.
You have to walk to make this game work, so we investigate the hospital, walking to the cafeteria, the lobby, the chapel, the gift shop and the coffee shop. Jake tells me all about kindergarten, his teacher and his new friends at school and his cat. He catches a ton of Pokemon before we head back upstairs. An elevator opens just as I’m trying to nab another Pokemon. We step on while I fling virtual balls at a pigeon. I hold the phone in front of me, tilting the screen and my body like it’s going to help me nab the thing.
“Did you get it yet?” Jake asks.
“No.” I bend my knees so he can see the screen too, continuing to hold the phone in front of me with one hand and using the other to swipe the screen, flinging virtual balls. I bite my lip as I lob the next ball. I think I’ve got ‘em this time, but a man clearing his throat catches my attention before I can be sure. I glance up, knees still bent as I crouch next to Jake, phone extended in my hand… and realize that at this angle my extended hand is inches from… oh, my God, this guy probably thinks I’m trying to take a picture of his dick. I mean, I can kinda see the outline of it, right—no, stop. I shoot up, an apology on my lips before I’m fully standing.
“I’m so sorry! We’re playing this game…” I wave the phone in my hand as I say it, but then my eyes land on his and the phone is slipping out of my hand.
It’s the hot agent from yesterday. Only today he’s wearing a suit. A nice one. Why don’t men dress like this anymore? Clearly he’s a man, and he’s dressed like this. I mean the other men. The men whom I come in contact with on a regular basis. They don’t look like this.
Quickly, I bend my knees and scoop my phone off the floor where it’s landed next to his shoe. Dammit, he has nice shoes too. This is so embarrassing. Get it together, Chloe.
“There was a Pikachu on your pants,” I say, referring to the Pokemon game I was playing as I stand again and my head jerks and I stumble towards him. Oh, Jesus. A strand of my hair is wrapped around the button on his jacket. How? How does this happen to me? I reach forward to free myself when his hand moves forward and grips my forearm.
“Stop,” he says, his tone firm. “Hold still,” he adds, and I blow out a breath and still myself. His hand leaves my arm and he untangles my hair from the button as the elevator stops. Once free I stand, sure I’m beet red. I dart a quick glance at the man. His perfect, beautiful face is now showing a hint of amusement.
I realize the elevator is stopped so I turn to see what floor we’re on and realize Everly is standing in the hallway holding the elevator door open with a smug smile on her face. She reaches out a hand to Jake as we all step off the elevator. “I see that you two met?” she questions with… is that glee on her face?
Wait. Oh, shit. The badge. This must be…
“No.” I shake my head back and forth. “Nope, I’ve never seen this guy before,” I lie. I will never hear the end of it from Everly if she finds out I’ve already met Sophie’s brother—while he was arresting my date. Just no.
“Ahh, Everly,” the man says. “It’s been a while.” He slides his hands in his pockets and glances between the two of us and Jake, seeming to realize something. “This little guy must belong to you,” he says, nodding at Jake. “My sister mentioned you got married”—he pauses—“and you’re a mom now,” he adds, looking at Jake as if the notion that Everly is partially responsible for raising someone is a confusing thought. He’s not wrong, it is bizarre.
I find Sophie in her room, glowing. Her light brown hair is pulled back in a low ponytail as she waves me into the room with a huge smile on her face. Baby Christine is perfect. I hold her, breathing in her perfect baby scent while she blinks at me and scrunches her face, then yawns. Everly arrives right behind me with her little guy Jake. He’s wearing navy track pants, a white long-sleeved t-shirt and a navy tie. Everly is two-fisting paper cups from Grind Me, the coffee shop chain she worked at with Sophie during college.
“Still with the ties?” I whisper to Everly as she sets the cups down.
“It’s a workday,” she tells me and I try not to laugh. Jake turned five over the summer and started kindergarten this fall. He’s a good kid, if a little serious.
“One decaf pumpkin spice latte,” Everly announces, handing a cup to Sophie. “And a pumpkin muffin.” She pulls a paper bag from her purse and sets it on the rolling tray over Sophie’s bed.
“Ahh, this is heaven.” Sophie moans in happiness as she pops a chunk of muffin into her mouth. “You would not believe how bad the food is here. I sent Luke home to take a shower and bring me something decent to eat.”
“Well, I figured you could use a little pick-me-up from Grind Me. Just think, if it wasn’t for their coffee you might never have met Luke and Christine might have never been conceived.”
“What’s conceived?” Jake asks from the couch. He’s slumped back, feet dangling from the edge, listening to every word.
“It’s how babies are made,” Everly responds without missing a beat.
Jake slaps his palms over his eyes. “Okay. Stop.” He asks if he can have Everly’s phone and she slips it from her pocket and hands it to him as she snatches Christine from me. I scoot over next to Jake.
“Whatcha playing?” I ask him as he taps the screen.
“I’m catching Pokemon,” he tells me, looking up.
“Me too!” I tell him, pulling out my phone and opening the app. “I’m not very good at it though. I don’t have very many yet, but I got this cute purple mouse.” I hold up my phone to show him.
“Auntie Chloe.” He shakes his head at me. “That’s a rat. You can catch them anywhere.” This kid. He calls us all Auntie even though none of us are technically his aunts. It’s pretty cute though, and I’m ecstatic to be an honorary aunt.
“Humph, maybe we should go for a walk and see if we can catch something better? I think there’s a Pokestop in the lobby.”
“Yeah!” His face lights up. “Mom! Auntie Chloe and I are gonna go catch Pokemon,” he announces. Everly tells us to have fun and off we go.
You have to walk to make this game work, so we investigate the hospital, walking to the cafeteria, the lobby, the chapel, the gift shop and the coffee shop. Jake tells me all about kindergarten, his teacher and his new friends at school and his cat. He catches a ton of Pokemon before we head back upstairs. An elevator opens just as I’m trying to nab another Pokemon. We step on while I fling virtual balls at a pigeon. I hold the phone in front of me, tilting the screen and my body like it’s going to help me nab the thing.
“Did you get it yet?” Jake asks.
“No.” I bend my knees so he can see the screen too, continuing to hold the phone in front of me with one hand and using the other to swipe the screen, flinging virtual balls. I bite my lip as I lob the next ball. I think I’ve got ‘em this time, but a man clearing his throat catches my attention before I can be sure. I glance up, knees still bent as I crouch next to Jake, phone extended in my hand… and realize that at this angle my extended hand is inches from… oh, my God, this guy probably thinks I’m trying to take a picture of his dick. I mean, I can kinda see the outline of it, right—no, stop. I shoot up, an apology on my lips before I’m fully standing.
“I’m so sorry! We’re playing this game…” I wave the phone in my hand as I say it, but then my eyes land on his and the phone is slipping out of my hand.
It’s the hot agent from yesterday. Only today he’s wearing a suit. A nice one. Why don’t men dress like this anymore? Clearly he’s a man, and he’s dressed like this. I mean the other men. The men whom I come in contact with on a regular basis. They don’t look like this.
Quickly, I bend my knees and scoop my phone off the floor where it’s landed next to his shoe. Dammit, he has nice shoes too. This is so embarrassing. Get it together, Chloe.
“There was a Pikachu on your pants,” I say, referring to the Pokemon game I was playing as I stand again and my head jerks and I stumble towards him. Oh, Jesus. A strand of my hair is wrapped around the button on his jacket. How? How does this happen to me? I reach forward to free myself when his hand moves forward and grips my forearm.
“Stop,” he says, his tone firm. “Hold still,” he adds, and I blow out a breath and still myself. His hand leaves my arm and he untangles my hair from the button as the elevator stops. Once free I stand, sure I’m beet red. I dart a quick glance at the man. His perfect, beautiful face is now showing a hint of amusement.
I realize the elevator is stopped so I turn to see what floor we’re on and realize Everly is standing in the hallway holding the elevator door open with a smug smile on her face. She reaches out a hand to Jake as we all step off the elevator. “I see that you two met?” she questions with… is that glee on her face?
Wait. Oh, shit. The badge. This must be…
“No.” I shake my head back and forth. “Nope, I’ve never seen this guy before,” I lie. I will never hear the end of it from Everly if she finds out I’ve already met Sophie’s brother—while he was arresting my date. Just no.
“Ahh, Everly,” the man says. “It’s been a while.” He slides his hands in his pockets and glances between the two of us and Jake, seeming to realize something. “This little guy must belong to you,” he says, nodding at Jake. “My sister mentioned you got married”—he pauses—“and you’re a mom now,” he adds, looking at Jake as if the notion that Everly is partially responsible for raising someone is a confusing thought. He’s not wrong, it is bizarre.
