Merrill waved a hand, a go on gesture. “It’s good to see you with a healthy appetite.”
Audrey served herself the remainder of the dish, pouring all the spicy sauce left in the container over a last service of rice as well. “This new job is making me hungry.” Which was a miracle.
“Are you forgetting to eat during the day again?” Merrill asked.
She knew well that Audrey often did, coasting from breakfast to dinner with only coffee and tearoom pilfered biscuits in between. The real miracle was that she’d never had trouble with weight, except losing too much of it. “No. By the time I get to work I need a second breakfast.”
Barrett laughed. “Cameron needs to send you off with two sandwiches in the morning.”
Audrey ate a forkful of rice. “Good idea.” Merrill looked at her strangely. “What, it is. I’m still underweight.”
Merrill nodded. She reached for Joe’s hand. They’d had no luck getting pregnant and that might’ve made talking about what to do with Mia awkward, but they’d been enthusiastic, which brought her thoughts full circle. Macabre. But morbid thoughts were almost better than thinking about Reece, and ice cream was better than both.
“I got us ice cream cake for dessert.”
“Like for a kid’s party?” said Joe with obvious distaste.
Barrett stood without a word and went to kitchen. They heard him rumbling about.
“Not for me, mate,” Joe called. “Not much for sweet stuff.”
“Wait,” Audrey said. This wasn’t ordinary ice cream cake, no test run for Mia’s birthday. It was artisan gelato Black Forest cake, which looked like a cross between a space ship and a 1930’s pendent light.
Barrett appeared in the doorway, the creation held at shoulder height. “Behold, chocolate fondant gelato, kirsch, semifreddo with cherries and chocolate crackle.”
“Oh my waistline,” said Merrill, but she clapped her hands. “Gimme.”
“I thought you’d be impressed.”
Audrey served. Joe succumbed and for a moment all you could hear were moans of delight. Joe had seconds. Barrett made coffee. Audrey went for seconds too, a smaller slice, but it was utterly delicious and she couldn’t resist. She smiled across the table at Merrill, and Merrill burst into tears.
Joe’s spoon clattered onto his plate and he gathered Merrill to him with a bemused expression. “Merry, what’s wrong? Tell me, what did I do? What did I not do?”
Audrey exchanged a look with Barrett. He pulled a face. Joe repeated his appeal.
Merrill lifted her head and looked at Audrey. “You’re pregnant.”
“No.” Audrey laughed, astonished into it.
“You never eat ice cream. You craved it the whole time you were pregnant with Mia.” Merrill switched her gaze to Barrett. “That’s why he’s here and you weren’t going to tell us because, because—” She broke up again.
Audrey said, “No.”
Barrett said it far louder, “No,” standing up to press the point.
“But?” Merrill sniffed, her lips were rubbery and her cheeks were wet.
Audrey got over her shock. “He’s only visiting.
“I’m truly only visiting.”
Audrey looked from Barrett to Merry and Joe. “I don’t want another kid, you know tha
t. One is enough, more than enough. I would never have sprung it on you and it’s only ice cream.”
“Aud, you’re pale and tired, yet the doc gave you a tick for being fully recovered, you’re eating up a storm and you had a second helping of ice cream.”
“Oh Merry, I can’t be pregnant.”