“You’re right. They would.” Anne tried to keep her words neutral for Steven's benefit. “I’d better get back to work.”
Overwhelmed by a sudden intense nausea, she flung her phone down and dashed for the ladies’ room, barely making the toilet before her stomach emptied its contents. At the sink she washed her mouth and face, startled by the stark appearance of her sunken eyes in the mirror. She tried to improve her looks, smoothing her hair around her face. Finally, she gave up and exited the restroom, only to find Steven pacing outside the door.
“Are you okay?” he said, grabbing her by her arms. “Do we need to go to the hospital? Someone said you were throwing up.”
“Great… now the whole office will think I’m pregnant and the baby is yours.”
“It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks.” Steven’s eyes widened. “Could you be pregnant?”
“Yes, but only if you believe in Immaculate Conception,” she said.
“No—I mean—I thought you were too… Don’t you eventually get to the point where you can’t have children?”
Anne fanned her suddenly-hot face. “I haven’t gone through menopause yet. That’s usually around age fifty. And I can’t believe I’m discussing this with you.” She hurried back toward the CMA department before any employees might come out and spy her with Steven.
He arrived about ten minutes later with a huge to-go cup in his hand.
“Come on, I’m taking you home. And you need to get some more fluid into you and keep it down, or we won’t be able to go see the jazz show tonight.”
“We? You’re going?”
“Johanna didn’t tell you? They invited both of us to go.”
Her knees felt weak. Was it dehydration? Or was it the news she’d be spending the evening with Steven?
“Neither of us is going if you aren’t better.” Steven held the cup out. “But I got that nasty sweet-tea you like from next door. Hopefully you won’t mind drinking so much.”
“That’s so sweet of you!” Anne took a long drink from the straw, savoring the flavor that reminded her of Texas. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome.” He beamed. “Glad you like it.”
A worrisome thought hit her. “The last time we went somewhere with Johanna and Alexander, someone took our picture and put it in the social column. That could mess things up for you and Ellen.”
“I don’t care,” Steven’s jaw tightened. “Let them speculate. More gossip will be better publicity for Ellen, anyway.”
Anne had no desire to be fodder for any more gossip, but Steven’s expression was so fierce, she decided not to argue. Especially since Steven was only attending for business purposes.
Back in her apartment, Anne set an alarm to take a quick nap. Her body was physically and emotionally spent. She fell asleep immediately and woke confused at the sound of her clock beeping.
In the bathroom, she regarded her drawn face with alarm. Perhaps a quick shower would help. She hopped in and washed her hair, quickly donning some clothes before Steven was scheduled to arrive. He knocked on her door at the prescribed time, and she dashed to answer it.
“I’m sorry.” She peeked through her mass of unruly wet waves. “I decided to take a nap and a shower, so I’m not ready yet.”
He eyed her critically. “How do you feel?”
“I’m fine.” She hurried to the bathroom to continue her preparations. “Really, I feel a lot better. I’m not trying to hide anything. And I drank that whole ten gallons of tea you bought me.”
“That was only an eight-gallon cup.” He followed her and leaned against the bathroom doorway, watching the proceedings. He leaned closer as she applied mascara. “Why do you hold your mouth open wide when you put that on?”
“I don’t know, it’s just something you have to do somehow when you put mascara on. Everyone does it, I think.”
“You don’t really need makeup. You don’t wear much anyway, do you? I mean, I guess you had on more that night you went to the gala. And you looked good. But I think you look beautiful without it.”
Anne watched her face turn red in the mirror. She started coughing to distract attention from her flush. “Thanks. That’s a sweet thing to say.”
“Maybe, bu
t I didn’t say it because I’m sweet. I could prove that to you again if you’d like.” He flashed a very un-sweet smile that made her toes curl.