One for the Money

Elaine also shows up with a slim envelope, which I suspect holds something outrageous. Like buying a star for the child so that when space exploration becomes common, she’ll already have real estate. She brings her sister, Vivian Constantine.

I’m not quite used to having Constantines around, but it’s only fair.

This is Haley’s baby shower. She should have people from her family.

However, I can’t shake the hollow feeling when I greet Vivian.

I’ve gotten used to Elaine. I see her as a three-dimensional person. And my brother’s wife. But I don’t know much about Vivian, besides the fact that she’s with the State Department. Something to do with the consulates, though I don’t know what.

And, of course, she’s Lane’s daughter.

It doesn’t escape my notice that we’re the same age. I knew it before, on an abstract level, but we never spent time with the Constantines back then. It had seemed far away and irrelevant to our love.

She’s completely nice when we talk, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

I’m the one with the problem. She doesn’t know why my heart is pounding and my palms feel sweaty. That’s my own tell-tale heart pounding under the floorboards. I wasn’t the only person Lane had an affair with, but that doesn’t stop me from feeling shame. I was too young and naive to understand the ripple effects. And I was too gullible to believe him when he said it was something special between us.

Haley’s sister Petra arrives with a toddler in tow, apologizing for an issue with the nanny. “It’s no problem at all,” I say, smiling at a bashful little boy with blond curls. “There’s no shortage of laps for him to sit on.”

Harlow is there, along with a few of Haley’s friends from college.

Soon the baby shower is in full swing, with a tapas station, mocktails so the expectant mother can indulge, and a few games. As promised, Haley holds court from the formal living room, always seated, with Daphne at her side in case she needs something.

Leo glowers from the corner, clearly unconcerned with our ‘no men’ edict.

“Ambrose is here,” he says when I try to nudge him from the room. Haley’s nephew was finally coaxed from his mother’s arms. He wandered off after Sophia some time ago. Knowing my sister, she’s probably teaching him how to swear.

“Ambrose also isn’t potty trained yet.”

But I let my brother stay. Better that he keeps an eye on her.

She looks fine but tired. That’s normal, isn’t it? I hope so. I make sure Daphne keeps a glass of ice water nearby. Haley doesn’t touch it, but I want her to stay hydrated. I’m not a doctor, but that just seems like a good idea.

Then it’s time for the gender reveal.

Everyone is passed a cupcake on delicate china.

“Three,” I say, holding up my cupcake. “Two. One.”

Muffled exclamations follow as the guests see the pink filling, their mouths full of cupcake. Haley smiles in that serene way she’s found while pregnant. She’s always been a wise, steady presence, but pregnancy has taken her zen state to a new level. She accepts the congratulations and the endless advice in good humor.

Afterward, I shoo my sister Daphne away and take her place beside Haley. “Okay,” I say, my voice private. “Tell me the truth. Are you tired? Exhausted? You can go upstairs now. Leo would be only too happy to carry you up there himself.”

“No,” she says, a hint of panic in her voice. “I can’t survive another minute in that bedroom. There’s no breathing room. I can’t even blink without Leo offering me eyedrops or a cold compress or a heated blanket.”

“Leo thinks you’re understating it, though.”

Guilt crosses her expression. “Maybe I am, a little. But we’re already doing what the doctors told us to do. Having him worry more isn’t going to help.”

The cupcake I ate sits heavy and wrong. Probably because I was too busy to eat anything else. An empty stomach and sugar don’t mix. “I don’t want to intrude on your privacy, but what if I were to move in? That way I could distract Leo and give you some rest.”

A faint smile. “The last thing you need is to spend more time managing Leo. Or any of the Morellis. You deserve some time for yourself. And,” she adds with a sparkle in her blue eyes, “you must have found enough to fall in love with Finn Hughes.”

My stomach flip flops. It really didn’t like that cupcake. “Leo told you?”

Her voice drops to a whisper. “That it’s fake? Yeah.”

It’s a big secret, but I didn’t really expect Leo to keep it from his wife. They share everything. And it’s a relief now to not have to hide from someone else. “I’m driving my sisters insane because I don’t want to talk about it, but I don’t know what to say. There’s not going to be wedding colors and flowers and cake, and I can’t lie to them about it.”