Simone realized she wasn’t handling this well. “I suppose you know I’m pregnant.”
Tess grimaced. “Yes, ma’am.”
“What you may not know is that I’m having triplets.”
“Good God.” Tess’s eyes rounded. “I hope it’s not contagious.” She shuddered. “I’m not antibaby, but three?”
“Yeah,” Simone said wryly. “It’s a lot to take in. But on the other hand, it’s a done deal, so I’m trying to make plans.”
“No offense, boss, but I’m not really a fan of little kids. They scare me. Probably comes from my dad dropping me on my head when I was six months old. I think it warped me.”
Tess was talking a mile a minute, clearly rattled.
Simone sighed. “Stand down, Tess. I’m not asking you to babysit. I want to know if you’re willing to be top dog of this company for a year. I’d still be involved in all major decisions, but you would be in charge. What do you think?”
“Where will you be?”
“At home. I’ll have help with the triplets...out of necessity. There’s no way I can do it alone. But I’ll be their mother. Even saying that out loud sounds strange. I want these babies, Tess. I’m going to give this motherhood thing a hundred percent of my time when they’re born, at least for a year. After that, if we’ve managed some kind of routine, I may consider day care. But that’s a long time off, so I can’t think about that now.”
“You’re awfully brave.”
“Not brave. Just determined. If you need time to think about this, I understand.”
“I don’t have to think about it,” Tess said with a huge grin. “I’m honored. And pumped. You can count on me, boss.”
“When we get around to this new arrangement, do you think you could call me Simone?”
Tess shrugged sheepishly. “Maybe. I’ll try.”
“Good. And, Tess?”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“This is between you and me for the next few months. I don’t want anyone to know I’m thinking about taking a sabbatical. It’s my business.”
“I get it.” She mimed sealing her lips. “Your secrets will go to my grave.”
“Thank you.” Simone shooed her out and tackled the stack of paperwork overflowing her inbox. Between snail mail and email, she never caught up. The business was growing undeniably. Soon, she might have to consider adding another employee. But then again, with Simone gone for a year, they might lose ground. It would be a game of wait and see.
For the second day in a row, she closed the office at five. As someone accustomed to keeping late hours when in the midst of a project, it was not her usual behavior. She liked to think motherhood was going to be good for her. Keeping a healthier lifestyle...all of that.
She didn’t call Hutch that evening. Or text him.
He didn’t contact her, either. Maybe they were both ready to admit their relationship was never going to blossom into something permanent. Simone had known that from the beginning. Getting pregnant with an unknown man’s sperm had erased virtually every chance she had to get married. No one she knew would be willing to take on a young mom with three babies, even if that man was madly in love with her.
Hutch wasn’t madly in love. She didn’t deceive herself there. He liked her. He enjoyed having regular sex. Neither of those things guaranteed a happily-ever-after. As she let herself into the house, she told herself she could handle this baby thing with or without Hutch.
Though she cooked oatmeal for dinner, she was barely able to eat half. Afterward, she read and watched TV until ten o’clock. Like a high school girl in the throes o
f a crush, she picked up her phone every ten seconds to check for messages.
The screen remained blank.
Uncertainty was painful and demoralizing. She was even more resolved to end things with Hutch after the ball. Never mind that her heart raced in panic at the thought. The two of them had enjoyed reuniting. Nothing that came afterward pointed to a rosy future. Even Hutch himself had never made any pretense of wanting to be a father to her babies. He was too honest to lead her astray.
More honest than she deserved.
When she finally turned out the light and curled up in a ball underneath the covers, her heart raced. Tomorrow night was big. Huge, in fact. A good turnout meant significant sums of money for the charity.