Baby Be Mine

going well?’ It surely must be with looks and a body like his.
    He shrugs. ‘Alright so far.’ He leans forward and stares straight into my eyes.
    ‘What?’ No one has looked at me intensely like this for quite some time. Well, not since Johnny the other day.
    ‘You never answered my question,’ he says.
    ‘Question?’
    ‘Why don’t you wear heels?’
    ‘Um . . .’ I tuck my feet back underneath my chair and give him a funny look.
    ‘They suit you,’ he adds.
    ‘Er, thanks,’ I reply. ‘Well, you never answered my question about being a black belt.’ I deflect him. I don’t want to reveal yet that I’m a mother and the last thing I want to do is rush around in high heels when I’m dealing with a toddler.
    He scratches the corner of his lip. Still, his eyes are on mine.
    ‘Yes, I am. Your turn.’
    ‘Um . . . I run around a lot. I’m very busy.’
    ‘Doing what?’
    ‘Looking after my one-and-a-half-year-old,’ I admit.
    He reels backwards. ‘You have a baby?’ Here we go. Bye bye, beautiful man.
    ‘Yes. A son.’
    ‘Are you married?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘Do you have a boyfriend?’
    ‘No.’
    He leans forward again and casually knocks his forefinger on my knee.
    ‘So let’s hook up.’
    I nod. Only because I’m rendered speechless. He reaches into his jacket pocket for his mobile phone. A shiver goes through me. I want him to touch me again. ‘What’s your number?’ he asks. I tell him and he punches it straight in. My phone starts to vibrate in my purse and he ends his call. ‘Now you have mine,’ he adds.
    ‘Joseph!’ We both jolt away from each other and look in the direction of the voice. A blond-haired man in his late forties is standing on the other side of the tables. ‘Nicky’s been looking for you.’
    Joseph nods and the man checks his watch. He turns back to me.
    ‘Nicky’s my agent,’ he explains, standing up. ‘It’s been nice talking to you, Meg,’ he says with a small smile. ‘I’ll be in touch.’
    ‘Cool,’ I reply, but he’s already started making his way between the tables. I look around for Kitty. Right on cue, she bounds over to me.
    ‘Got his number!’ she says triumphantly, referring to the canapé guy.
    I take my phone out of my bag and waggle it in front of her. ‘Me too.’
    ‘Nice work,’ she says, impressed. ‘About time you got back on the horse.’
    Johnny and Christian’s faces flicker through my mind, one after the other, before settling on Johnny’s. Then I see Dana.
    ‘You’re right.’ I turn to Kitty. ‘I know you’re right.’

 
  Chapter 34  
    ‘Has he called you yet?’ Kitty asks me the next day.
    ‘It’s only midday,’ I reply. ‘How’s your head?’
    ‘My head’s fine after my nice sleep-in.’
    ‘Cow.’
    She laughs. ‘How’s yours?’
    ‘Not so fine,’ I admit. ‘But damn, it was worth it.’
    ‘It was a fun night,’ she agrees. ‘We should do it more often.’
    I look across at Barney, making a mess of his cheese sandwich. We’re in the kitchen.
    I came home last night to find a note from Lena on the landing saying that she and Katya were sleeping in the green room and that I could go in and get the monitor. I crept into the bedroom, trying not to stare too much at the sleeping bodies snuggled up together under the covers, and retrieved the device. They joined me earlier for breakfast before Katya went home. The babysitting went well – Barney slept through – and I feel strangely free as a result. I really could do this more often.
    ‘Sounds good to me,’ I reply. ‘I’ve decided to check out some babysitters.’
    ‘Really? Good for you!’
    ‘Yeah.’ I look across at my son. ‘Last night I started to feel like my old self again.’
    Johnny and Dana went out last night. I gather they stayed at hers because Barney is having his afternoon nap and Johnny’s still not home. Lena is working in the office, but the place feels empty. The new cook can’t start soon enough. I go into the office.
    ‘When is Eddie starting?’ I ask Lena.
    ‘Monday!’ she replies with a wide smile. I’m guessing she misses the extra company as much as I do.
    ‘Brilliant. I can’t wait.’
    ‘Me neither.’
    ‘I wonder if he does cookies . . .’ I think out loud.
    She laughs. ‘He’d better.’
    ‘Hey,’ I have a sudden thought. ‘Can we check out the premiere pics from last night?’
    ‘Sure.’ She indicates the chair next to her. I sit down and stare at the computer with anticipation