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Tilly
“Why the frown, you clown?” Frannie laughs at her joke.
I shake my head at the camera on my phone. “That’s about as funny now as it was when you first said it. We were eight-years-old then, Fran.”
“Maya just asked you to be her maid-of-honor.” She tilts her head. “I thought you’d be crying.”
“I’m happy.” I nod. “I’m excited too.”
“You’ll do a great job.” She tugs the strap of her sundress up until it’s sitting on her shoulder. It slips down almost instantly. “It’s important to Maya that you stand beside her when she marries Julian. I’m going to be the flower girl wrangler.”
I laugh. “I heard. Are the girls excited?”
“Jolie is. Becca is too young to understand.” She sighs. “I got my period today.”
When I was in San Francisco, Fran made a point of telling me on a daily basis about her desire to have another baby. She loves children. It’s obvious whenever I see her with her daughters.
“I’m sorry.” I look directly into the camera. “I know today must be hard for you.”
A soft smile touches her lips. “It is, but it’s not meant to be yet.”
Both of her pregnancies were surprises. Now that she’s focused and actively trying, it’s not happening. This is the third month in a row she’s called me with the news that a new baby isn’t on its way.
I pause when I hear the unmistakable squeak of the loose floorboard in the foyer followed by the sound of the apartment door closing. That means Sebastian left. I look up at the top of my phone’s screen at the time. It’s almost midnight.
“I should get to bed soon, Frannie,” I lie. I won’t be able to sleep. I’m still thinking about the conversation I was having with Sebastian before this call interrupted me.
He was about to tell me what type of woman he’s attracted to. I had braced myself for him to say redheads since I know he fucked Wendy, but I imagine his type varies depending on what he’s in the mood for.
When his leg brushed mine during dinner, I felt a shiver run through me. I glanced at him, but his gaze was locked on a woman sitting at the bar near the restaurant’s entrance.
She was blonde with long legs and shoes that cost more than I make in a year.
Maybe he’s on his way back there now.
“Tilly?” Frannie’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “You’ve got something on your mind. What is it?”
“Sleep.” I manage a small laugh. “I have to be at the clinic bright and early.”
She eyes me with skepticism. “You’re lying, but I’m going to let you off the hook because I can see that you’re tired.”
I’ll take the insult if it means I can end the call.
“Good night, Frannie.” I smile into the camera. “Sweet dreams.”
She blows me a kiss. “’Night, Tilly.”
***
“I always knew you were trouble,” Dr. Hunt says from where he’s standing in the doorway of the break room.
I’m just finishing my lunch which consists of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich I made in a rush this morning before work.
I pressed the snooze button twice before I rolled out of bed and into a warm shower.
Once I was dressed in my scrubs and I’d finished braiding my hair, I went into the kitchen with the hope that I’d see Sebastian.
He wasn’t there and his bedroom door was wide open. He either didn’t make it home last night or he left before the crack of dawn.
Either way, I felt a stab of disappointment as I poured my morning coffee into a travel mug to take with me.
“What did I do now?” I smile at my boss.
Donovan Hunt has been good to me. He gave me this job right after I landed in New York City. Sometimes I have to work long hours, but the pay is excellent and the benefit is that I get to spend all day with one of the most respected veterinarians in the city. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a handsome and kind man.
“You tell me.” He jerks his thumb toward the waiting room. “There’s a police detective here to see you.”
“Sebastian Wolf?” My heartbeat quickens when I say his name.
“That’s the one.” Donovan nods. “I take it you didn’t rob a bank. This is a personal visit?”
“It is,” I say quietly.
“I thought so.” He laughs. “The guy had a smile as wide as the ocean on his face when he asked for you.”
I bow my head to hide the blush I feel blooming on my cheeks. “I’ll be right out.”
He turns to leave. “It’s good to see you happy, Matilda.”
It’s good to feel happy. I brush my hands over the front of my scrubs and follow Donovan out the door.
