Page 117 of Love By The Falls

“Now, let’s see which room you like best.”

*

Two months later,

I chose the bedroom with the largest windows facing the river. It was an easy decision, especially since that was the room we made love in.

Caleb's in New York now and I’m checking in on the progress of the renovations.

Over the past couple of months, we sanded and stained the floors. We did keep the clawfoot tub but installed new Japanese toilets with bidet functions. Sage assured me it was the way to go.

I asked Sage to move in with us, but she says Caleb and I need our privacy. He’s been back and forth these past eight weeks, visiting every weekend. Each time, he becomes more and more ingrained in my life, and I worry about what it’ll be like when the baby comes.

Will I miss him more? Will I be lonely living on my own? I’ve always lived with someone else. I don’t really like the thought of being alone. I worry if something were to happen to Charlie, who would be there to watchthe baby? I’ve been anxious lately, and that might have to do with the fact that I’m due in three weeks.

Billy Wentworth, our contractor, arrives with paint chips in his hands. “Morning, Charlotte.”

“Morning, Billy.”

“Which one do you like?”

I take the samples from his hand and place them against the wall next to the window. The gray looks good against the light, but when I move it to the opposite wall, it’s too dark. I put the lightest gray up against the wall instead. “Mmm,” I say, tilting my head. “I like this one.”

“Perfect. We’ll get the color this afternoon, and have this place painted in the next week or so.”

“Thanks, Billy. That’ll work well with the due date.”

He looks down at my belly. “Do you know what you’re having?”

“No. Caleb wanted it to be a surprise, but I think it’s a girl.”

“He’s one lucky guy, Charlotte.”

I smack his shoulder. “Oh, stop teasing.”

“You know I’m not. You turned me down so many times in high school, I finally gave up. If I knew you would go for Jason, I would have tried harder.”

“Yeah, I wish you would have,” I say, and we both chuckle.

“But you’re not ready to settle down anyway, Billy. You’re having way too much fun being single.”

He rubs his mouth to cover his grin. “Well, that may be true, but a good woman could change me.”

“No, she can’t. But you enjoy yourself.”

My phone rings, and it’s a New York number I don’t recognize. “Excuse me, Billy,” I say and take the call in the other room.

“Hello?” I answer, thinking it might be Caleb calling from an office line.

“Hello. Is this Charlotte Tanner?” A woman’s voice asks silkily. My body tenses, and the worst thoughts race through my head.

Who is this? Is Caleb leading a double life? I saw a documentary about that on Netflix, and—

“Hello? Are you still there?”

“Yes. This is Charlotte. Who’s this?”

“I’m Brigitte Consuelos.”

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