Page 83 of In This Together

‘I… Well, yeah, I think, mostly. I don’t mean that I have a problem with black kids, or anything…’

Oh. My. God.

‘Just that I want my kids to look like they’re mine.’

Hannah stood, her chair screeching against the tiled floor. ‘So my kids don’t look like they’re mine because they’re mixed-race? Is that what you’re saying?’

‘No! No. I… I’m sorry, this isn’t coming out right. It doesn’t even matter any more because I don’t think I’m going to go through with the whole process.’ She sighed. ‘Look, I just think if I had a white baby, people would know… I mean, it’s different for you because you have Rod. If I went down the Swans agency route, then my baby wouldn’t necessarily have a dad around when I was out with it, so it would need to look?—’

‘Enough!’ Hannah yelled, drawing the attention of other diners. ‘How dare you? I’m so sick of you, and Andrea, and your first-world problems. Babies aren’t toys, Rosalie. They aren’t trash you can throw away when you’re done with it or because you never wanted them in the first place. You think that a baby will cure the fact that you’re bored with your shoes and your handbags and the fact you have nothing meaningful in your life.’

Rosalie stood. ‘How dareI? How dareyou! I don’t want a baby to cure boredom, Hannah. I have meaningful things in my life.’

Hannah grabbed her purse. ‘No, Rosalie, you don’t. You want a designer baby that you can pick up when it suits you and dress in fancy clothes and take for babyccinos then drop him off to Daddy, who is straight and white and rich, just like your daddy because isn’t Hunter just goddamn perfect?’

‘Don’t bring my dad into this!’

‘I will because the reason you can’t find a decent man and a father for your child is that you think the sun shines out of Hunter’s ass. You would overlook a decent man because he isn’t the CEO of a music label or because, god forbid, he isn’t a rich white man. Well, news flash, Rosalie, your dad is a lying, cheating scum of the earth. If that’s what you want from life. If that’s someone you want to father your child, I don’t think I want to know you.’

Hannah stormed from the bakery with Rosalie hot on her heels. ‘What are you talking about? Why are you saying those things about my dad?’

Hannah spun and found herself inches from Rosalie’s face. ‘Because he’s a heartless, cheating bastard.’

‘He is not! How would you even know that? Why would you say that?’

‘No? He isn’t, huh? Ask Andrea if she agrees with that.’

Fuck. Fuck-fuck-fuck.

Hannah startled herself, straightening her back as she sucked in a breath. What had she done?

‘Andrea? Andi? What are you saying?’

There was no going back. She released her breath, resigned. ‘I think you know what I’m saying.’

* * *

Hannah felt faint as she made her way along the corridor to her desk. What had she done?She had outed Andrea and Hunter to Rosalie in a moment of rage. She had destroyed Andrea’s trust. Ruined a friendship. Made everything a thousand times worse for Andrea than it had been this morning.

As she neared her desk, Andrea stepped out of her office and stood calmly, with her hands by her sides. Hannah was going to have to tell her the truth. Today of all days. Despite what Hunter had done to her this morning.

There was no going back.

She swallowed the bile that rose in her throat as she reached her best friend.

‘Andi, I have to tell you something.’

Andrea spoke calmly. ‘You’re fired.’

‘Andi.’

‘Pack up your things.’

‘Andi, the kids.’

‘You had kids before you had lunch with Rosalie, perhaps you should have thought about them then.’

Then she turned her back on Hannah, walked into her office and closed the door on their decades of friendship.

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