Page 1 of The Husband Diet
Prologue
‘Miss Cantelli?’
I looked up from my desk at the two beaming men in suits. ‘Yes, Mr. Lowenstein?’
‘Can you see our favorite client out, please?’
‘Certainly, sir. This way, please, Mr. Smith.’ I obliged with a courteous smile and ushered the satisfied duck with the golden eggs out of the office then returned to my desk.
‘Have you locked up for the night, Miss Cantelli?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘And have you sharpened all the pencils?’
‘Don’t push your luck, Ira.’
‘OK,’ my boyfriend grinned. ‘Let’s go home, honey.’
Homewas just over the threshold of Ira’s spare bedroom, from which he operated his newborn company, Tech.Com.
Once in the living room, he slipped his tie off and sighed happily. ‘That’s two excellent clients in two days, Erica,’ he rejoiced as he gave me a smacking kiss on the mouth. ‘At this rate we’ll be a known brand within a year!’
I smiled. Ira was on top of the world. Was now the time to tell him?
‘I need a smoke. Order a pizza or something – we’re going to celebrate. Back in a mo,’ he promised and let himself out through the back door of the small apartment we’d rented together.
It was the second week of October and the snow had fallen, plunging fall right into the dead of winter. The afternoon before, Ira and I had been sipping hot chocolate by the window, naked under the patchwork quilt, admiring the red-and-orange landscape. And just like the sudden onset of winter had fallen upon us, catching us unprepared, so had some unexpected news of my own.
I sighed, changed into my nightie and studied my stomach. I wouldn’t be showing for another couple of months. Could I wait that long before telling him? Slipping into my galoshes and throwing a coat over my bare shoulders, I ventured out into the tiny backyard of our first home together. Not exactly a gazelle, I slipped and slid, desperately trying to stay upright, flapping my arms frantically to stay on my feet. He watched me, puzzled and helpless, and before I could even yelp, I landed on my ass in a heap of snow.
‘You OK?’ Ira laughed as he ditched his cigarette and came over to crouch next to me.
‘Argh,’ I huffed. ‘Sure.’ Considering my ankle hurt, that I’d snapped a nerve in my back and looked like a homeless streetwalker, I was peachy.
He smiled down at me, his face red from the cold. How to tell him? It was way too early in our relationship – he’d only asked me to move in with him and into his company just a few weeks before. How could I spring this on him just as he was starting out, and with minimal damage to our relationship?
I looked around, stalling as he helped me up. Our backyard had suddenly become a layer cake of mud and snow. Depending at what angle you scraped your boots into the ground, you’d get either dirty wet brown caking or the purest, whitest snow. A bit like our present situation. If I could rub my galoshes the right way, it could be a clean, happy start to the rest of our lives. If I scraped haphazardly, I’d find only mud.
I looked at the love of my life, the man of my dreams. Ira Lowenstein was the one I wanted to be with and if we were going to build a family together, here was step one. A little too early, perhaps, but I knew we’d be OK.
‘Come on,’ he said with a grin and pulled me up, using both hands for balance, I hoped, and not because I was beyond the one-arm job.
He pulled me close and kissed my lips. His nose was cold.
‘It’s a mess, this backyard, isn’t it?’ he said.
I nodded, rubbing my cheek against his shoulder.
‘Ira…’ I swallowed, my heart rate picking up, already tap-dancing against my ribs and in my ears.
I had to tell him. It was now or never. But I kept holding my breath, hoping I’d turn blue in the face. And maybe even be rushed to a hospital where the doctor would finally emerge and put Ira out of his misery with a ‘It was touch-and-go there for a while, but now she’s perfectly alright and thankfully, so is the baby.’
To which Ira would blink and whisper, ‘Baby? I’m going to be a father?’ And he’d be so happy, he’d take me home and we’d celebrate with nice hot chocolate and glazed doughnuts.
Ira chuckled, bringing me back to reality. ‘I know, I know. I’ve been neglecting the garden. But I promise, as soon as spring comes, I’ll put up a nice deck for you and we can have BBQ parties and invite all your friends, OK?’
‘Maybe even a swing set for kiddies,’ I suggested, watching him as my heart leaped into my throat.
