Page 114 of Denim & Diamonds

Oliver’s voice was distant. “No problem, boss lady. Antonio mademeatloaf, so you did me a favor. Every time he makes it, I feel like he’s one bad decision away from making a nice loaf of bread. Don’t stay too late tonight.”

“I won’t.” February laughed. “Thanks again.”

I listened to the sound of her office door closing and then her beautiful, smiling face returned. “Sorry about that.”

“No problem.”

Her face fell. “What’s the matter?”

And here I thought I was doing a halfway decent job of trying to act normal. “How do you know something’s wrong?”

“It’s written all over your face. Your jaw is tense, and you have little creases on your forehead. What’s going on?”

I sighed. “I’m sorry to call you with my shit. But I wanted to get your opinion on how I should handle some things.”

“Is everything okay with the baby?”

I explained the call I’d received from Nina earlier today and told her some of the stuff I’d read online about placenta previa.

She shook her head. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“So many things can go wrong, for the baby and the mother. Fetal distress—the baby can be deprived of oxygen due to disrupted blood flow through the placenta. Placenta accreta spectrum—that’s when the placenta attaches too deeply to the uterine wall and causes hemorrhaging during delivery. Maternal shock, placenta abruption. It’s not good.”

“Okay, well, if you called for my advice, then the first bit I’m going to give is that you need to retire your Google MD. If you have questions and concerns, you should get your information firsthand. Maybe ask Nina if you can speak to the doctor so you can discuss your concerns. Google is only going to scare the crap out of you. Trust me, I once convinced myself that a pimple on the back of my neck was a tumor because I spent too much time researching online. By the time I got in to see the doctor, I’d already weighed the pros and cons of which chemotherapy I needed.”

I sighed. “You’re right. Nina didn’t sound too concerned. I’m getting myself worked up unnecessarily.”

“We worrywhen we care.”

I was quiet for a beat. “Do you think I should go there? To Boston? Be there in case anything happens, or she goes into labor?”

I thought the screen had frozen, the way February went silent for so long. Eventually she smiled sadly. “I’ll be honest, as the woman you’re involved with, I hate the thought of you sitting beside your ex. But as someone who knows right from wrong, I think the right thing for your baby is to go be with them. It’s also the only way you’re going to have peace of mind.”

I sighed. “I was supposed to come see you this week. I don’t know how often I’m going to get there in the weeks after the baby is born.”

“Actually, I was going to call you when I got home to tell you I need to go to Milan, so it sort of works out anyway. The potential investor I told you about—the one who owns half the leather supply in Italy—wants to talk in person.”

“That’s good, right?”

She nodded. “I should never have gotten into bed with the venture capitalists that took over my board. They know nothing about my business. But if Giovanni is interested, I think he’d make a much better partner. I’ve known him for years. He’s smart. I could learn a thing or two from him.”

“Giovanni from Milan, huh? Sounds like a male model. I hope all he’s interested in is investing.”

February smiled. “He’s happily married and invited me to stay at his villa with him and his wife.”

I had a lot of balls making that comment, considering I was probably going to get on a plane and go visit the woman carrying my child. But hearing the guy was married made me feel better anyway. “I’mrelieved that I won’t be letting you down if I decide to go to Boston. But I miss you, Red.”

Her face went soft. “I miss you, too.”

After a few more minutes, the cleaning crew knocked on February’s office door. “I should get going so they can do their thing.”

“It’s late. Take an Uber, not that awful damn subway.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, Lumberjack.”

“Thank you.”

“I haven’t made my arrangements for Italy yet, but I’ll probably take a night flight tomorrow or the next evening. I like to sleep on the plane to help adjust to the time. But give me a call after you talk to the doctors in Boston.”

---