Page 91 of The Boyfriend List
Dear Ms. Romero,
We've received your application to work for our nonprofit, Healing Hearts Children’s Home. After reviewing your resume and cover letter, we would love to have you come to our office for an interview. Are you available sometime this week between the hours of 10 am and 6 pm?
Sincerely,
Shannon Ford
Hiring Manager
I squeal and pump my fist before realizing what I'm doing. Every eye in the delivery room lands on me.
"Sorry," I say, sticking my phone back into my blazer pocket. "I just got an exciting email."
"Exciting and email should never be used in the same sentence,” Paulo jokes.
"This oneisexciting. It's from the nonprofit I applied to—they want me to come in for an interview sometime this week."
“I didn’t know you were changing jobs,” Paulo says.
Raina, Kostas, and my other family members look over at me curiously.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I want to do what I actually signed up to law school for. To help people who actually need it.” I take a deep breath, glancing at each of their faces. None of them seem upset or condemning at my choice.
“That’s wonderful, sweetheart,” my mom says, squeezing my hand. “I’m so proud of you.”
A warm glow of love surrounds me, and I turn my attention back to the email. I type out a response telling them when I'll be available. Even if a pang of guilt nudges at me when I think about the promotion and Wendy.
But I have to do this. I have to choose what truly fulfills me—even if it's not what others want for me.
Chapter Thirty-Four: Gloria
After we landed at the airport and parted ways, Raina told me she would call me tonight. That changed when her water broke during the car ride home from the airport. Although, I'm grateful for her timing, given that I needed the distraction desperately. Is it selfish of me to want my best friend to go into labour so that I can have something to do other than wonder when London will reach out?
I hopped into a taxi to the hospital as soon as she told me she started contractions. Now I'm in her fancy private suite surrounded by royal bodyguards, unsure what to do while Kostas paces the room, looking like he's about to pass out. I swear, he looks more stressed than Raina, which surprises me. His tie is askew, his hair is a mess, and sweat stains show on his white shirt despite the air conditioning.
Raina, on the other hand, calmly alternates between walking around the room and bouncing on the exercise ball in the corner. She barely complains, instead calmly requesting more water or asking if she can get something to eat. Her doula offers her light snacks and small meals that look fancier than any hors d'oeuvre I've had at parties.
Trying to be useful, I fluff the pillows on the bed and listen while Raina talks about baby names. It seems to be actually hitting her that they're having a baby—and that they chose not to know the gender—and she clutches my hand, going through the long list of royal names suggested by Kostas' Yiayia.
"You know, I'm pretty sure you shouldn't name your baby 'Alexios' unless Kostas' dad is dead," I say, surveying the list of approved royal names Raina pulled up on her phone. Kostas hovers behind us like a mother goose.
"Hey, it could be a nice way to honour him…" Raina trails off. "You're right, it does sound like he's dead. What about Penelope for a girl?"
"You could call her Nellie for short," I say.
"That's what Yiayia always called my mom," Kostas says with a wistful smile. Penelope is the name of his deceased mom.
After about forty-five minutes, Raina's contractions are closer together, but she's still nowhere near delivering the baby, which frustrates her. Kostas leaves the room on the pretence of getting a drink from the vending machine, so she doesn't yell and throw pillows at him.
The medical staff bustle around the room but mostly give us our space. Apparently, Raina's birthing playlist—which I didn't realize was a thing—is full of bops, because halfway through, I find myself fighting the urge to get up and start dancing. Which is absurd, because these are songs she played when we were getting ready to go out in college. The irony of playing the same songs now as she's getting ready to give birth isn’t lost on me.
As Little Mix's song,Hair, filters through the speakers, Raina settles onto the bed and says, "Go on. What are you thinking about?"
"How did you know I was thinking about something?"
"You have that look on your face. Your eyebrows get all pinched together. That's how you look every time you check your email," she teases.
I take a deep breath. "I'm worried you'll leave me behind. I mean, you have a husband and a baby, and I have… a job I'm not all that interested in and I don't even know what shape my dating life is in right now. What if you get too busy for me, or we lead such different lives that we stop making time for each other?"
