Page 109 of The Rebound
“I don’t like attention.”
“You love attention. You had a megaphone in your hand when you were twelve years old. They wanted you to run for county councilor when you were eighteen! You’ve never been scared of telling anyone anything.”
“But that was never aboutme. It was about everything else. This is completely different.”
Tomasz walks into the room, looking very uncomfortable in a blue button-down shirt Mam got him for Christmas last year. “I look like I work at a golf club,” he complains.
“Let’s just get this over with,” Louise says. “Everyone downstairs. Let’s go.”
Tomasz takes me in with a frown as I brush past him. “Why doesn’t Abby have to dress up?”
“BecauseI’mgoing for a run,” I say.
“You’re escaping,” he mutters.
In the living room, they sit on the old love seat while Louise opens the laptop, still looking a little peaky even with the makeup.
Tomasz notices it too. “Your face is melting,” he says affectionately, brushing the hair from her shoulder. I sit at the bottom of the stairs, lacing up my shoes.
“It’s because I’m sweating,” Louise says. “It’s too hot.”
“It’s mild at best,” I scoff.
“We should wait another few weeks before telling them. Just to be sure.”
“Okay,” Tomasz says.
“But they deserve to know.”
He shrugs. “Whatever you want to do.”
It’s not what she wants to hear.
“Don’t look at me,” I say when she turns her indecisive gaze my way. “I’m not the one who let my husband knock me up.”
“Why don’t you stay for the start?” she asks me. “You can distract them.”
“From what? Your clumpy eyelashes?”
“Abby!”
“I don’t like you like this,” I say, getting to my feet. “Pregnant you is weird.”
“I don’t think your eyelashes look clumpy,” Tomasz tells her as a ring tone blares from the laptop.
Louise just looks at it.
“They’re going to be happy,” I remind her.
“I know!” she says. “I know. It’s just… it’s my first time telling someone.”
I frown. “You told me.”
“I was in shock.”
“You told Tomasz.”
“That doesn’t count. He helped make it.”
