Page 138 of The Rebound
“And don’t forget, I still need an excuse to visit New York.”
“It’s not actually in New York,” I say as she gets up to hand me my coffee. My other piece of news. “It’s in Toronto.”
“Oh.” Her face falls momentarily before she musters up a smile. “Is Toronto fun?”
“I think so.”
“And they’ve got that big tower there, right?” She reaches over the counter to grab a cloth. “I love big towers.”
“They do.”
“Then we’re definitely going up it when I come and visit. Plus a new city will be good for you! No bad memories. It will be like a fresh start.” She pauses, an odd expression crossing her face. “Your friend’s still in New York though, right?”
“Jess? Yeah, she’s born and raised. She’ll be mad about the move but it’s better than being over here.”
Beth nods, cleaning the glass case with admirable focus.
Almost too much focus.
No way.
“She seemed really taken with this place,” I continue casually. “If you want to visit. I’m sure she’d love to have you. She keeps asking about you.”
Her hand moves faster, polishing and polishing. “She does?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I guess you could give her my email or something. If she wanted to chat.”
“Sure, if you’d like.”
She shrugs, abandoning the glass to start wiping down the trays but she barely lasts five seconds before turning back around.
“So what did she say about me?” she asks, and I laugh.
It’s late evening by the time I get back. The car is in the driveway, meaning Tomasz is home from grocery shopping, but the house is quiet when I let myself in. I find Louise in the kitchen, looking over blueprints of what looks to be the hotel, a coffee cup in her hands.
“It’s decaf,” she says, when I sit opposite her.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“But other people will. I’m going to spend nine months with people judging me every time I so much as look at a bottle of wine.”
“Mam definitely drank when she was pregnant with us.”
“Yeah, and look how you turned out.”
“Oh, you’re so funny.” I take a sip from her mug, glancing at the prints. “You’re not planning on becoming an ecoterrorist, are you? Where did you even get these?”
“Ned got them.”
“And where did Ned get them?”
She shrugs, suddenly innocent, and I roll my eyes. “Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean you won’t get arrested again,” I warn as she turns a new page of her notebook. “I got the job.”
Her eyes flick up. “You did?”
“They want me in Toronto.”
