Page 83 of Accidental Groom
“I do not,” she taunts. “Have you forgotten you’re allowed to say ‘don’t’?”
“Okay, okay?—”
“Your baby’s going to come out knowing Latin and judging cheese plates.”
“Christ, Sarah.”
She laughs again, but it softens as it lingers. “Sorry, sorry. So what’s the call for? Finally remembered I exist?”
I roll my eyes. “In my defense, things have been a little chaotic lately. But… I have news.”
“Oh no.”
“No, not bad news,” I clarify. “Two bits of good news.”
“Oh, yay!”
I chuckle, turning over one of the little images from my appointment with Mary in my hand. “I’m having a girl?—”
“A GIRL?” The words are practically shrieked. I have to pull my phone from my ear, my face distorting from the brief shock of pain to my eardrum. “ELENA.”
“Okay, ow, calm down?—”
“Oh mygod,” she squeals, her voice rising on random words the way it does when she’s excited. “I get to buydresses?! I’m going to be anaunt?!”
My brows knit as I laugh. “Sarah, you would have been an aunt either way. You know that, right? I need to know that you know that.”
“Right, right, sorry, my brain is just —it’s a girl!Sorry,she’sa girl!”
I bite the tip of my thumb, my smile full as she audibly freaks out on the other end. “Are you going to let me get to the other thing?”
“Is it anywhere near as exciting?”
“No, probably not.”
“Okay, fine, tell me so we can go back to being excited about yourdaughter.”
“Harry offered me a job,” I say, sitting back in my chair. I keep my voice low — something about saying it out loud makesit feel like the offer will vanish. “I mean, notjusta job. A massive promotion. A position with Highcourt Hotels. He wants me to run the global events division.”
There’s a long pause, and I’m not entirely sure if she’s switching gears, confused, or if the call has dropped.
“Sarah—?”
“That’sincredible,” she breathes. “Are you fucking kidding me? That’s, like, Forbes front cover level of incredible. Holyshit.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Are you gonna take it?”
“I… I think so,” I say. “I mean, I want to. It’s huge. A massive career move. Not just family wine promotions and fundraisers and weddings, but grand openings and conventions and… god, I don’t even know what else. It would be stupid to turn it down.”
“You’d absolutely kill it,” she grins. “I know you don’t need the money, but I’m sure it would be a significant pay rise too.”
“Yeah, I know.”
She’s quiet for a second before her tone turns more serious. “Why aren’t you sure?”
I sigh. “The idea of taking on a new job while also having a newborn sounds insane, for one,” I say, accidentally breaking off a piece of nail against my tooth. “And for two, I think he only offered it because he feels guilty.”
