"I don't see the issue," GG said, busying herself with styling Tess's hair into an updo.
"That's the problem, it's not one issue GG, it's multiple issues." Tess shuffled her feet, causing her chair to spin and face her friend. "First of all, I didn't invite him in. Secondly, he thinks I'm just going to up and leave my life because he turned up and told me to. You said it yourself, I will never know if he truly loves me or if he just wants my baby."
GG spun the chair back to face the mirror. "Tess, did he say he loved you?"
Tess glared at her but GG didn't seem to notice. What was she getting at?
"No, but—"
"Well, then there's no issue. All he wants is to give you a nice apartment, close to him and help support you and the baby when he's born. It's what any decent man in his position would do. It's only when he starts declaring his undying love that you need to worry. For the moment, he is being upfront and truthful."
"I suppose, but I just couldn't, it wouldn't feel right."
"Oh, screw right and wrong, he left you homeless, jobless and pregnant. He wasn't worried about what was right. So why should you? Take whatever he's offering. Other than a relationship. He can shove that where the sun doesn't shine."
GG flipped Tess's hair this way and that.
"Except I'm pretty sure he does think the sun shines from his—"
"You know I heard about a new hair cutting technique, straight from Japan. I've been dying to try it. You in?" GG had zoned out and was back to using Tess as her guinea pig.
"Sure, cut away, I need a shorter style soon anyway. It's more practical." Tess was distracted. Although the thought of living in comfort was very appealing at this time especially as getting up, off that mattress in the morning was becoming near on impossible. Sleeping in a bed would be divine, but for now, she would be staying put, the less she leaned on Cole the better. Especially with his track record of getting bored and tossing people away. Staying in her apartment might seem silly to some, after all, it wasn't the best place to raise a child, but she had something Coles home didn't. Lots of love and laughter. Oh, and Mr Greene, the old guy who walked around in front of his windows in his jocks. But it was probably best to keep that tidbit away from Cole.
GG returned, hauling two ornate and ridiculously dangerous-looking swords. Struggling under their weight she placed them on the counter in front of Tess. Picking one up, she removed it from the sheath as Tess watched the blade glint against the light, beaming from the windows. The blade was almost as long as GG herself and from the way she was dragging it instead of lifting it, Tess realized she'd gotten herself into a bit of a situation.
"Lean back and sort of let your hair drape over the back, without it actually touching the chair. I'd hate to slice the furniture in half." GG giggled nervously.
"I'd hate for you to chop me in half. What do you think you're going to be doing with those swords?"
"The concept is to swing them around and gradually take a little off the end with each swing. Obviously, the shorter you want it, the more dangerous it would be. At least until I get used to it."
Tess jumped up from the chair, "Look thanks for the advice but I've suddenly decided I like my hair long." She grabbed her bag and dashed for the door.
"Hey, how am I going to practice?"
"Well, I booked Gaga in for next week, try it on her," Tess called and waddled as quickly as she could out of the salon. That GG may be her best friend and confidant but she could be bat shit crazy sometimes.
***
Breaking out into the warmth of the sunshine, Tess removed her cardigan. She shoved it into her bag and made her way towards the subway. The thought of getting home and putting her feet up kept her powering forward, through the crowds of people. GG let her go early, and she'd jumped at the chance, finding spare pools of energy these days was becoming almost impossible. Hopefully, when she got home she could relax and stop obsessing over her late-night visitor.
She realized she'd gotten ahead of herself. The surprise of seeing Cole standing there after all these months and to see he wasn't the vulnerable character she'd created in her head since she'd seen that photo of him in the wheelchair, had thrown her. In some way, him, being abled-body made it easier to fight him if he tried to take the baby. The last thing she would want to do was to take his happiness if he was already in despair over his accident and not being able to walk. Yes, the fact he looked like the old Cole helped immensely. That was the Cole she hated, the Cole who deserved to suffer. If he even so much as thought about suggesting he take the child she'd use GG's swords to rip him apart.
"You shouldn't be out walking by yourself at this stage of pregnancy."
At the sound of Cole's voice, Tess spun around to face him. "Oh, for goodness sake, don't be ridiculous."
"What if you go into labor?"
"I'm more concerned about being followed by a stalker. Speaking of stalkers, what are you doing here Cole?"
"Just looking out for you." He fell into step with her as she rushed, to the best of her ability, along the path.
She stopped briefly to face him, "I don't want, nor need the likes of you, looking out for me. Now leave me alone."
She continued on down the street, trying her hardest to ignore the fact he was watching her. She weaved between the swarms of people rushing around on their lunch breaks. That was New York for you, people never seemed to rest. Everything was a rush, squeezing in dry cleaning drop off, shopping and doctor's appointments during lunch breaks. Everything but eating their lunch, unless it was coupled with a business meeting and some million-dollar deal. She didn't feel like she fit in here anymore.
Tess glanced behind her checking to see if Cole had been lost in the crowd. Unfortunately, he was still there, striding along, like a man on a mission. It gave her a twinge of excitement to know, she was that mission. Cole's hand wrapped around her arm and pulled her out of the crowd and into a small café. "You need to eat and we need to talk, come on."
He guided her to a small booth in the furthest back corner. It was a quaint little place with yellow lighting and polished wood floors. Each booth had a small lace curtain that could be pulled across for privacy. She didn't argue with Cole, she was hungry and hadn't eaten properly for days, she'd been too busy and too tired to bother.
Rubbing her pregnant belly, she noticed how round and hard it had become. Thoughts of her future child danced through her mind, would he be tall like his father or petite like her? Would he have Cole's deep brown eyes and the chiseled jawline that Cole insisted was a Washington men's trait? Would he be kind-hearted and artistic, a little bit crazy and quirky like her or serious and academic like his father?
She was keen to meet the little guy but the added complication of Cole could be a blessing or a disaster. The fact remained, she couldn't keep working and she couldn't afford the place she had. Something needed to give and maybe this was the universe's twisted way of helping her out. She picked up the cardboard menu that coupled as a table number. They had unwittingly sat at number three, her lucky number. As silly as it might seem she saw this as a sign that everything was how it should be.
Some might call her a hippy or even weird but she put a lot of faith in the universe and the bigger plan it had for her. She'd always believed, if lots of coincidences were happening in your life it meant you were on the right path. Almost like, life expected you to turn up at a certain time and place so everything was planned out waiting for your arrival. With this thought in mind, she placed the menu on the table and glared at Cole.
"Okay, let's talk."
Cole smiled widely like he knew he'd gotten his way. Then, as if thinking better of it, he wiped the smile off his face and frowned down at his menu. "Alright then- good."
He pulled their privacy curtain across and in the blink of an eye Tess had whipped it open again. Cole frowned and inched it closed again. Tess yanked it open and held onto it until Cole's hand dropped back into his lap.
"What's your deal, showing up in the middle of the night, making demands?" Tess was on the attack, he needed to know she wasn't the doe-eyed girl that fell for his charms the first time.
"What's your deal, getting pregnant and hiding it from me?" His dark eyes burned into her.
Touché. Tess wriggled uncomfortably in her seat. "Look if you went to all the bother of tracking me down and following me across the city so you could bicker with me, you should leave." She folded her arms across her chest and rested them on her stomach.
"It was no bother, really."
He looked so smug, Tess imagined hauling her pregnant self over the tabletop to choke him until that look fell off his stupid face. She'd been right about him. He did have a stupid face.
"All right, I'll put all my cards on the table," he said. "I want you to accept an apartment if nothing else. Obviously, I want my son to have every opportunity but it all starts with a good, safe home."
Tess thought it over, twirling her fork around her fingers. After a moment, she asked, "Would it be close to my work or to you or where?"
"That would be up to you, within reason, but I think somewhere in between would be convenient." He gave her a few seconds to let it sink in. "How would that suit?"
She ignored his question and powered on. "What would you expect in return?"
"I don't know what you mean. Why would I expect anything?
She narrowed her eyes at him. "I know you, Cole. You would never come into a negotiation without demands of your own."
"Oh... is that what this is? A negotiation?"
"Isn't it?"
"I kind of thought it was me trying to prove to you, I will make a good father. So somewhere between me and your work, yes?"
She watched him pretending to read his menu, what a jerk. He was so sure he was going to get his way, she could tell. He had that weird straight mouthed expression. It was his poker face, the one he used when he was deliriously happy but trying to hide it.
"This seems all too easy." She muttered under her breath. Tess picked up her menu and scanned through the rows of options. Now she was here, she may as well eat. Although she was hungry, every time she thought of food she got queasy. Making a decision was just too hard, maybe she should just stick to munching on the breadsticks. It was awkward enough, sitting opposite Cole, without trying to consume a meal with her stomach that wouldn't stop flipping every time she looked at him.
"I don't know if mother mentioned it, but I had a little mishap a few months back. I'm taking some time from work and I'm staying out at the ranch."
"A little mishap, hey? She may have mentioned it." He wasn't the only one who knew how to play it cool.
"Anyway," He took a deep breath and placed his hands on the table in front of him. "this is an afterthought of course, but I was thinking you could come and stay out there until the baby is born. You would have full use of the staff and facilities and wouldn't have to lift a finger."
"Oh no, you don't, hang on a minute, what happened to the unit?" The hairs prickled on her arms. He was up to something and it made her nervous. Was he trying to isolate her from her life and friends in New York while he would have the support of his? Realizing she needed to be over-cautious where Cole was concerned, once burned and all that.
"What would I be expected to do while I'm there?"
"All you have to do is keep my baby safe and relax as much as you can."
She glared into his eyes, giving her best attempt at a dirty look. Intimidation had never worked for her before but there's a first time for everything.
"What's the catch?"
"No catch. Is it a crime to want to look after the mother of my child?"
She realized it was a rhetorical question but she mulled it over anyway.
"I find it funny that you didn't care about my wellbeing when you left me pregnant and alone with nowhere to live."
"Wait, what? You lef—"
The waitress approached, removing the pencil stuck behind her ear. She stood at their table and flipped her notepad open.
"What'll it be, folks?"
Tess noticed Cole's face twist up in disgust as he watched the waitress chew the gum in her mouth. He seemed to be mesmerized but managed to pull himself out of the trance and ordered steak for both of them. Tess wasn't much fond of red meat and considered herself borderline vegetarian under normal circumstances, only eating fish on an occasion, but she was too tired to argue and probably wouldn't eat much anyway.
The waitress shuffled away, delivering their order to the chef.
"You were saying you want me to move to Virginia?" She picked up the conversation again.
"I think it's for the best. Don't you?"
"I don't know that I'd be comfortable walking around the halls with you and your family. I'd feel like an intruder, an outsider. I'm not like them, Cole. All those creepy pictures of your dead relatives watching every move I make." She moved the menus back into the silver stand they came out of.
"Those creepy people are my family, a family of successful and proud people. Maybe if you took the time to learn some of the history, you wouldn't be so flippant."
Tess rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, I was paid to dust the pictures, not indulge in a history lesson."
The pulse in Cole's neck thundered and she smirked in satisfaction. This was one business meeting that wouldn't go as Cole planned. She was not property to be acquired and controlled and neither was her son. He wanted to throw a comeback at her, she could tell by the way his lip twitched. He chose to take the high road just like all his crusty old relatives would have.
"Well, it would only be temporary, just until the baby's born. Then I'll get you a home in New York. I should be back at work by then."
Clearly, he'd given this situation some thought.
Tess stared at him for a moment, fighting the urge to look him up and down. He didn't appear hurt, he had no obvious injuries that should be keeping him from his one true love; the office. "So you're nearly recovered?" She asked.
"As good as I'm going to get." He folded his arms across his chest and glanced out the window.
What was that supposed to mean? She contemplated prying further but he looked like he was lost in thought, reliving a story she wasn't privy to. The smell of freshly grilled steak caught her attention as the waitress returned with their meals. Tess was surprised to find herself ravenous and she didn't hesitate. Tucking into the meal she found it delicious, her mouth watered in anticipation of each bite. A sudden liking for meat, how strange. Pregnancy did weird things to the body.
Dinner was a nice distraction from the awkwardness between her and Cole. He glanced at her, his eyes wide and hopeful. Like he was waiting to see her reaction to all this and would respond accordingly. If she came in with hostility, his eyes would turn cold again.
Her heart was heavy; it hadn't always been like this between them. She'd even thought she'd loved him once. If she was honest she was still attracted to him and she hated herself for it. After all he'd done to her, she still fought the urge to slide from her side of the booth, into his and wrap her arms around him. He looked so sad and it affected her more than she liked.
"How about the guest house?" He broke the silence at last. "Mother recently had it renovated, it would give you some privacy and your own space."
She chewed her steak slowly, savoring the flavor as she thought about it. As much as she wanted to be difficult, she had to admit, it was the perfect solution. She'd seen the outside of it when she worked there but had never been inside.
Even from what she'd seen, she could tell it was all she wanted from a home. Small and quaint, French window's in the front and surrounded by flowers that weaved around trellises. Who needed the rest of the ranch with the big, stately home, all the pomp and propaganda? The stark halls and oversized rooms were cold and impersonal. Undeniably, Cole had raised the stakes with the mention of the guest house.
"Well?" He prodded.
She had no intention of being rushed into a decision like this. "I'll think about it. My apartment's paid up until the end of the week. I'll let you know before then, besides, I can't just walk out on GG. I need to give her some notice."
Tess slid from the booth and grabbed her handbag from the table. "Thanks for lunch."
She breezed out of the café in an attempt to create a dramatic exit like GG always did. To her surprise, he let her go. He was infuriating, hadn't he ever read a romance novel or watched a movie? Why wasn't he chasing her? Jerk.