Page 11

“Fuck off.”

Six

JULIANA

Addison had eaten three and a half cupcakes, then wrapped up another four for her ‘husband and kids’ (not that I believed her). The rest she squashed with her fists. That activity had been strangely satisfying to watch. She’d enjoyed the experience way too much.

“You’ve got problems,” I’d chuckled, as my friend went through the process of washing and drying her hands. “Big,deep-seeded problems.”

But Addison was too good at ignoring me.

“You’re flying out there, aren’t you?”

“Of course,” I’d shrugged.

My friend’s smirk widened. “Tomorrow, if I know you.”

“Is there any better time?”

Addison left soon afterward, and I’d spent the rest of the evening staring into the driver’s license photo of this man who was no longer so much of a mystery. His file told me why he’d left New York: immediately after his eighteenth birthday Devyn Bishop had joined the military — the Navy, in fact. He was twenty-nine, like me, only he’d moved from place to place so many times it was almost impossible to count. There didn’t seem to be a Mrs. Bishop, or any children, at least none that his file revealed. That last part was disappointing. I would’ve loved to see a reflection of what my own son or daughter might look like, if I could somehow convince him to re-up his sperm donation.

This is weird.

Maybe, I thought to myself. Maybe not.

Even for you.

It struck me how strange the whole thing might seem, at least to an outsider. But in the end, it boiled down to a simple yes or no. Either this guy was still optimistic and eager to provide the gift of life for someone else, or the past decade on the planet earth had jaded him as much as it had jaded me. One way or the other, I was going to find out.

Aric didn’t even stop typing as I barged into his office, dragging my carry-on luggage with me. He finished his train of thought, pushed his glasses higher on his nose, then settled back into his chair to regard me coolly.

“Did I miss a memo?”

“No, wise-ass,” I smirked. “But I am leaving town for a day or two.”

“Hmmm. Business?”

“Personal.”

Aric cleared his throat, then shook his head slowly. “I don’t remember you giving us any notice,” he teased.

It felt a lot like he was my boss and I was answering to him, which of course was what he wanted. Aric and I played this little game all the time. It was fun thinking of him as an equal, which he was, even if he wasn’t a full-fledged partner.

“I need you to hold down the fort,” I said needlessly. “Keep this train from derailing while I’m gone.”

“Is it a man?”

His question was abrupt — too abrupt for me to deny it right away. My hesitation spoke volumes. By the time I’d decided to shake my head, his eyes had already lit up like the Fourth of July.

“Itisa man!” Aric gasped. He rolled his chair forward and gripped his desk. “Holy shit, I can’t believe—”

“Pipe down,” I snapped, looking left and right, then over both shoulders. In my head, I silently calculated how much it would cost to convert all the glass walls in the office to something less see-through. “This isn’t what you think. It’s not like, well…”

“Are you going to see a man or not?” Aric asked simply.

Begrudgingly, I nodded.

“Well that’s all I needed to know!” he smiled. “Kudos to you, boss. I’d been wondering when you’d get around to cleaning out the cobwebs in the womb-room.”