Page 169 of Babies for the Big Shot

Clue #2

I couldn’t breathe when I saw you in that dress.

I might have fallen in love with you right there and then.

Thanks, Bianca.

At the bottom of the note is a picture of a little black book.

I stare at the words for a second, then let out a short laugh. Of course. The last time I was there, I nearly passed out from sticker shock, but somehow managed to walk away with a dress that cost more than my rent.

Bianca, the slightly snooty assistant, really did find methedress for that gala. And it was a magical night… until Rebecca turned up.

But I’m not going to let the memory of her ruin… well, whatever this is.

My stomach twists as I think of the boutique, its ridiculously sleek, minimalist vibe, and the exorbitant price tags that make the idea of even looking at something feel like a criminal act.

But this scavenger hunt? It’s not exactly giving me a choice.

I head back to the car.

“Take me to SoHo,” I mutter, sinking into the backseat. “I guess.”

Bianca, ever the picture of poised, effortlessly chic, and mildly terrifying, hands me the note, with a glint in her eyes that almost makes me laugh.

I blink, trying to focus through the dizziness of what I’m holding. It’s another high-quality cardstock note, this time with an elegant, scrawled message that makes my stomach drop just a little.

Clue #3

Remember that apartment you almost called home?

Go back to where you left a piece of yourself behind.

The place where I found out that things were never going to be straightforward…

The sting of those memories comes crashing in, uninvited.

My old apartment.

The one I was living in when Laura casually dropped the bombshell that I was pregnant with triplets and that Nick had no clue. The one I’d nearly left when everything went haywire.

I force a smile, though it feels a little too tight around the edges. “So, you’re telling me I’m going back to my old place?”

“It seems fitting,” Bianca says coolly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “The journey wouldn’t be complete without it.”

Journey?

This is fun… but definitely odd.

“Yeah… sure.”

“Good luck,” Bianca says with that knowing smile of hers.

I force another smile back. “I don’t need luck. I just need some coffee and a very long nap.”

With a last glance at the boutique’s over-the-top glitz, I head out the door. The city’s noise hits me all over again. The traffic, the constant chatter, the sense that the world is moving faster than I can keep up with.

And just like that, I’m headed to the starting line of everything that’s happened since.