Page 13

13

Ziggy

I read somewhere once that you shouldn’t delay the inevitable.

That the anxiety from pushing something off only makes it worse in the end.

And I’m completely ignoring that advice today.

I texted Mom back a quick Sorry, got distracted, aren’t they beautiful? about Abby Nora and the baby after Miranda told me that our parents were headed up into the mountains today for a trip to a winery and to visit friends at their weekend house.

I can put off telling my parents that my best friend and I broke up.

Maybe they’ll just subtly put the clues together. Or maybe Abby Nora’s mother will say something to mine. Or maybe I’ll randomly get a job offer in Napa for a job I haven’t applied for, and I can run away and not deal with it at all .

Miranda shakes her head at me as we stand in the office that will be mine come Monday. “You should just tell them.”

“I’m waiting for the best moment.”

“Which is?”

“When I won’t cry but when I’ll also look so sad that they won’t ask too many questions.” I cross around the stately cherry desk to sit at the tall desk chair that has ten thousand levers and more cushions than any chair should have. Isn’t one for your butt and one for your back standard? This has an individual cushion for each butt cheek and rows of cushions on the back that all seem to have their own controls.

“Is it just me, or is this chair too much?”

She rolls her eyes. “It’s Dad’s subtle clue that you’re his daughter and everyone needs to be nice to you.”

“So I should switch it out with the receptionist’s desk and tell him I did it so that the team looks extra successful because looking successful is the first step in being successful.”

“Only if you tell him first. If you do it without telling him, he’ll think Quinoa stole it, and then Quinoa will get fired.”

“Quinoa?”

“Our receptionist. His parents were very crunchy.”

Ah. That makes sense. “But Dad wouldn’t actually fire him.”

“Oh, he would. Dad almost kicked one of the best guys off the team last year because he was new and didn’t realize I was the owner’s daughter , ooooh .”

“Dad almost fired him for not knowing who you were?”

“No, it was more that he was a little bit of a dick when I met him. But Fletcher’s always a little bit of a dick. And there’s something about him being a dick that sells tickets, so it’s good that Dad didn’t fire him. ”

“I’m going to have to learn everyone on the team, aren’t I?”

“Yep. Want a rundown?”

“No, I want a twice-baked potato.”

She laughs. “You’re growing a twice-baked potato.”

“Given the amount of potatoes I’ve eaten the past few weeks, I’m not sure you’re wrong.”

Jessica snuffles her agreement. She’s sniffing the corners of my new office.

My new office .

I don’t like those words.

I’d rather be working with a winery or at a restaurant or for a catering company.

Instead, Dad’s created an internal head of events position for me.

I get to plan the meals for meetings, sales pitches, charity events, and banquets for the team. All while sitting in a gray-walled room with a window overlooking the little park behind the Pounders’ administrative building.

It’s not just the fancy desk chair.

I also got a window office. And not some window overlooking a parking lot either.

It’s special treatment.

“Aw, don’t make that face,” Miranda says. “This really is a great place to work. Everyone’s nice. The guys on the team are great.”

“Are they?”

“They are. Even Fletcher. Once they found out who I was, they basically all adopted me as their little sister.”

“That’s not annoying?”

“Oh, it is, but it’s much better than having all of them hitting on me. ”

“Because they’re all unattractive?”

“No, because Dad would murder them, and I’d rather not be the cause of the fall of the Pounders.”

I rub my belly. “So little one’s going to have a lot of honorary uncles?”

Miranda grins at me. “Fuck Abby Nora and fancy lady baby showers. Wait until you see what these guys will do.”

“I really didn’t want to take a pity job,” I whisper.

“It’s better than moving in with them.”

I blow out a heavy breath. “But what if I never find a job that’s not a pity job?”

“You will definitely find the right job that’s not a pity job.”

“What if I can’t afford daycare?”

“You’ll be able to afford daycare.”

“But what if I can’t? What if keeping?—”

I stop myself.

I can’t say it out loud. I can’t question my decision about the baby.

I want this baby. I want this baby so much it aches to think of something happening to them.

Not exactly how I envisioned motherhood happening for me, but the minute I saw those two pink lines on the pregnancy test, I knew.

I knew this was right.

That this was what I wanted.

That this baby is the start of the next phase of my life. The good to come from the bad.

“Ziggy. Stop.” Miranda sits on the edge of the empty desk, facing me. “Do you remember the first time we met?”

“Vaguely. You were wearing a unicorn T-shirt. And my mom said I had to share my French fries with you. That’s all I’ve got. ”

“My unicorn phase was legendary.” She grins. “What I remember is you telling your mom that you didn’t want her to marry my dad because you wouldn’t make friends if you had to move.”

I grimace. “Turns out I was right.”

“ Stop . You weren’t right. You did make friends. Every weekend I spent with Dad, you had friends over or you were at friends’ houses. And then when you left for culinary school, you said you didn’t know if it was what you were really supposed to do, but you loved food, so you had to try it, and you crushed it. And then you were worried that Europe was too far away, but look what you did.”

She’s gesturing wildly with her hands, which means she’s not done. “You spent how many years there? Living on a cruise ship, meeting fascinating people and having adventures and loving your life. Just because those things didn’t last forever doesn’t mean you didn’t face your fears and conquer your challenges. You won’t be pregnant forever. Your baby won’t be in daycare forever. You won’t work here forever. Life changes. You change with it. We hit rough patches and we get through them. You’re not alone, and you’ll be okay. You and the baby. I promise.”

Dammit.

Dammit .

How is it that the little girl who used to make me share my French fries and spilled ketchup on her unicorn shirts is now a fount of life wisdom?

And why am I suddenly sobbing my brains out? “I hope—my baby—is—as smart—as you—one day.”

She giggles as she hugs me. “I love you, you crazy beautiful hot mess.”

“It’s—the hormones,” I wail .

“Mm-hmm.”

“And fucking—Abby—Nora.”

“I would wish very bad things on her, but I’m incapable of wishing bad things on a new mother.”

“Don’t—wish—bad things.”

There’s a clatter in the hallway, and both Miranda and I turn and look.

Three young men freeze in my doorway.

“We’re not here,” says the tallest of the bunch—a bulky Black man in a gray Pounders T-shirt.

“Yeah, we’ll be here Monday, but we’re not here right now,” a slightly less-bulky but still larger-than-average white man with red hair and a thick red beard says.

The third man—just as built as the first two, with white skin and dark hair—doesn’t say anything.

Instead, he doesn’t look at us or at the potted plant that he’s attempting to straighten.

It’s like he’s telegraphing I’m not here either, and I didn’t knock over this plant in the hallway, I have no idea what you’re talking about .

“Crew, Porter, Zander, meet my sister, Ziggy,” Miranda says, pointing to each in turn. “She can cry on command to test how you’ll all react.”

“You have a sister?” Crew says.

“For real. I didn’t know there were two of you,” Porter says.

“I’m not here, and I didn’t do anything,” Zander says.

“Ziggy’s starting Monday,” Miranda tells them. “Be nice or I’ll make you look terrible on our socials.”

Porter snorts. “We’re always nice.”

“Until you have a rugby ball in your hand.”

“She’s got you there, bruh,” Zander tells him .

“What are you doing here?” Miranda asks all of them.

“We were using the gym—” Porter starts.

“—Because it’s our day off from working at the rock-climbing wall—” Crew continues.

“—And we saw your car in the parking lot?—”

“—So we came to see why you’re here on a Saturday.”

She smiles at them, then looks at me. “These guys are the best. You’ll like them. Promise.”

Crew squints at me. “For real though—why didn’t I know you have a sister?”

“Because we don’t discuss personal matters at work?” Miranda says.

“And probably for the same reason we didn’t even know Miranda existed until we got that email when she started here,” Porter mutters to him.

All three of their phones go off simultaneously, though their ring tones don’t really go together, and all three of them whip out their phones like they’re glad to have a distraction.

“Oh, shit,” Crew says.

“Fuck us,” Porter adds.

Zander just stares at his screen.

“Everything okay?” Miranda asks.

All three of them look up at her, then trade glances, then look at me, then nod in unison.

“Yep.”

“It’s great.”

“No problems. No problems at all.”

Miranda and I share a look. “They’re the best?” I say. “You mean the best liars?”

At least they’re distracting.

“Captain’s got a problem,” Crew says .

“Small problem,” Porter adds. “Inconsequential. Not life-altering or anything.”

“We gotta go,” Zander says. “Fletcher put out a love bomb call. Everything’s fine. Just love bombs.”

“Love bombs?” I repeat.

“Don’t ask,” Miranda whispers. “It’ll make you cry again. I’ll tell you in a year or two.”

My eyes get hot. “Don’t say the cry word or I’ll do it,” I whisper back.

“Good to meet you, Ziggy,” Crew says.

“See you around,” Porter says.

“Don’t take a picture of that plant,” Zander tells Miranda. “Unless you tell the world it fell over on its own. Maybe our mascot should be the ghosts. That was one powerful—right. Yeah. We’re leaving. Captain needs us. Bye-ee!”

The three of them hustle out of the doorway, but we can still hear them as they make their way down the hall.

“Did you seriously just say bye-ee ?”

“Shut up. Bad enough I broke a plant. But to do it in front of both of Keating’s daughters? I’m fucked.”

“He doesn’t care about a plant, dude.”

“He’s gonna care if he knows Zander’s flipping out ’cause Ziggy’s pretty.”

“ I am fucking not . She’s one more sister that we didn’t know we had. Shut up.”

Miranda looks at me. “It might not be perfect, but this job will totally be entertaining as hell.”

“Can we go get a twice-baked potato now?”

She laughs.

Jessica barks.

And for five solid minutes, I let myself believe everything will be okay.