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“No way.” Mary Frances shook her head. “It’s a joke, right? You guys think I’m gullible, but I’m not falling for it. You know better than to do something like that.”
“I’m not kidding,” Cindy confirmed. “And you both are a little bit to blame.”
“Someone needs to learn how to take responsibility for her own actions.” Harlow tsk-tsked.
Mary Frances stared at her. “How do you figure this is our fault?”
“You guys did too good a job styling me for that dinner I won the raffle ticket for.”
“What?”
“Steele didn’t recognize her,” Harlow explained. “She made him guess where he’d seen her before, but he drew a blank. Then she ran out of the ball and he only caught up with her because the heel on my shoe broke.”
Mary Frances pointed at them. “Do either of you see the parallel here?”
“What are you talking about?” Harlow demanded.
“Fairy tales. Cinderella.” She nodded emphatically. “Am I right?”
“He’s a doctor, not Prince Charming,” Cindy said. “And he doesn’t believe in love, so that ball had nothing to do with him finding a wife.”
“But we digress.” Harlow looked at each of them to get their attention. “He bugged her for her phone number and I advised her to let him call but dodge everything else. Bob and weave until he got bored and turned his attention elsewhere. Clearly that didn’t happen. Which begs the question. How did you get from giving him your phone number to … You know.”
“Sex?” Cindy clarified.
“Yeah,” they both answered.
“It started with dinner at an Italian place—”
“Not Capriotti’s.” Mary Frances slid a knowing look to their friend.
“Yes. How did you know?”
“Doesn’t matter. Go on.”
What did they know that she didn’t? Cindy wondered. Although it wasn’t really important because the final outcome was the same. “There was candlelight, flowers, wine and food.”
“Isn’t that always the way?” Harlow was their token skeptic.
“So you got swept away. I understand that. But what about birth control?” So spoke the Labor and Delivery nurse who every day saw the result of planned and unplanned pregnancies.
“The condom malfunctioned.” Cindy shrugged.
“That explains getting pregnant,” Harlow said. “But why are you here in his house?”
“I had cramps and some spotting. The obstetrician said stress can sometimes be a factor. She ordered me to stay off my feet for a few weeks.”
“You have a bed at your house,” Mary Frances reminded her.
“Nathan watched over me and refused to leave. He’s too big to throw out and there was no bed for him. So I agreed to move in here temporarily. It’s really sweet when you think about it.”
“Don’t go there,” Harlow warned. “I know that look.”
“She’s right. It’s the soft and gooey expression. The one that happens just before you throw caution to the wind,” Mary Frances said knowingly.
“I’m not throwing caution anywhere.” Cindy folded her arms over her chest.
“Oh, really?” Mary Frances lifted one auburn eyebrow. “You’re not the first woman he’s taken to Capriotti’s.”
“I never said I was. That was obvious when he was on a first-name basis with the waiter. Who also knew his favorite wine.” Cindy blew out a breath. “Look, you guys. I appreciate your concern. Really. But it happened. It was an accident and he’s taking responsibility. That’s all this is about. He’s helping out. For now.”
She didn’t need her friends to warn her not to count on anything but today. She warned herself enough for both of them.
“Why is it that you didn’t come to us for help?” There was challenge and a little hurt in Mary Frances’s blue eyes.
It was a very good question. Cindy wasn’t sure she had an answer. She shrugged. “It happened fast. I knew there was a chance of pregnancy, but really what were the odds? Then I did the test and figured Nathan should be the first to know. And I was pretty freaked out. I guess I felt stupid about it all. Please say I’m forgiven.”
“Of course.” Harlow patted Cindy’s knee. “What are friends for? Show me a woman and I’ll show you someone who’s made a big mistake with a man at one time or another.”
“Doesn’t mean you have to compound the situation by falling for him.” Mary Frances patted her other knee. “Don’t go gooey. Stay tough. Get an attorney.”
“She’s right,” Harlow agreed. “It’s a well-known fact that Nathan Steele is a good doctor but a bad boyfriend.”
Cindy nodded. “I’m well aware of his flaws.”
“Then our work here is done.” Mary Frances looked at her tummy and smiled, a soft and tender expression on her elfin face. “So we’re going to be aunts?”
“Yeah.” Cindy put a hand on her abdomen. “Can you believe there’s a little someone in here?”
“We’ll throw you a baby shower,” her friend said.
And talk turned to babies, night feedings, dirty diapers and how her life was going to change. As if she needed the reminder. Everything had turned upside down the night Nathan noticed her.
As they chatted, Cindy figured out why she’d kept this to herself for as long as possible. She knew her friends would give her a reality check, bring her down to earth. Part of her didn’t want to feel the thud. The same part that wanted to stay in the land of denial. But she couldn’t hang out there anymore. Past mistakes had taught her she could take care of herself, but it was comforting to know her friends cared. It had been stupid to hold back, and they’d forgiven her without question. They would be there for her.
Their loyalty included reminding her of the truth: Nathan was an exceptional and brilliant doctor. He was also a bad boyfriend. It was up to Cindy to get over the if-only-that-could-be-different feeling.
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