Read Online Cocktail Hour by Tara McTiernan - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Tara McTiernan
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up and smiled at her, a strange hopeful expression on his face. Did he know about Bianca, overhear her invitation?
Encouraged, she burst out, "Guess what?"
"What?"
"Bianca? You're old friend? She invited me to drinks tonight. With the girls!"
He blinked and then gave his head a little shake. "Ah, really? Wow. Well, Bianca isn't a friend of mine, but, I mean, I'm sure she went to school with me like she said-"
"She's not a friend? But you were all apologetic about forgetting her?"
"Because she clearly remembered me. It was embarrassing. But I didn't know her. I don’t think so. I'm sure she was in school with me, but...anyway. Well, that's great, honey,” he said and nodded at her with a closed-mouth smile.
Kate felt herself deflating. “Oh? You don’t like her?”
“No! No. I’m not saying that. I just don’t know her, that’s all. No, you should go. It would be good for you to get out.”
Kate bit her lip. “I don’t know? I was going to make one of your favorites tonight. Meatloaf? Now what will you eat?”
He laughed and shook his head. “That’s what I love about you. You worry about stuff like that. Most wives today would order pizza or takeout every night. Not you. Well, don’t worry. I won’t starve. Hell, maybe I’ll slum it and order a pizza! No, you should go. Bianca will probably end up being your best friend. You don’t want to let a little meatloaf get in the way of getting to know your future BFF, do you?”
Kate grinned and laughed, too. “Best friend? Bianca? I doubt it! You’re my sweetheart, saying all that.”
“Well, it’s true,” he said, and then glanced at the computer screen again before looking back at her, his expression the same strange one he’d had when she first stood in the doorway. “Speaking of the future, I found something here you might want to look at.” He made a come-here gesture with his index finger and ducked his head a little.
She squinted her eyes and tilted her head at him. What was this shy bit? She walked around his desk to stand beside him. On the screen was an adorable little baby boy, red-cheeked and round-eyed, wearing a blue and white striped scarf and grinning toothlessly up at the camera.
“Oh? How cute!” she gasped. He looked so much like-
“Doesn’t he look just like your little brother? When he was a baby?”
“Yes! That’s it! Just like David. Oh?” She stretched her neck out and gazed at the photo. How she wanted one of her own. Now. Right now.
“Little Viktor here is from Russia. He’s a healthy happy baby boy, but he needs a home. Maybe we can give that to him?"
Kate startled, feeling a quivering needle of hurt run through her. Adopt? They were going to have their own? If only Grant would… "You won't get a simple test, just to find out if your sperm are viable, but you're willing to go to the opposite end of the world to get a baby? A baby that's not ours? A baby that could be sick or abused?"
Grant, who had still been facing his computer screen, turned his chair to face her fully and put his hands out, palms up. "No! The child would be healthy. Cute like little Viktor. And we'd be giving a home to a child that desperately needs one. Have you heard about the conditions in the orphanages there? It's horrible."
"I don't want to hear about the conditions in the orphanages in Russia! I want to have a child of my own. I'm only thirty two? We've only been trying - without any help yet - for a couple of years? Not even really trying. Just...hoping! You can't be serious?"
Grant slumped back in his chair. "I can't believe you won't even consider it. You're so warm-hearted usually."
"I'm...I am! Please, honey? I just want to try to have our own? There are so many great fertility doctors around here, if we could-"
Grant shook his head. "No. There's nothing wrong with either of us. We'll have a baby when it's meant to happen," he said, and shrugged. "I was just thinking, and then I found this site. It seemed like a
Encouraged, she burst out, "Guess what?"
"What?"
"Bianca? You're old friend? She invited me to drinks tonight. With the girls!"
He blinked and then gave his head a little shake. "Ah, really? Wow. Well, Bianca isn't a friend of mine, but, I mean, I'm sure she went to school with me like she said-"
"She's not a friend? But you were all apologetic about forgetting her?"
"Because she clearly remembered me. It was embarrassing. But I didn't know her. I don’t think so. I'm sure she was in school with me, but...anyway. Well, that's great, honey,” he said and nodded at her with a closed-mouth smile.
Kate felt herself deflating. “Oh? You don’t like her?”
“No! No. I’m not saying that. I just don’t know her, that’s all. No, you should go. It would be good for you to get out.”
Kate bit her lip. “I don’t know? I was going to make one of your favorites tonight. Meatloaf? Now what will you eat?”
He laughed and shook his head. “That’s what I love about you. You worry about stuff like that. Most wives today would order pizza or takeout every night. Not you. Well, don’t worry. I won’t starve. Hell, maybe I’ll slum it and order a pizza! No, you should go. Bianca will probably end up being your best friend. You don’t want to let a little meatloaf get in the way of getting to know your future BFF, do you?”
Kate grinned and laughed, too. “Best friend? Bianca? I doubt it! You’re my sweetheart, saying all that.”
“Well, it’s true,” he said, and then glanced at the computer screen again before looking back at her, his expression the same strange one he’d had when she first stood in the doorway. “Speaking of the future, I found something here you might want to look at.” He made a come-here gesture with his index finger and ducked his head a little.
She squinted her eyes and tilted her head at him. What was this shy bit? She walked around his desk to stand beside him. On the screen was an adorable little baby boy, red-cheeked and round-eyed, wearing a blue and white striped scarf and grinning toothlessly up at the camera.
“Oh? How cute!” she gasped. He looked so much like-
“Doesn’t he look just like your little brother? When he was a baby?”
“Yes! That’s it! Just like David. Oh?” She stretched her neck out and gazed at the photo. How she wanted one of her own. Now. Right now.
“Little Viktor here is from Russia. He’s a healthy happy baby boy, but he needs a home. Maybe we can give that to him?"
Kate startled, feeling a quivering needle of hurt run through her. Adopt? They were going to have their own? If only Grant would… "You won't get a simple test, just to find out if your sperm are viable, but you're willing to go to the opposite end of the world to get a baby? A baby that's not ours? A baby that could be sick or abused?"
Grant, who had still been facing his computer screen, turned his chair to face her fully and put his hands out, palms up. "No! The child would be healthy. Cute like little Viktor. And we'd be giving a home to a child that desperately needs one. Have you heard about the conditions in the orphanages there? It's horrible."
"I don't want to hear about the conditions in the orphanages in Russia! I want to have a child of my own. I'm only thirty two? We've only been trying - without any help yet - for a couple of years? Not even really trying. Just...hoping! You can't be serious?"
Grant slumped back in his chair. "I can't believe you won't even consider it. You're so warm-hearted usually."
"I'm...I am! Please, honey? I just want to try to have our own? There are so many great fertility doctors around here, if we could-"
Grant shook his head. "No. There's nothing wrong with either of us. We'll have a baby when it's meant to happen," he said, and shrugged. "I was just thinking, and then I found this site. It seemed like a
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