Read Online Come Back To Me by Melissa Foster - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Melissa Foster
Ads: Link
here naked under a paper gown. Would you be excited? Tess shrugged.
The ultrasound wand pressed against her abdomen, sending a cool shiver up her arms. The outline of a bubble came to life on the monitor as Dr. Roberts expertly aimed the wand to the right, down, then to the left, ever so gently. A tiny shape appeared. Tess’s heart jumped, “Is that her?”
“Well, I don’t know if it’s her or him. It’s a little early for that, but yes, that’s your baby,” he smiled.
Tess lifted her head, “That’s my baby? That tiny thing? Is she okay?” Her baby had become real.
“So?” Alice said from her usual morning perch in Tess’s office. They’d sat across the desk from one another for eight years, and never once had Tess dodged Alice’s questions as she had that morning. Alice had received the finalized paperwork from Mr. Mason and had been trying to gather details of Tess’s meeting with Mr. Tole.
Tess sipped her water, wishing it were cappuccino, and lifted her eyebrows. “The deal’s not sealed just yet,” she said, avoiding Alice’s glare.
“Okay, I got that much. So where do we stand? Did you discuss business at all last night?” Alice became annoyed with the silence, “Tess? Hello? What is it?”
“I don’t know, okay?” Tess said, frustrated. “I think we’re going to seal the deal. I mean, we always seal the deal. So yes, we will seal this deal.” Her words were confident but her mind was not. “There’s something…I don’t know…weird about this guy.”
“Weird?”
“Yeah, but in a not-so-weird kind of way.” Tess knew that she was avoiding Alice’s eyes, and she didn’t know what was going on in her own head. She’d had a client meeting—she’d had a million of them. Why was she so hung up over this one?
“Okay, Tess, spill. I want it all, every last detail,” Alice said curiously.
Tess looked up and smiled. “There are no details to spill. We had dinner. We talked about work…sort of…and about life. He’s just,” she looked out the large picture window that overlooked the busy streets of Bethesda and let her mind wander to the prior evening. What was it about the evening that had her so dumbstruck? She couldn’t define the fine line that she teetered upon, wavering between comfort and discomfort. Alice’s voice brought her back to the present.
“Just what, Tess?”
Tess shook her head and shrugged. “He’s the kind of guy who runs a business in jeans, Alice. Jeans! It’s just…I don’t know.” She scooped up a pile of files from her desk and rose from her chair. “Let’s get started setting up interviews for Mason Press. Who do you have in mind?” she hurried out of her office with Alice close by her heels and spread out the files on the conference room table. They were discussing potential candidates when the phone rang. Alice answered it on the second ring.
“Sure, she’s right here,” she put the caller on hold and handed the phone to Tess. “It’s Beau’s mom,” she said. Tess gave her an annoyed look, waving her hands as if to say she was not there. Alice busied herself with the files, pretending not to see.
“Hi, Carol,” Tess feigned a smile. Tess closed her eyes and listened to Beau’s mother’s plea for a memorial service.
“We can’t move on with our lives until we have closure,” Carol said.
There it was—the words that pulled Tess’s heart right from her chest and infuriated her all at once. Heat raced through Tess’s veins. “He is not dead,” she said into the phone.
Alice’s head shot up. She glared at Tess with disbelieving eyes.
Tess held the phone a few inches from her ear, and Alice could hear Carol’s tearful pleas on the other end, trying desperately to talk some sense into Tess. Tess’s cheeks burned, her eyes filled with tears. “Carol,” she said in a detached, professional voice, “I have to go now.” Tess hung up the phone and stormed out of the office. Alice was on her feet in
The ultrasound wand pressed against her abdomen, sending a cool shiver up her arms. The outline of a bubble came to life on the monitor as Dr. Roberts expertly aimed the wand to the right, down, then to the left, ever so gently. A tiny shape appeared. Tess’s heart jumped, “Is that her?”
“Well, I don’t know if it’s her or him. It’s a little early for that, but yes, that’s your baby,” he smiled.
Tess lifted her head, “That’s my baby? That tiny thing? Is she okay?” Her baby had become real.
“So?” Alice said from her usual morning perch in Tess’s office. They’d sat across the desk from one another for eight years, and never once had Tess dodged Alice’s questions as she had that morning. Alice had received the finalized paperwork from Mr. Mason and had been trying to gather details of Tess’s meeting with Mr. Tole.
Tess sipped her water, wishing it were cappuccino, and lifted her eyebrows. “The deal’s not sealed just yet,” she said, avoiding Alice’s glare.
“Okay, I got that much. So where do we stand? Did you discuss business at all last night?” Alice became annoyed with the silence, “Tess? Hello? What is it?”
“I don’t know, okay?” Tess said, frustrated. “I think we’re going to seal the deal. I mean, we always seal the deal. So yes, we will seal this deal.” Her words were confident but her mind was not. “There’s something…I don’t know…weird about this guy.”
“Weird?”
“Yeah, but in a not-so-weird kind of way.” Tess knew that she was avoiding Alice’s eyes, and she didn’t know what was going on in her own head. She’d had a client meeting—she’d had a million of them. Why was she so hung up over this one?
“Okay, Tess, spill. I want it all, every last detail,” Alice said curiously.
Tess looked up and smiled. “There are no details to spill. We had dinner. We talked about work…sort of…and about life. He’s just,” she looked out the large picture window that overlooked the busy streets of Bethesda and let her mind wander to the prior evening. What was it about the evening that had her so dumbstruck? She couldn’t define the fine line that she teetered upon, wavering between comfort and discomfort. Alice’s voice brought her back to the present.
“Just what, Tess?”
Tess shook her head and shrugged. “He’s the kind of guy who runs a business in jeans, Alice. Jeans! It’s just…I don’t know.” She scooped up a pile of files from her desk and rose from her chair. “Let’s get started setting up interviews for Mason Press. Who do you have in mind?” she hurried out of her office with Alice close by her heels and spread out the files on the conference room table. They were discussing potential candidates when the phone rang. Alice answered it on the second ring.
“Sure, she’s right here,” she put the caller on hold and handed the phone to Tess. “It’s Beau’s mom,” she said. Tess gave her an annoyed look, waving her hands as if to say she was not there. Alice busied herself with the files, pretending not to see.
“Hi, Carol,” Tess feigned a smile. Tess closed her eyes and listened to Beau’s mother’s plea for a memorial service.
“We can’t move on with our lives until we have closure,” Carol said.
There it was—the words that pulled Tess’s heart right from her chest and infuriated her all at once. Heat raced through Tess’s veins. “He is not dead,” she said into the phone.
Alice’s head shot up. She glared at Tess with disbelieving eyes.
Tess held the phone a few inches from her ear, and Alice could hear Carol’s tearful pleas on the other end, trying desperately to talk some sense into Tess. Tess’s cheeks burned, her eyes filled with tears. “Carol,” she said in a detached, professional voice, “I have to go now.” Tess hung up the phone and stormed out of the office. Alice was on her feet in
Similar Books
