Okay, I’ve had enough of this girl. Maybe it’s not my place, but she’s old enough to know not to throw food on the floor. And especially if there’s going to be a baby in the house sometime soon, she needs to learn to act like a child her age.
“Cecelia,” I say through my teeth.
She lifts her slightly pointed chin. “What?”
I’m not sure what would’ve happened between me and Cecelia, but our showdown gets interrupted by the front door unlocking. That must be Andrew and Nina, back from their appointment. I turn away from Cecelia and plaster a smile on my face. I’m sure Nina will be bursting with excitement over this visit.
Except when they come into the living room, neither of them are smiling.
That’s an understatement. Nina’s blond hair is in disarray and her white blouse is wrinkled. Her eyes are bloodshot and puffy. Andrew doesn’t look so great either. His tie is half undone, like he started to pull it off and then got distracted during the process. And actually, his eyes look bloodshot, too.
I squeeze my hands together. “Everything okay?”
I should have just kept my mouth shut. That would have been the smart thing to do. Because now Nina directs her gaze at me and her pale skin turns bright red. “For God’s sake, Millie,” she snaps at me. “Why do you have to be so nosy? This is none of your goddamn business.”
I swallow. “I’m so sorry, Nina.”
Her eyes drift down to the mess on the floor. Cecelia’s shoes. The bread and baloney near the coffee table. And sometime in the last minute, Cecelia has scurried out of the living room and is nowhere to be seen. Nina’s face contorts. “Is this really what I have to come home to? This mess? What am I paying you for anyway? Maybe you should start looking for another job.”
My throat constricts. “I… I was going to clean that up…”
“Don’t do any work on my account.” She shoots Andrew a withering look. “I’m going to go lie down. I have a pounding headache.”
Nina stomps up the staircase, her heels like bullets on each step, punctuated by the door to their bedroom slamming shut. Obviously, something did not go well at that appointment. There’s no point in trying to talk to her right now.
Andrew sinks onto the leather sofa and drops his head back. “Well, that sucked.”
I bite down on my lip and sit beside him, even though I sense I probably shouldn’t. “Are you okay?”
He rubs his eyes with his fingertips. “Not really.”
“Do… do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really.” He squeezes his eyes shut for a moment. He lets out a sigh. “It’s not going to happen for us. Nina is not going to get pregnant.”
My first reaction is surprise. Not that I know much about it, but I can’t quite believe that Nina and Andrew aren’t able to pay their way out of this dilemma. I swear I saw on the news that a sixty-year-old woman got pregnant.
But I can’t say that to Andrew. They just saw one of the leading fertility specialists. There’s nothing I know that this person doesn’t. If he said Nina won’t get pregnant, that’s that. There’s not going to be a baby. “I’m so sorry, Andrew.”
“Yeah…” He rakes a hand through his hair. “I’m trying to be okay with this, but I can’t say I’m not disappointed. I mean, I love Cecelia like she’s my own, but… I wanted… I mean, I always dreamed of…”
It’s the deepest conversation we’ve ever had. It’s kind of nice that he’s opening up to me. “I understand,” I murmur. “It must be so hard… for both of you.”
He looks down at his lap. “I need to be strong for Nina. She’s devastated about this.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
He’s quiet for a moment, running his finger along a crease in the leather of the sofa. “There’s this show Nina wants to see in the city—she keeps mentioning it. Showdown. I know it would give her a lift if we got tickets. If you could ask her for some dates and book orchestra seats, that would be great.”
“Done,” I say. I can’t stand Nina for lots of reasons, but I can’t imagine what it must be like to get this news—my heart goes out to her.
He rubs his bloodshot eyes again. “Thanks, Millie. I honestly don’t know what we would do without you. I’m sorry about the way Nina treats you sometimes. She’s just a little temperamental, but she really does like you and appreciates your help.”