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“What’s the matter, dear?”
“I shouldn’t tell you, but I want to tell someone.”
Edith leaned toward me and lowered her voice. “Tell me what?”
“You have to promise not to tell Austin. It doesn’t matter now.”
I told her the story about little almond and how I debated when to tell Austin until it was too late.
Her eyes were wide with shock. “So, he never knew you were pregnant?”
“I wanted to tell him, but I thought he would be angry. I was careless.”
“I knew something happened when he came here after I got hurt. He was happier than I’d seen him in months. I should’ve guessed.”
“I wanted to tell him, but when I saw he was with Jessie, I didn’t want to disrupt his life. I would’ve eventually told Austin, then I had the miscarriage, and it didn’t matter.”
“You should’ve told him. He would like to know.”
“There’s nothing to tell. I wanted the baby so much. I thought I would never want children until I was pregnant. After, I realized how much I did.”
“You can try again.”
“I need to find someone I want to be with.”
She grabbed my hand. “Austin. You still love him. I know you do.”
“Even if that were true, it’s too late. He’ll be marrying Jessie in a few months.”
“I don’t think it will last.”
“He’s happy, and that’s part of the reason I decided to move here. I need to move on, and I can’t do it living in the same place as him.”
She clucked her tongue and drained the rest of her wine, signaling the waiter for another glass. We ordered and had a pleasant meal together. Later that afternoon, I met my real estate agent to look at some properties on the Upper East Side facing Central Park. My house had recently received an offer, and I would be walking away with a good deal of money.
“Miss Stone, what do you think of this one?”
Marla Gates, my real estate agent, was quintessential upper class. She was polished with perfectly styled ash blonde hair, designer clothing, and well-manicured nails. Her makeup was flawless, and I wondered if she did it herself.
She’d showed me three properties so far, and this one was closer to my needs than the other two. The gleaming light wood floors, neutral wall colors, and bright kitchen with brand new stainless appliances and an island of peach granite with white striations. The terrace overlooked the lush greenery of Central Park. It was so out of my character of the white and black I had in Los Angeles.
This was a new start, and I needed warm and bright colors. Floor to ceiling windows would let in the sun in the mornings and most of the day. The three bathrooms were decked out in white marble and glass. This place spoke to me, and I decided on the spot to take it, even if it did have three bedrooms.
“I love it.”
“I can put in an offer, and we can get the paperwork started.”
“How long? I can pay cash.”
Her gray eyes lit up. “Cash?”
“Yes. I can well afford this place, and I prefer to get out of the hotel I’m living in as soon as possible.”
“That might speed up the process. This is a new unit, and you would be dealing with the builder, not the board.”
“Send over the contract, and I’ll sign immediately.”
We parted ways outside the building, and I smiled as I got into a cab to bring me back to my hotel. I had five more days before I started at Charge Media. I doubted I would be moved in since real estate dealings never move that fast, but at least I had a place to live.
