Page 69 of My Girlfriend is Not the Father

Jade had no idea how much she’d needed a pep talk from a twenty-year-old. She shook out her hands, low exhaled, and walked to the front.

A woman was stomping the snow off her feet on the mat. As Jade approached, the woman unravelled a heavy knitted scarf from her neck and shook out her brown curly hair. ‘This much snow? Come on.’ Her smile was warm and inviting, and fine wrinkles feathered out from the corners of her eyes. ‘Hey, there. I’m Caroline, from the Minneapolis Times.’ Her gaze travelled the salon – from the dark leather chairs, to the multiple plants, to the huge, colourful paintings of scissors and a comb that Jade ordered from an incredible artist back in Chicago. ‘This place is great. I can already see why people love it.’

‘Hey, I’m Jade.’ They shook hands. ‘Great to meet you. And thanks. I really love this place, too.’

Caroline hung up her jacket and twisted her neck to look out the window. ‘My photographer is parking now. Let’s go through the logistics …’

For the next hour, Jade posed in various places. She attempted to strike a balance that represented her image – strong, confident, and authoritative, while also being warm and fun.

Caroline graciously offered to model so the photographer could get an action shot. Jade grabbed a roller brush and hairdryer and pretended to work.

Caroline took notes in an old-fashioned flip notebook, but she also recorded everything on a voice memo app. She asked the questions that Jade had prepared for – how long she’d been in business, what she liked about Minnesota, a fun client story from the past year.

‘I think we’re just about wrapped up.’ Caroline strummed her pen against the notepad. ‘Any last words?’

As fun as this was, Jade also felt like she’d just given mental birth. How did people do this all the time? Being on, answering questions while trying to sound clever, but not too clever, was damn hard. ‘I really appreciate all this. Minnesota is a tight-knit, family-orientated state, and …’ Jade grinned as she shrugged. ‘I’m still an outsider. I’ve lived in Chicago my whole life, and I was worried I wouldn’t feel like this place was home. But the city has wrapped its arms around me.’

Caroline clicked off the recorder. ‘That’s awesome. Perfect ending.’

The photographer said he’d load the truck and left the women momentarily alone.

‘Thank you, Jade. This was so much fun. The article releases next Tuesday, and they’ll announce the winners at the May banquet. I’ll send the photo proofs to you for review.’

The door opened and Lucy stomped in, smacking her wool mittens together as snow dusted to the ground. She glanced between Jade and Caroline. ‘Oh sorry! Yikes. I thought you’d be done by now.’ Lucy took off her coat and hung it on the rack.

Jade grinned. She could not wait to tell Lucy everything that had happened in the last hour. ‘Hey, no worries.’ She gave Lucy a quick kiss, then motioned to Caroline. ‘We were just wrapping up. Lucy, meet Caroline. Caroline, this is my girlfriend, Lucy.’

‘Nice to meet you. Gah. I’m so sorry. I have to use the bathroom.’ Lucy pointed at her belly. ‘Baby shifted and is like hammer-dancing straight on the bladder.’ She frowned at her words, then scooted away without waiting for a response.

Caroline tugged on her jacket. ‘Are you two having a baby?’

God, no. ‘No, she’s a gestational carrier for her friend and his husband.’

Caroline plucked her scarf from the rack and dangled it in her hands. ‘That’s amazing. What a gift she’s giving them, huh? You, too. Can’t be easy to be the partner and not, you know, get a baby out of the deal.’

‘Well, thankfully, I’d rather crack the ice on the Mississippi and take a long swim over getting a baby.’ Jade chuckled and twirled the ring on her finger. ‘The journey has been pretty daunting, but there are some major bonuses. I’ve become close with the dads, and I get to witness my partner being kind of a badass. Besides, when the dads bring the baby home, they won’t have as much time for Lucy, so I’ll finally get her all to myself. Win, win, you know?’

Caroline laughed along with Jade, thank God, because the words had somehow sounded ickier than intended. But they weren’t entirely untrue. After birth, Jade couldn’t wait to reconnect with the woman she’d first met at the grocery store.

‘Sorry about that,’ Lucy called out as she approached. ‘I cannot wait until I can go a solid four hours again between bathroom visits like a normal human.’

‘It gets worse.’ Caroline laughed and stuffed her notebook into her bag. ‘With my daughter at the end there, it felt like every twenty minutes. How far along are you?’

‘Twenty-five weeks.’

Caroline nodded. ‘So, you’re a surrogate for your friend. He must be pretty special, huh?’

Lucy shrugged, then sat on the lobby chair. ‘Yep. We’ve been besties since we met at St James in kindergarten.’

‘St James?’ Caroline nearly shrieked and pulled a chair next to Lucy. ‘I went there. Many, many years before you, I’m sure. Was Sister Katherine still there?’ She glanced at Jade for a snap, then returned her focus to Lucy.

Jade fiddled with her watch and took a step back. This conversation was not for her. She didn’t know if she should pull up a chair and listen or walk away. She grabbed a pen from the desk, needing to do something with her hand, and tapped it against her palm.

‘Oh, yes. Sister Katherine is definitely one of those people who’s gonna live forever. Too stubborn to die, you know? Oh, the memories.’ Lucy pulled her hands into her chest. ‘That woman is probably still there to this day, terrorising the children.’ Lucy giggled. ‘What about Father O’Neil?’

Caroline smacked the top of the seat. ‘Right?’

‘Right.’