Page 103 of Mine to Worship

“What are you doing here?” I ask and approach the goodies behind the glass.

“I transferred to this shop.” His face goes from excited to shocked. He rushes from behind the counter and his eyes drop to my belly.

“I don’t want to say anything inappropriate but are you pregnant?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Wow. Okay.” He scratches his neck, and stumbles back.

“I told you he likes you. The poor guy stood no chance,” Aubrey whispers and I pin her with a stare. She zips her lips.

“So how have you been? You just disappeared.”

“I got myself married then pregnant,” I say, “And you?”

As if in trance he answers, “Nothing special. I’m good.” He jolts into action, asking me what I would like.

“Vanilla donut with strawberry, and the Nutella filled one, and what is that?” I ask, pointing at a pile of donuts I haven’t seen before, craving the sweet fried treats.

“A new flavor, raspberry with mascarpone.”

“Oh, that one, too.”

Dan packs them, and when he offers the bag to me, he says, “Enjoy and congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

Outside, Aubrey bites into one and says, “What is with people congratulating you for getting pregnant? Like were they there, cheering for you as you got fucked?”

I choke on my donut and glare at her while she pats me on the back.

“I am sure he is crying back there because he never took his shot with you. Did you see his face? I almost pity him.”

“You need to come with a warning,” I say, shaking my head.

Back at the penthouse, the words of Lorene swirl in my head. With trembling fingers, I take the card from my wallet and after I check the time, I dial Andre’s number. He picks up after the fifth ring and his gravelly voice greets me.

“Who is it?”

“Hello, Mr. Garcia, it’s Ellia Reyes. We met at the gallery in––”

“Oh, hello. I thought you weren’t interested, but I am glad to hear I was wrong.”

“No, no, it’s not that at all.” I pace around, my nerves going haywire through my system.

“What is it then?”

“I would like to thank you for this opportunity and for valuing my paintings. It would be an honor to have my work at your galleries. But I am going to be honest with you, I hope you understand the reason why it took me this long. Five months to be exact.”

“I have been told I am a good listener.”

“Mr. Garcia, my pregnancy has been a difficult one from the start, and it continues to be challenging. The most important thing to me right now is that my baby is healthy.”

“I completely understand, Ellia. Can I call you Ellia?” Without waiting for me to agree or disagree, he continues, “I find it hypocritical that society demands procreation as the primordial role of humans but then punishes women for being the ones who bear them.”

That silences me for a beat, his conviction corded around every word. He’s intriguing and even after two brief encounters, I can say he has a set of values he would never compromise on.

“I am happy to hear that. Because if it is okay with you, I would like to come to Paris in a few months.”

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