Page 62 of Serving the Maestro

Her winning smile fixed firmly in place as she shifted back around in the chair, Cam accepted the ice water from her boyfriend while Roger offered me a glass of wine.

“Hope we didn’t miss anything fun,” Roger said, his smile warm.

“No.” I took the wine and downed half of it. “Just girl talk.”

Man, I wanted this night over.

* * *

Having a pregnant best friend can come in handy.

Not long after we’d finished dinner—no dessert—Cam pushed up from her chair and gripped my shoulder. “Guys, I’m worn out. Hope you don’t mind if we call it quits early, Roger.”

“Ah, no.” He shoved his credit card into his wallet as he rose, but before he could get to my side, I was already escorting Cam out of the crowded restaurant.

“Thanks,” I said in a low voice as a server with a heavy tray passed by behind us, separating us from Danny and Roger. “I owe Danny about a hundred pounds of his favorite cookies from that bakery.”

She snorted. “Definitely—and pay up soon so I can eat half of them.”

“Only half?”

The familiar teasing managed to lighten my mood by the time we were outside, but it faded as Danny flagged down a cab. He pressed a kiss to Cam’s forehead before meeting my eyes, his dark with an unspoken question.

“I want to get Cam home,” he said. “She might act like she can party until midnight, but that baby is hardcore and likes to keep her up half the night.”

“Go on.” They lived in the opposite direction of my apartment. “I’m good. I’ll call in the morning.”

Cam hugged me while Danny and Roger made small talk.

“Call me later if you need to talk,” she said. “Danny’s not joking about this little monster keeping me up half the night.”

She rubbed her belly with a gentle hand, eyes aglow with love.

Monster? Not even close. The tug of envy wasn’t as sharp as it might have been even a couple of days ago, but I knew that didn’t mean much. My love for my best friend was stronger than any jealousy I could ever feel for the family she was making. But I was too pragmatic to think I was over the hurt of realizing I’d never have one of my own—not like the one Cam was building.

“Thanks, but I think I’ll bury myself in Haagen-Dazs, and watch a couple of sappy movies.”

Once they were in the cab, I turned to look at Roger.

“I’ve got a car service on the way,” he said, holding up his phone.

Crap.

“That’s great,” I lied.

I was glad to see the gleaming black town car pull up only a couple of minutes later. After giving my address, I folded my hands in my lap and crossed my legs, angling my body more toward the door than Roger.

He didn’t seem to pick up on the body language.

“Cam and Danny are pretty happy together,” he said.

“Yes.”

“How long have you known her?”

Okay, so monosyllables were too subtle. Pinching the bridge of my nose to stem a growing headache, I replied with a vague answer. “Years.”

“You can tell. You two have that kind of vibe going.”

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