Page 35 of A Forgotten Promise

“Do you want to touch my belly?” She tilts her head, her eyes narrowed.

I want to refuse, but reach my hand out regardless. Celeste smiles, that content smile that makes her glow even more, and places my hand over her stomach.

And nothing.

My hand is on my friend’s stomach. Should I feel something? I swallow. This is awkward.

Celeste laughs. “The baby isn’t moving right now. The only thing you might feel is my gas.”

“Ew.” I snatch my hand back, but we both laugh. “Why do people want to touch it anyway?”

“I don’t know. The weirdest thing is, strangers ask to do it. The other day, I had to tell a woman she could touch my belly if I could touch her boobs.”

I snort. “Did she take you up on that offer?”

Celeste waves her hand, grinning. “Enough about me being a beached whale. How are you?”

Yeah, being high on my wedding planning sabotage got me to meet my friends, but am I ready to tell them what a failure I am?

“I’m good. Where are Lily and Cora?” I deflect.

But Celeste knows me, and she draws her eyebrows together, pursing her lips. She studies me for a moment, but then decides not to pry. Thank God.

“Cora is in the back for a delivery, and strangely, Lily is late.”

“But that has always been my superpower.”

“I wouldn’t call your tardiness a superpower.” Celeste cackles, but before I retort, Lily enters.

She adjusts her hideous glasses and rushes over to us. “I’m sorry I’m late. I overslept. How are you?”

I wish there was a simple answer to that simple question.

“Here you are.” Cora emerges from behind the counter and sits down. “It feels like we haven’t seen each other for ages.”

“It’s nice to hang out together finally,” Lily says.

She joined our little group only last year, when she first worked for Cora. And proved to be absolutely useless as a waitress, but quite loyal and fun as a friend. Cora had to fire her, but she didn’t let her disappear from our lives.

“How long have you been in New York now?” I ask Lily.

“For about a year, why?”

“You still didn’t find a good hairdresser?” I tease.

Seriously, the woman is beautiful, but she wears grandma glasses, and her pixie cut looks like she chopped it with a pair of blunt scissors.

“Saar,” Celeste reprimands.

“What?” I shrug. “We’re friends, someone needs to tell her that hiding her beauty behind those glasses and that cut is a travesty.”

Lily lowers her gaze, wringing her hands. Cora and Celeste are glaring at me. Fuck. I’m so worried about becoming the topic of this conversation that I offend to avoid playing defense.

I sigh. “I’m sorry, Lils, that was—”

“I’m okay with the way I look. Not everyone is a model.” Lily shrugs and turns to get Sanjay’s attention.

“I didn’t mean—”

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