Page 5 of Legally Binding
"But you won't confirm or deny?" Scout laughs again. "I told you, I'm not a lawyer."
"All right." I reach down into my bag, pulling out the orange fluffball.
"A kitten!" She practically squeals with excitement and reaches out. "Can I?"
"He might get hair on you," I remind her. She's so polished, and I’d hate to ruin her clothes. I certainly can’t afford to pay for the dry cleaning.
"I don't give a crap. You've got a kitten in your bag." She wiggles her fingers, and I let her take him from my hands. "Do you take him with you wherever you go?"
"No, I found him on the way here. It was pouring, and he was all alone. I couldn't leave him."
"Of course you couldn't." Scout brushes her nose against the kitten's.
"Could we possibly give him some milk?"
"Absolutely." Scout goes over to one of the cabinets to find a bowl. When she comes back, she places it in front of him, and he creeps forward, exploring the contents. "Are you going to keep him?"
"I'm not sure." I want to. I mean, the cat distribution system picked me, but I'm not sure my roommates will be a fan of me having a cat. Our building has a strict no-pets rule unless residents pay an exorbitant fee. "I want to get through this part of my day before I move on to the kitten."
"You'll need supplies." Scout starts to list things I'll need and can't afford. I lost a chunk of my clients after my falling-out with the Wilsons, and I’ve yet to pick up more work.
"Hey, you know—" The same lady from before comes into the break room, pausing when she sees the kitten. I think her name was Judith. "Is that a kitten?"
"No, it's a dinosaur," Scout deadpans, making us all laugh.
"Let me get a few dino pets then." Judith scratches the top of his head. The kitten peers up at us with a full-on milk mustache. "Gah, he's adorable." She gives him one last pet. "But what isn't adorable is Mr. Wilson's wife, who is in the lobby."
"Lovely." Scout stands, rolling her eyes. "According to Mr. Wilson, she couldn’t make it today. She knows about this surrogacy stuff, right?"
"Yep.” I'm not sure Bob told her the new plan he came up with, and I, in all honesty, am not sure how she'll take it. “Except she might not know the part where her husband wants to use one of my eggs. Or make the deposit himself the old-fashioned way.”
Scout opens and closes her mouth, clearly shocked. Finally! I had a glimmer of hope that Bob’s lawyer might try to talk him out of this, but Mr. Adair didn’t give away anything when Bob told him how he wanted to change the supposed contract.
“Wait here,” Scout tells me before leaving the breakroom, and Judith follows her.
I pick up the kitten again and hold him close, contemplating whether to get the hell out of here. What happens if I back out of a contract? Would I get sued? If they do, what could they possibly take? At the moment, the most valuable thing I own is this kitten. The furball meows as if in agreement.
“Where is she?” My stomach drops when I hear Mrs. Wilson’s voice. I’m really hoping that the she she’s talking about isn’t me.
“Why don’t I show you to a conference room and get your husband?”
“I don’t give a shit about my husband. Where is the girl?”
The girl? I bet she doesn’t even remember my name. Gosh, the two of them really played me.
I move my scarf around in my bag, making a comfy little bed for the kitten. Then I gently put him back inside for safekeeping. He stares up at me with big blue eyes, and I’m a sucker because even though I shouldn’t, I’m keeping him. How the hell would I ever be able to hand over an actual baby, especially if it was mine!
The clicking of heels gets louder, and I know Mrs. Wilson is closing in on my location. There's no place for me to hide, and I curse myself for not making a run for it when I had the chance.
Mrs. Wilson pauses at the entrance to the break room and turns her head in my direction. Her long hair cascades over one shoulder, and even I have to admit it’s beautiful, just like the rest of her. Although I'm not sure that the thousands of dollars or the hours spent sitting in a chair for the extensions are worth it.
"There you are." Mrs. Wilson steps into the break room with Scout right behind her. I quickly stand from my chair, almost knocking it over in the process. I’ve seen Mrs. Wilson work out in her gym at home, and she could totally kick my ass. "You're doing the baby thing."
It's not a question but an order. I bet you have to have a lot of money in your bank account to talk to people like that.
"Mrs. Wilson, let's go see Mr. Adair."
"Oh." She smirks. "I'm getting to him."
