Page 63 of Feast

“You look great,” Maddie said and tried not to sound bitter. She was wearing her oldest pair of leggings, a faded Chicago Cubs sweatshirt with holes in it, and though she hadn’t seen it in a few hours, she was sure her hair was a disaster. Halley, on the other hand, who’d been working just as hard if not harder than Maddie all day, looked like she was getting ready to walk the runway at a Lululemon fashion show. “You’re actually glowing.”

Halley paused, her eyes going wide with distress. “You can’t tell I’m pregnant, can you?”

“No,” Maddie assured her. “You’re not showing, and the glow is just like, healthy. Like you have a really good skincare routine and get a lot of sleep and drink kale smoothies every day.”

“Good.” Halley set down box number six on top of number five. “The agency has four interviews lined up for me this week, and I don’t want anyone to know yet.”

Maddie nodded. “Smart.”

“If I get a job offer, I’ll tell them, of course—”

“What? Don’t do that.”

Halley paused in peeling the tape off the box to frown at her sister. “I have to tell them sometime.”

“Sure, but that time is way later. Like, when you go into labor.”

“Pretty sure I’ll have to do it before that,” Halley said and dug into the box. “Where do you want me to put kitchen towels?”

“Lower cabinet, left of the stove. And no, you don’t. If you tell them before they hire you, they won’t.”

“That’s silly,” Halley said and walked into the kitchen.

Maddie heaved herself off the couch to follow. “It’s not,” she insisted, crossing to the fridge for a beer while Halley crammed towels into the already full cabinet. “Trust me on this, Hal. If you want a job, keep the pregnancy under wraps.”

“Isn’t that illegal?” Halley asked, straightening. “To not hire someone because they’re pregnant?”

“Yes,” Maddie said. “But they’ll do it anyway. And a lawsuit would take time and money you don’t have.”

“It doesn’t feel right to keep it quiet,” Halley said with a frown.

“Neither does being unemployed.”

“Good point.” Halley sighed. “Okay, I won’t say anything until I have to.”

Maddie slung an arm around her sister’s shoulders. “I know it sucks, honey.”

“I can deal with it,” Halley said, tipping her head so it rested on Maddie’s shoulder. “Thanks, Mads.”

“For what?”

“For being here. Letting me move in,” Halley said as they walked back to the living room. “Changing your dinner order so I don’t puke.”

“That’s okay.” Maddie patted her head. “I’ll just order tacos at work.”

“And brush your teeth as soon as you get home,” Halley put in.

“This kid better be amazing,” Maddie muttered, pleased when Halley laughed.

“You’re amazing,” Halley said and stopped to wrap her arms around her sister. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

Halley clung for a moment, then eased back. “Okay. There are two more boxes of towels, and then the rest are just books. Should I unpack them now, or wait for the bookcase?”

“I really don’t care,” Maddie said. “But can we make it so I can lie down on the couch?”

“Unpack them it is,” Halley said cheerfully.

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