pregnant!” Claire squawked. “Shouldn’t you be lying down with your feet in stirrups by now?”
Joanne gave her a wan smile. “Sorry. It was a false alarm.”
“Well, false labor at any rate,” Michael said. He shouldered her hospital bag while keeping his other arm wrapped protectively about Joanne.
“I think the baby just wants to make sure we know what we’re doing,” Joanne said.
Sam, Roger and Pete joined the group.
“Darn, and I was really hoping you’d name the baby Valentine, too,” Pete said.
Claire laughed while the others cringed.
“What? It could be worse,” he said. “How about Cupid?”
They all began to walk out of the hospital together. Maggie could hear Pete offering up more names behind her.
“Arrow? Eros?”
She caught up to Joanne and asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just tired and a little disappointed,” Joanne said. “I mean I know it would have been early and it’s better that the baby has a few more weeks to build up its immunity and all, but . . .”
“You want to meet him or her?” Maggie asked.
“Yes,” Joanne said. Her eyes were shining. “I really, really do.”
“It’ll happen before you know it,” Ginger said as she muscled her way between Michael and Joanne.
“Promise?” Claire asked from Maggie’s other side. “Because I don’t know about you, but it is driving me plumb crazy not knowing what we’re having.”
“
We’re
having?” Joanne repeated. Then she laughed. “I like that. Thank you all for being here. It means a lot.”
“Where else would we be?” Ginger asked.
“Seriously, I haven’t been stockpiling cloth diapers for months for nothing,” Claire said.
“Go home and rest,” Maggie said. “Because after the baby comes, you won’t have another chance for a very long time.”
Joanne hugged each of them when they stopped by her car.
Michael opened the back door and tossed the hospital bag in, then he opened the passenger door for Joanne.
Once she climbed in, he closed the door behind her.
He shook hands with the men and hugged the women. “Thanks, all. We’ll keep you posted.”
“Please do,” Sam said. “And if you need a police escort at crunch time, just let me know. I’ve got connections.”
They banged knuckles and Michael got into his car. They stood in a group, waving, as Michael and Joanne headed home.
“Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but my nerves are shot,” Pete said. “There’s a band playing at the Daily Grind, and I hear that place has some of the best java and chai tea in town. Who’s in?”
Ginger looked at Roger. “Do you suppose we can trust the boys?”
“I will call and threaten them in my big daddy voice,” he said. “Then I’ll double down with a guilt bomb about how I never get to take their mama out and I’m taking her tonight and expect no shenanigans.”
“I like it,” Ginger said. “We’re in.”
Sam pulled Maggie close and wiggled his eyebrows. “How about it? I bet we could slow dance.”
Maggie grinned. “That is too good of an offer to refuse.” She turned to the others. “We’re in, too.”
• • •
The band playing at the coffee shop was one that specialized in cover songs, and tonight they were pulling out all of the romantic stops.
Staff and customers alike greeted Pete like their favorite uncle, and Maggie was pleased to see that most of them acknowledged Claire as his significant other. A jovial extrovert who was always quick with a joke, Pete seemed to balance Claire’s shy bookishness.
“They really are a perfect couple,” Ginger said to Maggie as they took a table toward the back while Roger and Sam paused to chat with one of their poker buddies.
A waitress came by and Maggie was amazed to find that, just like Ginger ordering for Roger, she knew what to order for Sam as well.
“So, how are things going?” Ginger asked. “How was it with Sam? Did you have a nice dinner? What did you talk about? Any
Joanne gave her a wan smile. “Sorry. It was a false alarm.”
“Well, false labor at any rate,” Michael said. He shouldered her hospital bag while keeping his other arm wrapped protectively about Joanne.
“I think the baby just wants to make sure we know what we’re doing,” Joanne said.
Sam, Roger and Pete joined the group.
“Darn, and I was really hoping you’d name the baby Valentine, too,” Pete said.
Claire laughed while the others cringed.
“What? It could be worse,” he said. “How about Cupid?”
They all began to walk out of the hospital together. Maggie could hear Pete offering up more names behind her.
“Arrow? Eros?”
She caught up to Joanne and asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just tired and a little disappointed,” Joanne said. “I mean I know it would have been early and it’s better that the baby has a few more weeks to build up its immunity and all, but . . .”
“You want to meet him or her?” Maggie asked.
“Yes,” Joanne said. Her eyes were shining. “I really, really do.”
“It’ll happen before you know it,” Ginger said as she muscled her way between Michael and Joanne.
“Promise?” Claire asked from Maggie’s other side. “Because I don’t know about you, but it is driving me plumb crazy not knowing what we’re having.”
“
We’re
having?” Joanne repeated. Then she laughed. “I like that. Thank you all for being here. It means a lot.”
“Where else would we be?” Ginger asked.
“Seriously, I haven’t been stockpiling cloth diapers for months for nothing,” Claire said.
“Go home and rest,” Maggie said. “Because after the baby comes, you won’t have another chance for a very long time.”
Joanne hugged each of them when they stopped by her car.
Michael opened the back door and tossed the hospital bag in, then he opened the passenger door for Joanne.
Once she climbed in, he closed the door behind her.
He shook hands with the men and hugged the women. “Thanks, all. We’ll keep you posted.”
“Please do,” Sam said. “And if you need a police escort at crunch time, just let me know. I’ve got connections.”
They banged knuckles and Michael got into his car. They stood in a group, waving, as Michael and Joanne headed home.
“Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but my nerves are shot,” Pete said. “There’s a band playing at the Daily Grind, and I hear that place has some of the best java and chai tea in town. Who’s in?”
Ginger looked at Roger. “Do you suppose we can trust the boys?”
“I will call and threaten them in my big daddy voice,” he said. “Then I’ll double down with a guilt bomb about how I never get to take their mama out and I’m taking her tonight and expect no shenanigans.”
“I like it,” Ginger said. “We’re in.”
Sam pulled Maggie close and wiggled his eyebrows. “How about it? I bet we could slow dance.”
Maggie grinned. “That is too good of an offer to refuse.” She turned to the others. “We’re in, too.”
• • •
The band playing at the coffee shop was one that specialized in cover songs, and tonight they were pulling out all of the romantic stops.
Staff and customers alike greeted Pete like their favorite uncle, and Maggie was pleased to see that most of them acknowledged Claire as his significant other. A jovial extrovert who was always quick with a joke, Pete seemed to balance Claire’s shy bookishness.
“They really are a perfect couple,” Ginger said to Maggie as they took a table toward the back while Roger and Sam paused to chat with one of their poker buddies.
A waitress came by and Maggie was amazed to find that, just like Ginger ordering for Roger, she knew what to order for Sam as well.
“So, how are things going?” Ginger asked. “How was it with Sam? Did you have a nice dinner? What did you talk about? Any
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