Packed and Ready to Go by Jacki Kelly Page A

sinister. He reached for my hands and kissed each one. His Italian charm made my insides flutter.
    “ Are you lunching alone?” He looked down at his table. “You can join me.”
    Ditching Carla and Ursula ran through my mind, but I knew better than to cross that line. As much as I’d love to have a long leisurely romp in bed with him, running from my problems wouldn’t solve them.
    “ I’m meeting some friends. You know Ursula.” I pointed to her across the room.
    Disappointment slipped into his eyes. “You always have an excuse. I’m beginning to think you’re avoiding me. Maybe some other time.”
    “ For sure.” My knees trembled. If he had any idea how many erotic dreams I had about him, he’d blush. “Maybe we can have lunch one day next week.” The words tumbled from my mouth before I could censor them. I hadn’t meant to say that.
    “ For sure.” He held my gaze for what seemed like forever.
    I walked across the room trying to hold my stomach in and hoping my rear end would turn him on a little.
    “ Well, someone seems to be in a better mood than yesterday.” Ursula smirked.
    “ Yep, my mood is better now.” I sat and reached for my napkin.
    Ursula handed it to me before I could pick it up. “You need to wipe that drool off your lip.” She pretended to dab my chin.
    I snatched the napkin away and glanced over my shoulder to make sure Marco wasn’t watching. He looked up and winked. My heart stumbled and for several seconds I felt like I was back in high school enjoying my first crush.
    “ You might as well go ahead and jump his bones, and get it out of your system.” Carla’s tone held a hint of I-dare-you, which mimicked the way she lived her life.
    “ If I wasn’t married...” I shook the thought away. “I’m a married woman and I don’t cheat. Besides he’s… You know, I’m only into black guys.”
    “ He’s Italian, and you know lusting after him is just as bad as actually doing the deed. When you get to heaven you won’t get any brownie points for only dreaming of making love to him.” Carla sat back, looking satisfied with having planted the warning.
    “ Everyone is entitled to their fantasy. Marco’s mine,” I said.
    “ Mine too,” Ursula chimed in.
    “ If Javier ever acts up, I’m getting on that boat, too.” Carla glanced in his direction and used her napkin as a fan. “Anyway, how are you and Walter doing? Any better?”
    “ Well…” I didn’t know where to begin. “Today has been a good day so far.” It wasn’t until I spoke those words that I realized I hadn’t talked with my husband since last night. “I found a cute pair of kitten heels at Macy’s, so I’m happy. Sorry I’m late.”
    “ Don’t worry about it. We haven’t been here long and we’re still waiting on our drinks,” Carla said. “Let’s enjoy lunch because I’ve got some news to share with you guys.”
    “ What?” Ursula and I said in unison.
    Carla’s face lit up. She clapped her hands and sat on the edge of her seat. “Well…” She looked from Ursula back to me. “Javier and I are going to start a family. I want to have a baby.” She almost sang the words. Her eyes bored the raw hunger of longing.
    “ Get outta here. You want a baby? You and Javier want a child?” I asked.
    “ Ah, I guess it was only a matter of time,” Ursula said. “But what took you guys so long to decide? You’re at the end of your baby-making years.”
Carla hunched her shoulders. “I know, but we both really want a child.”
    “ Wow.” I reached for her hand and squeezed it.
    “ I know! It’s unbelievable, isn’t it? But we’ve been talking about it for a while and now it seems right. Maybe we’ll have two.”
    “ You’re willing to stretch your tight stomach out of shape?” Ursula asked.
    “ I’m not worried about my body. I’ll get back in shape.” She ran her manicured tips through her long hair. “I’m so excited.” She bounced in her seat like she couldn’t sit