was cause for concern.
Carla hadn't wanted to test herself for pregnancy because the thought of being left with a child after a one-night stand made her head spin in panic. However, after the test had been done more than once and a tearful doctor's visit had confirmed the suspicion, Carla could no longer escape from the fact that she was pregnant. Lily was the first to know.
"Oh God, Carla!" she exclaimed so loudly that Carla had to shush her before she drew attention. "What are you going to do?"
"I don't know!" Carla had whispered desperately, constantly looking over her shoulder as though expecting to see her customers huddled around the counter, trying to hear the juicy details. "What can I do?"
"Are you going to keep it?" Lily asked with wide eyes.
"Yes." Carla sighed. "Definitely."
"I dunno, Carla. I mean, well, you said it; what can you do? I can come with you to buy a crib or something. Would that help?"
Lily tried to be supportive and comforting.
Carla didn't have a great relationship with a loving partner to ease the worry and work brought on by a surprise baby, and her small apartment above the bakery was no place to raise a child. Where was the baby going to go while she was working? Carla put a hand to her head as a hot flash came over her and Lily ushered her into the walk-in refrigerator to cool down.
There, among the chilled towers of wedding cakes and the dozens of brides and grooms staring at her from the cake-topper shelf, the night of the wedding came rushing back to her.
"I'll have to track him down." she stated. "I'll have to tell him."
"Good, good!" Lily encouraged. "You should go now. Do you want me to come?"
Carla smiled weakly at her concern, but shook her head.
"No, honey. You stay here and watch the store," she told her. "Do you think you'd be able to make a few fresh batches? I wrote this week's recipes on the whiteboard above the equipment bank."
"I can handle it." Lily promised her. Suddenly, the young girl who had such a taste for drama and gossip became serious and laid a hand on Carla's arm to comfort her. "It's going to be OK. I'm going to be here with you through all of this."
The baker smiled again and sighed as she stood up to leave. She knew that Daniel worked at Banks & Porter, which was uptown. She hailed a cab on the main street and headed there. Perhaps it wasn't the greatest idea to confront him with the news in his office, but Carla didn't have his number and she certainly didn't want to call Diane to ask for it. She arrived at the office late in the afternoon and stepped into the foyer of the elite law firm.
The building was all glass and chrome. It looked like something from the future in its design and everybody was wearing a pristine suit and rushing in all directions with purposeful strides and armfuls of paper. Carla felt so out of place with her simple dress and shy steps. She went to the reception and asked for Daniel Towler.
"Do you have an appointment?" the receptionist asked curtly.
"Well, no, but he knows me." Carla told her.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I can't let you in without an appointment."
Carla was in the middle of protesting when she felt an arm on her shoulder and turned to see Daniel standing behind her. She lost her breath all over again, seeing him as handsome as he'd been that night, and almost at once she was lost in his eyes.
"It's alright, Natalie." he told the receptionist. "She's with me."
He nodded towards the elevators to suggest that Carla should follow him there. Once they were in the elevator, alone together, Daniel looked her over with cool eyes that revealed a slight surprise, although Carla wasn't sure if he was pleased to see her. She thought for a moment of the last time they were in an elevator together and the heat of the memory made her heart beat faster.
"Not that I'm not glad to see you, but it's a surprise to find you here,” he told her with a kind smile.
The elevator arrived at the twelfth floor and the doors
Carla hadn't wanted to test herself for pregnancy because the thought of being left with a child after a one-night stand made her head spin in panic. However, after the test had been done more than once and a tearful doctor's visit had confirmed the suspicion, Carla could no longer escape from the fact that she was pregnant. Lily was the first to know.
"Oh God, Carla!" she exclaimed so loudly that Carla had to shush her before she drew attention. "What are you going to do?"
"I don't know!" Carla had whispered desperately, constantly looking over her shoulder as though expecting to see her customers huddled around the counter, trying to hear the juicy details. "What can I do?"
"Are you going to keep it?" Lily asked with wide eyes.
"Yes." Carla sighed. "Definitely."
"I dunno, Carla. I mean, well, you said it; what can you do? I can come with you to buy a crib or something. Would that help?"
Lily tried to be supportive and comforting.
Carla didn't have a great relationship with a loving partner to ease the worry and work brought on by a surprise baby, and her small apartment above the bakery was no place to raise a child. Where was the baby going to go while she was working? Carla put a hand to her head as a hot flash came over her and Lily ushered her into the walk-in refrigerator to cool down.
There, among the chilled towers of wedding cakes and the dozens of brides and grooms staring at her from the cake-topper shelf, the night of the wedding came rushing back to her.
"I'll have to track him down." she stated. "I'll have to tell him."
"Good, good!" Lily encouraged. "You should go now. Do you want me to come?"
Carla smiled weakly at her concern, but shook her head.
"No, honey. You stay here and watch the store," she told her. "Do you think you'd be able to make a few fresh batches? I wrote this week's recipes on the whiteboard above the equipment bank."
"I can handle it." Lily promised her. Suddenly, the young girl who had such a taste for drama and gossip became serious and laid a hand on Carla's arm to comfort her. "It's going to be OK. I'm going to be here with you through all of this."
The baker smiled again and sighed as she stood up to leave. She knew that Daniel worked at Banks & Porter, which was uptown. She hailed a cab on the main street and headed there. Perhaps it wasn't the greatest idea to confront him with the news in his office, but Carla didn't have his number and she certainly didn't want to call Diane to ask for it. She arrived at the office late in the afternoon and stepped into the foyer of the elite law firm.
The building was all glass and chrome. It looked like something from the future in its design and everybody was wearing a pristine suit and rushing in all directions with purposeful strides and armfuls of paper. Carla felt so out of place with her simple dress and shy steps. She went to the reception and asked for Daniel Towler.
"Do you have an appointment?" the receptionist asked curtly.
"Well, no, but he knows me." Carla told her.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I can't let you in without an appointment."
Carla was in the middle of protesting when she felt an arm on her shoulder and turned to see Daniel standing behind her. She lost her breath all over again, seeing him as handsome as he'd been that night, and almost at once she was lost in his eyes.
"It's alright, Natalie." he told the receptionist. "She's with me."
He nodded towards the elevators to suggest that Carla should follow him there. Once they were in the elevator, alone together, Daniel looked her over with cool eyes that revealed a slight surprise, although Carla wasn't sure if he was pleased to see her. She thought for a moment of the last time they were in an elevator together and the heat of the memory made her heart beat faster.
"Not that I'm not glad to see you, but it's a surprise to find you here,” he told her with a kind smile.
The elevator arrived at the twelfth floor and the doors
Similar Books
