When Girlfriends Step Up by Savannah Page Page B

lifeblood. The secret serum behind all of those brilliant book cover designs.”
    I flashed him an ironic glance and continued steeping my tea, hoping and praying this decaf blend Sophie gave me would grant the pick-me-up I certainly needed that morning. I’d been behind my desk for a good hour already, and the mystery novel cover was still missing that special something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
    “Oh, thought I’d try out this new blend that my friend gave me.”
    He picked up the package of tea and looked at it with a discerning eye. “It says ‘decaf’ here, Robin.” He held it out so I could see for myself.
    “Silly me,” I said, pretending that I had no idea the tea was without the “secret serum.”
    “No wonder you’re feeling sluggish. You funny lady.” He gave my arm a light, playful shove, then started to open the cupboards overhead. “I’m sure there’s some juiced up tea in here somewhere, if tea’s your new preference.”
    “That’s all right,” I said, throwing away my tea bag and making my way towards the break room doorway. “This blend is growing on me. I’m fond of it, actually.”
    He kept rifling through the cupboards.
    “I’m really quite fine. Thanks, Bobby,” I said, although his persistence made me smile. Sophie went out of her way to make sure I had a quality beverage. But Bobby? Since when did a man—not even a friend, a co-worker—become insistent on helping me find my morning lifeblood? Maybe my pregnancy glow and charm were starting to show already. I’d read about that the other night in my baby book, which had actually become my new book of choice after hours.
    The book mentioned that as an expecting mother, your partner and even strangers of the male sex (in my case, we’ll just go with random men) will show a more willingness to help you with things, like taking your groceries to your car, or opening doors. Kind of nice in an age where I swear chivalry is nearly dead. They’ll ask if they can help with the most minor of tasks, such as pulling out your seat or offering an extra pillow for back or feet support. Although these gestures are more common during the second and final trimesters, when the mother is clearly showing she’s about to drop, over-the-top helpful gestures by men are commonplace during pregnancy. Not to mention the extra attraction males will have towards the mother-to-be. Apparently a pregnant woman’s lips and cheeks become rosier. Her skin becomes so clear she wonders if she’s back in elementary school, before the plague of pimples attacked. I had noticed that my lips were a brighter shade of pink. And while I’m not one for globs of makeup to begin with—nothing more than a dab of powder and blush, and perhaps light applications of eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss work for me—I had discovered that I didn’t need any blush or lip color lately.   Sometimes I felt I could even do without the light dusting of powder. Maybe I was working some momma charm, and Bobby was being so helpful because of the bun in the oven, even if he had no clue I was a-bakin’.
    “If you’re sure,” he said. He leaned against the counter, his thick chest standing out ever so slightly behind his jet black dress shirt, the top two buttons open, giving way to a hint of casualness. I caught another whiff of Bobby’s cologne, and I wasn’t particularly fond of what it was doing for my hormones. Was it sudden attraction I was feeling towards Bobby? My goodness! Or were my pregnancy hormones out of whack?  
    Damn. Stop that, sister!  
    “You let me know if I can bring you coffee after all,” he offered.
    I tittered as I began to make my way back to my office. Back to the mystery novel cover that awaited my stroke of genius. “I’ll be sure to come to you if I want some coffee, Bobby,” I called out. “You do know how I take it.”
    “A spoonful of cream and a cube of sugar.”
    Pregnancy charm? Maybe. Or maybe I was just the tiniest bit