Faking Ms. Right (Dirty Martini Running Club #1)(9)

“Isn’t it always?” Annie asked. “What about your personal life? Anyone special you need to tell us about?”

I shook my head. Annie was great, but she’d never been the person I confided in. I didn’t really want to tell her about my latest adventures in dating. “No, I’m not seeing anyone.”

“Why not?” she asked. “Honestly, Everly, I can’t believe you’re still single.”

Miranda nudged her. “Annie.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I just know how great you are, that’s all.”

“Thanks. And it’s okay. I’m taking a break from dating for a while.”

“That’s wonderful,” Miranda said. “I think it’s smart to focus on you. I did that a few years ago and it was the best decision I ever made.”

“You hardly took a dating break,” Annie said. “You met me a few weeks in, didn’t you?”

“Exactly,” Miranda said. “I’m a firm believer that the right person comes into your life only when you stop looking for them.”

“Hmm,” Annie said. “She might have a point.”

“Yeah, maybe,” I said. “I’m in a good place with everything. Work is fine, and being single isn’t so bad.”

“Of course not,” Annie said.

“So what about you guys?” I asked. “What’s new?”

“Well,” Annie said, glancing at Miranda, “we actually have news.”

“Yeah?” I asked. “Oh god, please don’t tell me you’re moving out of state or something.”

“No, we’re not moving,” Annie said. “Actually, we’re going to try for a baby.”

“Aw,” I said, squashing the nasty little flare of envy that tried to take root in my tummy. So what if I was older than her and single? And so what if Annie was happily married, and about to make our mother’s dreams come true by giving her a grandchild? That didn’t matter, and I wasn’t going to rain on Annie’s parade. “That’s amazing. I’m so happy for you both.”

“Thanks,” Annie said. “We’ve always known we want kids, and the timing just feels right.”

Miranda took her hand and squeezed it. “Exactly. It’s a big decision, but we’re ready.”

“You two will be the best parents,” I said. “How are you going to go about it? Will you adopt?”

“Well, we will if we decide we want more than one,” Miranda said. “But Annie really wants to experience pregnancy.”

Annie nodded. “I do. I know it’s probably going to give me stretch marks and ruin my boobs, but I don’t care. I want to do it anyway.”

“It’s not going to ruin your boobs,” Miranda said. “And I’m going to love your body even if you get stretch marks.”

Annie beamed at her.

“I think this is great,” I said.

“You do?” Annie asked.

“Yeah. Why, did you think I wouldn’t be happy for you?”

“No, we knew you’d be happy,” Annie said. “Aren’t you always?”

I shrugged. “Not literally always. But of course I’m happy about this. I get to be an auntie. What’s not to love?”

Annie took a deep breath and exchanged another look with Miranda. “We were really hoping you’d be supportive.”

I narrowed my eyes and tilted my head. “Yeah, of course I am.”

“Good,” Annie said, “because we need your help.”

“I’m not sure how I can help in this situation. I have ovaries and a uterus, but you have two sets of those between you. I think you need someone with the other parts to make this baby thing happen.”

“That’s what we need your help with,” Annie said. “We’d like to use donor sperm.”

“Okay,” I said, still not sure what she was getting at. “But what do you need my help with? Don’t you go to a sperm bank or something for that?”

“Well, we could,” Annie said. “But we have a donor in mind, so this would need to be a private exchange. We’ve spoken to a lawyer and we have a contract all drawn up and ready to go.”

“Who do you have in mind?” I asked. “And what does it have to do with me?”

Annie took another breath. “Shepherd Calloway.”

“What?” I asked, not even trying to hide my shock. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Everly, he’s perfect,” Annie said. “He has all the traits we’re looking for. Height, build, coloring, intelligence. And I know that makes it seem like we’re trying to custom-build a baby, but when you’re working with donor sperm, that’s how it works.”

“Sure, he has all the traits you want… except a soul,” I said. “You realize you’d run the risk of giving birth to a robot, right? I’m not convinced he isn’t a cyborg.”

“Come on, you’ve worked for him for years,” Annie said. “He can’t be that bad.”

“The man has no feelings,” I said. “If you’d like to have a baby with the emotional range of a rock, then yeah, he’d be a great choice.”