She sat and groaned. Where did that come from? “No, not really. I’m actually headed to her office now. She’s not in but I need to check her mail and set up for tomorrow.” She picked up a sticky, freshly baked bun with honey dripping from it, the dough so soft her fingers mushed it while she lifted it to her lips. “I’m supposed to meet someone there for dinner too, but I so wanted these.”
She groaned when she took the first bite, letting the sweet warm gooey dessert make her taste buds dance and filled her with joy. Who knew food could do this to a woman? And it wasn’t even chocolate.
Violet laughed and brushed a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear. “I would ask if you should be eating this before dinner, but clearly, you should.”
She sipped her tea and thought about canceling her dinner with Massimo, but he had gone out of his way to be nice to her. Even after she’d told him there was no chance for them. He’d never gotten fresh or tried to push her into an actual date. He told her he’d be her friend if she was open to that and she was.
“I shouldn’t be eating these, but I can’t help myself,” she mumbled between bites. “They’re addictive.”
Violet shook her head with a grin. “You sound like some of the bear shifters that come in here desperate for a fix.”
She stopped the second honey bun mid-way to her mouth. “A fix?”
“For honey. You know, bears and honey.” Violet giggled.
“If I could get you to deliver this to my house, I’d never leave my bed,” Cassie told her honestly. She licked her fingers after the last bite of the second honeybun and gulped down the tea. “Okay, I gotta go. But you rock, and I will be back for more tomorrow.”
“I know,” Violet winked. “It’s why I’m making these in the evenings too. Just for you.”
“And here I thought my dependency on these wasn’t that obvious.” She gave an embarrassed giggle. Damn, was she that desperate for sweets? She headed for the door, opened it, and stopped. The cold wind howled around her and made her face burn a little from the low temperature. She inhaled and sighed. Why did she enjoy the cold so much late? It made her sleepy and ready to put on her comfiest PJs and take a nap. She glanced over her shoulder at Violet and waved. “Thank you!”
Cassie burrowed her face into her thick woolen eternity scarf wrapped around her neck. She yanked out her mittens and put them on and was glad she’d worn her warmest boots. It was freezing.
She got in her car and drove the short distance to Gerri’s place. When she got there, Massimo was already at the front of the building. She got out of the car and let him give her a kiss on her cheek.
“Cassandra, you look beautiful.” He spoke with an accent she still couldn’t place and smiled as he raked his gaze over her. He sniffed and came closer, the smile dying on his lips. “Cassie, how…how are you?”
She cleared her throat and shrugged. “I’m good. Let’s go upstairs so I can do this mail before we get some food. I’m starving.”
He laughed. “I’m sure. You look exhausted. Are you sure you’re up to dinner?”
She frowned but didn’t say anything. She must look like shit for him to be the second person to say that to her. “I’m fine.”
They got in the elevator at the same time her cell phone started ringing. The call fell through due to bad service. They’d just gotten off on Gerri’s floor when it rang again.
“Hi,” she said, recognizing Dr. Levi’s office.
“Hi, Cassie. We have your test results,” she heard Myra’s voice tell her. “I hope you’re not too shocked to find out you’re pregnant.”
Cassie’s throat ran dry. She cleared it twice but wasn’t sure what to say. “Are you sure?”
“Oh, honey, we are very sure. Especially with how far along you are. Three months.”
“Wait, what?” She couldn’t be three months pregnant. She only had sex a month ago with Talen and before that she had been getting herself off with battery-operated buddies for at least six months. So how in the world could she be three months pregnant? “I think you must have someone else’s test results. Those dates don’t add up.”
“Really?” Myra sounded confused. “We can run them again and I’ll get back to you.”
“Thank you. That would be great.” She was pretty sure at this point there was no way they had her test results. They must have confused them with someone else’s. She clicked off the phone and glanced up to catch Massimo staring at her with confusion.