“I think you two are going to be the hit of the party,” Cassie said as she found the layered front of the costume. Chloe had sewn yellow on the lower part of the belly, with white up by the throat. “The crocodile and Captain Hook are perfect.”
“Like I said, I thought it was brilliant until I realized I didn’t know how to sew a crocodile costume. I want the puffy-out belly part to skim over my stomach. At least then the pregnancy won’t be obvious, but I’m not sure it’s going to work.”
Cassie stepped close and held up the midsection. “It’s not sticking out enough,” she said. “And the pocket for your tummy has to be lower. Let me rip out the center seam and insert about six more inches of the yellow cloth. Then we’ll use ribbing to give it a little more shape on the side.”
“Is that what’s wrong?” Chloe asked, then shook her head. “I should have asked for you to help me from the beginning. You always were better than me at this domestic stuff. I’ve been tearing up pieces for a week and getting nowhere.”
“We have different talents,” Cassie said as she started separating the layers of fabric.
Growing up, she and her sister had sometimes sewn dresses, but usually Chloe didn’t have the patience. She’d always been going and doing. Cassie was the one who liked to stay home and take care of things there. They were so different, Cassie thought. Probably because they had different biological parents. Being raised in the same home could only do so much.
As she worked, Chloe talked about her life. Cassie listened and tried to ignore the faint whisper of envy that drifted through her. She was glad for Chloe and her happiness, and she reminded herself there was still plenty of time for her own dreams to come true.
“Arizona is completely crazed about the plans for next summer,” Chloe was saying. “He’s received invitations from all over the world. Everyone wants him to come speak. The baby will be six months old, so I told him my requirements were for a relatively short flight, decent facilities and no luggage restriction.” She rolled her eyes. “Do you have any idea how much stuff babies require? The more I read about that, the more it amazes me.”
“So you’ll be staying in the country?”
“Maybe. I don’t know.” She spread her arms so Cassie could pin on the modified front panel. “Two universities in England have made fabulous offers, so he’s talking about lecturing for a few days in New York or Washington so we get adjusted to the change in time and the plane ride isn’t too awful. Then we would take the Concorde to England and spend the summer there.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“I hope so.” She looked sheepish. “He’s already talking about a second baby, timing it and everything so that we’re always free to travel in the summer. He’s very concerned that I don’t get overwhelmed with all of it and—”
Chloe pressed her lips together. “I’m sorry. You don’t want to hear about all this.”
Cassie stopped pinning and stared at her sister. “Why not? I want you to tell me about your plans. Just because you’re married doesn’t mean we’ve stopped being friends.”
“I know. It’s just I feel as if I’ve gotten everything and you don’t have…as much.”
Cassie knew the pause had been because Chloe had started to say “anything.”
“I appreciate your concern about my feelings,” she said. “But I do have a lot. Maybe it doesn’t seem like it to you, but you and I have never wanted the same things. You’re a great reporter and a terrific writer. You’ve always wanted to travel and you’ve married a wonderful man who adores you and wants to show you the world. Everything is working out. That makes me happy. But my path is different.”
“I know.” Chloe touched her arm. “I’m not being critical. In the past we’ve argued about your career choice, but I finally understand.” She rested her hand on her stomach. “When the baby kicks, I can feel the life growing inside of me. Until that happened I didn’t know why you would want to ‘waste’ your life with children. Now I see it’s the most amazing thing you can do with your time. I respect that and I admire you for realizing it before you had a child of your own.”
Cassie was a little embarrassed by the praise. “Wow, you make me sound like a saint or something. I’m not.”
“Hey, I know that—I’m your sister, remember. But you’re a good person who pays attention to what is right. I just wish…”