Two weeks passed since Denise and Mitch’s horrendous fight, and Denise felt that he really was trying to be better. Shelly and Bob were coming over for dinner and a movie that evening, and Denise really looked forward to having company. She prepared a pineapple-glazed ham dinner with all the trimmings, and bought wine for her guests and her husband, although she would stick with the sparkling apple cider. Thinking of her unborn child. She stroked her bulging belly warmly. She was terribly excited to meet her child and hold him or her in her arms. Finally, someone she could love completely, and someone who would love her unconditionally. The shrill of the telephone jolted her from her daydreams.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Denise! It’s Shelly. I’m sorry for such short notice, but would you mind if we brought a guest with us tonight? An old friend of Bob’s just moved back to town, and we would love for you to meet him.”
“That would be just fine, Shelly. I’ve cooked enough food for an army, anyway,” Denise laughed. “The more, the merrier.”
“Oh, that’s great!” Shelly gushed excitedly. “We’re running a few minutes late, so we should be there around seven fifteen. Is that okay?”
“Perfect. Dinner is taking a little longer than I expected, so that works out great. We’ll see you then!” Denise poked her head out of the kitchen to inform Mitch of the change in plans. “Mitch, that was Shelly. She and Bob are bringing a friend. I didn’t think you’d mind an extra person, is that all right?”
“It’s going to have to be, now, isn’t it, if you have already said yes. Whatever.” Mitch dismissed her with a wave. Denise stuck her tongue out at the computer monitor and pulled her head back into the kitchen.
She checked on the ham, which was browning to perfection in the oven, and then pranced off to the bedroom to freshen up a bit. She spritzed her favorite perfume into the air and let it waft onto her, and put on an attractive denim floral frock. She slipped her feet into her favorite flats, and brushed her mane until it shone lustrously. Finally, she put on some simple gold earrings and a necklace, stopping to view herself in the full-length mirror.
“Not bad for a prego!” Denise chuckled at her reflection. “Not bad at all.”
Shortly after seven o’clock, the doorbell chimed letting her know her guests had arrived. Denise skipped to the door and yanked it open. Shelly was the first to greet Denise when the door swung open. She was quite a large woman, standing only a few inches under six feet tall, and was quite round. She had a remarkably soft and beautiful face, framed by long, wavy dark brown hair, which fell just below her shoulders. In her arms, she carried a basket of fruit for her hostess.
“Hi, Denise! You look wonderful! Are you gaining enough weight to make sure that baby is getting enough nutrients?” Shelly’s face radiated maternal warmth when she smiled at her pregnant friend. “We can’t have you wasting away to nothing, now can we?” she beamed, squeezing through the storm door. Denise laughed good-naturedly.
“Hi, Shelly! Thank you so much for coming. What a lovely basket, thank you for being so kind. We’ll put it on the table as the centerpiece. Please, come in and let me take your coat.” Denise whisked the basket out of Shelly’s arms, and helped her to remove her jacket. “Yes, my doctor says I’m gaining just the right amount of weight, and the baby is thriving. Don’t worry. This baby will be healthy and happy!”
Bob entered the room next, and he was nearly twice the size of his pleasant wife. He stood barely over six feet tall, was very jovial and had rambunctious look about him. His bright orange hair had a wiry look to it and fell unkempt to his shirt collar, quite unlike his wife’s soft appearance. Bob smiled at Denise, and his face lit up.
“My gosh, Denise! Look at you with a belly for the first time in your life! I never thought I’d live to see the day that happened!”
“Yeah,” Denise retorted laughing, “and this will be the last time you ever see me with a gut! Ha, ha! Come in, come in. Make yourself at home, please.” Denise turned to greet their guest, and stopped short. She was not prepared for the man that stood shyly in her living room, trying to blend in with the shadows on the wall.
He was about the same height as Bob, but was thin, lean, and very muscular. He had a clean-shaven face, and kept his hair in a very neat, short crew-cut. He had a warm and gentle face, with beautiful sea blue eyes that sparkled, amused. He wore a pair of dark blue, pleated baggy jeans, and a long sleeved, pull-over shirt with no collar. He pushed his sleeves casually halfway up his forearms, just barely exposing the sinewy muscles beneath. His physique implied that he worked out on a regular basis, and Denise took a sharp breath at the mere sight of him. Briefly, she imagined what it would feel like to be held tightly against that beautiful chest by those strong arms. She blinked abruptly, forcing the images out of her mind.
“Denise, Mitch, this is Andrew Blake. Andy, this is Mitch Farber and his wife, Denise. As you can see, Denise is expecting.” Bob chuckled. “Normally, she has a stomach that you could bounce quarters off of.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you both,” Andrew smiled, extending his hand to shake each of theirs. “Thank you so much for inviting me to come along for dinner. I hate to come to other people’s houses empty handed, so I brought some alcohol free sparkling champagne to have with dessert.”
“Thank you! How thoughtful. It’s a pleasure to meet you as, well.” Denise’s face flushed suddenly. “Please let me take your coat.”
“Oh, no, let me take them. If you’d show me where you want me to put them, I’ll take care of it.” Andrew flashed an alarmingly warm smile as he collected the jackets from Denise’s arms. “We wouldn’t want you to overexert yourself, now, would we?”
“W-w-hy, thank you,” Denise stammered, trying desperately to regain her composure. “We can put them in the spare room, then,” she replied, leading him down the hallway. She avoided her husband’s glare as she walked away. Mitch was absurdly jealous, and this was the kind of situation to instigate one of his outbursts. At this point, she didn’t care. This man was a guest in their home, and Mitch would have to learn to live with that. Andrew followed her down the hallway to the study. The nursery was across the hall, and the door was open to show off the decor for their expected arrival.
“The nursery looks wonderful, Denise,” he exclaimed. “Bob, Shelly, come see how the nursery turned out!” he called down the hallway. They bustled down to peek at it, with Mitch hot on their heels. He put his arm possessively around his wife’s waist, glaring sharply at Andrew.
“Yes,” Mitch muttered, trying to hold his voice steady. “Denise has done a terrific job transforming this room into a warm, cozy environment for the baby.” He beamed at Denise. “She does have a flair for adding a warm touch to any room, as I am sure you can see throughout the house.” Denise grinned playfully, enjoying the attention from her husband, as well as from Andrew.
“Well, just call me ‘Suzie Homemaker!’”
“Or ‘Martha Stewart?’” Shelly offered, giggling. “Either way, you’ve done a wonderful job! What a lucky baby this will be!”
The friends settled into the dining room while Denise brought out the food. Mitch sat at the head of the table, with Bob to his immediate left. Andrew sat at Bob’s left, with Denise on Mitch’s right and Shelly next to her. Shelly’s fruit basket made a lovely centerpiece to accent the meal, and they dimmed the chandelier just enough to provide a warm and intimate ambiance for the friendly chatter and banter that filled the room. Combined with the luscious aroma of the mouthwatering cuisine Denise had prepared, the setting couldn’t have been more perfect.
Nor could the scenery, as far as Denise was concerned. Was it her imagination, or was Andrew stealing interested glances in her direction? She pushed the thought out of her mind, chuckling to herself. For goodness sake, she chided herself, I’m married and pregnant. Like he would be remotely interested. Goodness! And with that, she pushed the idea right out of her head. It must be these pregnant hormones, she thought. She then focused her attention on tending to her guests, serving seconds as requested, refilling beverages, handing out linen napkins and simply performing her best as hostess. She enjoyed herself thoroughly.
When everyone finished dining, she rose to clear the table. Mitch and Bob moved to the study to have a cigarette together and discuss the latest in news and sports. Shelly and Andrew stayed behind to help Denise clean up. As was customary for Shelly’s personality, she took charge and good-naturedly handed out the orders.
“Okay,” she began, “I’ll wash. Andy, you dry, and Denise can put away, since she knows where everything goes. With the three of us working together, we’ll have this kitchen spotless in no time!” Shelly shared Denise’s affinity for cleanliness.
“That sounds great to me,” Andrew responded, smiling. “I just hope I don’t drop any of your plates, Denise.”
“Ah, believe me,” Denise laughed, “it’s not like Mitch and I haven’t broken anything before. Don’t worry about it. Really.” She caught his gaze as she handed him a clean dishtowel. His fingers brushed hers slightly as he reached for it. She looked away quickly, blushing again. ‘My goodness,’ she thought hopelessly to herself. ‘He must think I am a complete flake. Get a grip girl,’ she ordered herself.
“If anyone breaks any dishes tonight,” Shelly stated matter-of-factly, “it will most likely be me. I am the klutz after all.”
“Aye to that!” Andrew cheered laughing.
“Hey!” Shelly chuckled. “You didn’t have to agree that quickly, did you?”
“Well, I don’t want to be difficult. You said it. I was just being agreeable.” His eyes twinkled merrily. “I just want to make a good impression on your friends.”
“Trust me,” Denise giggled. “You already have.” She smiled coyly, without meaning to flirt. He grinned.
“Ah, so my master plan is working, then. Good to know.”
“Okay, Andy,” Shelly interjected, with mock reproach in her voice. “Bob warned you that Denise was a striking woman on the way over here. But may I remind you, he also warned you that Mitch is quite psychotic when it comes to his pregnant wife! Now break it up, will ya?” Her eyes were full of mirth. “I don’t want any murders on my hands tonight.”
“Oh, all right,” Andrew sighed, pretending to be annoyed. “I’ll try to stop flirting.” He winked at Denise, who was terribly red by this point. “But it’s not going to be easy.”
“Yeah, yeah, you two,” Denise shot back, stifling a giggle. “Like I am so very attractive with a belly like this! Puh-leese!”
The friendly banter continued as the three finished tidying the kitchen and put away the last of the dishes. Denise took out the step stool, and started climbing up to the cupboard to get the dessert plates. Andrew gently took her elbow, and moved her aside. Denise inadvertently shuddered at the electricity of his touch.
“Are you okay?” he asked, feeling her shiver. “Are you cold? Do you need a sweater?”
“N-no,” Denise stammered, embarrassed at having been caught reacting to his touch. “I’m fine. I’ll just turn up the heat a bit.”
“I’ll get the dessert dishes,” he replied warmly. He smiled gently at her. “I don’t want you to fall off the stool. I’ve heard from other pregnant women that your balance is thrown off at this point. I’m sure Mitch would be devastated if anything happened to you or his child because you fell. I certainly wouldn’t want him to take his grief out on me for having allowed you to climb up there.” He reached them easily, due to his height, and placed them lightly on the countertop.
“Thank you, Andy,” Denise replied, timidly. “I really appreciate your being so attentive and helpful.” Her eyes began to well up, and she turned away from him abruptly. “I’ll go turn on the heat. I’ll just be a moment.” Andrew watched her hurry off with a perplexed look on his face. Denise wasn’t aware that he saw her tearful expression before she left. He decided to let it go. At least for now. Maybe Shelly or Bob could shed some light on the situation later when they left.
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