Chapter Two

"How the hell did that happen?" Lacey screamed into her cell phone.

"Clerical error," Chase replied, as she flipped through the Lands' End catalog for kids.

"I thought it was a biological thing."

"They got her mixed up with another woman." Chase earmarked the page with the cute flannel baby outfit. Yellow would be good—a nice gender-neutral color.

"Like when the surgeon cuts off the wrong leg?"

"Something like that."That cutting off the leg thing certainly stuck in everyone's head, Chase mused.

"Can I decorate the baby's room?" Lacey asked. There was a gasp. "Next week she'll be two months along. We better get going."

"I think seven months will give us enough time." Interior design was one thing Lacey was good at. She'd done wonders with the furniture purchases and placement in the unusual floor plan of Chase and Gitana's house. Classified as passive solar, the house was a long rectangle with large windows along the entire front of the house which made furniture placement a difficulty, but the house was energy efficient and that made Chase feel very hip and green. Chase closed the catalog and spun around in her chair to look at her early blooming flowers in the jewel garden. The daffodils and crocus were beginning to flower, dotting the garden with bursts of yellow and white.

"When you coming to town?" Lacey inquired.

"Tomorrow. I have to go to the shrink."

This didn't appear to faze Lacey which Chase thought was good. Not everyone handled having a crazy person for their best friend. Chase could have been going to the dentist not the Behavioral Science building.

"Call me when you're done and we'll go shopping. I'll work out a color scheme. Have you told Stella yet?" Lacey asked, effortlessly switching gears.

"No, but I will." She was going to try for that night, but wanted to see if Gitana was up for it and didn't want to commit if she bailed. Potentially unpleasant activities could, in all good conscience, be put off. She did it with Ariana, her editor, all the time so what was the difference.

"I wish I could be there."

Chase heard pining in her voice. "I'd invite you, but this is a private family moment and I don't know how Stella is going to take it."

"I know." There was a heavy sigh.

Chase felt bad. 'Til give you all the details."

"Swear?"

"Girl Scout's honor." Chase held up two fingers.

"You got thrown out for being a belligerent anarchist."

"I know, but I was a kid then. As an adult, I make oaths with complete sincerity."

"Right. Well, I'm off to Jazzercise."

"Have you seen Jasmine at class lately?" Chase inquired as Jasmine had missed their last meeting.

Jasmine Carter was in Chase's writing group. She compulsively exercised and wrote thrillers, but her protagonists always ended up in the gym and the story got stuck there.

"No, her husband is keeping close tabs on her. Her shrink advised cutting down on her exercise classes because she's excessive. She says she's concentrating more on her writing."

"We'll find out next group meeting." Which, come to think of it was her turn to host. This meant she'd have to shovel out the writing studio and soon.

Chase clicked off and got back to work. To keep on schedule, she had to write fifteen pages a day. She turned to her notebook and began scribbling, letting her imaginary world take-over. It was more comforting than the real world. In her world, she controlled everything.

Gitana was home from work. The dogs dashed out the broken screen doggy door and were across the front yard before Chase had shut her notebook, got up and stretched. If anyone thought the writing life was glamorous they were sadly misinformed. Sitting was difficult for the hyperactive. Her back hurt, her fingers cramped up and her mind was tired from creating an entire universe in her cerebral cortex.

From the front yard, she heard Gitana cooing and fawning over the dogs. Chase imagined Gitana as a mother. She'd make a great mother, a perfect mix of love and discipline. She herself was the one who needed serious reconstruction. One of her writing manuals purported that any subject could be mastered by spending sixty days in a decent library. Was the same possible with parenting?

Chase made her way down to the sunroom and kissed Gitana.

"How was your day?" Gitana asked, as she scratched first Annie's ears and then Jane's.

"Well spent and yours?"

"Profitable."

That was Gitana's keyword for she sold a lot of orchids or she got a wicked deal on a shipment of orchids. She looked radiant. Had her pregnancy already given her that glow people always talk about?

"Are you still willing to have that chat with Stella?"

Gitana smiled. "No time like the present."

She said it without cringing. Chase was impressed. "We'll feed the dogs and then pop over during her cocktail hour."

"Is she more amiable then?"

Chase nodded. "More like less argumentative. Her combat skills are slightly impaired." She bounced a tennis ball for Jane who caught it in midair.

"At least that's in our favor," Gitana said, as she opened the kitchen door.

Chase followed her in. The dogs came in behind them. Gitana set her bag on the counter and retrieved two biscuits from the treat jar. She indicated down with her hand and both dogs sat. She gave them their biscuits and patted their heads.

"Let's get it over with," Chase said, filling the dog bowls with kibble and trying to look cheerful.