Page 35 of The Newcomer
“Sidney let me up,” Tanya said.
“Oh that’s right. I forgot. My doorman has a crush on you too.”
Her little sister had the grace to blush. “Come on, Letty, please don’t be mad at me. I didn’t deliberately set out to hook up with Evan. It just happened. Neither of us understands why you insist on quitting and moving out. I wish you wouldn’t be so damned stubborn.”
“I made a mistake,” Letty said. “Well, lots of mistakes, but the biggest one was getting mixed up with Evan Wingfield. I know you probably won’t listen, but believe me, Tanya, you don’t know what you’re getting into. This guy is bad news.”
“No,” Tanya said, shaking her head. “You don’t know the real Evan. He puts on this tough-guy act, but that’s all just a show. If you got to know him like I have, you’d see, he’s this incredibly tender, vulnerable man.” She thrust the champagne bottle at Letty. “Aren’t you even going to invite me inside?”
Letty opened the door wider and gestured at the stacks of boxes in the living room. “I really don’t have time for this today. The movers will be here in another hour.”
Tanya’s beautiful blue eyes filled with tears. “Please? Please, Letty Spaghetti. Don’t be mad at me.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Letty? I’m pregnant!”
“Thatwas certainly fast work,” Letty said, handing Tanya a bottle of water. “When are you due?”
“Maybe November?”
They’d pushed aside enough boxes to seat themselves on the white leather sofa.
“I didn’t plan this,” Tanya said. “Like I told you, when Rooney ripped me off, I lost everything including my birth control pills. I tried calling to get the prescription refilled, but my doctor in Atlanta was being a butthead. His nurse said I’d have to come in for an exam, but how was I gonna do that, since I was already living up here?”
“How’s Evan taking the news that he’s going to be a daddy?”
Tanya’s face lit up. “I was dreading telling him, but he’s thrilled. Letty, it’s the sweetest, cutest thing. He’s already started ordering furniture for the nursery! I told him it’s bad luck to do that stuff during the first trimester, but you know Evan. Once he gets an idea in his head…”
Her voice trailed off and she reached for her sister’s hand.
“And how do you feel about being a mom?” Letty asked. “I thought you were gung-ho on having a serious acting career.”
“I still am,” Tanya said. She patted her perfectly flat abdomen. “My obstetrician says I’m healthy as a horse, and there’s no reason I shouldn’t keep working as long as I feel good. And I do. I feel amazing! Evan says I’ve never looked sexier. He can’t keep his hands off me.”
“TMI,” Letty said.
“Oh, sorry.”
They’d left the apartment door ajar, and now they heard the elevator doors slide open, and the sound of men’s voices coming from the hallway.
“That’s the movers,” Letty said, standing up abruptly. “Look, Tanya. These guys get paid by the hour.”
“Okay. Sure.” Tanya stood up and flung her arms around her sister’s neck. “Oh, Letty. You’re all the family I have. Mimi’s dead and Mom’s out in Nevada somewhere, and you know how she is. Please be happy for me. Please?”
A man’s voice called out from the hall. “Ma’am? Are you all set for us?”
“Coming,” Letty called. She patted Tanya’s shoulder. “I’m happy for you. We’ll talk soon.”
“Call me as soon as you get settled,” Tanya said. “Promise?”
Lettywalked slowly around the apartment, checking that the closets and cupboards had been emptied of her belongings.
“Okay,” she said, to the lanky man standing in the doorway witha half-full mover’s dolly. “That’s everything. You can take this last load down. I’ll meet you at the new place. You’ve got the address, right?”
He read it back to her from his clipboard, and she started for the door, key in hand.
“Wait, ma’am?”
She stopped. He pointed at the kitchen counter. “You forgot your champagne.”
“Leave it,” Letty said.
