Page 78 of The Do-Over
Thea was embarrassed. She didn’t know if her friend had been deliberately testing her, but Thea had made it clear by her reaction that she didn’t want to see Rob with anyone else, and she knew it. She hoped Rob hadn’t picked up on it, too.
Fortunately, before the conversation could progress further, they were saved by the arrival of a slightly thickset man with curly hair. “Rob!” the man said. “Dude! Look at this place! The origin story! This is really where you came from?”
Thea saw the look of panic that crossed Rob’s face and understood at once. He doesn’t know who this is.
She stepped forward and held out her hand. “I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure,” she said. “I’m Thea Cortez.”
“Oh, you’re Thea,” the man said.
Thea blinked. “Do you know me?”
“I’m sorry.” He smiled. “I’m being rude. It’s just that I’ve heard a lot about you. My name’s Bradley. Bradley DiAngelo.”
The man from Rob’s phone.“You’re a friend of Rob’s?” she fished.
Bradley nodded. “We were roommates in college, and we’re still best friends today,” he said. “Rob, this is the girl, huh? The one who got away?”
Thea blushed furiously.
“Knock it off,” Rob muttered.
“I’m just saying, you told me she was hot,” Bradley said. “And you were right. You know he’s still single, don’t you, Thea?”
“I think he’s focused on work tonight,” Thea said quickly. “We’re here as friends.”
“Ah, he’s got plenty of friends,” Bradley said.
Steph put a hand on her back and made a face.
Thea welcomed the distraction. “Steph? You okay?”
“I don’t know—something hurts. Oh. Oh, ow.”
“Maybe we should find her someplace to sit down,” Thea suggested.
To his credit, Bradley nodded at once. He and Rob took Steph by the arms and guided her to a nearby chair.
Steph moaned. “Oh, this really hurts. This doesn’t feel right…”
“What does it feel like?” Thea asked.
“Pressure—cramping.”
Thea glanced over her shoulder at the men. “I think she might be going into labor.”
“Should we drive her to the hospital?” Bradley asked
Steph let out a cry. Bradley took a quick step back from the rush of water onto the floor.
Thea cursed. “It’s happening fast,” she murmured. “Can you help me get her into that cloakroom over there?”
“A cloakroom?” Steph objected.
“I’m just going to do an exam,” Thea said, struggling to keep her voice even so that her friend wouldn’t be alarmed. “We’ll call for an ambulance.”
“You can’t drive me?”
“I’m not sure we’re going to be able to go fast enough. And I’d rather have paramedics around to help you, to be honest. You know this isn’t my area of expertise.”
