The Good Life
Page 22
I thought he had a good enough portfolio to start his business up in NYC as well. He just needed to advertise. That was why I secretly had some business cards and flyers printed to surprise him. He was good at his job, and I had no doubt he would find success in The City.
Jake loved our apartment, he was happy with his new job, he felt right at home in New York, and he loved me. Everything was falling into place.
The day before school started I made it my goal to have every single box unpacked. There wasn’t enough room in our place to have a bunch of boxes hanging around. I spent the day hanging photos and shelves, organizing drawers and cupboards, and scouring the Ikea website to make room for our things without having our apartment look like a cluttered hell. It was when I got to the last box labeled “bathroom” that everything in my world changed.
In spite of donating a bunch of beauty products to the homeless shelter, I still had enough to make my bathroom look like the basement of Barney’s. I was trying to figure out where to put everything when I saw a familiar pink box. Tampons.
I pulled out the box and looked at it strangely as I tried to remember the last time I had seen them or had any use for them. It had been an unusually long time.
I pulled up the calendar on my phone to see if anything triggered my memory. Nope, I couldn’t remember my last period. What are you, twelve? I scolded myself as I grabbed my purse and flew out the door toward the nearest drug store.
Jake was working the lunch shift at the bar. I sent him a text while I walked. It said to come straight home after work.
Once at the store I couldn’t decide what kind to buy. There were vertical lines, perpendicular lines and the digital ones that actually spelled out the word or words. The digital one was least likely to be misunderstood, but a photo of the plus sign would look better in a pregnancy scrapbook. Ah, screw it. I bought both and hurried home.
As I waited for Jake to walk in the door, I paced the five feet of empty space in the apartment – back and forth, back and forth. I bit off the nails that had finally started to grow back after Mom’s surgery
When I heard his footsteps coming up the stairs, I ran to the door and threw it open just as he was approaching. He looked startled.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
I pulled him into the apartment, closed the door and headed straight for the bathroom. He followed me.
“Do you remember that time we used a condom?” I asked him.
He put a finger to his chin like he was actually trying to remember. A few seconds later he shook his head.
“No, I really don’t,” he answered.
“Me either,” I replied, nervously.
He slanted his eyes at me in a curious way. “What are you saying?” he asked cautiously.
I held up the boxes I’d bought at the store.
“Oh,” he said. I couldn’t tell if that was an Oh, yay! Or an Oh, fuck!
I went into the bathroom and shut the door (Hope taught me well – no more peeing in front of anyone).
I tried the plus-sign one first. Once the stick was lying flat on the sink, I opened the door to Jake’s stunned face, his mouth still in the “O” form. He came into the bathroom like he was in a daze. We both stared at the test on the sink as a horizontal blue line appeared in the window. Then we watched a perpendicular line appear shortly after.
No doubt about it. It was a BFP!
I knew it was early in our relationship for this to happen, and it certainly wasn’t part of my plan just yet. But I hoped he would be as happy as I was to see this plus sign. Who knew? Maybe things were better left unplanned.
“What do you think?” I asked him quietly.
“I think this is …” he stopped as he searched for the right word. “I think it’s ineffable.”
THE END
MAD PROPS
I have to first give mad props to the other half of me, my husband, Brian. You encouraged me when I wanted to give up, you reminded me to keep writing when I got distracted, you took on most of the housework and never complained about the piles of dishes in the sink, or the fact that we were having hot dogs for dinner again. I know this is so sickeningly sappy, but you really are the Wind Beneath My Wings. Thanks, Freckle xoxo
Ian, if it wasn’t for you I would have been perfectly content as a career waitress. You made me want to reach higher. I couldn’t encourage you to be the best person you could be if I wasn’t going to lead by example. I’m sorry for being a “couch-mom” while I was writing this book, but I promise to make it up to you.
My parents, thank you for believing in me more than I believed in myself, not only while writing this book, but always.
The rest of my family and friends: I can’t name them all because I am lucky to have so many. I have been truly blessed to have the most supportive and loving family. From my nucleus (my parents, step-parents and brothers), to my extended family (grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins), to my chosen family (my friends), I will NEVER forget how much you all encouraged me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
My beta-readers: Beth Ehemann, Jamie Sager Hall, Chrystle Woods and Lisa Stallmann –Thank you all for taking the time to help me and for making The Good Life a better book! Oh, and thanks for all of the gushing and pimping, too.
Thank you to Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations for the cover. It’s even better than the one I imagined. I hope I didn’t annoy you too badly. Thanks again for introducing me to that gem, Madison, too.
Thank you to Kim for the clock; the bloggers and readers who helped spread the word; the independent authors who helped pave the road; One Republic and Katy Perry for the inspiration; and thank YOU for reading this!
My last bag of props, and it’s a really big bag, goes to my fabulous editor, Madison Seidler. What a sparkly gem you are! I felt like you really “got” me right from the start. You have been so much more to me than an editor. You’ve been my personal cheerleader, publicist, therapist, tour manager. You’ve introduced me to so many great people. You taught me the difference between farther and further, towards and toward, and you broke the news that it is no longer acceptable to add two spaces after a period. I will never be able to say or type enough thank-yous to you!
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Table of Contents
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
EPILOGUE
MAD PROPS