Birds chirped in bird feeders nestled into branches on trees that provided shade over one corner of the pool and part of the playground.
This was a nice place to live. If something like this had existed when Piper and I were trying to find a place (and it was within our price range), we would have jumped at it.
As I approached the pool, I caught a whiff of barbecuing hot dogs. My mouth started to water as I passed a man in an apron with a beer belly flipping wieners and toasting buns. He nodded and smiled, and I returned the gesture before reaching the end of the pool and shielding my eyes as I looked around.
And there she was.
Sienna.
She was easy to spot in her neon-pink string bikini as she lounged in one of the reclined pool chairs with one ankle crossed over the other. She wore a silver belly chain that glinted in the sun and matched the anklet on her left foot. Her sandals were tucked under her chair along with a pool bag, out of which I could see a rolled-up gossip magazine, a water bottle, sunscreen, and tanning oil.
Several men in the vicinity, including the man I’d just walked by at the barbeque, shot frequent glances in her direction.
I watched, transfixed, as Sienna reached for a drink on the table beside her chair. It was blended and tropical looking with a pineapple wedge decorating the rim. From where I was standing, it looked like a pina colada.
But pregnant women didn’t drink pina coladas.
It could be alcohol free, I told myself. Jumping to conclusions could be dangerous. I needed to find out for myself.
Wondering how Max was ever drawn to this woman, I walked around the edge of the pool and approached her chair. On my way, my bare legs were splashed by kids playing. The water was refreshingly cool.
I stopped at the end of Sienna’s chair. Her face was tilted up to the sun. Large sunglasses hid most of her cheeks and her eyes from view. Her fingernails were long and white and matched her pedicure.
I cleared my throat.
Sienna shifted in her chair, reached up, and nudged her glasses down the bridge of her nose to peer at me over the top of the frames. Her eyes were even more blue in the sunshine than they had been in the picture Holly sent me.
“What?” Sienna asked.
I squared my shoulders. “I’m sorry to bother you. Is your name Sienna?”
Sienna sat up a little straighter. “Who’s asking?”
I’d thought this whole thing out on the drive over in the back of the cab. I needed to find a way to get her to talk to me, and there was only one way I could think to do that in order to force her to tell the truth.
“I’m a reporter for Businessmen and Bachelor’s,” I said, hoping she bought the fake magazine title. “There’s a rumor circling amongst my peers and other people in the tech industry that Max Fisher, the wealthy CEO of Apple, is expecting a baby with you.”
I waited for a hint of a reaction, but received nothing from Sienna, who continued to stare coolly up at me over her sunglasses.
I lifted my chin and pressed on. “It would be quite the story to write and a big opportunity for me. Mr. Fisher is one of the most renowned bachelors in Silicon Valley. I don’t have to quote you as a source if you’d rather keep things confidential but I’d love to know if it’s true or not.”
Sienna pushed her sunglasses back into place. “Why not ask Max?”
“He refused to speak with me and denied the rumors. I understand if you don’t want to talk to me. Time will tell. I mean, how long can you hide a baby for?” I laughed like this conversation wasn’t sucking out my soul.
Sienna pushed her sunglasses on top of her head this time and propped herself up on her elbows. Her tits nearly spilled out of her neon-pink bikini top. “Who said anything about hiding a baby?”
I licked my lips. “Nobody. But it’s not rocket science, is it? Eventually, you’ll start to show. I don’t want to rush your announcement or anything. I just wanted to beat the competition to the scoop. Reporting is a cutthroat business. I won’t bother you anymore.”
Sienna narrowed her eyes. “I’m not going to get fat.”
“Oh, I wasn’t saying you were. I just—”
“Because I’m not pregnant,” she said flatly. “I don’t know who spat out that little rumor but you can shut it down. I’m not ready to sacrifice these hips just yet.”
I tried to silence the anger swirling to life inside me. “How do I know you’re not just saying that to get rid of me?”
Sienna reached for her cocktail, pursed her lips around the straw, and drained half of it. “Would a pregnant lady drink that much rum? I don’t think so, sweetie.”
My heart raced. I wasn’t sure how to feel—relieved or furious.
Chapter 18
Max
The lingering fuzziness of my hangover clung to me even after I stepped out of the shower later that Saturday afternoon. The headache was still there, sharp and irritating, but I’d had worse.
I’d finished cleaning the kitchen and making the bed in an attempt to freshen the house up in case Janie stayed another night, which I hoped she did.
We had a lot to talk about.
I smiled at the memory of having her on the sofa this morning. All those familiar feelings and sounds had been so right. She was the woman I wanted. Even though life was messier than it had ever been right now, that didn’t mean I needed to push her away again. She’d shown up for me when I needed her, and I’d done the same for her.
It just made sense that we ended up together. And what great love story didn’t have obstacles?
Literally none, I thought as I shrugged into a navy-blue shirt and buttoned it up.
I’d just finished doing up my jeans when my doorbell rang. When I reached the top of the stairs and started descending, the door swung open and my sister let herself in.
She looked up and watched me come down the stairs. “Having a late start to the day, are we?”
My hair was still wet from the shower. I ran my fingers through it when I hit the bottom step. “A little. What brings you by?”
“I was in the neighborhood.”
I didn’t buy it. Holly never spontaneously stopped by. She usually had a motive. Sometimes, she wanted to borrow something, like my swimming pool to have some of her friends over or one of my cars. She always got what she wanted. What was the point of all this wealth if I couldn’t share it with family?
“Can I get you something?” I offered.
Holly followed me deeper into the house to the kitchen, where she slid onto a bar stool at the island and rapped her knuckles on the counter. “I could go for some lemonade.”
“Lemonade, it is.”
I poured us each a glass of iced lemonade and took the stool next to her.
She sipped her drink, swiveled to face me on her stool, and smiled.
I arched an eyebrow. “What?”
“You know what.”
“I assure you I do not.”
Holly rolled her eyes and swung her legs back and forth. “Why did Janie text me last night? Were you two together?” She pumped her eyebrows and winked.
“What are you talking about? She texted you?”
Holly’s eyes widened. “Well, yes, but—”
“About what?”