“Thanks,” Annie said. “We’ve always known we want kids, and the timing just feels right.”
Miranda took her hand and squeezed it. “Exactly. It’s a big decision, but we’re ready.”
“You two will be the best parents,” I said. “How are you going to go about it? Will you adopt?”
“Well, we will if we decide we want more than one,” Miranda said. “But Annie really wants to experience pregnancy.”
Annie nodded. “I do. I know it’s probably going to give me stretch marks and ruin my boobs, but I don’t care. I want to do it anyway.”
“It’s not going to ruin your boobs,” Miranda said. “And I’m going to love your body even if you get stretch marks.”
Annie beamed at her.
“I think this is great,” I said.
“You do?” Annie asked.
“Yeah. Why, did you think I wouldn’t be happy for you?”
“No, we knew you’d be happy,” Annie said. “Aren’t you always?”
I shrugged. “Not literally always. But of course I’m happy about this. I get to be an auntie. What’s not to love?”
Annie took a deep breath and exchanged another look with Miranda. “We were really hoping you’d be supportive.”
I narrowed my eyes and tilted my head. “Yeah, of course I am.”
“Good,” Annie said, “because we need your help.”
“I’m not sure how I can help in this situation. I have ovaries and a uterus, but you have two sets of those between you. I think you need someone with the other parts to make this baby thing happen.”
“That’s what we need your help with,” Annie said. “We’d like to use donor sperm.”
“Okay,” I said, still not sure what she was getting at. “But what do you need my help with? Don’t you go to a sperm bank or something for that?”
“Well, we could,” Annie said. “But we have a donor in mind, so this would need to be a private exchange. We’ve spoken to a lawyer and we have a contract all drawn up and ready to go.”
“Who do you have in mind?” I asked. “And what does it have to do with me?”
Annie took another breath. “Shepherd Calloway.”
“What?” I asked, not even trying to hide my shock. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Everly, he’s perfect,” Annie said. “He has all the traits we’re looking for. Height, build, coloring, intelligence. And I know that makes it seem like we’re trying to custom-build a baby, but when you’re working with donor sperm, that’s how it works.”
“Sure, he has all the traits you want… except a soul,” I said. “You realize you’d run the risk of giving birth to a robot, right? I’m not convinced he isn’t a cyborg.”
“Come on, you’ve worked for him for years,” Annie said. “He can’t be that bad.”
“The man has no feelings,” I said. “If you’d like to have a baby with the emotional range of a rock, then yeah, he’d be a great choice.”
“We’ve done our research,” Miranda said. “We made a very thorough list of traits we want to target, and traits we want to avoid. Shepherd Calloway fits in every way.”
Annie looked at me with her eyebrows raised, her eyes big and round. She scrunched up her shoulders and gave me a tentative smile. Oh my god, she wanted—
“No,” I said.
“Everly,” Annie said. “We haven’t asked you anything yet.”
“I know what you’re about to say. And the answer is no. I’m not asking my boss to donate his sperm to you. No freaking way.”
“Come on, Evie,” Annie said. Damn her for invoking my childhood nickname. “It’s impossible to contact the man if you’re not in his inner circle. He’s built the modern equivalent of a medieval fortress around his life. And we realize he has a certain… disposition. That’s why we need you to butter him up for us.”
“Exactly,” Miranda said. “You can start planting the seeds—pun intended—and slowly work your way up to asking him.”
“And how do you expect me to do that?” I asked. “You guys have the wrong idea about my job if you think I can sit down and have a conversation with him. He doesn’t talk to me.”
“You’re his assistant,” Annie said. “Of course he talks to you.”
“No, he talks at me,” I said. “There’s a difference.”
“You’re one of the only people in the entire world who has access to him,” Annie said. “His whole life is so closely guarded, it was hard to even get information about him. But you see him every single day. You’re in his office, alone with him.”
I knew she was right, and there was that thing I liked—being the one who had access to him. I shouldn’t have let that tempt me, but it was irresistible. “Yeah.”
“Just see what you can do,” Annie said. “We don’t expect a miracle. He might not be interested in this sort of arrangement, and that’s fine. We wouldn’t want to put any pressure on him. We just want a chance. And you, my sweet big sister, are that chance. Don’t you see? You’re the key. You’re the only way this works.”
“Oh my god, you’re laying it on thick,” I said.
“Is it working?”
I groaned, my shoulders slumping. “I don’t know. Maybe a tiny bit. I’ll think about it. But I’m not making any promises.”
Annie grabbed my hands. “Thank you. Really, thank you so much. This means the world to us.”
“Don’t get too excited,” I said. “I didn’t say I’d do it. I said I’d think about it.”
“That’s all we’re asking,” Annie said. “Just consider it.”
I picked up the menu and looked at the choices, feeling grumpy. Ask Mr. Calloway to be a sperm donor? How did one even start a conversation like that? Especially with someone you didn’t have real conversations with.
Good morning, Mr. Calloway. You have a nine o’clock meeting with your lawyer, and by the way, would you consider donating sperm to my sister so she and her wife can have a baby with the right genetic traits?
Kill me. There was no way.
But my sister looked so happy. I loved my sister, and I loved making people happy. Was there a way to do this that wouldn’t be totally mortifying? I had no idea, but maybe I could think of something. Although I wondered if my time would be better spent searching for an alternative donor who had the genetic traits they were looking for. Because the thought of asking my boss to donate his baby batter made me want to crawl under the table and die.
5
Shepherd
Straightening the sleeves of my tux, I walked over to the bar at the Four Seasons Hotel. Soft music played in the background and a handful of other people conversed nearby. Tonight’s event was in the ballroom, but I wasn’t ready to make an appearance yet. I was here alone—dateless for once—and I wanted to take my time.