Angela

“Come in!” she called toward the door.

It opened to admit Rachel and a carrier full of a giggling, happy baby. Angela eyed Cooper and wondered if Rachel’s child ever cried.

“Does Karlie ever cry?” she asked, not bothering to hide her current mood.

Rachel grinned. “Ah, had a rough morning have we?”

“Ugh, night and morning,” she complained. “Cooper’s asleep now, but oh my goodness. Generally Cooper is pretty good. I know I’ve been blessed. Last night was not one of those nights, however.”

Rachel came over, gave her a hug and bent down to look at Cooper. “So cute,” she said quietly.

“They really are, aren’t they? Some days that’s the only thing that keeps me from snapping on them,” she said as they retired to the couch nearby.

“Tell me about it,” Rachel agreed. “I feel guilty about it, but sometimes I wish they were old enough so I could yell at them and make them understand that they’re being little shits.”

Angela giggled. “Me too! I always feel super guilty when I have that urge, but oh my goodness it can be frustrating!”

They continued to commiserate on the lows of parenting for a few minutes, having a much-needed venting session. Angela loved her child, but that didn’t mean Cooper was perfect. Not even close, she thought with a smile.

“You showered today?” Rachel asked abruptly.

“Uh, yes? Thank you for checking on my hygiene,” she replied, confused. “Do I really seem that out of it?”

“No,” her friend said with a laugh. “Just checking. Go get changed into something nicer. Not like, formal or anything, but like, where I won’t be embarrassed to be seen in public with you.”

Angela leveled her gaze upon Rachel. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked with mock ire, though the huge grin on her face gave it away. “And why?”

“I said so. Come on, move it.”

“I wasn’t planning on going anywhere today…”

Rachel nodded forcefully. “I know. But we are. Now move it, let’s go. Chop chop. Hurry up now! I’ll watch Cooper, you go change.”

She glared at her, but Rachel was unrepentant, and didn’t seem to be interested in revealing anything further.

“I can’t believe I’m letting you talk me into this,” she said, getting changed and re-emerging into the main room of her little unit. A purple long-sleeved V-neck with a gold pattern on it had replaced the gray sweatshirt, and loose-fitting black pants were now in place instead of the mismatched sweatpants.

“Looks good. Put your hair in a pony and let’s roll.”

Angela made to say something, then looked at herself in the mirror and decided that a ponytail probably was the best solution for her hair.

“Are we walking?” she asked, gathering up Cooper’s bag of stuff and looking at her stroller.

“Nope, just the carrier will do today,” Rachel said, lifting her child and moving back to the door where she slipped into her boots and stood waiting.

“We better be going for a surprise all-you-can-eat buffet or something,” she muttered as they got everything needed to take care of their kids and loaded themselves for bear.

“Oooh, good idea,” Rachel said. “I’m starved.”

Frowning at her friend’s cryptic nature, she followed her out the path, glad not to be living on the second floor of the buildings the shifters had built for them. It seemed ungrateful, perhaps, but not having to take the stairs outside while carrying child and bag was a blessing, there was no doubt.

A taxi-van was waiting at the foot of her little walkway, on the single-lane gravel roadway that led through the complex of buildings that housed all the women who had come with them from their time at the Institute’s facility.

“You’re planning something,” she said as soon as she noticed the vehicle. Rachel must have summoned it when she arrived.

“Gee, whatever gave that away,” Rachel said, monotone, opening the door and sliding herself and her child inside. Due to the influx of women in Cloud Lake, all of whom were pregnant, and all of whom had no other means of transport, the largest cab company in town had adapted several of their vehicles to carry carseats to help with the increased traffic. In short order the two of them had everything secured and could be on their way.

“I look forward to the day they can just sit in normal seats,” she groused, annoyed at all the effort it took simply to leave the house.

“Or when they can move out and get their own cars?”

They laughed.

“But seriously, where are we going?” she asked.

Rachel shook her head, and so Angela was forced to just watch in silence as they moved into the downtown core.

“Oh, by the way, just for you and your daydreams, I asked Hector who the new guy was.”

“Like you were any different when you first started up with Hector,” she shot back. “I saw the way you walked the first day after.”

Rachel blushed but didn’t back down. “His name is Noah, and he’s new to the guard. They expanded it apparently, and he’s the senior one of the transfers.”

“So he’s the oldest new guy?” she asked.

“Yeah, something like that,” Rachel said with a wave of her hand as the taxi came to a halt. “Anyway, we’re going to have lunch with the two of them.”

As the second one into the cab, Angela had to be the first one out. Thus she was in the middle of pulling Cooper out with her when Rachel’s words hit home. They were having lunch with Hector and Mr. Iceberg-to-her-pants-Titanic.

“You mean today, don’t you?” she asked sourly. “That’s what all this is about.”

Rachel just smiled.

“No,” she said, reversing course and getting back inside. “We’re not. Not today, Rach.”

“Oh yes we are!” her friend said, putting out a hand to block her return into the vehicle. “It’s already arranged. We’re already here. In fact, they’re probably getting a nice view of your ass right now as you stay bent over like that trying to get back in.

Angela almost looked over her shoulder to see if she was telling the truth. Almost. “With the babies?” she asked, giving her friend a pained look. “I don’t want to meet any guy with Cooper along.” She sighed. “Not the first time at least.”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “Listen, Angie darling,” she said, knowing Angela hated being called the shortened moniker. “He knows you’re one of us. He knows you have a kid and why. Even if he didn’t, he had to find out one day, so may as well be today.”

This time Angela did laugh. “Right. Because knowing you, and knowing Hector, I bet this Noah guy knows exactly what’s going on. He’s definitely not sitting inside in the restaurant with no clue that he’s about to be on a double date, is he?”

Rachel at least had the good graces to look embarrassed.

“I can’t believe you!” she shouted into the vehicle before apologizing to the driver, who just waved it off and tried his hardest not to smile in laughter at her. “We only forced you to go see Hector after you’d already met him once. We didn’t say when or where and kidnap you and make you do it. This is so underhanded.”

Her friend blew air out from between her lips. “Angela, we both know that you would never have gone and done anything on your own. You needed a push.” She mimed pushing her friend out of the vehicle. “Here it is. You’re with me and Hector, so if it gets awkward or anything, we have several easy ways to end it without it getting weird. We’re not throwing you out into a pool and telling you to learn how to swim. I’m here, I’ve got your back. Now suck it up, and let’s go meet Mr. Hottie.”

She glared at her friend, who just shed the look like it was water.

“Besides,” Rachel added. “Don’t act like you don’t want to meet him.”

“I…” she stopped to formulate her argument, but it was too late. Rachel had her dead to rights. She did want to meet Mr. Hottie—Noah, his name is Noah! But she couldn’t stop thinking about how awkward it would be to introduce herself and produce a child. Would he really be interested in her?

Hector was into Rachel, and hadn’t cared about the fact that she was with child. In fact, Hector was simply the cutest father that she’d seen. Maybe it would work out.

“I hate you,” she complained, but got out of the taxi anyway, carrying Cooper with her.

“I know,” Rachel said. “You’re excited but also nervous, it’s okay. I’ll hold your hand.”

She vowed terrible, terrible revenge on her friend. “I’ve gone on dates before, you ass,” she said, but Angela was smiling now.

“Good. Can we finally go in then? I’m starved!”

“Fine,” she said, the two of them continuing to bicker like the best of friends they were as they entered the restaurant.