Week 32: Baby practices breathing

Thirty-two weeks into your pregnancy, or 30 weeks after conception, your baby's toenails are visible.

The layer of soft, downy hair that has covered your baby's skin for the past few months starts to fall off this week.

By now your baby might be 11 inches long from crown to rump and weigh 3 3/4 pounds.

***

“LOOK,” ELLIOT RAN A hand over his face in exasperation, “All I am saying is that you might want to reconsider working from home. I know that you feel like your ankle is healed. But what if you twist it again in those heels you insist on wearing?”

Mandy gasped, “What in the hell is wrong with my shoes?”

Elliot scowled and ignored the snort of laughter that came from Mrs. H’s direction.

“I just want to make sure you are safe,” he ground out.

Mandy shrugged indifferently, “I have been holed up in this apartment for almost two weeks. I am going to work, and if you try and stop me, I will call a cab.”

“Why are you so fucking stubborn?” Elliot asked through clenched teeth.

Mrs. H, cleared her throat causing both parties to turn and glare in her direction.

“I won’t be home today,” she smiled, ignoring their foul attitudes. “And I believe that Robert is taking one of the cars in. So, it might be better for Mandy to go into the office today.”

Mandy beamed at the older woman, “Just what I thought as well.”

Elliot grumbled something about women always sticking together, but he didn’t stop Mandy as she grabbed her coat and tugged it on.

She had taken her own money to purchase a few maternity outfits refusing Elliot’s offer. The woman was stubborn and pigheaded, Elliot thought. But he had to admire the way that she didn’t jump at every offer that was handed to her.

Mandy had pride and self-respect. He remembered how much it chafed as a child to take someone’s handout.

Placing his hand on her lower back, he escorted her to the elevator. In the small box, his senses were filled with her sweet perfume. His cock twitched in his Italian suit pants, and he tried picturing anything else but her fantastic ass.

The workday was hectic, and Elliot found himself daydreaming about the gorgeous mother-to-be more often than he should have.

Nate had come in to discuss a merger with an overseas company and called him out on it.

“What’s with you, man? I just said that our stocks would go to the shitter. And your comment was, ‘sounds great!’ Dude, are you feeling okay?”

Elliot glanced up at his lifelong friend and was about to answer when there was a light knock at the door. Frowning, he stood and went to open it. He had asked not to be disturbed.

His expression immediately softened when he realized that it was Mandy, and he ushered her in. Nate was careful to control his appearance, but a part of him wanted to throw his head back and howl. The only reason he didn’t was that he was reasonably sure he acted the same way around Mandy’s sister Kim.

“I hope I am not interrupting anything important,” Mandy said shyly, as she tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear.

“Of course not,” Elliot assured her and led her to a comfortable chair.

Nate caught Elliot’s eye and smirked knowingly at him. He had never known his best friend to call forty million dollars not significant. But, that was before the delicious Mandy had appeared on the scene.

“I just got a call from my parents,” Mandy swallowed, and Elliot tracked the delicate movement of her throat. “They said that Andrew came by accusing Kim of being the one that stepped out on him and that she was screwing him out of business somehow. My mother said he threatened them. That doesn’t sound anything like the Andrew I knew.”

Nate blew out a breath and told Elliot and Mandy what had happened a few days back when Andrew had come into the shop. He left off the part where he had held her in his arms, but his body remembered every drop of what had happened.

“Andrew is into drugs?” Mandy whispered, “Shit, I should have known.”

“What makes you say that?” Nate inquired, hoping to find out more about the man who was threatening Kim.

“He always seemed to get on with my parents,” Mandy sighed, “That should have been my first clue. I just thought he was one of those guys that get along with everyone. But who would like my parents?”

Elliot was careful not to offend, Mandy but secretly agreed.

“And then there were times where he needed to be somewhere, and I came in to cover at The Grind. It was always a different excuse, and at first, I figured that was how he covered the affair.”

“It most likely was part of it,” Elliot murmured, “We need to get a private investigator on him.”

Nate smiled, “Already in progress, but the douche bag has been laying low.”

“Do you think that he would try and do something to Kim?” Mandy asked hesitantly. “I don’t worry as much about her when Freddy is there, but after he leaves she is all alone in that apartment above the shop. I know she changed the locks, but if he is desperate enough.”

She let that thought trail off as both men tightened their fists.

“She won’t be alone,” Nate said suddenly, “I will try and get her to move into a hotel or my place, but if she refuses I will stay there with her. That prick isn’t going to take anything more from Kim that he already has.”

Mandy’s eyes widened, “Thank you, Nate. I don’t know what to say, but I am very grateful.”

Elliot didn’t like the look of appreciation in Mandy’s eyes as she looked at his friend. And then it struck him. He was jealous. Stupidity and idiotically jealous, which didn’t make sense because Elliot knew that Nate was developing feelings for Kim, even if he wouldn’t admit it.

Much like himself—Elliot wasn’t ready to admit that either.

Nate left shortly after and Mandy rubbed her arms absently before making a move to rise. Elliot stopped her and walked around his desk to take the chair adjacent to Mandy’s that Nate had just vacated.

“What else did you parents want?” his tone was gentle, but there was a commanding note that Mandy didn’t miss.

“N-Nothing,” she stammered, guilty as hell.

Elliot sighed, “I need you to be honest with me, Mandy. Are they asking for money from you?”

Mandy swallowed twice, “Um, no, well, a little, you see, I am just paying them back for the time I stayed with them.”

Elliot wanted to wring their necks.

“How much?” he ground out.

Mandy’s cheeks colored, “Not too much, nothing I can’t handle.”

“How much? I don’t want to ask again, Mandy.”

Her expression changed, and she bolted to her feet.

“I am grateful for this job, Mr. Brand, and for everything you have done for me. But you can’t control my personal life.”

“The hell I can’t,” he too shot up to his feet.

Mandy’s eyes flashed, “Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?”

His lips came crashing down to hers.