rummaged around for her own clothes. "My mother will be ecstatic." She found Gitana's underwear and one sock.
"I hadn't thought of that."
Chase heard trepidation in her tone, but then anything to do with Stella gave trepidation. "Do you think the dogs have figured out they're no longer grounded?"
"I'm certain Annie can count." Gitana handed Chase her bra which was under her pillow for some reason.
"I can just see her, one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand."
Gitana hugged her. "I love you."
"You're not so bad yourself."
"Chase!"
"I love you, too." Chase knew that this might turn out to be the best decision of her life or at least she hoped so. She wasn't necessarily a believer in happy endings. Perhaps it was all those Brothers Grimm fairy tales her mother had read her as a child. Stella had odd child-rearing methods.
Chapter Two
"How the hell did that happen?" Lacey screamed into her cell phone.
"Clerical error," Chase replied, as she flipped through the Lands' End catalog for kids.
"I thought it was a biological thing."
"They got her mixed up with another woman." Chase earmarked the page with the cute flannel baby outfit. Yellow would be good—a nice gender-neutral color.
"Like when the surgeon cuts off the wrong leg?"
"Something like that." That cutting off the leg thing certainly stuck in everyone's head, Chase mused.
"Can I decorate the baby's room?" Lacey asked. There was a gasp. "Next week she'll be two months along. We better get going."
"I think seven months will give us enough time." Interior design was one thing Lacey was good at. She'd done wonders with the furniture purchases and placement in the unusual floor plan of Chase and Gitana's house. Classified as passive solar, the house was a long rectangle with large windows along the entire front of the house which made furniture placement a difficulty, but the house was energy efficient and that made Chase feel very hip and green. Chase closed the catalog and spun around in her chair to look at her early blooming flowers in the jewel garden. The daffodils and crocus were beginning to flower, dotting the garden with bursts of yellow and white.
"When you coming to town?" Lacey inquired.
"Tomorrow. I have to go to the shrink."
This didn't appear to faze Lacey which Chase thought was good. Not everyone handled having a crazy person for their best friend. Chase could have been going to the dentist not the Behavioral Science building.
"Call me when you're done and we'll go shopping. I'll work out a color scheme. Have you told Stella yet?" Lacey asked, effortlessly switching gears.
"No, but I will." She was going to try for that night, but wanted to see if Gitana was up for it and didn't want to commit if she bailed. Potentially unpleasant activities could, in all good conscience, be put off. She did it with Ariana, her editor, all the time so what was the difference.
"I wish I could be there."
Chase heard pining in her voice. "I'd invite you, but this is a private family moment and I don't know how Stella is going to take it."
"I know." There was a heavy sigh.
Chase felt bad. “I’ll give you all the details."
"Swear?"
"Girl Scout's honor." Chase held up two fingers.
"You got thrown out for being a belligerent anarchist."
"I know, but I was a kid then. As an adult, I make oaths with complete sincerity."
"Right. Well, I'm off to Jazzercise."
"Have you seen Jasmine at class lately?" Chase inquired as Jasmine had missed their last meeting.
Jasmine Carter was in Chase's writing group. She compulsively exercised and wrote thrillers, but her protagonists always ended up in the gym and the story got stuck there.
"No, her husband is keeping close tabs on her. Her shrink advised cutting down on her exercise classes because she's excessive. She says she's concentrating more on her writing."
"We'll find out next
"I hadn't thought of that."
Chase heard trepidation in her tone, but then anything to do with Stella gave trepidation. "Do you think the dogs have figured out they're no longer grounded?"
"I'm certain Annie can count." Gitana handed Chase her bra which was under her pillow for some reason.
"I can just see her, one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand."
Gitana hugged her. "I love you."
"You're not so bad yourself."
"Chase!"
"I love you, too." Chase knew that this might turn out to be the best decision of her life or at least she hoped so. She wasn't necessarily a believer in happy endings. Perhaps it was all those Brothers Grimm fairy tales her mother had read her as a child. Stella had odd child-rearing methods.
Chapter Two
"How the hell did that happen?" Lacey screamed into her cell phone.
"Clerical error," Chase replied, as she flipped through the Lands' End catalog for kids.
"I thought it was a biological thing."
"They got her mixed up with another woman." Chase earmarked the page with the cute flannel baby outfit. Yellow would be good—a nice gender-neutral color.
"Like when the surgeon cuts off the wrong leg?"
"Something like that." That cutting off the leg thing certainly stuck in everyone's head, Chase mused.
"Can I decorate the baby's room?" Lacey asked. There was a gasp. "Next week she'll be two months along. We better get going."
"I think seven months will give us enough time." Interior design was one thing Lacey was good at. She'd done wonders with the furniture purchases and placement in the unusual floor plan of Chase and Gitana's house. Classified as passive solar, the house was a long rectangle with large windows along the entire front of the house which made furniture placement a difficulty, but the house was energy efficient and that made Chase feel very hip and green. Chase closed the catalog and spun around in her chair to look at her early blooming flowers in the jewel garden. The daffodils and crocus were beginning to flower, dotting the garden with bursts of yellow and white.
"When you coming to town?" Lacey inquired.
"Tomorrow. I have to go to the shrink."
This didn't appear to faze Lacey which Chase thought was good. Not everyone handled having a crazy person for their best friend. Chase could have been going to the dentist not the Behavioral Science building.
"Call me when you're done and we'll go shopping. I'll work out a color scheme. Have you told Stella yet?" Lacey asked, effortlessly switching gears.
"No, but I will." She was going to try for that night, but wanted to see if Gitana was up for it and didn't want to commit if she bailed. Potentially unpleasant activities could, in all good conscience, be put off. She did it with Ariana, her editor, all the time so what was the difference.
"I wish I could be there."
Chase heard pining in her voice. "I'd invite you, but this is a private family moment and I don't know how Stella is going to take it."
"I know." There was a heavy sigh.
Chase felt bad. “I’ll give you all the details."
"Swear?"
"Girl Scout's honor." Chase held up two fingers.
"You got thrown out for being a belligerent anarchist."
"I know, but I was a kid then. As an adult, I make oaths with complete sincerity."
"Right. Well, I'm off to Jazzercise."
"Have you seen Jasmine at class lately?" Chase inquired as Jasmine had missed their last meeting.
Jasmine Carter was in Chase's writing group. She compulsively exercised and wrote thrillers, but her protagonists always ended up in the gym and the story got stuck there.
"No, her husband is keeping close tabs on her. Her shrink advised cutting down on her exercise classes because she's excessive. She says she's concentrating more on her writing."
"We'll find out next
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