I stuffed a piece of watermelon in my mouth sighing deeply as I stared at my calendar of events, a feeling of dread knotting in my stomach. I'd managed to book two food runs each day until Saturday next week. Summer and winter holidays were always my busiest times of business but it all seemed outrageous now. Between the birthdays, baby showers and cookouts I'd barely have time to blink or breathe.
Normally this kind of pressure wouldn't bother me. I'd worked under the demanding pressure of nightly dinner rushes when I was a sous chef back in New York but things were different now. I was younger, had a team of workers to back me up and a loving, long-haired boyfriend to rub my aching feet when my shift was over. Now I was trying to run a business all by myself with a growing baby between my hips and I've got a husband who's hardly home.
Since our passionate homecoming celebration, things returned to normal for Harry and I. He was back to being in and out of the office and as much as that would usually bother me, I was too stressed and too tired to care. I was just thankful we hadn't been fighting.
I pushed myself away from the kitchen table, padding over to the refrigerator to assess its contents. I would be making a hummingbird cake tomorrow and didn't feel like going grocery shopping. I was hoping to have already stowed away some ingredients.
My eye catches sight of the thirteen-week ultrasound Harry had but on the refrigerator and I smile to myself remembering my twenty-week appointment. We would be finally able to determine the gender of the little bean. It would be exciting to see how much the baby had grown since the last ultrasound and equally exciting to know if we'd have a son or a daughter. However, Harry and I had yet to come to an agreement if finding out the gender was something we both wanted.
I frowned as my eyes scanned the fridge, a large portion of it occupied by my obsession with fruit. Grocery shopping would be inevitable with all the food runs I'd have next week but it was still so hot.
I scratched my protruding belly as I trudged upstairs to retrieve my purse and some suitable shoes. I didn't really feel like dressing up just to head to the supermarket, one of Harry's old t-shirts and a pair of yoga pants I'd put on this morning would serve me fine. Just before I could reach the bedroom, the doorbell rang, inviting another sigh to pass through my lips.
I slowly make my way back downstairs, taking in a deep breath as I approach the door. Craning my neck to look through the peephole, I'm not sure if I should be happy or annoyed to see my mother's face staring back at me.
"Hi sweetheart!" she greets. "I was just in the neighborhood and I thought I'd stop by. The yard looks amazing! Did you just plant those rosebushes?"
I force a smile, highly suspicious of my mother's motives. There's just no way she was randomly around the neighborhood on a Friday afternoon. She'd stopped by to check on me. Her enthusiasm and protectiveness over her unborn grandchild could not be easily disguised. And those rosebushes were there the last time she was over.
"Hi, Mom. C'mon in."
With just the door cracked, the heat had managed to agitate me. She steps over the threshold with a smile, perching her sunglasses on top of her head.
"I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?" she asks.
I shake my head, pushing a tendril that managed to escape from my bun away from my sweaty face.
"I was just about to head to the grocery store for a few items I need for some orders next week. I need to make a grocery list anyhow before I leave, otherwise, my mind will go blank once I arrive at the store."
Her footsteps follow me into the kitchen, the heels of her wedges clacking against the hardwood floor.
"Ahh, pregnancy brain," she chuckles before making herself comfortable at the kitchen table. "That was never fun. So how do you feel? Have you eaten today?"
