Eden by Jamie McGuire Page B

They would all embark on
vacations, travel home, or spend their summer break on the beach or
by the pool. I would most likely fill my summer trying to land
punches on brother-in-law, or watching Jared read over the
Naissance de Demoniac. The beach sounded much better.
    Jared stopped in his
tracks.
    “ Oh, no,” Beth breathed,
looking up at the building that was once Blaze.
    I glanced at her, and then followed
her gaze. “Shanghai? I thought you said you wanted to go to
Blaze?”
    Clearly disturbed, Jared let go of my
hand. “Did you know about this?” Jared asked Chad.
    “ No,” Chad said, shaking
his head. “But I’d never eaten at Blaze, either.”
    I looked around, and realized we were
standing in front of what used to be Blaze. The location of our
first date was gone, replaced by sushi takeout. My jaw
dropped.
    “ Seriously?” I said to no
one in particular.
    Beth’s mouth pulled to one side. “I
was looking forward to their sweet potato fries.”
    I felt my eyes bulge.
“Jared!”
    Chad huffed. “They still have one on
the east side. On Hope Street, I think.”
    “ I can’t believe this. I
just can’t believe they….” My voice trailed off, too upset to
finish.
    Beth rubbed my shoulder. “That has to
be upsetting. I’m sorry, honey.”
    Chad grabbed Beth’s hand and stomped
up the stairs. “This is not a tragedy. It spoils the
sentimentality, yes, but it’s still the same building. Make new
memories. I’m hungry.”
    Jared pulled me to his side. “It’s
bothersome, but Chad’s right. We can’t do anything about it. If we
are in the mood for sweet potato fries, we can go to the east
side.”
    I nodded. “They have them at Cuban
Revolution downtown, too.” Jared nodded, and then led me up the
stairs. I trudged behind him, unwilling to let go of my
disappointment.
    We stood in line with Beth and Chad.
Jared reminded me that because I was pregnant, I should skip the
sushi, so I grudgingly looked for something else. Double
disappointment for the day. I silently hoped Bex wouldn’t be busy
later. I had a sudden urge to take a swing at someone.
    We went to Shanghai. It still
overlooked Thayer Street just as I remembered, and it still had
some leftover lighting from Blaze. Beth giggled at Chad’s
overzealous appetite. Jared smiled at them, and reached under the
table to touch my knee. Life seemed so ridiculously laid back that
the only issue I had to complain about was the closing of our
favorite restaurant. That thought caused the corners of my mouth to
turn up, and I continued shoveling my chicken and shrimp Pad Thai.
As much as I wanted to hate their food out of spite, it was good.
So good, in fact, that my plate was empty before Chad’s.
    Beth stared at me. “You should have
mentioned earlier that you were hungry, Nigh. We wouldn’t have
waited until you were starving.”
    “ I didn’t know I was
starving,” I said, leaning back in my chair. I looked down,
noticing that my stomach had already started to pooch
out.
    Beth rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. If
you even think about saying you’re fat….” Her words fell away as
she noticed my protruding belly as well. “Food baby?”
    I looked to Jared, and nodded. “Real
baby.”
    “ What?” Beth
wailed.
    “ That was a productive
honeymoon,” Chad said.
    “ When were you going to
tell me? I’m your best friend, and I had to find out because you
started showing? How long have you known?” Beth was obviously
upset, but her high-pitched whines had garnered the attention of
everyone in the restaurant.
    Jared leaned in and kept his voice
low. “Just a few weeks, Beth. You’re one of the first to know, I
assure you.”
    Beth frowned. “She’s already showing
and you’ve only known for a few weeks? I don’t believe it. You’re
only going to have a real, live baby. Why would I need to know
something so trivial? It’s not like I need to prepare at work or
anything.”
    I smiled. Beth was grumbling to
herself at that point. “I