Baby on Board

4 Weeks

I honestly don't know how Clark Reiss is still in business; the man is an absolute idiot who is not open to reasoning and genuinely believes that new mothers, especially first-time ones, want to have a gin bar to relax in. This past week, we've been trying to come up with concepts for our joint business venture but it's impossible to work with a twat like Clark. 

I've told him this, too. In several languages, if I may add. He still won't listen to any of my ideas and I'm seriously considering going ahead with my plans to open up a baby-friendly coffee shop without him. I mean, I did it before, I can do it again; it won't be that hard. I've done some market research and I think there's a gap in the market for it. So many mums nowadays are stigmatised for the fact that they breastfeed in public or they get stared at by other patrons when the baby gets a bit vocal and people are quick to be judgemental about parenting styles, it's creating a headache for mums who want to just be mums. Last week, someone tutted at me for breastfeeding Sera on a park bench. Look, if my baby is hungry, I'm and damn well going to feed her. 

That's how I settled on my latest project. Clark, however, is totally oblivious to what we mothers really want. He's been looking at some upmarket building in a really wealthy part of London, wanting to open a gin bar that will appeal to young mums who want to get away from their 'nightmares' once in a while. I told him what the biggest problem was- no mother will want to leave their babies for long and so, profits would be low. No, what he needed in his portfolio was exactly what I was suggesting. 

"I, for one, think it's a great idea," Jenna Marshall beams at me from across the kitchen table. For some bizarre reason, the guys think that it's time we recreated our disastrous quadruple date from a few weeks ago, only this time, we're doing it at our house because I couldn't get anyone to babysit Sera. That hardly mattered, though, seeing as we had more people here tonight and it was a far more relaxing atmosphere. Jenna and Sophie were even getting along better. "I mean, I'd come and use the place, Charlotte."

Daniel frowned. "You'd first need to have a baby. Nola doesn't count because she's over the terrible twos by quite some years."

"I am well aware, thank you, Daniel," Jenna retorted. With a quick sideways glance at her husband, Elias, Jenna's smile widens. "Actually, this is the perfect time to announce something to you all. Elias and I are expecting a baby. We're due next spring."

I'm sure that this would be the most appropriate time for everyone to go overboard with their congratulations but no one said a word. You could hear the seconds ticking by on the clock, which was odd. I haven't heard that sound since we first moved in. Nevertheless, Jenna and Elias fidgeted nervously as they waited for someone to disturb the sound of silence. 

"You know, we already knew, right?" Daniel is the first to speak. He shakes his head and looks around us all, one by one, before his gaze settles back on the couple in question. "We've actually planned a party for you because we thought you weren't twelve weeks along until-"