“Hi.” Leah’s eyes were glassy, like she had just woken from a dream. Her belly looked large and round, and Therese wondered why she hadn’t noticed it before. Now it protruded outwards, making itself known. Leah pushed slightly away from the table to make herself more comfortable, and Therese resisted the urge to pull her close and sit like they always had when she was pregnant with Matilda.

Before Lionel.

He reached over to shake Tim’s hand and nodded at Therese. “So, what looks good?”

As usual, Tim was completely lost in the menu, which gave Therese time to stare at the happy couple. Once, when Lionel caught her looking, he winked. The waitress came and they ordered drinks, Lionel insisting that he and Leah share from the same glass, which seemed to delight Leah. During the meal, Lionel pulled Leah’s chair closer to his, and when Therese bent down to pick up a spoon that had fallen to the floor, she saw that they were holding hands. When he spoke to Leah, he whispered in hushed tones, as though he was telling her a secret that no one else was worthy enough to hear. Everything seemed to be going fine, yet no matter how she tried, she could not rid herself of a foreboding sense of impending doom. It hung on to her and made it difficult to swallow.

“Where are you from, Lionel?” she asked, raking her fork against the mashed potatoes on her plate.

He looked up and smiled. “Here and there.”

“Will you settle down here when the baby comes?”

He was quiet for a few minutes, or maybe it was longer, because soon she wondered if he was ever going to answer at all.

“I remember once driving through this town. Had this cute little diner in the center. Think it was called Emerald. I knew the moment I saw it that’s where I was going to end up. It’s the kind of place you settle down in once you know you’re done running.”

“It sounds like the perfect place,” Therese said.

Leah reached over to rub the top of Lionel’s hand, and he looked down at his lap like he was embarrassed, like he had revealed too much. Then she smiled at Therese, who stared even harder at her mashed potatoes.

It was at the end of the meal that she found herself alone with Lionel. Leah had excused herself to use the bathroom, and Tim had gone to get the car. They were standing outside the restaurant, he with his hands stuffed into his pockets and she with Tim’s jacket draped over her shoulders. She was stepping back and forth, trying to stay warm.

“Cold?”