There was still no news on the baby front for them then, despite Colette’s confession during that call that her period was late—and her hopes that, on this trip, maybe she and Ed might have something to celebrate, too.

Again, whenever she talked to her, Kim felt guilty about how shocked and distraught she’d been when she fell unexpectedly pregnant with Lily, when she knew poor Colette would’ve given anything for a surprise like that.

“Where’s Charlie?” she asked Annie now, and Kim had to laugh when, as if on cue, a dripping-wet child dashed toward his unsuspecting mother and hugged her from behind.

“Ah, Charlie, you drenched me!”

“Oh, he’s just having fun.” Colette chuckled and kneeled down to say hello. “Hello there. You don’t know me but I’m an old friend of your mum’s. My name’s Colette.”

Kim smiled, watching her interact with Charlie on his own level. She truly had a natural way with children, which made it all the more heartbreaking that she couldn’t seem to have any of her own.

“So how have you all been?” Colette questioned as she took a seat at the table alongside Annie. “It seems much longer than five years.”

“I saw you guys in London just after I had Lily, remember?” Kim reminded. “So not that long for us.”

“But I definitely haven’t seen you since before our wedding,” Colette said to Annie. “Charlie was just a baby then. And look at him now...”

“I know. Again, I’m sorry I couldn’t make it,” Annie stated. “How’s Ed?”

Colette’s features twitched infinitesimally. “Ah, you know, all work, work, work,” she mused, as she tried to pass off her obvious unease.

Kim really needed to be getting back to work but she so wanted to stay here and linger over piña coladas and catch up with them for as long as she could. Even if hers needed to be a virgin one. She wrestled hard with herself, unable to believe that there was another snag, yet another fire to put out.

It was getting to the point where it would be a miracle if the launch happened at all.

“Charlie really is growing up so fast, Annie,” Colette was saying.

“I can’t believe it either. It’s as if he was born yesterday.”

“He doesn’t look so much like you, though. Perhaps he’s more like his dad?”

The color seemed to drain from Annie’s face at this and Kim was surprised that the topic of Charlie’s dad would have such an effect on her friend, given that she’d always been so open about the fact that it was just an ill-fated encounter.

“He’s a great kid,” Kim put in quickly. “So happy and fun-loving, and I have no doubt that he’ll make you really proud.”