can enjoy a few quiet moments with my favorite ladies.” She sat next to Edna, who had a sour expression on her face like she’d sucked on a lemon and couldn’t wait to spit it out. “You seem troubled. Are you sad that Rufsur is leaving?”
“I’m not happy about it. But it is what it is. There isn’t much I can do about it.”
“You can ask him to stay a little longer,” Syssi suggested. “I’m sure Kalugal could do without him for a day or two. Right, Jacki?”
“I can’t speak for Kalugal. The truth is that I have no idea what those two do all day, but they are always together.”
“It won’t make much of a difference,” Edna said. “Besides, I have my own work to keep me busy.”
Syssi pushed to her feet. “I feel for you. There is no easy solution for you and him. Would a margarita make you feel better? Amanda and I will have to do with a virgin version, but I can make yours and Jacki’s loaded.”
Edna smiled. “Thank you. I could use something with a little bite.”
“Can you make mine weak?” Jacki asked. “Or on second thought, make mine a virgin too. I’m not a big fan of alcohol.”
Amanda grimaced. “I hate virgin margaritas. They are nothing but fancy smoothies.”
“It’s a small price to pay for your miracle.” Syssi walked over to the bar and opened the fridge.
“How are you feeling?” Edna turned to Amanda. “Are you getting nauseous in the mornings?”
“Not at all. I feel great.”
“I didn’t ask before, but what made you suspect that you were pregnant?”
“I was getting tired easily. In the middle of the day, I couldn’t keep my eyes open, and I had to put my head on the desk and nap for a few minutes. When it kept happening day after day, I knew that something was up. And since we don’t get sick, that was the only logical conclusion. But it still took me almost a week to get a pregnancy test. I was scared, and I kept postponing it, hoping that the feeling would go away.”
“I bet you are happy now that it didn’t.”
Amanda sighed. “I wish. I still have moments of sheer panic, but I also have moments of incredible joy.”
“What about you, Syssi?” Edna asked. “Do you get scared sometimes?”
“Nope. I wanted to have a child for such a long time, and I’m enjoying every moment of the pregnancy.” She handed one margarita with a paper umbrella to Amanda, and the other to Jacki. “I conduct entire conversations with my daughter.” She went back to the bar and brought Edna a glass without an umbrella.
Amanda chuckled. “That’s sweet, but I think you should have a talk with Vanessa. What if you are having a boy? Imagine how he feels knowing that you want a girl.”
Syssi rubbed her belly. “I know that I’m having a daughter.”
Amanda lifted a brow. “No doubts, darling? Life is full of surprises. What if you are having twins?”
“I’m not. There is only one heartbeat.”
“If their heartbeats are synchronized, they might sound like one. Bridget needs to give you an ultrasound. You are pregnant enough to find out the baby’s sex. No more guessing.”
“Yeah, you are right. But Bridget has ordered a new ultrasound model that provides better imaging than the one she has now. I’m waiting for it to get delivered. I saw the images it produces, and they are simply amazing. You see the baby as clearly as if the camera was inside the uterus.”
Amanda looked down at her flat belly. “I wish I could find out the sex of my baby too. But it’s too early. It has to be a girl, though. I’ll go nuts if I have to wait for a boy to reach puberty before he can be turned immortal.”
“Don’t think like that,” Syssi said. “A moment ago, you admonished me for my conviction that I’m having a girl and addressing her as one. If you psych yourself up for a daughter and then discover that you are having a boy, you might feel disappointed, and that will affect the baby.”
Jacki snorted over her paper umbrella. “Just call it the baby until you find out what you are having. Wouldn’t that solve your problem?”
Amanda laughed. “You are absolutely right, but I have a better idea. I will call mine Tiny.”
Stifling a smile, Syssi shook her head. “No child of yours and Dalhu’s is going to be small. You should call it Colossus.”
“That’s awful.” Amanda rubbed